In the past week, I have seen three of my digital photographs printed and framed at a size of 24×36, which is quite an impressive size to see. Seeing those prints hanging on walls has caused me to begin reflecting on where I have come from as a photographer and also where I would like to go as a photographer. A year ago I spent a lot of time thinking about digital cameras and their functions, attempting to decide where I fit and what technology fit with me. Last March I decided to take a borderline hobby and began considering following it through to an academic pursuit, merely as an experiment. At some point between May and July when I was working on assignments I found myself being very interested in photography. It had never really been my hobby, more of a hobby I observed through Chris and his talents (he is shy, but very talented). Out of a requirement for the course I searched for a camera that would be adequate for executing the assignments. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I selected the very modest, but very capable Fujifilm S5200 to serve as the camera for my academic exploration of photography. I really had no idea what I was doing then. In December the D60 came into my life and I began relearning photography, with the new camera. That was a difficult time for me, in some ways I was still very attached to the Fuji, all of the controls were familiar to me. I had a momentary encounter with wanting to not be involved with photography, but that eventually passed.

Now, today, I find myself on Flickr, much as I was a year ago, only this time, instead of analyzing everything I see, I am trying to become involved. I am joining groups that are relevant to me, including groups for my lenses, and groups for subjects I like to photograph (boots, plants, etc). I am seeking to share my photography, as well as learn new techniques and avoid becoming boring to myself. I want to remain active with this hobby and not let it fall away like others. I have taken pictures 117 out of the last 190 days, which is something that a year ago I would have thought would have been impossible for me. I do take breaks in photography, but I tend to also photo many days in sequence before doing so. I want to get better with photography. I want to take less exposures per day and have more of them be something I am happy with, but you never know how something will look until you line it up in the viewfinder and take the exposure.