About

Ever since I was younger, let’s say twelve, I’ve had a deep interest in photography.  Twelve is when I remember getting my first point and shoot camera (which I treated like a baby), but I’ve had many film cameras prior.  Despite always having a camera on hand, I eventually grew up to pursue graphic design and advertising in college ad now in graduate school.

In 2007, my mom got a Nikon D40, which had made me horribly jealous.  A DSLR (or one of “those huge photo-nut cameras” as I called them) was something I had always wanted, but never allowed myself to dream I would ever had.  Up until I did research on the D40, I had always imagined those cameras belonged to the elite photographers who were photojournalists and worked for magazines and everyone else in the world was stuck with the tiny point and shoots that usually get lost and left behind on vacations.  While she had this camera, I made the habit of stealing her memory cards and post-processing her pictures.  My mom is quite the surprising photographer.  Despite taking very few decent shots, she will have a perfectly framed and focused gem.

After doing research on the D40, I found out that this isn’t true, that there is an entry-level DSLR class for beginners.  I tried saving up for my own for a while, which was put to the side once I graduated college and entered grad school.  I gradually increased my knowledge of photography through use of my point and shoot camera I received in 2008, and it became increasingly known to anyone within hearing distance of me that I someday wanted a DSLR, specifically the D40.  Going to the PhotoPlus Expo in October 2009 did not help my growing obsession, and after I began visiting stores just to try the cameras and learning from the workers I visited.  I briefly had an emotional affair with an attractive Canon Rebel XSi at BestBuy, but it’s whining (when pressing the shutter button) turned me off, as I imagine a lot of relationships are ruined.

Then on Christmas, my mom bought me a Nikon D5000, a camera that literally made my jaw drop, spewing millions of ‘thank yous’ and ‘would you just please take half a check to pay for this?’ to my mom.  I decided that it was mandatory to make full use of this camera, and maintaining a picture a day regimen was the very least I could do with this camera.