there's a new lens in town!

As many of you know, I love taking pictures. Mostly of my kids, I'll admit it. So sue me.

In high school I signed up for a film photography class and that's when my love for all things photography began. I remember going with my dad to a camera shop and buying my first ever SLR. It felt so huge in my hands and there were so many functions to explore. I couldn't wait for my class to begin!

It was so much fun standing in the dark room and giggling with the two other girls in class as we tried to disassemble our film in pitch black darkness. The smell of the chemicals we mixed was strong and intoxicating. There was so much mystery and anticipation, wondering if our pictures would turn out or be totally awful. Mine were usually pretty good- thanks to my dad giving me tips and taking me to cool locations like downtown Shreveport and the cemetary at dusk. Our teacher kind of made me his class pet because of it, which I hated. The other girls in the class stopped talking to me. It was our senior year and this class was meant to be laid back, not taken seriously like I was doing. But I couldn't help it, I LOVED taking pictures of neat things. They maintained their "too cool for school" attitude while I soaked in every bit of photography knowledge I could. We were given optional assignments- I did every one. I even made up assignments for myself. It was addicting. Soon it didn't really matter whether I had friends in the class or not... I found something that made me happy.

The year after I graduated, the film photography class dissolved and switched to digital photography. Film photography still exists, but in this day & age it is SO much more convenient to have a digital camera. Having dealt with real film I can say that I appreciate the ease of digital even more and wish I knew more about it. It was kind of a bummer...but I now appreciate the opportunity I had to do some old-school film developing.

Well, fast forward to college. I was major hopping pretty much every semester and couldn't decide on what to do. In the back of my mind, there was a little voice saying "take a digital photography class!"
I desperately wanted more knowledge on the digital stuff but could never justify putting it on my schedule.

I graduated and got married, never taking that chance.  Sure, there were plenty of artsy classes I would have loved (such as pottery and illustration) but I was trying to get my generals done along with core classes for such and such major. I realized that if I really wanted to learn about those things, the Lord would help me find a way later in life. Not everything is learned in school after all.

So a few weeks ago, I became really frustrated with my stinking point and shoot camera. I was trying to take some cute, outdoor fall pictures of the kids and it just wasn't working out. I ranted about for days to my poor husband...and he lovingly reminded me that there was no way on earth we could buy a new camera right now. By the way, I knew we couldn't either and I hadn't asked him for one- I think he was sensing some pressure from my side just a bit :)

I wondered, "What to do? I guess I'll just wait for the day when I CAN buy one! cause yeah- that might be within a few years! That's not so long..." So I began looking online at some different cameras and comparing prices and brands. It's much too tempting to do this but I always do that to myself. bad habit.

One day I called up my dad to ask him about a particular model and he basically said in not so many words, "Lindsey, you shouldn't be looking at those cameras. You can't afford one and you're going to want to buy one." He was right. He is always right, dangit!

Well I was bummed for about 3 minutes till he perked up and said, "Hey, I have a camera that I'm not using anymore. I can send it to you as an early Christmas present!" ummmmmmmmm YES. PLEASE. WOW.

Did I mention that my dad is a professional (or amateur, I'm sure he would say) photographer? He recently started up his own photo booth business for weddings, reunions, major events etc. He also teaches a photography class at a local college. He really knows his stuff and he is my hero.

So anyways back to my story, I am so excited to renew my love of picture-taking. I have SO much to learn, but the best way to learn is hands on experience- worth more than any textbook.

Come Monday I'll be like a little girl on Christmas morning :)