My First Photo

Jim, my best friend for most of my life, finally convinced me to get a digital SLR camera. As teens, he and I had the same film camera, a Minolta XG1. I still have my venerable XG1 but the shutter sometimes sticks and it just doesn't work too well anymore. Plus, digital SLRs have progressed to the point where you get get an incredible camera with unbelievable features without taking out a second mortgage.

I used to really enjoy photography. I'm nowhere near as talented as Jim, who I think is brilliant with composition and probably has more patience than I do to make minute adjustments to his photos to get them just right. Still, I need something to engage my right brain.

In a strange repeat of history, I ended up buying the same camera as Jim, the Canon EOS 30D. I did my own research and debated back and forth between the 30D, XTi, and a couple of Nikon models. The Canon's are as highly rated as the Nikons and there lenses are a bit less pricey. Plus, buying the same camera as Jim allows us to share lenses if we'd like. In the end I bought the 30D because it is just a better camera than the XTi. Though it was more expensive, I decided that instead of saving a few bucks (as I'd usually do) I would get something a little better.


I don't know how to use the camera yet. I've taken a few pictures but mainly I've been reading through the manual. I'll probably go out this weekend and do some shooting. But I decided to be brave and share the first photo I took with the camera. Keep in mind that this was taken completely in automatic mode and I haven't made any alterations to the file. I hope to share more as I experiment, and hopefully improve. With that, here's the introductory photo: