Smile, You’re on Candid Camera!

My very first camera was a Kodak Brownie similar to this one.  I used it to take pictures of my friends and family, first in black and white and later in living color.  It had a flash attachment that used disposable bulbs.  You had to buy a whole bunch of bulbs because each one was good for only one picture, and if you didn’t let the bulb cool before trying to remove it, you could get a nasty burn on your fingers.

This is a picture of my daddy and my cousin Mary that I took with my Kodak Brownie.  Appropriately, the pony was named Brownie.

I later graduated to a twin lens reflex that I used during my college days as a journalism major.  The journalism department at the University of Arkansas had a good supply of twin lens reflex cameras that we could check out for our photo assignments, but I was fortunate to have my own camera.  Daddy found me a good used one somewhere, that I continued to use until after the birth of my first child.  Here’s a picture of Hunter that I took with that camera.

Sometime in the '70’s I graduated to a single lens reflex.  My Canon AE-1 was a great camera and served me well for many years. But when the winder broke on a trip to Maine a few years ago, I finally moved into the world of digital.  Here’s one of the last pictures I took with my AE-1.

Since then, I’ve been through several digital point and shoot cameras, mostly Canons; however, ever since Canon introduced the first EOS Rebel digital SLR, I’ve wanted one.  A couple of months ago, I got my wish when I purchased a Rebel T1i.  With all of its bells and whistles, this camera is capable of so much more than “point and shoot,” but first I had to learn about those settings. So on the recommendation of a friend, I signed up for a class at the Birmingham School of Photography.

I still have a lot to learn, and there are other courses I want to take, but Paris Farzad taught me so much more than I could possibly have absorbed by simply studying the manual.  Our last class was a field trip to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, where we practiced all kinds of neat tricks.

At the lily pond, we photographed dragonflies landing on the colorful flowers.

Using a fast shutter speed, we froze water.

And using a very slow shutter speed (1/4 second), we made this waterfall look painted.

Here’s another neat trick Paris taught us using a zoom lens.  The 18-55 mm lens that comes standard with most digital SLR’s is perfect.  Use a slow shutter speed (we used 1/4 second) and the appropriate aperture to give the proper exposure.  As you press the shutter release, zoom in on your subject, and you’ll get some neat star burst effects like I did with this pot of petunias.

I can’t wait to do some more experimenting with my new toy.  And with three grandchildren and several trips planned, I should have plenty of opportunities.  Meanwhile, I’m linking up with Laurie’s Favorite Things, because right now, photography is one of my favorite hobbies.