Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Saving my pennies.

I want a digital SLR camera. I want one so very badly. I absolutely despise point and shoot cameras. I use a point and shoot digital camera now. I hate it. I curse every time I use it, ask anyone in my house. They can attest to the cussing.

I have been taking pictures for as long as I can remember. I was always the girl with the camera in her hand at every party or social gathering. I am so glad I was that girl now because most times I am the only one who has a picture from back in the 70's when I was a teenager, or all those concert photos when I smuggled my camera in, the parties in the woods, etc. I might have been annoying, blinding people with flashes to the face, but I have photographic evidence of my teenage years to present. When Jesse was born, oh lord, I took so many pictures, thousands upon thousands. Everyone said, "he's your first, you won't take as many with the next one". But I did.

I have made 2 major camera purchases in my life. When I was 18 I saved up for over a year and purchased my first real grown up camera, a Canon AE1 Program. I still have it. For it’s time, it took some beautiful pictures. I was very into photography during my teens and twenties. I did a few weddings in my day (which I despise also), I took pictures for family and friends when requested, that sort of thing. Mostly I took photos for myself. I really miss the days of heading out into the woods or to the water and just taking pictures all day. I haven’t done that since I had Jess in 1995. I miss it.

Just before Jesse was born I bought a Canon Rebel. Not a digital camera, the old model Rebel G I think it was. I have that camera in the attic I think. I always seemed to go back to my AE1 Program. I just love that camera. I remember when I went to buy the Rebel G, the guy at the Photo store handed me the camera and it was so light I thought it was a dummy model, so I asked him if he had a "real" camera for me to see. He explained that was a real camera. I turned red. I was so used to my AE1, which was pretty heavy by today's standards.

So now the digital age is upon us. Had I know it was coming so soon I would have waited, and saved my money for this:




The Canon EOS D5 12.8 Megapixel . Isn't she prutty?? Pretty expensive too. What you are looking at right there is over $2,000. Body only, no lenses. I want it so badly, but I know we can't afford it so.......I am now looking at this:




The Nikon D80 10.2 Megapixel. I have never owned a Nikon. I have always been kinda partial to Canon, but this camera intrigues me (and the price is much more reasonable for me). A little over a thousand and that includes a 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 Lens . Not bad.

Tati has this running joke with me. Whenever she would look at my pictures she would say "your camera takes great pictures" and I would growl, roll my eyes and reply, "it's not the camera it's the photographer". She still says it to this day, just to aggravate me.

I have my mind made up. I can no longer use the piece o' shit point and shoot matchbox of a camera that I won in a raffle (it's true). So let the savings begin. It might take me a year, but I've done it before, I will do it again. I'm going to try and think about it this way.....by the time I save up enough money to buy it, it will probably go down in price!

You know what you get asked that question "what would be your dream job?" For me, without a doubt, it would be freelance photographer. Getting paid to take pictures. I can only imagine.

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