Photography

t's Christmas Eve, I'm currently sitting comfortably on my couch, blogging with Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" on in the background and doing a fair amount of thinking. I recently had the opportunity to photograph a live nativity that my parents co-produced in Liberty Park called "Echoes of Christmas." It was a great experience for me and one that I greatly enjoyed. As you may know, I lost my camera to water damage this summer and have been without a camera for several months. I photographed the nativity using my parents' point-and-shoot fixed lens Sony camera. Having been used to shooting with a Canon SLR it was quite an adjustment for me and I spent a good thirty minutes fumbling with the controls and trying to find the functions that I knew I needed. As it was a live production I was limited to shooting without a flash and quickly felt the effect of this limitation. It wasn't until this evening while reading one of my photography books that I realized that the nature of the fixed lens camera was also holding me back. Aside from the limitations of the equipment at hand, I am by no stretch of the imagination a hugely experienced photographer and was also confined by the limitations of my own experience. Putting any doubts aside, I set to the task at hand determined to get some good shots. I was greeted by friendly cooperation from the actors involved and, I believe, managed to get some pretty decent shots. In fact, one of the photographs I took I feel is one of the best shots I have ever taken.
Since this experience I have found myself desperately missing my camera and the creative outlet it provided. I never really did anything spectacular with my photos in fact, any of them that were not posted to Facebook were lost when my laptop was stolen earlier this fall, but I miss it nonetheless. I am finding myself determined to get a new camera and continue developing my photography skills for whatever I may use them for. It will likely not amount to anything but a hobby that I love but I think that's an important thing to have. I have considered the possibility of trying to squeeze a few more photography classes into my schedule and exploring photography "professionally," shooting weddings, concerts, family parties, whatever I can get a chance to do. Here's hoping things pan out and I can continue to explore this passion. For now, here's an image from "Echoes of Christmas" that I'm particularly proud of. Merry Christmas everyone!!