Photography

I grew up in the midst of photography.  Some of my earliest memories are of my papa showing slides at night against a sheet hung in the living room.  Since then, there are several accomplished amateur photographers in the family.  
I got my first SLR in college.  I had fun.  But it largely gathered dust after I entered the work force.  

Many years passed.  
Many many years passed.  
Decades in fact.

When we were about to travel to VietNam for our adoption, I wanted to purchase a good, new camera to preserve the memories.  I waffled back and forth between a DSLR and a point-n-shoot.  Ultimately, I got a pricey point-n-shoot because I couldn't see lugging a big ol' DSLR all around VietNam.  And ultimately I regretted my decision not to get a DSLR.

I got my first DSLR in 2009.  'Cause you asked, (OK, you didn't really ask did you, but humor me) it was a Canon Rebel T1i.  All the photos on the blog from June 2009 through May 2012 were taken with by little Rebel.  I had so much fun with that camera, and it re-ignited a love of photography in me.  Canon's Rebel line is kinda the best non-professional camera that they have, and thus the Rebel has a non-professional price tag.  I recommend it for anyone who want to "learn" digital photography.  My Rebel was just perfect camera to start with!  

And just recently I finally sold everything not nailed down in my home saved enough money to buy myself a Canon 5D Mark II.  I'm still learning how to use her and hope that she likes me as much as I adore her.

My first lens was a 50mm 1.8.  It is a great first lens, and if there is one bit of advice that I'd give to a first time owner of a DSLR, it would be to buy a 50mm.  My thoughts on my 50mm lens are here.  It's a great all purpose lens that teaches how to use an SLR yet still produces great images relatively easily. And did I mention that it can be cheap!  I now have a 50mm 1.4, and it is often the lens that I stick on my camera and just leave it there until I want to do something special. 

Then there is my 24-70mm 2.8.  It was my first big purchase.  It is my other work horse and sometimes it stays on my camera the vast majority of the time. 

I also have an 85mm 1.8 that is great for portraits and incredibly sharp, but not very good at covering larger areas, like a room shot, or sports, or landscapes.  

Then Papa recently splurged (read-scrounged on Craig's List for months and finally found a awesome deal) and bought me a 100mm macro.  It's a dream to play with and finally allows me to capture images really up close.  On top of that, it's a great portrait lens too.  I would say it's a really fun and great lens to add to your bag, but again it's not a lens to start with.  

Nearly every photo you see from me has been post-processed, i.e. tweaked after the fact, brightening, cropping, correcting white balance, etc...  I still have so much to learn with photography, and post processing can erase many flaws (sometimes literally) and can cover a multitude of photographer sin. The two basic types of post-processing that most all photographers use are Photoshop and Lightroom.

I have a cheap basic version of Photoshop Elements, but unless I'm creating a project, I don't use it.  I've taken a several classes to learn the in's and out's of Photoshop, and I appreciate the incredible endless possibilities it offers.  If I want to be super creative or have a fun project in mind, I will reach for my Photoshop.  BUT for me, Lightroom is still it when it comes to editing a photograph.   I love love love my Lightroom to help "fix" photos, and it is my main editing software.  In my opinion, compared to Photoshop, Lightroom is far faster and easier to use, and is designed for the way photographers think.  

I really don't have any special skill or talent.  On the contrary, I am an amateur photography hobbiest at best who is humbled by how much I don't know!  I have so much to learn and try to get better all the time.  I love to take photographs, and I love to practice.  And if I can do this, anybody can.