However, as my husband stated a few weeks ago.  It’s like we have a Ferrari and we really only know how to drive an Altima.

So…I had stumbled upon Jessica Sprague’s website a couple of months ago.  She offers all sorts of scrap booking, as well as photography, tips and classes and forums, on her site.  The classes are very reasonably priced and she often offers FREE stuff as well, not to mention all the free tips you can glean from her and others through the posts and forums.

I signed up for Candice Stringham’s Oh Shoot photography class.  Super bargain, if you ask me.  $126 for six weeks of class assignments, tips, feedback, and more.  I’m in my 2nd week and have already learned lots of new things about our new camera and how to use it to take better photos.

So, if you are looking to up the ante on either your scrapbooking or photography skills, definitely check out this site.

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photo by fotographix.ca

When we lived in Australia, I purchased a Canon Rebel EOS Auto SLR.  Film, of course, since the digital versions were not out yet.

I even took a photography course.  However, I haven’t used that camera for  years.  In fact, a friend of mine has it.  I’m getting it back from her next week and hoping that the polarizing filter that I have on it will fit our new camera, the Canon Rebel EOS XSi.  It came on Friday and it ROCKS!!

We had borrowed the Canon XTi from a friend and loved hers.  We decided to go with the newer model for a few reasons…bigger LCD screen, spot monitoring, ISO button on top of the camera, image stabilization on the kit lens.

We currently are using only the 18-55mm kit lens, however we are saving for the a Canon 50mm lens and the Canon 17-85mm lens.  I have actually found the 17-85mm cheaper on other sites.  A photographer friend of mine recommended this lens, says it’s fantastic and would be a great everyday lens.  Then, my photography equipment life will be complete.  I hope.

I have been wanting a Digital SLR for years and am now kicking myself for not getting one when my oldest son was born.  The photo quality difference is remarkable.  But then, it’s a much better camera than our Olympus C5060.  Our Olympus takes fine photos when you are outside in the sunshine, but I’ve become increasingly frustrated with it’s slowness and the poor quality of shots that I take indoors. 

The funny part is that the Olympus was not a cheap camera when it came out many years ago (almost as much as the XSi I just bought!!) and it still has some great features that I love.  But digital cameras have come down so much in price (and continue to improve!), the DSLR is just too hard to pass up for someone like me who is, quite frankly, a photo whore.

I have so many photos, it’s ridiculous.  Boxes of prints in my closets, files upon files on my computer, CDs of photos down in the safe in our basement, film negatives in a safe deposit box at the bank, album upon album of photos.  Everywhere.  I get it from my Dad.  He was quite annoying with his camera when I was growing up, but now I love to look back at old photos.

What I am working on right now is taking photos without a flash.  I always hated that I could not do this with our Olympus.  They just turned out dark or blurry.  I don’t use the flash with the Canon XSi and some of the photos of my baby are so good I just want to cry.  I want to just reach through the camera and kiss that gorgeous baby.

Needless to say I will be doing lots of learning about our new camera over the coming months and will be posting some photos that I take with it.  None of our boys however, since I don’t want pics of my kids floating all over the web.  Call me paranoid, whatever.  Let me just tell you though, my boys are freakin’ cute…if I do say so myself.  You never know, I may take some some of them that are just so gorgeous I won’t be able to help myself, but to share.

Anyway, in the spirit of our new, fancy camera here are some great photography links and blogs that I found while looking for sites to learn about taking better photos with our new toy.

Learning

Digital SLR Guide has a great guide specifically for the Canon XSi (450D) that I’ve been reading.

The Pioneer Woman has some good, basic tutorials for people like me who say, “What the heck is an aperture”?  I mean, I know basically what it is, but I don’t really know what the numbers and settings mean in relation to my photos.  Ah, so much to learn.  And her photography rocks, so I read her stuff.

And of course who can leave out Darren Rowse’s (ala Problogger) Digital Photography School, which has pretty much everything you didn’t realized you needed to know about digital photography.  It also has a very thorough section for beginners that I have started to work my way through.

In my search I also found this extensive list of photography blogs and another one here.  Good Lord, where will I find the time??

Sharing & Viewing

I also found this blog called The Daily Meme where you can pretty much find a meme about anything for your blog, for any day of the week.  They had a post about 19 photo memes that you could participate in.

There are loads of blogs who are run by photographers with brilliant photos.  Looking at the photos on sites like Dooce, My Charming Kids and the aforementioned The Pioneer Woman are an inspiration and remind me that I can find beauty and a beautiful shot from almost anything.

Know of a great site for photography?  Let me know about it!!

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