The Latest Struggle

My mom is a thoughtful gift-giver, and for my birthday (in October) she gave me the gift of a Photography class at our local Community College, in addition to watching Gigi and Orion for the three hours that I'm in class each week, for the eight weeks that the class runs.  It was the perfect gift, since we have had our D-SLR for almost a year now and I really didn't know how to use it very well.

But this has been such a hard, hard, hard and such a humbling experience.  After working for my friend Rebecca years ago when I was pregnant with Gigi, I have been picky about photography because Rebecca was so extraordinarily talented.  However, as much as my eyes may like good photography, I just can't get that to translate into any sort of skill on my part.  The first few weeks of class I felt like the teacher was speaking a foreign language.  On numerous occasions I was pretty sure that it was never going to make sense.  On one occasion I melted into a heap of hopelessness and tears on the couch while I was trying to understand how to use a gray card.  It has been so frustrating.

But by some miracle, things are starting to shift, and the language is becoming clear.  I am finally figuring out how to take photos with my subject predictably in focus, and I am learning that my composition isn't always terrible (sometimes it is terrible, but not always).  And I definitely have a deepened respect and awe for people who are talented in this area where I struggle so much.  It is such a cool talent to have.

And so, here's to a hopeful many happy years with my camera.  I've included a few photos I've taken for homework in the last few weeks - ones that I like for whatever reason.  I hope that we can work well together to capture these years of growing a family!