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Behind the viewfinder

Maybe it's my bossy side, but I am the main picture-taker in our household. I'm the one who remembers to bring the camera and delights in finding that perfect shot that captures the moment.  I developed an early love for photography in high school. At one point, I was developing my own film from an entirely manual Pentax camera. THAT was cool. Over the years, I lost that technical know-how and gravitated toward the easier and less thought required point and shoot varieties, yet always enjoying the bit of art that is picture-taking.

As a result, there are many pictures of Jolie and Jolie and JP, but very little that also include me. One day, we were flipping through some of our photos with Jolie and noticing the absence of me in the pictures, she said, "Mommy at work?"

Oof.

I made sure to tell her that Mommy was the one taking the picture (although I think this is way too abstract for her little mind to comprehend being the concrete thinker she is at this age), and not at work all the time.  I suppose this is the price the picture-taker must pay for her art.

We had a point and shoot digital camera for some time, which worked fine, but I was less than satisfied with the shutter delay (always missing that perfect shot, and having to use my magical abilities to predict the future by pressing the button just in anticipation of a good shot), the picture quality was just okay and forget about zooming. Whenever I tried to zoom in or out for a picture, my subject would become out of focus.

Which is why I was THRILLED to receive a combination birthday/Christmas present of a digital SLR camera, the Nikon D40x. On recommendation from friends, I opted for an upgraded lens that would allow for more powerful zoom capabilities.

This is a serious camera. Granted, you are not going to throw this one in your purse or diaper bag without thinking since with lens and all, it's quite bulky. Yet the pictures are FANTASTIC. I love the zooming, the crisp photos, the fast shutter speeds. This is a camera where I can capture the busy magical world of a toddler in all her action-filled glory.

I just need to figure out the self-timer and get myself into some of the shots. It's just so much fun on the viewfinder side.