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They say to write about what you know and this, my loves, I know. Whenever I’m on Pinterest I see many people pinning posts related to “how to take a really great photo.” So here is my attempt to join in and give my two cents. But before I give you any advice, I’m going to tell you where I began. I’ll also let you know what cameras I’ve used and recommend. To start off, that above “selfie” was taken while I was first learning photography. We even sent this camera back because there was so much blur. Little did we know it was because we didn’t know how to use it properly. They returned it and we actually *gasp* read the manual!
So, like most new moms I was obsessed with capturing every single moment of my newborns life. My firstborn literally has a photo every single day of her first year. I did not care what the picture looked like. I just shot. Then came along number two. My husband gifted me with a new camera. It was a FujiFilm FinePix S5000
A year later I got a book called The Joy of Digital Photography by Jeff Wignall
{Here are a handful of photos I took within my first few months of starting the class. Yes, a selfie in 2005}
That Christmas my husband then gifted me with a Canon Digital Rebel XT
{I was all about food photography before Instagram even was. I blame the many pregnancies.}
I was on cloud nine! I was practicing constantly on anything. Mainly things that wouldn’t move. My poor children didn’t get nearly as many shots as the inanimate objects around the house. I was gaining confidence. Practice. Practice. Practice. I was teased multiple times a week for having a camera glued to my face. However, all that practice earned me first place in the Columbus Dispatch photo contest.
{Say hello to Mr. Ray. Photo taken at the Columbus Zoo in 2006.}
The prize was a new Canon camera! I did end up having to sell the previous one to pay for car repairs. So sad, but that’s life. I was now going to be learning how to use a Canon Rebel XTi.
I had just began a photography business and then we moved. I let my photo taking days take a back seat. Plus with the having a new baby every other year, my hands were full. Later, in 2011, I got a Canon EOS Rebel T2i
I used that camera for a couple years. I still have it and allow, very occasionally, my eldest daughter to practice with it. I fully intend to give her classes on how to use it this year. Once again, I began a photography business. I was doing rather well, not a replace-someones-income kind of well, but a I’m-happy-doing-what-I-love kind of well. And then, you guessed it, we moved. *sigh*
Right before the move I got an amazing deal on a highly coveted camera. The Canon EOS 5D Mark II
This camera makes me so happy. But even more so are the lenses I’ve gotten to go with it. That, though, is for another post. So for now, I sit here with no photography business BUT I would love to share what I’ve learned with YOU! God has gifted us with this beautiful world and with beautiful lives surrounding us that should be documented!
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12 ESV)
Each week I will post new tips and advice. It took me years before I was comfortable with calling myself a “photographer.” Despite the fact I’ve won contests and been published in two books. So, please, if you’re taking pictures, even if it’s with your phone, you ARE a photographer! Take pictures of your family because they are the ones that matter the most. I don’t regret all the inanimate photos I took because it gave me practice, but I do wish I had focused more on the lives around me. That was another learning phase.
Stay tuned next week as I offer you the very basics on lens selection. But for now, get to shooting! And I highly recommend The NEW Joy of Digital Photography
Blessings!
