I got a new camera recently, a Nikon D40 DSLR. I had a Cannon Rebel 35 mm film camera that I loved a lot but soon after we got it my husband talked me into buying a digital camera and I haven’t used my beloved Rebel since. It’s not that the digital took better pictures, but I could look at them right away, retake them if I messed up and delete the millions of blurry pictures I took. Plus, I was always bad at taking the film in for developing. I was cleaning my office a few weeks ago and found this:
more than 25 rolls of undeveloped film. I don’t think I’ve used film in 9 years. I am so ashamed. That, more than anything, is why I love digital cameras.
The only thing I didn’t like about my digital camera was the shutter delay. I was always getting the picture a fraction of a second too late, specially during soccer games. I have a lot of shots of the soccer field and other people’s kids because by the time the camera took the picture my kids were gone. Digital SLRs don’t have that problem. And, I wanted to get a little more creative with my pictures. So I begged my man to let me buy a new camera and, even though he doesn’t think I’ll really use it, he said yes.
I’ve had it for a couple of weeks and am a little scared I should have spent the money on a trip to Disneyland instead. I had visions of beautiful, vibrant close-ups, great action shots of my family having fun together, stunning sunsets… What I’ve got are a couple thousand average to horrible pictures and maybe 10 that I really like.
I am a pretty impatient person. When I want to do something I want to do it well right away and if I can’t I tend to get frustrated and give up. I’ve been reading books and websites but I’m just missing something. I’ve spent way too much money on this thing so I’m determined not to give up but I have to admit, I’m feeling a little discouraged.
I’ve decided to focus on perfecting, or at least getting really good at, one thing at a time because I’m feeling really overwhelmed by all the things I need to learn.
The first thing I would like to learn is to take really good close-ups of faces. I love the pictures like this where the outer edges are blurry and want to figure out how to get that effect.
My kids are getting older and are either gone or sleeping most of the day so I haven’t had a model to practice with. That’s why I was so excited that my niece, Gracie, was going to spend a few hours at our house yesterday. There’s just one problem: that girl won’t sit still…
Hey Gracie, just let me take one picture!
