Becoming a "Photographer"

Saturday morning, I went to the Knoxville Junior League Provisional retreat with my daily planner, mug of coffee, and my camera slung over my shoulder. As I plopped my camera down on my group's table, someone asked, "Oh is that your camera?" to which I cheerfully replied "Yes,"  because this group of ladies has become a welcome source of encouragement to me over this past several get-to-know-you months. I told them a little about the 365 Project during our conversation about our "Bucket Lists" and was given encouraging replies and reactions as I disclosed further information about my goal for myself over the next year in this project.

For the first time in all of this, I embraced the idea that I AM a photographer. Maybe I am not Ansel Adams, but in my own right, I am a photographer. And I liked the sound of that in my head. I have no ambitions of becoming a paid photographer, but I do like to document the world as it happens before me and I delight in the surprises that I find on my camera at the end of each day when I download my photos on to my computer.

In college I remember the same feeling when I took a film photography class. My favorite part of the class was finding out what I had captured on film in the development process. It was like magic to watch those images appear before my eyes in the development solution in the dark room.

Saturday, I took a more artistic approach with my photos and seemed to focus on that which was red and blue. Interesting, how we are drawn to a particular combination of colors.

It  was also a day of "tinkering" with my camera settings to see if I could get it "just right."

Although this project I have embarked upon may seem daunting at times, I am actually really enjoying it as well as getting photos like these that I got today.

Taking photos really makes my heart happy and as long as I am having fun and learning something from this project, what more can a girl ask for!