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My trip to Wisconsin to visit my "old" home.
Ryan's First Day of School (Mothers Day Out Program)
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One of my favorite hobbies is photography. I have been carrying a camera around for over 20 years and wasn't all that serious about it. My first camera was a Minolta Maxxum. I never took a walk on the "creative side" as far as using using any setting more than "full auto." When my camera was stolen, I couldn't really afford to buy another decent one, so I used "point and shoots" to get the job done.
I realized that I had "an eye" for taking good snapshots. Once we had Ryan, I decided to upgrade to a Canon Elan IIe. Several years later, I opted for the newest version of the Elan IIe, which was the 7e. I realized that using film was getting expensive, mostly because I would purchase a set of prints AND buy a CD with a copy. I would take these copies and often do the post processing I do now. After spending over $100 per month on film, printing, and digitizing my photo's I took the BIG plunge of moving to "digital only" photo's. I save time and money as a result. It's allowed me to accelerate the learning process too!
In June 2006, I bought a Canon 30d w/2GB of memory, which I love! Because I have been shooting with Canon camera's for the last 6 years, I was able to use the lenses I've gotten used to. In this particular kit I had an image stabilized 17 - 85mm IS USM/f 4 - 5.6. It reduces the "camera shake" that can happen when taking hand held shots. There's plenty more to the kit, but I'll spare you the details. Another lens I use is my Canon 70-300mm/f4-5.6 USM. It helps me get fairly close to distant subjects. Since I don't do a whole lot of animal watching, I will probably not increase my zoom for a while. The lens I am gearing/saving up for is the Canon 70-200mm/f2.8-5.6 zoom. It's a nominal $1,600 and worth every penny of it. I'll use it for portraits mostly, however, it will definitely come in handy for action shots, which I do a LOT of!
I have taken the time and spent a little money on improving the quality of my images. I've sent about $300 in books and continue to read magazines like PC Photo, Shutterfly, and Popular Photography. There are all kinds of tips and tricks available for those like me who look for it on the Internet!
I've put together a compilation of pictures I've taken this year. By the way, since January 2006, I have amassed over 6,700 of images taking OVER 13 GB's of space this year alone)!
I'll add more later, but for now, here's a "Year in Pictures." Some of them are of other people, portraits, and activities. For the most part, they are in random order. I hope you enjoy viewing as much as I did taking them...!
