We Gotta Start Somewhere {A Two-Year Photography Journey…To Be Continued…}

Hey All-

I’ve just been thinking about this photography journey I’ve been on. I bought my first ever DSLR camera two years ago. I thought it was so cool to shoot in aperture priority, making certain parts stand out & other parts blurry (somewhere along the way I learned the cool blurry stuff was called bokeh). I read, and read, and read every piece of free literature I could find on the internet, went out to practice with my kids (who would eventually tire of my endless photo shoots), then bought some books, went to some workshops, joined some photography groups, read & practiced, practiced, practiced some more. I ate, slept, dreamt about photography…or at least it seemed that way. I probably drove everyone crazy with this journey!! One day, my awesome friend Rita came to shoot something for my old business (Bows-n-Berries) & let me shoot alongside her, using some of her pro lenses (instead of just my kit lens…let me tell you…as much as the photographer matters…equipment is definitely a factor too! That being said, if you give someone who is clueless about photography the BEST camera, their photos will likely be mediocre at best!). It was awesome & the first time I ever shot in complete Manual Mode…that means I chose my ISO, my aperture, and my shutter speed to get a photo much more to my liking. I was hooked…and I was surprised at how decent the photos came out! lol… I only had iPhoto for editing…it seemed so cool at the time! But eeeeeeeekkkk…I look at some of my older stuff (poor coloring & all) and am at least a little encouraged as to where I have come in two years!

Here is a set FROM THE FIRST MONTH I OWNED MY CAMERA…DON’T JUDGE!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, yes, I know…one of my daughters looks jaundiced! I didn’t KNOW how to edit & color-correct, okay?? lol… And these were some of the BEST of what I got that first month. I have thousands of images that I’ve deleted that were horrible!!!

FAST FORWARD TO 2012…HERE are some of my FAVES from the last year. It was sooooo hard to choose. Here are some couples in love…

And some detail shots that I liked in particular…

Some of my fave B&W photos…

Some of my fave portraits:

I haven’t even included family shots & many other faves! Told you…it was hard to choose! But these are just some of the ones that made my heart go pitter-patter!