Wednesday, August 10, 2011

A Hobby...FINALLY.

I believe I mentioned several weeks ago that I enrolled in a photography class...last night was the first class.  It is a 4 week class and I am hoping to come away with a better understanding of how to make the most of my camera and improve the quality of my photographs, but at the end of the day, I am just thrilled to be doing something out of the house for ME! It's funny, I have been craving a hobby for several years, I have always envied the peeps who have legit hobbies that "complete them", and I was starting to feel like a complete hobbiless dork without one, but now, between this class, thrift stores, and do it yourself projects around the house, I am starting to feel more like a dork with hobbies.


Photography is a personal thing, everyone has their own style and their own likes and dislikes.  My friend/neighbor Rachel and I were talking about it last night on the way to and from class (we are taking it together, which is a double bonus, because we get some girl time in on the way two and from).I sent my friend Jeni a few images that I am drawn to, and asked her for a few tips on how I could recreate, and turns out most of what I liked was just Photoshopped, so I am torn between the natural look and the super-duper Photoshopped look.


I love capturing the moments I share with the girls, and those that we share as a family.  For the first time in a very long time, I don't loathe being on the other side of the camera (still would rather be behind it, but I am working on it).  I am looking forward to comparing the photographs I have taken to date with the ones I will take after this class is over.  Last night I learned a lot about my camera (I have a Nikon D80), a little about what format I should be shooting in (JPEG Fine), what size image I should be saving (Large), and how to properly delete the images from my SD card. 



I know that doesn't sound impressive, but I love walking away with changes that still stick, and those my friends, are the sticking kind of changes I like.  We learned a lot about Shutter Speed and Aperture, their relationship, how to shoot in the different modes (M, P, A, S), and all about depth of field.  Depth of field is big one for me. I love having one part of the photograph in focus and the other part all blurry, and the depth of field concept gets me closer to where I want to be.

And then of course, once I have the photo taking figured out, I need to learn all about photo editing...can't wait!! I hope this weekend gives me several chances to put my knew knowledge to the test, we shall see.  If you have a hobby, what is it, and if you don't, are you looking for one?


1 comment:

Jeni said...

Yay Leigh! Congrats on your new hobby. I can't wait to see more photos from you!!!