Photog Class -- Intro

When I bought Ellie, I had no idea how to use her.  I just knew I wanted as good a camera as my film camera, which was a Canon.  After much research, I chose the Canon 40D, saved for two years, and finally purchased this really cool camera, which I named Ellie, of course!  (Don't you name your camera?)

Ellie worked great on the fully automatic setting, and I started taking pictures--lots and lots of pictures--right away.  Full auto is very easy, and I got some great shots.  But after shooting through that spring and summer, I knew I was in over my head and figured I should learn what I could really do with my really cool camera.  I found a photography class at my alma mater, North Central College.  The price was right, the time was right, and Danny (then 16) signed up with me since he was constantly "borrowing" Ellie and using up the memory cards with all his snapping away.  I figured we could both learn together.

Our fearless teacher, Tim (who is awesome, by the way)

We found ourselves sitting in class with about nine other adults.  Poor Danny!  He did great, though, and brought some innovative, youthful ideas to the table when it came time to submit images for review each week.

I have to tell you--that first class was so daunting!  Tim told us that he expected us to know how to shoot in manual mode.  It turned out that this particular class was the third one in the series!  I gulped when he asked if we manually set the white balance before we shot.  I half-raised my hand and quavered, "What's white balance?"  (Boy, was I in trouble!)  But Tim was fantastic.  He launched into a discussion about white balance, what it was, how to set it, etc.  A photographer was born that day.  Well, let's say she was always taking pictures, but she suddenly learned that she needed to learn how to take pictures.

Since that class, I've taken a number of other classes, just finishing the most recent one last month.  I know from homeschooling that you learn best what you teach to others, and I've actually had several opportunities to teach basic photography to others.

The 4-H class to whom I presented my first photography class!

Since I also love to write, I plan to combine all this into several posts that will hopefully teach others in the virtual world.  I'm always learning, even if it's solidifying the basic stuff I should know by heart.  Every time I pick up my camera, it's a challenge to put into practice all the stuff I've learned over the years.  Some of it comes naturally, some comes smoothly having been incorporated into my style and routine, and other knowledge has to be implemented on a regular basis.

Even if these blog posts end up being me teaching myself, I don't mind.  Writing it all down helps me remember it better.


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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