Photography is a topic that were you ever to talk to me about it, you probably wouldn't know just how little of it I have actually done. Part of that probably comes from a little quirk of mine where I have a passion for talking about things more than I enjoy doing them (sounds like a perfect reason for a blog, eh?). That's not to say I am entirely inexperienced with photography, but it is only something I got into a few years ago, and there are huge dormant periods contained within that timeline as well.
I first really got into photography when I was 21. I decided I wanted to get a nicer point and shoot camera that had manual options so I could learn a little bit more and take photos when I went walking on trails. The interest didn't really take its present form until I started going to local shows, though. I would bring my camera and liked taking photos and videos of the performances. Obviously photos are not going to turn out so well with a point and shoot, but it was just something that added to the experience for me. I sometimes thought about how it would be nice to take better photos, but I didn't feel it was worth the expense of getting yet another more expensive camera.
That changed when I started having issues with my knees. One evening I was playing tennis with a longtime friend of mine and another guy from the condo complex I lived at. My right knee was really giving me problems, and I wasn't able to move around the court. Much to my dismay, both knees were in pain the next morning, and the next... and the next. In hindsight, it looks like the problem was a combination of just overworking myself and having excess acidity in my diet, even though I was very conscientious of the acidity and drank copious amounts of water. But back then it was diagnosed as chondromalacia, and even injections didn't help for longer than a few weeks. It was bad enough being in pain sitting at my desk at work and in the gym, so tennis was the odd thing out.
Enter photography; I needed something to fill the void left by no longer playing tennis. I decided photography was going to be that hobby when I found a deal on a Canon T2i with two lenses and a 13x19" printer. I was so nervous about using the camera without studying up about the camera and learning more about photography than I currently knew that it sat in its box for more than a month after I bought it. Then I saw how foolish I was being and just went for it.
Over the years, I have gone through my ups and downs. I've learned a lot about photography and gear, I've worked on a feature film, I've switched camera brands, I've learned my strengths and weaknesses, I've learned a lot about photo editing and processing, and yet there's still an overwhelming number of things I don't know. Inspiration comes and goes. Editing has become a chore, and at times photography has felt more like a job than a hobby. Through it all, though, I truly believe the hobby is here to stay, albeit not with the same grand plans I may have had for it at some time. How do I know? All you have to do is hear the enthusiasm in my voice when I talk about photography. I actually hope that blogging will rekindle the enthusiasm (and not make it seem more like a job). My goal for this section of the blog is to do a little of everything; to teach, to talk about software, to show photography that I admire, talk about gear, and maybe even show some of my own work.
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