Photo Geek

One way to stand out as a "photo newbie geek" is to wear the strap that comes with the camera with the BIG print of the camera name eg. CANON.  You know the one I am talking about, it is the stiff uncomfortable one that feels like cardboard and is a foot wide obviously built for the Hulk's neck.  The other way to stand out as a tourist photo newbie geek is to wear it just around your neck.  If you want to look like a "seasoned" pro photographer you must wear it across your chest with the camera at your side. I know these are not the most important aspects of photography but one must start somewhere!  I will start out studying the most important piece to all photo takers- LIGHT.  Light is constant and in many forms.  Learning to identify the qualities of light becomes key.  Learning how it "plays" on everything and how to work with it using the f-stop (AV).  The lower the number, the more light in.  Bright sunny day? raise the f-stop, dark stormy day? lower the f-stop...

The Beginning

Jaryl entering one of the 9 tunnels on the Hiawatha Bike Trail.

Day one, September 4th, and I am turning 50 today.  I decided to start my project on my birthday so as I get older and seem to remember less, I won't have to remember when I started my photography project!  Today, we went for a bike ride on the Hiawatha Bike Trail and I had all my gear in tow.  I think I drove my husband absolutely nuts with all the stopping I did to snap all the little details of my day, but, it was a landmark day for me and perhaps I was trying to "record" eveything I saw so I would have a place to revisit in my mind.  I know the small details will become lost with time as my brain ages and maybe that is why photography is much more important to me now.  I bought a book called "Visual Poetry" by Chris Orwig and I read it during the car ride to Montana.   I don't really know where to start with my project.  I just have a list of things I want to accomplish and I think basically I want to learn how to use my camera...