About Beginner Photography Guide; a sample autobiography.

However, first and foremost, the enjoyment derived in building this site is all about sharing my passion for photography.

However, even before my love of photography is my love for the outdoors; depicted in these fashion statement photos.

Obviously looks didn't matter, having fun and connecting with nature and the outdoors did and still does!

This sample autobiography has sparked a desire to find those Snappy photos, which I think still exist. Based on the fashion statement photo, they will be quite something, I'm sure!

Anyway, thanks to Granny, along with mum and dad's encouragement and willingness to print my master pieces, I discovered taking photos was a lot of fun!

The following year, 1966, the family left the old English farm house and moved to Alberta, Canada. Okay, so now you know my age.

I would like to say I took photos during the Atlantic Ocean crossing in April. Mostly, I remember seeing the storm waves go up past the porthole and down past the porthole from my lookout on the top bunk bed.

I recall something about eating crackers for days and well, never mind. Land ahoy was a great relief!

Ever since touching land again I've loved recording memories, camera in hand. It's not that I don't appreciate the ocean and the beauty of it, I just prefer not to be on it!

Through my teenage years I enjoyed a couple of different cameras although both were pretty basic. I didn't take a lot of photos but enough to have a 24 exposure roll developed from time to time.

Do you remember how long a roll could last, months sometimes? I know people going from one Christmas to the next on a single roll!

No kidding!

In the 1980's, while living the farming environment and being a mom, my greatest joy was taking pictures of our sons, family, day to day magical moments and nature.

My camera was nothing too complicated; load the film, take the photos, have them printed and then lovingly place in photo albums.

As time passed my life took a turn in the road and my photo taking experience was about to change, too.

In 2002, amazingly enough, I'd been without a camera for over a year and with a 9 to 5 job for the past few years.

How could this be?

I never have been a fan of the structure of nine to five, although I greatly appreciate food on the table and the bills paid!

So, here I was with a nine to five, no camera, something definitely backwards and then...

My partner asked the question, "if you love photography so much why don't you have a camera?"

My goodness, what a concept!

I was off to the local camera store faster than you can say, "buy extra film!"

Yes, we said things like this back then!

Wow, this was as exhilerating as it was intimidating!

Next thing I knew I was the proud owner of what I considered my first "good camera."

It had all kinds of buttons and dials, lens changing capabilities, film to load and a manual that made very little sense but it was exciting! I loved the sound of the shutter release button and I was going to be a real photographer, whatever that meant!

"Oh really?" said reality. "Why not!?" said the dream!

A couple of months later I registered for a course in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada and this literally opened my eyes to a new life in photography.

"Learn how to photograph mountain wildflowers" the brochure read.

I didn't really have an affinity to photographing flowers back then but the words "photography and Jasper" were all I needed.

Not only that, I am truly blessed to live only a few hours away.

So, with my new camera tucked safely in my new camera bag and ready or not, Jasper mountain flowers here I come.

Oh my goodness, what fun it turned out to be!

Yes, it was all a bit confusing but wow, I was taking photographs with my real camera.

On the manual mode, no less!

It took me all day to finish my 36 film exposure with a lot of thinking about camera settings and subject contemplation.

Remember that nine to five I mentioned? It was still hanging around but for the next five years my vacation time coincided to fit with future mountain flower courses in Jasper.

Every year I focused on learning something new.

At first it was picking up a few beginning photography tips about aperture and examples of depth of field.

The next year was building on the previous year's knowledge plus shutter speed and more experience with rules of thirds and composition.

Each year I diligently made notes as each photo was taken.

I gained a deeper understanding of how to take good pictures, even if it didn't appear I did!

I learned a lot about my camera, outdoor photography tips and spent many hours practicing what I was learning.

I took photos of extremes, for comparison, had them printed and then placed sticky labels with aperture and shutter speed information on each photo.

In addition, I consider myself a conscious photographer aware of where I'm walking and what I'm walking on. I will not compromise nature for the shot of flowers or animals. The real joy is being in nature, the photos are a bonus.

Since then, and in addition to the Jasper courses, I've attended close to thirty workshops and continue to read, learn and practice.

I ask lots of questions and love to learn at every opportunity.

About the nine to five. I walked away in 2003 determined to create time and money freedom and live the life I dreamed about.

Things didn't quite go according to plan but I persevered with my life path and photography.

In 2008 I switched to digital and began asking new questions.

Such as, what does SLR stand for and what, on earth, is digital noise? I'm not hearing anything except the sound of the shutter, hello?!

In February 2009 things began to shift when I was introduced to a web site building system.

When I say shift, that's about all that happened. Full of great intentions the money shifted out of my bank account and that was that.

Literally, that's as close as I got to building a web site.

In the meantime, I was gaining photography knowledge through hands on practice, reading and attending workshops.

In December 2009, as I looked back over the year and forward to the new year, I began to examine new photography possibilities.

Without a nine to five to schedule photography around I wanted to spend time doing what I love.

What I did know is how much I love to be out and about taking photos.

Also, I love sharing information. Whether it's about photography, a good book I've read, a wonderful place to have lunch. The Pay it Forward motto.

At times, when I see the results of my photos, I surprise myself and think, wow, how did I mananage to record this?!

I wasn't wondering what to photograph or hung up on not knowing everything about my camera.

I remember how confusing it was to learn about my camera and I discovered there was so much more to taking photos than I ever realized!

I certainly don't pretend to know it all.

The intention of this site is all about "making photography simple and fun."

It's about sharing a number of beginning photography tips, and much more, to support people like you who love taking pictures.

This is why, in addition to the web site, I facilitate, with my partner, Photo Playshops. Workshops just sound like too much work and we want to play, too.

In a nutshell, it's about learning to understand your camera and how to take better pictures of the subjects you love, through hands on experience.

I continue to learn through the generous teaching from others and many hours of hands on experience.

Every effort is made to provide you with accurate, helpful and easy to understand information.

This includes information delivery in which an occasional "oops" sneaks by. It could be about spelling, grammar or something which confused you.

If you find something on this web site you wish to comment on, anything at all, please feel free to contact me.

About the web site shift. It finally happened!

If you would like to know how I'm learning to build this Web site the story begins here.


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