Point and shoot

When Madison had to sign up for her elective class this year in high school photography was one of her three choices.  While she hasn't been selected for it yet, she is eagerly awaiting a chance to learn the ins and outs of photography.  I, too, have been considering taking a photography class the past two years, and I figured if she got into a class then it would push me into one.  So far we are both hanging in limbo, but recently I was telling her about the first camera I ever had.

It was a Polaroid One Step Instant Rainbow Land camera like this one:

 

My parents bought it for me for my birthday, and up until a few years ago I still had it.  I've tried to find it in the various boxes of childhood memorabilia that I've kept, but so far haven't had any luck.  I vaguely remember seeing it during one of my flylady cleaning sprees, and I remember thinking that I would never use this thing again, and it was taking up space, and what was the point of keeping it in this digital age, and we live in a small house, blah, blah, blah.  So I have the feeling I goodwilled it, much to my now dismay.  (Cue Kelly who will now say something about how she is right in keeping things)

I do; however, have many of the pictures that I took with my Polaroid One Step camera, and so for fun this week I pulled them out because it would make an easy blog entry.  No, I'm really still in the process of scanning old photos, and I've found that if I scan them in themes it is easier when filing them.  I decided to start with my One Step photos until I realized they were scattered in various boxes under labels like "Indiana photos", "Cara pictures", "Friends", etc.  Either way I'm sharing. 

Note:  If you are in the photo, and are annoyed that your photo is posted, please let me know and we will duke it out.

This is the very first picture I took with my camera.  I actually remember this despite the little note in the corner, something my Dad insisted we do with photos.  In looking at the sunshine I'm now wondering if I really got the camera for my birthday which is in the winter.  Hmmmm....perhaps the memory on that one is lost.  But look at my mother posing!

The first person to model for me was my friend and neighbor, Michelle.  She was always a good egg in following along, and doing what I told her, despite probably thinking I was nuts..  I have quite a few pictures of Michelle taken with this camera.  She and her brother and I spent a whole day with the camera setting up shots as if we knew what the hell we were doing.

This is one that Michelle took with my camera.  While Rob seems quite happy to be up in the tree posing, I'm not so receptive in front of the camera.  Something that I still have issues with as a matter of fact.  I blame my father on that one in therapy as we grew up with a camera stuck in our face as if we were on one of today's reality shows.

This is my absolute favorite photograph.  I thought at the time that it really looked like a picture that belonged in a magazine.  I vaguely remember telling them to act like they were hanging out at their lakeside cabin.  In reality it was my neighbor's yard down by the crick.  The fishing poles came from my garage, and the dog was always along for whatever adventure we were on or staging.  The fact that she looked at the camera at the same time as Rob and Michelle was amazing.  I always told people it was the photographer's expertise.  I would love to know how to enlarge this because I would frame it.

This was another fav of mine because my face didn't show.  I thought it quite arty.  Kelly took this picture one day while we were fooling around in my room (back in those days it meant something different) taking pictures.

And lastly, my painted fire hydrant, the story of which would make for an interesting blog entry some day.  Kelly, Michelle, and I painted the fire hydrant that was in the corner of my yard one day in honor of the University of Evansville Aces basketball team.  I added the basketball for another arty photo.

As one can see in these pictures I knew nothing about lighting or focusing or zooming.  The camera was really just a point and shoot, but it did have buttons on it for other stuff.  I never bothered to read or learn how the thing worked, something I pretty much haven't done to this day, which is why I feel the need to take a class.  The camera I work with now is a Canon Power Shot that fits nicely in my pocket or purse.  I carry it everywhere, but it is pulling apart at the seams and is going to need some duct tape to hold it together soon.  We own a Nikon camera that looks way more professional and takes awesome pictures, but who wants to be hefting that thing around?  My goal is to learn how to use the Nikon and then lift weights so that I can carry it, but I'm thinking I'll do that after I'm enrolled in a class.  I'll let you know...