I've been fascinated by photography since I was very young. Somewhere in a family album I have my "first photo" - a portrait of my grandparents I took with my first camera - some bakelite twin-lens - more toy than camera but it made an image. I was about 6 or so at the time.
I've been actively involved in photography since high school either with as an employee, freelancer, Small Business owner, or hobby. One summer while I was in college my Grandfather (an active photographer himself) approached me with a job to help repaint the metal roof of his house for money.  I counter offered with an exchange for his engineering and woodworking skills to build a 4x5 field camera. 

I still have that camera.

And that was really the beginning of my embrace using and building Large Format cameras.