I wanna learn to do other stuff good too

So I really enjoyed getting my camera out and using it in Hawaii. For the last several months I haven't taken many pictures, and I missed it. This was partly because my life has been a perfect graveyard of buried hopes and I haven't felt enthusiastic enough about anything to actually take its picture. I wasn't even taking pictures of food, which is how you know it's bad. But there's also the part where there hasn't been much going on to merit digital preservation. "Here's a piece of frozen dirt." "Aaaand here's another one. Enjoy."

That is now changing. I planted crocuses and daffodils last fall because I knew I'd need a reason to keep living through the winter. And yes, the promise of Mary Lennox moments are enough to keep the heart beating, it turns out. The crocuses are barely starting to peek up and I swear I shrieked and almost burst into tears when I saw them. I keep dragging people over to look. They've all been very nice about the fact that I'm asking them to coo over 1-inch green spikes. And if you don't think I won't be taking as many pictures of those tiny flowers as other people do of newborn baby twin girls they've just adopted from China, then you don't actually know me very well.

So. New goal is to take more pictures. And to take better pictures. My camera is 4 years old and I had it for about 2 years before I even started investigating what all the little buttons do. Did you know that there's a beach setting? Because there totally is. I know my camera isn't great, but it was amazing how much better my stuff started looking once I actually cracked open the user's manual. And now I'm ready to take it to the next level, which is where my uber-talented b-in-law comes in. I'm going to take his new camera workshop(s) and I'm way excited about it.


The first workshop is about getting to know your camera and its automatic features, setting up good shoots, and getting the best prints of your pictures. (Sad confession: I haven't printed any pictures in the last three years. This is 1. Because I'm cheap, 2. Because I don't know how large I can print without the image going all nasty, and 3. I don't know where to go to get the best prints. But hey, problem solved!)

The second workshop is for when you're ready to start operating your camera manually like a grownup impressive person, and also covers composition, working in natural light, and cool stuff like that.

The in-person classes start April 2nd and 3rd, but I'm doing the online option ($35), since the drive to Provo won't really work for me. If anyone else wants to get ready to give the newborn baby lambs the pics they deserve, you should take a look at the class--it's going to be great.

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