Like many children growing up in the early 60's, I had a Kodak Brownie. In my early teens, my aunt gave me an old Yashica rangefinder type camera. Truth be told, while I liked taking photos, I did not pursue it for very long. Perhaps because having photos developed was costly and didn't give one much control. Having a darkroom was beyond what I could afford.
As an adult, while I have owned several point and shoot digital cameras, I mostly just took photos of the children while on vacation and not much else. A few years ago I picked up a Nikon 5100 DSLR at Costco on a whim. It came with a couple of kit zoom lenses, and I added a 35mm f/1.8 prime lens which I liked for it's compact size. This got me a little more engaged. Now I would take photos every so often and would manipulate them in Adobe Lightroom.
Several years ago, my son Chris got interested in photography and bought a Sony A6000 mirrorless. Once when visiting, he brought over his camera to show me. I was quite impressed with this rather tiny, yet really capable gadget. I liked the EVF (electronic viewfinder) which gave a much better view of what the picture would end up looking like once the shutter was pressed. I decided I would get one too.
By this time the A6300 was the current model. Soon after I started looking, Sony announced the A6500 - an improvement over the a6300 and now included in body stabilization. Seeing as it had just been announced, it would be a couple of months before it shipped. I wasn't in a particular hurry, so I placed a pre-order.
I was acquainted with an experienced photographer that I knew from the Kerrville Folk Festival. I had noticed that the previous summer, he had replaced his Canon with a Sony A7 series camera. I messaged him on FB to get his advice. Turns out he was waiting to get a 6500 too, and was trying to sell his 6300. He had purchased it only a few months before, and was wiling to sell it to me at a decent price - almost 1/2 of what the new 6500 went for, and would ship it immediately. So I went for it.
I ended up selling my Nikon gear and purchased an inexpensive Rokinon (85mm f/1.4) lens, My first outing was to the Texas Renaissance Festival. Even though I was new to the camera, and the lens was not autofocus capable, I nonetheless ended up with a decent number of useable photos. At this point I was hooked.
BTW, events like the Renaissance Fair are perfect for the keen portrait photographer looking to practice his/her craft. People often dress up in elaborate period garb, and are happy to strike a pose if asked politely. After all, they didn’t go through all that trouble to not be seen. Just be courteous and respectful. And definitely do not be creepy. For non performers, I will ask for permission before taking pictures. Pretty much every one is good natured. Its a good idea to bring business cards so that if someone wants a copy of their picture, they can initiate the request,
After that experience, I started actively looking for opportunities to go out and take pictures. Through Meetup.com, I ended up finding (and joining) the Houston Northwest Photography Club. We meet twice a month. One meeting is a presentation, typically from a working pro, and the other is a print competition. Plus there is usually a field trip once a month to go to some event or location to take photos. Being around a bunch of friendly and experienced photographers and entering 2 or 3 print pictures in the monthly competition makes learning fun. In a few months, I could see real improvement in my composition and picture taking skills.
I have since added to my collection of lenses etc., but that is a story for another day.