A Little Background...

The other day, I was having a conversation with my friend and coworker.  She was telling me about her friend's blog.  She made the suggestion that I start a blog about my journey with photography.  Hmmm.  I hadn't thought about it before.  The conversation turned to another topic, but the seed was already planted.  So, here I am, and the blog is born.  :)

A little about me...I am originally from Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh area, where we say "yinz" instead of "ya'll"), but I relocated to Wilmington, NC in 2005.  I fell in love with this town the first time I laid eyes on it, back in August of 2001.  The quaintness of Historic Downtown, the natural beauty of the beach, the 'southern hospitality' of everyone I encountered.  It was all so drastically different from PA, and a welcomed change.  I knew back then, I wanted to move here.  Four years later, it was still in my plans.  I just needed to pay off my bills, so I could move debt-free. 

Thank goodness for great friends, who can readily give you that little, extra, motivational kick in the @$$ that you need, just when you need it.  You'll always have bills, she'd told me.  Just do it.  I sent out some resumes, quit my job, took out a small loan, and packed a UHAUL trailer.  With the help of family and a best friend, I made the 593 mile trek to my new home.  (Truth be told, if I hadn't done it at that moment, who knows if I would have done it?  Life happens, and it happens fast.)

Over the next few years, I made some friends, changed jobs, fell in love, lost who I am, and fell out of love.  (For the record, I have no regrets.  I simply don't believe in them.  Everything happens for a reason, and it's all a learning experience.)  During my quest to find myself again, I reached a certain milestone birthday.  A few things hit me: 1) Life is short, so enjoy it.  2)Do the things that make you happy.  3) Try new things, go on adventures, don't let life pass you by.  (As simple as they area to say, some of these things are still a work in progress for me.)   

So...photography.  How did it start?  I've always loved to be behind the camera, and enjoyed taking pictures.  I can't say there was a definitive moment.  My sister hooked me on scrapbooking several years ago, and I think that played a big part.  You always want the unique angle, the shot that really captures the moment best.  So last fall, after one very sweet commission check, I decided to purchase a new camera.  Something more than my relatively basic, Panasonic digital camera.  I considered splurging on a Digital SLR, but a friend talked me out of it.  Expensive lenses.  And you can do a lot of the same features with a digital camera that is a step below a DSLR.  I did some research, and decided on the Canon SX 10 IS.  The day my camera arrived, I was more excited than the year Santa brought me my Inchworm (and I was pretty excited that year).  That same day, I headed downtown to test it out (the camera, not the Inchworm).  :)

I loved this camera already!  I took a lot of pics that night.  Some, I thought, turned out pretty cool.  Just don't ask me what settings I used.  Because, honestly?  I couldn't tell you. 

Nearly a year later, I am still learning my camera...all of its features and all that it can do!  Though, in my defense, I allowed my life to get busy...as the southern say, "I was busier than a cat diggin' in kitty litter" (I just love southern expressions)!  Anyway, it was only recently that I really started getting out and using my camera more. 

My goal with this blog is to get out more often, take some photos, and post about what I've learned.  I also welcome any tips, suggestions, feedback...so I encourage you to post whenever you get a hankering to do so.  As the blog is titled, this is my "Learning Experience".  And, as I said in the intro, photography is also the best therapy money can't buy...so I'm sure I'll have some stories along the way.

Thanks for joining me on my journey!  :)



P.S.  For those curious, here is the Inchworm.  Though, despite what the website where I pulled the pic from says, it was NOT a toy of the 70's. I was not even a gleam in my momma's eye in the 70's...lol...well, maybe late, late 70's...