Another step in my journey

I have taken steps, several, huge steps to realizing another goal of mine on this journey I've started.

I went to Kansas over Memorial Day weekend to visit family. While I was there, M let me use her DSLR, her Nikon D70. I tried not to be too impressed with it because I knew it was so completely beyond the realm of my reality. I didn't want to fall in love with it only to have to give it back and not be able to have one for months, if not years.

So, imagine my complete and utter disbelief and tremendous thrill when I recieved the following email from M a month later. "I'm thinking about sellling my Nikon D70, along with the 50mm 1.8 lens I bought for it. I'm really just a Cannon girl at heart, and I don't use my Nikon that much. Would you be interested?"

And thus began a step-by-step plodding towards realizing another dream of mine. I have made payments to M to get this camera. My birthday money? Went to my camera. The money I would have spent on a manicure? Went to my camera. My bills are paid, my children are not going without. I am buying the kids' school supplies this year (my mom has usually paid for them) I have taken care of all the required, necessary things, I have taken all the responsible steps to do this right. I have saved money, saved change, I started taking my lunch instead of buying it, and the money saved, went to my camera. I have money still set aside for the kids' christmas presents. All of my bases are covered. Next week, I will be sending my final payment to M for my camera. In fact, I'm sending her a little extra to be sure all the shipping charges are covered and she is not going to spend a dime, or lose a penny on this transaction.

God willing and baring any disasters, I will be holding my new Nikon within 10 days. I still can not believe it. But even with the digital, I will continue to shoot with my Minolta (also curtesy of M) which uses film. That is my first love, and it forces me to learn skills, and technical aspects better than digital can. I am also aware that it is the photographer, not the camera that makes the photo. So I will continue to explore my vision, my talent. I will continue to learn and grow and practice.

I am humbled beyond belief that M believes in me enough to make this incredibly generous offer to me, to offer her support, and encouragement, advice and help. Without her help, her generousity, her support and encouragement I would not have made the leaps and bounds on this journey that I have made.

Wish List

I’ve been hanging out a lot at my new home on the web, ILP.  I love that place, and I always come away from there inspired to try new things.  I have a bagillion ideas for pictures of the girls I want to take, and now I have a wish list of things I want to get.

• Obviously, I want my digital camera, my Nikon D70.  I’m just a couple of weeks away from that, and once I have it in my hands….look out!

• I want some backdrops.  Either muslin or seamless paper.  I know that I can use king size sheets, or comforters.  I just need something to use for a backdrop.

• I need reflectors.  I am all about saving money and finding short cuts because I don’t have a lot of money, so I know that those sun-shields used in cars, you know, to keep it cool in the summer, well, they can be used as reflectors (if you get the silver ones).  

• I need lights.  The natural, (and unnatural) light in my apartment SUCKS!  My lights in my apartment suck.  I can’t take any pictures in my apartment, at all, period.  Which really limits my photography options. A LOT!

• I could also use some willing models who will let me practice on them.  My kids are getting damn sick and tired of the camera always being pointed in their direction.  Hard to get good pictures when the kids are running away, screaming “NOT AGAIN!”

  

An evening with my girls

I took the girls to a near-by barn a few weeks ago, just playing around, practicing, always practicing.

Here's Newt

Here's Tate