I took an introduction to photography class late in 1990. My first camera was a Pentax K1000 with a 50mm lens. After learning how to develop photograms on paper prints, we were given our first assignment with film and asked to shoot a portrait. Since I was working as an EMT and knew several firefighters at different agencies, I asked one crew at L.A. County Fire station 18 if they would mind posing for me.
I had no idea what I was doing; all I knew was that I was supposed to get the needle in the viewfinder to reach the middle gap between the plus and minus symbols on the light meter. I shot a handful of images, and this one turned out best. It's the first portrait I ever shot, and a copy of it still hangs at the fire station 35 years later.
Camera used was a Pentax K1000 with a 50mm lens and shot on T-Max 400 black & white film. No idea what my camera settings were. Lighting was pure luck using natural light.