Photography 101

As a junior in high school I choose photography as an elective simply because, well I mean, how hard could it be to take a picture?

I wasn't interested in foreign languages or advanced sciences and getting out of class for a trip to the park for a photo shoot sounded like a dream come true. I was already signed up for PE where we went bowling at a local alley AND home economics where all the cute but dumb guys were so unless I wanted to study, photography was it.

My mom was shocked when I brought home the "required items" sheet of paper.

~manually operated camera
~photo paper
~developing solutions
~film
~books
~other items I can't remember the names of

Well, she did what all divorced moms seem to do. She said, "Call your Dad!" And that's just what I did.

Even today if I called my Dad and said, "Dad, can I have....." He'd do everything in his power to provide it. Something I try real hard not to take advantage of. So after a quick phone call and discussion I had the camera and items needed to get started in my "gravy" class of Photography.

Little did I know that my teacher, we'll call her Mrs. Flower, was a hippie from way back. She smoked pot, at least that's what the dark room smelled like after she'd been there, but she put a love for photography in my heart. I managed through all the art history she forced down our throats, so I could have my special time alone in the dark room. Where my negatives would come to life as I dipped the paper into one solution after another. Black and white photography is my passion, but I'm learning to like color too.

Photography now is different than it was then. No more wasted film, paper, developing fees.....Just erase the bad ones and shoot again. Who doesn't love that?!

So...to answer your question Dani Joy and Tammy, I use a Fuji FinePix S8000fd. It offers automatic and manual settings, but I pretty much just stick with the auto settings. It has a fabulous zoom for close up and for far away objects as well without additional lenses. Suits this "wanna be" photographer just fine.