Saturday, January 7, 2012

Project for 2012

I really want to be a better photographer. I want to completely understand shutter speed, aperture and ISO. I want to know why some of my photos are underexposed or overexposed. I want to know why most pictures of Charlotte are blurry (because she's moving, duh!) and what settings on my camera I need to change to fix this. I want to know how to deal with the lack of light in our living room. I am learning but I am impatient.

I've had my own camera since high school and actually received a film SLR camera as a gift when I graduated from graduate school. That was right at the time when digital cameras were becoming more affordable and I don't think I ever took a single photo with that camera because I didn't understand how it worked. I still have the camera though and hope to learn how to use it (bucket list item?). I bought my first digital camera before my trip to Europe in 2004 and it served me well. As a gift to myself for surviving a year of working on Capitol Hill I bought a big-girl camera - a DSLR. I used this camera for years without really knowing how to use it on any setting other than auto.

When I was on maternity leave with Charlotte I had two goals - run six miles by the time I returned back to work and learn how to use my camera. I accomplished the first goal and made progress on the second goal. Even though I feel like I don't know what I am doing I really have come a long way since September of 2009. Up until this past November I had not taken a photography class. Instead I read books and websites and relied on my friend Kris for knowledge and information.

In November I took a 3 hour class through the Parks and Rec on how to take pictures of children and another 3 hour class on exposure. I am signed up for two more classes this winter and I've also signed up for an on-line class on Photoshop Elements. I am so excited!

One of my New Year's resolutions or goals is to become a better photographer. Therefore I am going to attempt a photo-a-day project. I already take photos everyday but sometimes they stay on my camera for weeks before I download them. I am going to post the pictures here on my blog with the hopes that I will improve as an amateur photographer. Yes, I know I am already behind in this project. I plan to post the pictures a week at a time.

Wish me luck!

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