Some of the items on this list are very specific, like finish (er...start) my basic emergency management course and pay off outstanding credit cards, while others are much more general.
Like number 9, which is to learn how to take better photos with my new camera.
A little backstory: in high school, I was that person in my group of friends who was always taking photos. I always had a camera with me - at school, at dances, at random adventures. This came in handy during my Grade 11 year - most of my best friends graduated and, as a gift, I put together scrapbooks for them filled with photos of our high school adventures.
These photos were not amazing by any stretch of the imagination - shot on cheap cameras by a shooter with very little skill - and even though I cringe looking back at some of them now (like the ones where I have black hair. I'm not sure why 16-year-old me thought that was a good look...) I'm really happy I have them.
My obsession with documenting everything waned after high school. I still took a lot of pictures while on vacation or at concerts, but for the most part, the only shooting I did was for my journalism classes (and even that was limited). By the time I started working at the paper, the camera I bought in 2009 reached the end of its useful life, and I transitioned to using my phone as my primary camera until last summer.
A couple things changed in the lead up to purchasing my first DSLR. First, the paper I worked for - in a move that still baffles to me to this day - laid off all the photographers and shifted that work to reporters. We were all given smartphones and told that would be sufficient for the photo needs at the paper. Needless to say it did not take long to realize that was not true, so a few of us started to learn how to use the gear that had essentially been left to collect dust in the photo room.
This was my introduction to DSLR. At first, I used two lens and shot exclusively in automatic. By the end of my time at the paper, I started to experiment more with manual settings and while I think my photos improved over time, I was (and am) so keenly aware of the fact that I am not nearly as skilled as my many photographer friends.
The second thing that happened was my trip to Kenya. This trip was, in so many ways, a dream come true for me and after praying and saving and fundraising for more than a year, it was important to me to have a way to document the trip.
So, after months of research, we went to Costco and I bought my first DSLR.
(I also bought this lens. I got an incredible deal on it at BestBuy - I love it SO much.)
Almost a year later, I still love this camera - and I am still learning how to use it. I don't have as many opportunities to practice at work as I used to, so including it on the list felt like an appropriate way to encourage practice while also finding a balance between experiencing life as it happens instead of through a viewfinder.
All that preamble to say, as I learn, I wanted to share some of my favourite shots in a way that allows for a little more reflection that a Facebook album.
It feels appropriate to start with a shot from my first experience shooting in manual.
This is Philip, our Maasai guide. This was taken in the field by the school on the day we did our warrior training.
I almost deleted this shot because it looked so dark in the viewfinder. I remember struggling to take photos I was happy with this day - it was really sunny outside and the field was open, meaning there wasn't much in terms of shade. Kind of like shooting into a window - I didn't do TV beyond my second year but I took enough to know that is a no-no.
I kept this photo because I liked the composition. It's not quite rule-of-thirds compliant, but I like the sky and the clouds and the way the breeze is lifting the left corner of the shuka. Beyond the composition, looking at this picture brings me right back to sitting in that field, listening to Philip explain and demonstrate how to shoot an arrow and throw a conga.
I hope I get to go back some day.
(Don't mind me here, starting another little blog series of sorts. Am having something of a blog identity crisis, minus the dramatics. Truth be told, the more I think about it, the more I don't want to settle into a niche. So, as a result, you get...a random assortment of topics. I hope you'll still stick around).
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