Having Fun with Photos

I think photography is fun. Even if I am the only one that likes my pictures, I think it's fun. Sometimes I think I get caught thinking that it's only worth doing something if I'm good at it or if other people like what comes of what I've done. I know this isn't true. It's fun to just do something because I enjoy it. Taking pictures is one of those things for me.

In March when we sold my motorcycle, my husband wanted me to get something that I would enjoy "doing". I wanted to get a DSLR. My dad gave me a Canon Eos Elan camera when I graduated from high school with a telephoto lens. I used it a lot during college and the next few years after that. But with the arrival of our point and shoot digital camera, I set down my film camera and pushed it to the back of the closet. It was hard for me to justify using it when I had to pay to develop the film and I didn't know which pictures would be good on the roll of film and which ones wouldn't turn out well. It also involved more work on my part to take the film to the store and pick it up than uploading the pictures to a site on the web and ordering them from home.

My sister in law got a DSLR about two years ago and I marveled at the wonderful pictures she took with it. The shots she got of her family were awesome! (I think "awesome" is a permanent word in my vocabulary because of growing up in LA). Seeing her pictures made me want to take more pictures. But, point and shoots are the same as SLR cameras. They're nice, but the pictures aren't of the same quality.

So, when my husband proposed that I could choose a new "hobby" and purchase a new tool, I knew I wanted a DSLR. I knew the two choices were Canon and Nikon. When I went to the store, the Canon DSLR was just like my old camera. It wasn't exactly alike, but it was very similar. I compared features and knew I wanted to get a Canon. I asked my sister in law and discovered that she and two of my brother in laws all have Canons. So, Canon it was.

For the past two months, I've been taking pictures and enjoying it. Here's one I took while we were on vacation:

My husband loves to take pictures too and so he's enjoyed it as much as I have. It's been fun to share my camera with him and enjoy the hobby together.

For about a month, I've been wondering if my old telephoto would work on my new camera. When we had friends visiting last weekend, it came up in our conversation and they told me that they want to get a Canon DSLR because of the interchangeability of their lenses. They encouraged me to try out my old telephoto lens. And it worked! I was thrilled. It would save us a lot of money and I didn't feel like I was wasting my old camera.

Yesterday, I went to a friend's house to take pictures of her garden. It was quite fun. She took a lot of pictures with my camera too and enjoyed seeing her garden through the camera lens. Here's a picture I took from her garden yesterday of a dragonfly

Here's a picture I took inside her house

What I love about pictures and cameras is the idea of trying to capture what we see. It prompts me to look more closely at what is before me. It also evokes in me a sense of wonder at the composition of our spaces and world. Essentially, I am marveling at God's creation.

Missing Pieces

The other day I was discussing a book with my mom and explaining to her my concern about how "blame" is cast upon the child in the story. My mom commented about how deeply I read and consider what is written. Sometimes I wonder if I go overboard. Am I questioning too much? Am I overreacting? Why am I reacting this way? I come back to knowing that God wired me this way. But, I also reflect on how God has guided my path through the maze of books I've read over the past few years and what I've learned from the books themselves and from reading them. Recently, I read a book that troubled me. The book I finished reading was Guiltless Living by Ginger Hubbard. When I began reading it, I found myself puzzled and then disconcerted. And in the end, I cried. But, I cried for a different reason than one might suspect. I'd like to explain. I did not read Ms. Hubbard's previous book “ Don't Make Me Count to Three ”, but I knew from f...

listening or rather not listening to directions...

This week has been very eye opening. I am observing and noticing what I need to learn in order to be a better homeschooling mom and teacher and what my daughter needs to learn to be a good homeschooling student. My weakness when I was a teacher in a first grade classroom was not understanding how small concepts had to be broken down--and I lost my patience very quickly. This week, in particular today, I am seeing how detailed my directions need to be. I am going to be working very consciously and deliberately on this. On the other hand, I realized that my daughter does not listen! Wowsers! In a classroom, Autumn listens very well. She is a compliant child and very influenced by peer pressure and conformity. So, she listens along with everyone else and follows directions. But, at home, it's just Autumn and maybe Sami and Mommy. Very, very different! I had forgotten that most of kindergarten in the public schools is not focused on teaching students academic and learning co...

Writing A Homeschool Teacher Resume

I'm helping a friend who's switching jobs write a resume. She hasn't written one in years, so this is something new. I began working on her resume, but then stopped to write my own because I thought it might be helpful. Being a homeschool teacher may not seem to many like an occupation or career, but it is. I used the combined form of resume for myself. I began with the basic information, then moved on to strengths (the combined skills/experience part), education, Occupational Experience, then Related Experience, Certifications, Computer Skills, and mentioned at the end... References Available Upon Request. Sometimes homeschooling parents have to reenter the workplace because of family changes and needs. How could you express what you've been doing in a way that's acceptable for a resume? Well, here's my take on it... Teacher, Homeschool ...

love to paint

Search This Blog