33 February Challenge: Project Photography {camera}

I worked on purging pictures this weekend, but more importantly, when I placed new pictures on our computer, I actually went through and deleted them and got them in their correct folders {right away!}  It felt so good to do the right thing with them and know that I finally had some sort of good system that was easy to manage!  YIPPEE!  Now, I just need to keep scheduling time and plucking away at the backlog....  Hopefully the rest of you working on the project are finding some good benefits and making some progress!  Thank you to you all for leaving so many helpful tips and comments!

Today I am finally going to post about something SO long overdue.  Like barely a day goes by where I don't get the following question:

"Can you tell me what kind of camera you use?"

Seriously, what took me so long to write up this post?

I actually used to use a Canon Powershot SX130 IS.  Loved that camera!  Many of the photos towards the beginning of the blog were with that camera.  All the way up through sometime in June 2010 when something awful happened...

I was holding my camera outside in our backyard when my two dogs got a little excited and were playing around right by my feet while I was trying to shoot a photo.  I tripped on the dogs, and the camera went flying.... and landed face down into the ground.  Gonzo.  Done.  Farewell.  It was full of mud, dirt and grass... it wouldn't turn on.  The lens was grinding.  I had tears.  Lots and lots of tears.

I knew I had wanted a DSLR for awhile, but we were waiting a year or two to take the plunge since they are much more expensive, and my previous camera could take a pretty good picture!  But now we were faced with a choice.  Invest another $250 or $300 into a replacement digital, or upgrade.  Knowing my long term goals and my passion for taking pictures... a DSLR is what made the most sense.

As much as I cried over the loss of my old camera, for me personally, it was a blessing in disguise.  My life would never be the same again....

I was really getting into blogs around that time, and I noticed I was really drawn to those with good photography.  I would look at their photos and long to be able to create similar versions.  So now that it was time to be in the DSLR market, I stalked my favorite blogs and found out the camera that they were using.  And it was oddly consistent that most were using the same one.  The Canon Rebel XSi.

I was already almost sold, because the best part of finding one via blog writers, is that they are basically reviewers and testimonials of the camera each and every day they post pictures from that camera.  I can see for myself the quality of images that can be created from the camera.

I was actually a little surprised and really glad that's how I determined my camera, because I automatically assumed a Nikon was the way to go.  I had only been looking at Nikon's til that point, but before making my purchase, I did a lot of research and side by side comparisons and ended up realizing that the Canon was actually the best fit for me.  I say, "for me" because we are all different looking for different things in our photography, and I am sure that Nikon was first in my brain for a reason...

Of course I stalked the UPS man and sat at my window until my new appendage arrived.  And once it didn't, it took .3 seconds to rip open the box and start shooting.

Here is a copy of the very first picture I took with my camera...

This was straight out of the camera, no editing, no messing with settings....  Sure colors could be enhanced and he is a little washed out, but the point of the story is that as nervous as I was about all the learning that was about to come with a DSLR, it was very good to me right away, straight out of the box.  I was able to take DECENT pictures and take my time learning how to take GOOD pictures and hopefully someday they will be GREAT pictures...

One of the first things I learned is that it's not always just about the camera body, as it is also about the lens you attach to it.  Mine came with a standard 18-55mm "kit" lens, meaning the lens was bundled with my camera when I purchased it.

This lens has actually been very good to me.  It is probably what 95% of my blog photos have been taken with.  A great starter lens for someone who knew nothing about DSLR cameras {and really still doesn't}.  Here are a couple of my favorite shots from this lens:

However, I wanted something that would be even better for portraits since I am SO in love with my boys and taking their pictures {you almost have to feel sorry for them!}...

A very consistent recommendation from others with the same camera {friends, blog writers, etc...}, was the Canon 50mm 1.8.  Little did I know that not only was it great for portraits, it offers great bokeh {blurry background}, so I use it for all sorts of things!  And the lens itself was around $100, so it was a fun investment.  The only thing hard to get used to is that it's a fixed lens.  Here are my some favs:

And last but not least.  My most recent indulgence.   I really wanted to upgrade my 18-55mm.  So I chatted with a friend who is an INCREDIBLE photographer {you know who you are}, and she mentioned she uses the Tamron 28-75 mm.  I have seen her work, so I already knew what the lens was capable of, but it was also more than I had ever spent on a lens.  So I invested $8 in a monthly subscription to clickinmoms, in which you can dabble in oodles of forums with loads of photography professionals.  I started up a thread asking about lenses.  What I had, what I was contemplating {between the Tamron, another and asking if there were some I hadn't considered}.  It was clear from the response, that the Tamron was going to be the winner, as one photographer said, "Once you receive that Tamron, you will want to toss your 18-55mm to the curb".  Alrighty then, that's what I needed to hear...

I actually just got the lens on Friday, so I can't speak to it much, but so far I am liking it.  I just need to play around with it to really see what it can do, and there just wasn't enough time for that this weekend... {enter frown here}...

I did make sure to snap a couple of on Saturday morning with it... here is what I ended up with...

I noticed it offers a lot more blurring of the background than my 18-55mm, which is exactly what I was going for...

I also wanted to mention quick that I always snag a lens hood or two, for my lenses....

I use hoods for two reasons.... 1: They stop stray light from getting in which reduces/eliminates flare and 2: They help protect my lens.

So there you have it!  That's my camera in a nutshell of a post! 

Many of you have asked about good cameras to invest in {DSLR and not}.  My advice is to just do your research, ask friends and family and ask to see the photos that their cameras produce.  I used Google a lot.  And again, the advice of other photographers and bloggers.  What cameras and lenses are you loving at the moment?

Wanna see more pics, you can always check out my photography blog here.