I am so excited to be here, sharing a little bit of my photography journey with you. I had the honor of getting my very first photography lesson from Courtney-in real life! We met in a music class for our kids at the beginning of our tours in Okinawa. I saw her taking photos of her kids with her D90 and told her I wanted to get into photography, too. I bet it comes as no surprise to any of you that the first words out her mouth were, “I’ll teach you!” I didn’t even have a DSLR yet!! But knowing I had someone who would help me get started really gave me the courage to take the plunge into purchasing my first DSLR-my beloved Nikon D5000.
With my new camera finally in hand, I asked her to teach me the basics to get me started. We met at a local park and there she showed me how to shoot in manual…a lesson that still affects my photography today.
In one afternoon we covered:
-The exposure triangle-I had no clue you had to keep adjusting the meter! Such a light bulb moment!
-Rules of composition-to include the rule of thirds, negative space, having your subject look into the frame and giving them somewhere to go (if they are moving).
-Setting my focal points so I could toggle.
-And she told me something I found so invaluable – “practice on stuff that doesn’t matter as much—if you’re not comfortable in your skills to shoot on manual for birthdays, once-in-a-lifetime trips, etc.-set it on Auto and capture the memories. Put it back in manual when it doesn’t matter.“
Here is my 1st photo from that day in park together….really?! Can it possibly get any worse folks?! Poor Courtney-boy did she have her work cut out for her! The good thing about starting here is that you can only get better!
By the end of that session, I came out with this:
I thought this was the greatest picture ever taken-I truly thought I was giving Ansel Adams a run for his money!
Here are a few more gems from the past:
2010-Do you ever feel like you want to reach through a picture and take it again?! Why didn’t I turn her towards the light? And take a step back, Brennan!
Clearly had no clue what white balance was or gave any thought to skin tones!
2011-After Clickin’ Moms – Shooting 101: Best Darn Beginnger Course Ever
After Clickin’ Moms Shooting 201: Beyond the Basics
2012
In October 2012, I upgraded to a Nikon D700. I left it in the box for several days thinking maybe I wasn’t good enough for this.much.camera. Courtney again cheered me on – believing in me and my work-and gave me the confidence to open the box and start shooting.
2013 – Yesterday
Thank you Brennan for sharing your journey and your kind words! Brennan is so sweet and wants to pay it forward to you guys!! She is donating a Lifetime membership to Clickin’ Moms or a Study Along seat in a workshop if you are already a member. Isn’t that awesome!!
Giveaway open March 19-March 22nd midnight EST. Please read the giveaway policy.
Guest Post-Brennan Lanter
I am a natural light, lifestyle photographer based in Chesapeake, VA. I spend my days with my 3 “littles” searching for the mundane moments I can make extraordinary through my lens (es!) When I’m not behind the camera, I consider a trip to Target alone a major thrill! Website | Facebook | Pinterest
