Camera Love

Soooo.... big news in this house! I finally got my beloved camera that I've been wanting for some very long time. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I originally wanted one for my birthday... still a few months away... and I was getting anxious, but willing to wait. I played around with our cousin's this weekend while in Wyoming and knew I wanted that specific one and couldn't wait till I got it. And-- when the hubs found a fabulous deal at Costco-- we couldn't pass it up! Happy early Birthday to me and early Merry Christmas to us!!!! YAY! :-) Here's what we got: Nikon D3100: So far... I'm in love!

As of now, it's like a different language. I'm trying to learn all I can about my camera, get acquainted with it's features, and be more comfortable with using it. I'll stick to the automatic mode for now, but hope to someday be comfortable enough with it to switch to manual mode to control my own settings while photographing. Now, to clear some things up, I have no desire to ever become a professional photographer. I'll probably never have enough time and knowledge to do this. But- taking good pictures is something I have a "passion" for doing. This passion grew exponentially when we had sweet Eli. I wanted to take pictures of my child and soon discovered that I didn't want just any old pictures, but instead I wanted GOOD "professional looking" pictures. I love capturing all of his stages and I wanted a better camera to help me do so. I hope to get better and better as I teach myself. I have a lot of "wish lists" for things I need/want to help better my photography.

Accessories: I really want a camera strap cover. Colin thinks it's foolish, which in all reality, it's not necessary but I DO really want one! :) He did say if I get one, than it can't be pink or girly, because he refuses to carry it if it's too girly. He said I already "de-masculate" him when I occasionally make him carry my purse/diaper bag while we're out and about. Anyways, back to the point I was making. I still really want a strap cover. I found a bunch on Etsy (one of my favorite sites of all time-- I could spend WAY too much money on this site). Here is one I love- I'm sticking with colors that aren't too girly- usually I'd go right for the hot pink ones!! 

I love the black and white damask design. And, other than the rosettes (which I love, by the way), it's not too awful feminine. 
Here's another few I like, sticking with the black/white theme: 

   

Photo Editing Products: I really want to get one or two good photo editing programs to help me once I finally get better at taking good pictures. There is such a wide variety of programs that I've searched but I'm pretty sure I should just start with the basic programs and then move up from there. So for now: 

Adobe Photoshop Elements 9     

Last, but not least, before I enjoy the photo editing programs and even the flashy accessories, we need to get a memory card reader for our computer to transfer our photos from the camera to the laptop as well as a larger memory card for the camera. 

Maybe the programs and accessories could be great birthday gift ideas ;-) It will be a while before I can justify paying for more things after this AWESOME gift. After all, it all starts with getting the camera. So, for the first step is done! I found a few blogs/websites that I'm excited to learn from in my photographing experience. They seem to be full of tips and advice for beginners. Ramblings and Photos and Paper Heart Camera. So excited for this new adventure. Elijah will surely get sick of me soon... but he's just the cutest subject for my photos! :)

Speaking of Elijah, here's a sweet photo of him at the wedding this weekend: Isn't he CUTE!?

Have a Happy Tuesday! :)