Two weeks ago, I made a switch I have been dreaming about for a long time. I moved up from a basic point-and-shoot digital camera to a DSLR.
I got a very good price on the new camera thanks to a generous relative (thanks Heldy!) and eagerly awaited its arrival. However, making the switch has not been the enjoyable experience I had imagined. Not that I expected to take it out of the box and take pictures like Ansel Adams, (BTW I love his work) but I did not expect such a steep learning curve. For the most part the camera has been sitting on my buffet table untouched. Every time I walk by it, I swear it whispers, “You are too stupid to own a DSLR”. (Yes, I have a dramatic streak.)
I guess the point I am trying to make is that lately I have been second-guessing myself quite a bit. The lack of blogging is a sign of this. Disagreements with family, problems at church, issues at work, have left me questioning myself. Am I really a fit parent? Should I step down from my leadership position at church? Why can't I get motivated to be more productive at work? Should I have spent so much money on a camera I might never learn to use at its full potential?
Nothing major has happened, just little things here and there have been chipping at my confidence and making me feel like a failure. When faced with defeat, I normally stubbornly keep trying to get it right, or I completely shut down. I have been pretty close to shutting down, but instead have decided to take a time-out. To just kind of let things be for a while, and not rush to make any decisions or try to fix anything. I am always hammering at the girls to not quit when things get a little harder than expected, and I still believe that, it’s just that I am finding out that sometimes is best to just take a step back and learn from whatever experience you are going through and then try again.
I did pick up the camera this weekend, and decided to just shoot some pictures in Auto Mode and forget trying to learn all the fancy features right away. I also took my familiar point and shoot along as a backup. Tonight I downloaded the pictures to the computer and was pleasantly surprised by the obviously superior quality of the DSLR images.
These images are straight out of the camera. I did not edit anything. The top picture is with my P&S and the bottom one is with the DSLR. I love the blurred background of the bottom image. Maybe I can get used to this new camera. What do you think?
P.S. A post with lots more pictures and details of the above celebration is coming soon.
P.S.S. No, I did not notice I had mispelled "Birthday" on the cake sign until I downloaded the pictures. Bummer! Maybe I can photoshop it :)
2 comments:
Well, first of all, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the cake. That is just darling! KRISTEN would love that cake! Don't know if you made it or ordered it, but either way, good job! (And I might copy it one of these upcoming birthdays. :))
And, second of all: you are too hard on yourself. I have a DSLR camera that I got myself for Christmas (mine is an Olympus) and I'm STILL shooting on auto mode. I look at the manual and my brain starts to scramble and my eyes glaze over. But, even on auto mode, I love the superior picture quality. I barely even touch my point and shoot anymore. One of these days, I'll figure it out. What I need is a tutor! Oh, and while I'm at it, I need a photoshop tutor. Now THAT makes me crazy. "Try" photoshop for too long and I'll spiral into depression.
Maybe you are not getting enough sleep. Your morning task-master might need to cut you some slack. ;)
Hey, I'm so happy to see you are going for it. You are definitely too hard on yourself. I had the camera for what 3 years and almost always shot in auto mode. So give yourself a pat on the back.
Just grab it and shoot. Once you are comfortable and know the basics you will move on to bigger and better things. Enjoy it!
Love ya!
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