Its all about capturing the moment...

When I bought my very first DSLR, a Nikon D50, I was an avid scrapbooker, trying to capture and record every moment of my kids lives so I could relive those moments whenever I wanted. They were growing so fast! I soon became frustrated with the lag time on the shutter of my digital point and shoot, and thanks to a generous Christmas bonus from my employer decided to take the plunge into the world of digital SLR photography. From the moment I held that little D50 in my hands I was totally hooked! Now I had this wonderful camera that could literally "freeze time". No more missed shots! It was truly love at first click!

That, of course, was the start of a much bigger obsession for me... and I have since owned a Nikon D200, a D300 and now a D700, my full-frame beast that has exceeded my wildest dreams and has become, truly, an extension of myself... a way for me to record my world the way I see it. I had no idea at the time that I bought that little D50 where it would lead me, or how much photography would change my world... my every waking moment.

If you are new to photography, remember we were all there once, with so much to learn ... struggling to figure it all out. My advice would be to relax, read as much as you can, join some forums, get involved in the photographic community online. You will find that most of us are more than willing to lend a hand. Just remember to take the advice and even the criticism with an open mind... and remember to thank those who help you along your journey. If you have questions or specific areas you would like more information on, please write to me at denise.snyder@ymail.com and I will do my best to cover them right here on the blog.

In the spirit of capturing the moment... my way... I had tons of fun photographing my husband and youngest son while they played in the pool yesterday. These images were all shot with my Nikon D700 and lensbaby composer with the double glass optic. In Lightroom 3.0 I did some very experimental (for me) processing, trying to emulate a toy camera look with lightleaks and color shifts.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the processing... I've saved them as presets and may offer some of them to you all right here on the blog.