Blog Changes and Learning Curves

So, something happened to me this weekend that completely changed the way I think about photography and about this blog. I didn't mean for it to happen, it just did. I think life is funny that way isn't it?

Any way, here is the story... on Sunday, I decided to finally dive into taking pictures in RAW format. If any of you don't know what that is, you can check out some really great sites that teach about it and how it works such as this one digital photography school - raw vs jpeg

How do I know this? Because I found out myself Sunday night after a very educational Google search. What happened is that I had read and heard many people talk about taking their pictures in RAW and I knew my camera was capable of taking them, but up until Sunday I had only used my JPEG setting. I was pretty happy over all about what I was learning while taking a larger amount of photos (the downfall with RAW is the large size of the files) and I hadn't really seen the point in trying it out yet while I was still learning how to use my camera. Then on Sunday my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take the plunge and give it a try. Go team! So snap away I did in the hopes that my pictures would come out looking better than ever because they were larger files with more data that the camera was recording. (Yes, that really was my thought) The problem was since I was a newbie I didn't realize that when I had taken pictures on my camera before, it compressed it into a JPEG file in a way that edited the photo to what the cameras processor thought would be a great composition making them printable right away versus a RAW file needing editing in order to be printable.

HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS?!!

Um...  I don't know. I must have some how missed this explanation somewhere. Believe me, my manual is now grounded while I sort out the details...

This of course meant that when I loaded my new 'RAW' files onto my computer, they looked worse to me than any of my past photos had. Deary me I thought I had broken my lens! I was really frustrated and was about to through in the towel with using RAW at all until I finally decided to give the google search a try and bata bing, information granted!

*sigh*  So, long story short, the 'non-edited' photos I was so eager to post I have discovered are edited and not even by me... they... are edited by my camera. OH man, when I realized this I felt so betrayed! Embarrassed and betrayed by that lovely camera of mine and those who built her. I wondered if I might be having an aha moment of connecting with all those who love the old 35mm film and despise digital. In my frustration I thought that perhaps I should come in and delete this blog. It's whole purpose was now out the window!

But after some reflection I felt that it would be better to confess my original lack of understanding and perhaps reach one other person who may have been thinking the same thing I had and we can both feel a little silly together. Then we can move forward dedicated to learning more about what we love which is taking pictures!

So the purpose of the blog will change a bit, and that purpose may develop more over time, but I am still going to move forward. I'm going to post about the things that I am learning and perhaps learn some great tips to share with others along my journey. I will continue to post pictures that I have taken over the last year and if I think of some tips along the way from when I took the pictures, I will share those too. If you have tips for me as well please share away. I am in the beginning of my journey and I would love some feedback. Please keep it polite though, I really think that as individuals we can help each other to learn and succeed.

Thanks muches!   Melinda

                                  Ice Castles in Midway Utah 2015 Ice Castles

P.S. The tip I learned from taking these pictures was that I needed a larger camera bag. The one I had was super cute, but couldn't really hold my camera in a way that I could easily take it out and put it back in again. Find a bag that will suit your needs. Test out a couple by borrowing from friends if you can, then make a good purchase. The price isn't always what matters. Make sure your needs are met!

New Year and More Practice

So at the start of January my niece came home from serving a mission for the LDS church. It was so exciting for her and she really loved the experience. Shortly after she came home, she and her family came to see the rest of our family that lived in Utah and so we took advantage of the opportunity to have her homecoming and later to go downtown and take pictures at 'Temple Square' where the LDS Salt Lake Temple is located. My sisters home and temple square are so beautiful and wonderful backdrops for fun pictures. Below are some of the ones that I took. Remember, these are all done without any editing at all.

At this point I was just starting to learn about my camera's settings and about lighting. Everything was so new to me and I wanted to understand how to take the pictures that I could see and feel inside me. I was really impatient! There was so much that I didn't understand and after almost a year I still have a lot to learn. One thing I have gotten better at is enjoying the journey and the experiences I am having. Looking back on this time I can really see how much I was learning and growing. It is so exciting to see my expressions in my pictures, even as I am starting out, catching little glimpses here and there. I'm excited to continue seeing this progression as I continue to learn and grow.

Enjoy the pictures!

Practice and Learning

So as part of my journey I decided that I would like to take a class on how to use my camera and exactly what to do to get the pictures I wanted. I had a favorite website that I loved that had a camera class in their shop, so I decided to go ahead and enroll. It was a self paced class that you could access whenever you would like to. I was really excited to try it out! For reference the website is www.abeautifulmess.com and their shop is http://shop.abeautifulmess.com/

One thing that I learned is that every person learns a different way. Their class was perfect for me, but if you are ever looking for a class, make sure the style is something that connects with you in some way. There are a lot of options out there! Below are some of the pictures I took as assignments for the class:

I was learning so many things about how to control my camera and what makes a good picture. I loved the class and it has pushed me to want to learn even more. The best thing is that I have gone back and referred to it several times in the last year and have learned new things as I have become more familiar with my camera. Bonus!

The holidays were a fun time, but I had such a hard time taking pictures. You see, it had been a while since I was the 'picture taker' and so most people were pretty uncomfortable with me taking their picture and I was uncomfortable doing it. It probably didn't help that I was so nervous about not always knowing what I was doing and my fear that people wouldn't like the pictures I took. Still, I was determined to see this new adventure through! I am SO grateful that I pushed through that first awkward stage of getting back into taking pictures. It was tough, but totally worth it!

I have found through this experience that the learning process is so important. Especially since this journey has steps along the way, but it doesn't really end. The learning IS what makes this so wonderful!

Catch Up Time

So this post is to catch you up on what pictures I have taken and give you a little background into my 'history' as a beginner photographer.

When I was a young girl I purchased a camera using a gift card I had won in school from an art contest. This was the beginning of my love for photography. I took as many pictures as I could and I loved to experiment with capturing life. At some point though as I was growing up I began to hate myself. To hate how I looked and to really lose my appreciation for the beauty that each one of us holds, especially my beauty. Soon, I avoided a camera like the plague and I assumed everyone else did too. Thus ended my photography enjoyment. Tragic right?!

Fast forward to 2009. In September of that year some of my sisters and I ended up going on vacation to fulfill a promise and spend time with an amazing friend. Despite the hatred everyone had for being on camera, hey, we were on vacation so pictures commenced. We had such a wonderful time and those memories are something I will cherish forever, you see, a week later after returning home, one of my sisters past away suddenly. If we hadn't taken that vacation we would have very little pictures of her before she passed away. She hated getting her picture taken. I'm forever grateful that the Lord prompted us to go on that vacation. My gratitude for cameras and pictures began to change at that point.

Skip another few years forward to a moment when I was talking to my niece about body image. That was an incredible moment that I will be forever grateful for. That was when she introduced me to the website: beautyredefined.net and my attitude started to change. I started to view myself as beautiful. I started to see beyond the physical obsession for perfection and saw the flaws as something positive that made me unique and was a part of my beauty.

Life was changing.

Then in November of 2014 I finally decided to take a leap and purchase another camera. One that I could learn from and if nothing else, create as many memories as I could while I had them. This was picking up an old desire to express myself through a creative mode that was personal. Would that desire stay with me? Was it even still there? Originally I had hoped starting to take pictures again would help me see if I could capture what my mind and heart was feeling, but it has turned into a huge desire to love myself as well. I started out just wanting to take fabulous pictures and learn the 'tricks of the trade'. In the process though, these two worlds have collided and now I have another desire to 'Post the Real'. Perhaps maybe I could do some good with this here hobby!

So with that back story in mind, here are some of the first pictures I took with my camera, edit free. Enjoy!

 First day with my camera I was attempting to take 'in progress' photos of Thanksgiving.  lol

This is a lamp that I own. I really like how the picture turned out actually. Kind of fun!

Reasons and What is Real

Hello!

Welcome to my blog. I decided to create this blog from an idea I had about photography. My goal is to document my progress as I learn about taking better photos, using proper lighting, and how to get the photos I want while keeping them REAL!

What does that look like? It looks like photos that have absolutely no edits what so ever! You read that correctly, no edits at all. I want to take photos that are real. We see so much out there that has been edited that sometimes we don't know what is real and what isn't.

Right from the start though, I want to make a point of stating that I'm not against using filters, adjusting for poor lighting situations, or taking out that really bad zit you just happened to have on photo day. That isn't my purpose. My purpose is to see and use the light around me to express emotion in a picture. There is so much beauty that we miss out on because we rely on filters to create it. I believe that part of what makes a picture compelling is the story behind it and capturing that moment when everything comes together. I hope I can become that type of photographer. One who can capture an incredible story in one shot.

Welcome to my journey, Melinda