My New Camera

This weekend marks a new chapter in my life!  I went from a point-and-shoot to a DSLR! I'm entering the world of real photography...  and I'm totally consumed by it! Years ago I had a 35mm Minolta Maxxum, which I loved.  But, then digital photography came along and I couldn't justify paying for developing of an entire roll of film for just a few great pictures.  Thus I moved to the point-and-shoot.  I have to say, this last Kodak 712Z that I have, has been a good camera.  It does have the manual settings on it, so I have been able to adjust the shutter speed or aperture, etc., if I felt the desire to do so.  But you just don't get the clarity, vividness, etc. that you do from a SLR.  So, let me introduce you to my new toy - the Canon XSi:

I also purchased the 55 - 250mm lens and now I already have a wishlist...  I'm dying for a 50mm lens!

The only problem?  I'm a little overwhelmed!  Don't get me wrong, I love the way it feels in my hands.  It only took a few shots for me to get used to not pushing a button to zoom, but instead twisting the lens.  But I just don't know it well enough to feel comfortable at picking my settings manually yet.  I can on still life, flowers and such, but on people, especially those that are moving or in low lights...  not enough practice.

To conquer that problem, I've been reading and reading tutorials on the web and just ordered Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera. My goal is to have it become second nature in the next 6 to 12 months.

And, of course, the only way to get better is to shoot, shoot, shoot. So, here are a couple of pics I took this weekend, one of my Oakleaf Hydrangea, shot right outside my living room window. And, the other of my niece. It was late evening and I thought it was really good until I put it on my computer and she was sooo washed out. But with a little tweaking in Photoshop I think it turned out nicely!