I love taking pictures. I’m the girl who went on her European honeymoon and took 33 rolls of film and lugged around two cameras and equpiment that weighed around 30 pounds. In January 2008 I finally made the switch to all digital photography when I purchased my digital SLR Nikon D80. While I miss my old SLR Nikon N65, I’m glad for the digital pictures that are easy to upload for my blog posts. I hate scanning and cropping old pictures more than anything else in the world except for making my bed, which I flat out won’t do.
Photography has always been a real passion of mine, and I was taught how to shoot pictures rather informally by a wonderful french exchange student who worked with me at a summer camp when I was 19. This french girl, Claire, dated the camp photographer, so she knew plenty about pictures, and she had the nicest camera of all the counselors. She showed me the basics, how to line up shots, the rule of thirds, etc. I wish I could study photography, and maybe do it for a living, but money and time have always gotten in my way. I adore taking landscape photos the most. I could look at Ansel Adams photography every day of my life and never get bored. But I also enjoy taking pictures of animals. With my illnesses, I haven’t been that up on photography the past year, and have stopped going on to shoot pictures like I used to. But today I thought I’d share with you some of my animal pictures from the past couple of years. I have better pictures from Yellowstone and from the San Diego, Detroit, and Cleveland Zoos, but like I said, I HATE scanning old pictures in, so …
Here is my pride and joy, my beautiful baby, my cat Beatrice, who weighs in at a hefty 14 pounds. Taken 9/07.
This was taken in 4/08 when hubby and I were in Boston and went whale watching. Amazing! I could go every week.
Who doesn’t love Alpacas? Taken in 8/08 in Ohio, of all places.
Buffalo, 8/08. I feel in love with them during Dances With Wolves. What a beautiful animal.
Deer, 8/08. I see them almost every day, as we have such a high population in my neighborhood that snippers have to kill them.
Wonder dog in Boston Commons, 4/08. Look at this little guy jump.
Duck chilling at Greenfield Village, 7/09.
Giraff, 8/08. What a great face this little guy has, huh?
Sheep, Greenfield Village, 7/09. Kept thinking of The Silence of the Lambs when I took this. Can you still hear them scream, Clarice?
Big antlered deer, 8/08.
Rooster, Greenfield Village, 7/09. My ten year old loved him, as did I.
New York, Natural Science Museum, 11/08. Freaky how close human and chimpanzee skeltons are from one another?
Battery Park, New York, 11/08. This lady is a nutter for letting this squirrel sit on her hands. Agh!
Turtle, Greenfield Village, 7/09. This little guy surfaced and posed for me, what a peach!
Zebra, Ohio, 8/08. What a beauty!
Beautiful pictures! I have camera envy, Nikons are the best. I was all excited when I got my current camera because it is 7.5 megapixels, but I think something is wrong with the focuser. A lot of my pics come out fuzzy, even when I hold the button half way down and give it time to focus. Oh well, it was a free hand-me-down down so I can’t complain.
Someday I’ll save up the money and get an SLR, and that will be a very very happy day in Jenland.
By: Jen512 on July 30, 2009
at 11:56 AM
Sometimes the blurry happens to me, because my hands shake. Try a mini table top tripod to see if that helps. Hey, some of those pics were taken with my Panasonic digital camera. But yes, I heart Nikon very very much! It took me years to get my SLR’s, my late 30s so there is still hope for you Jen.
By: thegirlfromtheghetto on July 30, 2009
at 1:15 PM
Very nice pics!
I took two semesters of photography in college. That was before everyone used digital cameras though. I would love a digital SLR. Maybe someday.
By: birdpress on July 30, 2009
at 2:07 PM
Birdpress – I still use my cheap-ish ($290) first digital camera, my Panasonic Lumix for times I don’t want to lug around the big camera. It took some of those pictures, so it is a cheaper alternative! I’m sure they are much cheaper now!
By: thegirlfromtheghetto on August 1, 2009
at 3:25 PM
I love taking pics to but never had that nice of a camera! You take wonderful pics TGFTG! I lurve the one of the Zebra
So perfect!
By: JavaQueen on July 31, 2009
at 8:15 AM
Java Queen – Hey, see what I just wrote to Bridpress. Sometimes you get great shots with cheaper cameras, too. Thanks! I think I really like that deer one myself, his little face is so innocent. Can you believe those were shot in Ohio!
By: thegirlfromtheghetto on August 1, 2009
at 3:27 PM
If you get the chance, go to South Dakota and visit Custer National Park. In less than 15 minutes, I had pictures of buffalo, antelope, hawks, deer, hawks, and a really bad shot of a bear. I truly could not believe the incredible amount of wildlife there. You can also see a lot of touristy things like Deadwood, Mt. Rushmore, etc. There are also beautiful opportunities for landscape shots. I am not a photographer, per se, but I took over 5,000 shots with my Canon digital SLR I had just purchase at COSTCO in 2007 and one zoom lens. Lord, I could have spent a month there just lookin through that lens. I’m from Ohio and could have left my family behind and just had fun snappin away. Oh yeah, there are also interesting Native American and US History areas that give you a very amazing feeling if you have never been up on the open prarie. Ranchers hate them but the prarie dogs are cuter than hell, too and fun to photograph. Well worth the trip. I even got to pet a buffalo at the famous Wall Drug store after I got my free glss of water. The whole area is a place that hasn’t really been done to death like the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, etc. Just thought a Girl fron the Ghetto might like to know about it. I’m just a girl from the lower middle class suburbs, always looking for a bargain cuz money always is tight but I’ve never been in dire straights. lol. Enjoyed the pics.
By: Judy Hinterlong on August 12, 2009
at 3:18 PM
Judy, I have been dying to go there for YEARS! Thank you so much for mentioning it to me. I love how you are a bargain hunter like me!!!
By: thegirlfromtheghetto on August 16, 2009
at 11:29 PM