March 1, 2012 Camera......WITH MY EYES WIDE OPEN...

I have always taken photos!  I have always taken LOTS of photos...... of everything.
It wasn't until recently that I noticed most of my photos were pretty HO-HUM. 
Many were not worth sharing.
Lots of photos were blurry. 
Hundreds needed to be deleted from my digital camera.
What we see through those lens, has to be what we want others to see, if we are sharing them!

One of my goals for 2012 is to LEARN EVERYTHING I CAN ABOUT THE CAMERA THAT I ALREADY OWN.

With a lot of determination to learn, and lots of practice, looking though the lens of my Canon G11 Powershot camera will never be the same! My camera is 2 years old.  It is not a DSLR.  It is small, compact, and fits nicely in my purse. There are no attachments.  I have a small tripod.
Here are some interesting facts about the Canon G11: specs and review
Technology has vastly improved since this purchase....as with cell phones and computers, iPads, cars, TVs. In fact, buying any piece of equipment  is almost "outdated" when it leaves the store.

My camera came with a book of instructions that I never bothered to read... (until now). In fact, on the cover of the booklet it says:  "Make sure you read this guide before using the camera".  Are you laughing yet?
"Store this guide safely so that you can use it in the future"...(no comment).
"Please use this manual along with the PDF manuals included on the CD-ROM"... (what? How hard could this be?  You know, turn it on, push a button, done).

The following is a free on-line site:  http://www.365project.org/.  Hundreds of ameteurs display their photography, each sharing a photo a day.  What a great accountability site!  I JOINED!  I started this project January 7th, shooting and posting 1 photo a day.  I have to say that I am seeing things now,  for the first time.... WITH MY EYES WIDE OPEN!

I have a program on my computer called Picasa (I have the Picasa 3 version). It can be downloaded to your computer for FREE. It is a great editing tool. After using it consistently for 2 months, it is difficult to send a photo to someone without "a little bit of" editing.  

There are lots of editing programs that can be purchased, such as Photoshop and  Lightroom . One day I will consider purchasing one of them.......but for now......
I am ready to "kick it up a notch" and start seeing what my little camera will actually DO....you know, I'm reading the directions!

ARE YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN?  WHAT DO YOU SEE?