In 1982 (I was eight years old at the time) I took my first pictures with an Agfamatic Pocket camera. One of those where you had to push one end of the camera in and out to advance the film. Two of those pictures still exist: From the window of my room I photographed two rabbits in the garden. I remember being rather disappointed by the results because the animals were about a millimetre in size on the print.

Next came the Minolta AF-C, I think it was in 1984. An all-automatic, compact autofocus camera with a 35mm f/2.8 lens that took great pictures. It belonged to my father but it was me who shot most of the pictures on our family holidays. As I was the most photographically inclined family member I took the camera with me when I moved out and it went everywhere with me until it got stolen in 1998.

Because I needed a replacement after the theft I bought a "new" camera for a longer trip to New York City: the Fujica V2, a used rangefinder from the sixties with a 45mm f/1.8 lens and shutter priority. But I was too inexperienced with this kind of camera and I returned from the USA with an disappointing amount of blurred or wrongly exposed photos. (I kept the camera but never used it again until I sold it in 2006).

For the following two years I either used Fuji disposable cameras or my girlfriend's Yashica T4 with its very sharp 35mm f/3.5lens. We're still together, so I can still take pictures with her great camera. But in 2001 I decided it was time I have my own camera again and bought a Canon AF35ML built in 1981; fully automatic with a fast 40mm f/1.9 lens. It takes really sharp pictures but is one noisy and rather heavy brick. Recently I noticed I could not rely on the autofocus anymore, but I hope that's just a phase.

Ever since the Minolta AF-C got stolen I felt guilty because it was still essentially my dad's camera. In 2002 I spontaneously decided to pop into a camera shop and ask whether they had a used one. They did and with eyes watering from nostalgia I bought it and have used it since on a few holidays.

It took another four years before I decided to buy another camera: a Fuji Silvi F2.8, purchased in autumn 2006, has become a useful business travel companion. This is largely due to its interesting lens. Considering that it is yet again an all-auto compact camera, its 24-50mm f/2.8-5.6 zoom is remarkably fast at the wide end and is an ideal range for cities. During that time I also discovered slide photography and invested a whopping 30€ in a slide projector.

Early in 2007 I borrowed a Minolta Dynax (Maxxum) 4 single-lens-reflex camera from a colleague, an autofocus camera with a mediocre 28-100mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens. I had to get used to the added bulk compared to my compacts but it was an excitingly different experience.

Exciting enough for me to finally buy my first own SLR camera: a used Minolta X-700 manual focus camera from 1989 which came with a 50mm f/1.4 lens. It cost me a mere 85 Euros - thanks to all those people who switch to digital. I have since added an Auto 360px flash and a few more lenses - 24mm f/2.8, 35mm f/1.8, 70-210mm f/4 and 135mm f/2.8 -, again for ridiculously little money.

I also made a first foray into medium format photography and bought several cheap classic Agfa cameras - Click, Clack, Isola I, Isola II - of which I kept the latter. I thoroughly enjoy shooting with the Isola II. The fact that I have only 12 exposures on a film really demands a slower, more thoughtful approach to taking pictures.

In spring 2008 I found a great excuse to buy a new camera: I needed an auto-focus SLR to be ready for my first child (born in autumn). So I purchased a used Minolta Dynax (Maxxum) 7 with a good quality 24-105mm f3.5-5.6 zoom lens. What a fantastic camera. I have to admit I (sometimes) prefer it to my trusty X-700. But then again, buying the same setup of AF lenses that I have for the manual focus Minolta would set me back several hundred Euros, so the X-700 does still get some action.

I also owned a digital camera for a while, a Nikon CoolPix 995. It was a nice camera but I never really used it a lot. My job already involves spending so much time in front of the computer that with my photography I prefer film because it slows my hectic life down a bit.