photography class

I've got a list a mile long of things I want to accomplish this year and in my life in general. One of the items on that list was to become a better photographer. In the past, I've always had lots of hobbies and interests, but I rarely took the time to educate myself on any one of those interests. Silly really, but true.

I have a very nice digital SLR with various lenses to go with it. My husband and children grin and bear it when I announce that it's time to take some family photos. I take lots and lots of photos, and rarely get any really GOOD photos. Plenty of happy, decent photos, but nothing spectacular.

A year or two ago, I heard about Karen Russell. (karenrussell.typepad.com) I was immediately taken by her photographs of her family. They were real photos, not fancy photos taken on a couch in a field or in front of train track, but real photos in and around her house and they all looked fantastic. When I found out that she taught a photography class online, I immediately signed up for the wait list and now I'm in her class!

We're in week two and I'm already enjoying taking photos so much more! I'm more relaxed and I'm just snapping away and I'm starting to get shots that I really like.

I'm going to share a few of my fav's from today. Do not judge me! LOL! Technically, these are not great photos, but I'm so happy to have captured a few moments that I cherish and I didn't have to bribe, yell, curse under my breath or threaten anyone to get these photos.

In my mind, that's a success.

In this first photo, my camera settings are all wrong, but I was just playing around. I got this shot of my son and our dog, Pickles. My son is good with animals. They all seem to love and trust him. I love this picture because it shows Connor's gentle touch and Pickles' totally serious, but loving look.



In the second shot, I changed the settings a bit and got this shot of my daughter, Emma and her cat Zeus. I love this shot because it shows the fun these two have together. I also love the happiness on my daughter's face. She can be a little moody and not at all interested in being photographed, but in a rare moment, she was game to play along.



I hope you'll take the time this year to learn more about something you're interested in. Take a class, or read a book on the subject. Check out Karen's site too. She's a great photographer, and she tells great stories.