Poor Lighting

Is it just me... or do you feel like when you start getting into a new hobby, that hobby is the only thing you can think about? Even as I sit at work, trying to put a TV show together, I can't help but wish I could be outside (or inside, or wherever) with my camera, practicing (because lord knows I need the practice). my camera, which I'd mentioned in my first post, is loaded to me by Nick, my boyfriend, given to him by his father. I don't bring it home. It stays at Nick's apartment, on his desk. I can see it now. I really don't pick it up until the weekend, and when I do... I can't let it go. Maybe the fact that I don't see it every day causes me to miss it more. (I still call it, "it," haven't quite given camera a name yet.) Is that weird? Photography has reinvigorated a part of my life that I haven't explored in a while, one that I didn't realize was pushed so far back in my mind. Actually making something from scratch, taking ...

Aperture. It's a hole that lets the light in and out of the "image plane," as Wikipedia calls it. F-stop. The number scale on your camera, which from what I understand can range from 0.5 to as high as 256. The smaller the number, the wider the aperture, and the bigger the number, the narrower the aperture. For those who have been in photography for a while, it might seem like a very simple concept, but for someone who's just starting out, it can be confusing (read: annoying). It's also something that I've been struggling to grasp. So, this weekend, I set out to wrap my arms around it. The San Gennaro Feast in Little Italy was perhaps the perfect place for a lesson in proper exposure. Bright, white banners... dark, black tent interiors... Ideal for pictures to turn out like this: And this (okay, this wasn't taken at San Gennaro, but it's the only overexposed picture of the bunch): Yikes. Time to change the mode from automatic to ma...

Please remind me, I did say that the lens I started off using weighs about five pounds, right? Right. As someone with fairly weak and narrow wrists, having to carry that thing around all day, plus the camera, was cumbersome and almost enough to deter me from taking photos. Almost.  Even though I was told by the "pros" out there that it's an overall great lens (whatever that means), they still agreed that it's a bit heavy for everyday use. So... (as the title of this post reads) Say Hello to My Little Lens: A Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G, aka my very first camera/photography-related purchase. Total $236.20 from B&H. To be honest, I had second thoughts about making such a big purchase right off the bat, especially since I'm just starting out. But if I'm really trying to get into this hobby, and I mean really  get into it, I'm in for the long haul. This is probably just the beginning. Who knew camera equipment would be so expensive?? I m...

Now, first thing's first (I'm the realest). I know nothing about photography. How many more times can I say, "I know nothing about this 'stuff,'" before I become annoying? I'm starting out with a camera that isn't my own; it's a Nikon D200, borrowed from my boyfriend by way of his father. Lens: Nikon AF Nikkor 35-70mm 2.8 (which weighs about 5 pounds, by the way, and I'm told it's from back in the early 80s). At this point, I figure the best thing I can do with my lack of experience is to get comfortable with the equipment, and to just take as many pictures as possible. We (my boyfriend Nick and I) started out the day by taking the NY Waterway ferry from Jersey City to Wall Street. Can you believe it that I was born and raised on Long Island, went to school at New York University, and work at the New York Stock Exchange, on occasion, and had NEVER explored the southern-most tip of Manhattan? Well, that was about to be rectified. Nic...

My name is Crystal, and this is my journey. At 24 years old, I'm beginning my foray into the creative and exciting world of photography. What brought me here? Well, to be honest, I'm not sure. There was just a void in my life and I needed to fill it. Photography seemed like the perfect way to combine my desire to learn more about myself, and others. Full disclosure, I've never actually been involved with photography before. Yes, there was that photography class I took at camp one summer where I took pictures of flowers and developed film in a dark room (with help from the teacher). Though I learned about all the different chemicals and terminology behind a manual film camera, truthfully, all I really  learned was how to press a button. This, however, is my own personal lesson about how to capture life. So, please join me on my path to absorb all I can about this world. It may not be a straight path, nor necessarily the most accurate (apologies in advance for that), bu...