My Very First Subject I Photographed
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Sunday, May 31, 2026
By Michael G Moats
In the year 2001 I decided to purchase some camera equipment and go out into nature and have some fun.
It was November when I receive my used Nikon N80 film camera along with a tripod, some lenses all bought used from eBay.
It was a Saturday morning before daybreak when I drove out to a local park to capture my first images with my camera gear.
I got there before the sun came over the horizon as my thought was to shoot the sunrise.
I had no idea what I was doing but guess I would figure it out as I go.
As I got out of my car in the parking lot I looked to the east and saw this tree with these amazing layers of colors behind the tree.
The colors were produced by a storm that was coming in from the west threatening to rain on my first outing with my camera.
I set up my tripod and camera and clicked a couple frames. Have no idea what my setting were on that shot, but got lucky.
When I got the slides back from the processing, I was amazed at what I had capture with the very first click of my shutter.
Little did I know on that day that within a few years I would start a successful photography business that has lasted for 21 years.
Here is my very first image in 2001.