Life-changing

I am a big "if you don't like how something is, CHANGE IT" kind of person. However, that often requires money. I have been saving here and there and received a small compensation at work (those kindergartners really want good grades...just kidding...it was a union settlement!). Combined with my birthday cash, that put me at what I needed to purchase what I have wanted for a very long time.

In most of my spare browsing time, I have been researching the DSLR that would be right for me.  And the Nikon d3300 fit the bill. I chose it because my number one priority was good performance in low light (indoor shots of my kids). I chose to get refurbished and use the money I saved to get a 50mm lens, which is really the game changer here. Please ask me if you have any questions about it; I have spent the last 48 hours trying to become good friends with it.

Enough of that, let's see some proof that it was worth it...

I am having fun playing with depth of field. That's where I screwed up the party pictures from last week. You can see these were all taken inside, both with moving and stationary subjects. I am so happy that you can finally see the actual color of Larkyn's wall.  These were all shot in Manual, which oddly, I found a lot easier to use than any presets. I also found that the 50mm is not made for macro AT ALL. Like it won't even take a picture if you are too close. You have to work for the picture by moving yourself away from the object, which I am not used to (but the kit lens of 18-55mm works great for macro).

What would you get next for your photography life?  I think next for me is Lightroom and a portrait class at Midwest Photo Exchange.