Photography Class

Two years ago I finally bought myself a good camera for Christmas.  It's a beautiful thing. I told Jason what I wanted from him for Christmas was books/ tutorials/ that would help me learn how to USE the damn thing.  He nailed it.  He got me:

• Nikon D90 for Dummies
• A set of 3 tutorial books that are funny, and each page has a picture and the conditions and tells you how the photographer got that shot, and what settings to use and etc, 
• A manual that will fit in my camera bag and tells me what every button/ switch/ setting on the camera does, and
• A laminated guide that I can stick in my bra if I don't want to carry the camera bag with me when I go to get a shot.  

Why, yes!  Yes, I do occasionally store things in my bra.  Don't act like you don't.  

So I have diligently tried to use these books to take photos, but honestly, I was clueless.  I didn't have the BASICS.  I tried to READ about the basics, but it just didn't click for me.  So last fall my cousin Holly made me take a photography class with her. (My whole life, I have been more adventurous when Holly was involved.)  The class was taught by Jason Taylor and Alex North, two well-known Gulf Coast photographers.  

Their stuff is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.   Here are their facebook pages, where they both post photos daily:

https://www.facebook.com/alex.north.73

https://www.facebook.com/jason.taylor.14855?fref=ts

Here's a quick sample:

Ridiculous, right?  So yeah Holly and I took a class with these guys, and it was great!  It was a couple of hours of classroom training, and then a field trip.  They taught us the REAL basics.  ISO, FStops, and Shutter Speed.  With their explanations and demonstrations, I GOT IT.   It clicked.  

I still have sooooooo much to learn.  But I am capable of taking a picture with the proper exposure, or understanding why when I don't.  My photos have improved, and now I'm getting more shots like this:

Here is the actual # 375.  (The 1st pelican was  actually # 334, I liked the composition and exposure better.) 

So now I have all these photos sitting in my "to Blog" folder, and I'm trying to get back in the swing of blogging.  

Right now, on Facebook, I have people picking #'s to help me decide what to blog.  Lynn's pick of  # 375, 3, helped motivate this post. (I have some multiple pics with the same #'s, thus the 1,2,or 3.  In this case I only had 1 with the # 375. )    Thanks, Lynn!