First xposure

We love moaning. The raw file won't open, the firmware update wiped your settings. But spare a thought for the early adopters - when digital photography meant ghostly battery life, media cards that could barely hold a lunch break, colours that made everything look a bit ill. Peter Dench hears from top shooters about those early frustrations and breakthroughs, and adds his own...

- Peter Dench

Peter Dench, photographer and AP acting features editor

The once-in-a-lifetime commission came down to two candidates and one question: do you shoot digital? The other photographer said no — they preferred film on a Leica. Sensing the room, I said yes. I got the job.

It was 2007. For over a decade I'd shot almost exclusively on medium-format film — Mamiya 6 and 7. I was nearly convinced my style could translate to digital. This was the nudge I needed.

After the meeting, I called my mate Marcus Bleasdale to ask what camera system to buy. A few weeks later, I rang again for help navigating the menus and settings of my new Canon EOS 5D (and a spare). Released in 2005, it was a landmark: the first relatively affordable full-frame DSLR.

Football’s Hidden Story would explore the global reach and social impact of the beautiful game, far from the professional spotlight - 26 stories across 22 countries in 15 months. From refugee camps to war zones, remote villages to inner-city streets, it captured how football is played, loved, and lived in the most unexpected places.

I lazily thought I'd learn on the job. The first trip took me to the barrios marginales of Bogotá and Cartagena. I remember the moment I felt I'd taken a good digital photo - a lad sat on a wall cleaning his boots next to a soldier.

Anything above ISO 800 was like painting with sand. In low light, detail fell off a cliff. The rear LCD was tiny, so you chimped — and guessed. But I learned fast. The reportage went on to win six global accolades. Not a bad start.

Leon Neal, staff editorial photographer with Getty Images