For as long as I can remember I have always loved taking pictures.  I have boxes and boxes of pictures that I took starting in High School.  I love what cameras do, they capture a memory that I can look back on and cherish for the rest of my life.  The problem back then was that we used film and you never knew what you captured until you got the pictures developed and my family was less than thrilled when they saw all the candids I took of them.

My first film camera that was my very own and not my parents was a Fujifilm Discovery.  I grew up in a city that was the home of Kodak and I took a big risk by getting this camera, but I loved it.  I still have it and it actually has a roll of film in it that I’m afraid to develop.

I guess my family had enough of the candids because in 2004 my mom bought me my first digital camera for my birthday.  Now, this. was. a. camera.  I could take pictures and see them in a little monitor on the back of the camera and if I didn’t like them I could erase them.  If I did like them then I could save them on a memory card and download them to my computer.  What was better than that?

When I was pregnant with OG, Nate bought me my 2nd digital camera for Mother’s Day 2008.  I couldn’t believe how much faster this camera was and the quality of the photos blew my Panasonic away.  We knew we wanted a lot of great memories of our new family and we needed a better camera.  Nate bought me a Sony Cyber-Shot and it’s a great little camera.  We used it to capture OG’s birth, her first birthday and so many other memories of our new family.

Throughout all of these cameras I have always had my handy dandy Polaroid and I love the instant gratification of it.  The picture never comes out nice but I love the sound of it and I love to watch the photograph come to life before my eyes.

A little over a year ago Nate bought me my “baby”, my Nikon D90.  We decided that with the amount of photos we take and with a new baby on the way we should just dive in and invest in “the camera”.   We decided on the Nikon because it had everything we were looking for and I loved the way it felt in my hand.  That is the best way to pick a camera, decide what you want and need out of it, put it in your hand and use it before you buy it.  When I put it in my hand, I just knew it was for me.

This camera came with a kit zoom lens and I had read that the best portraits are taken with a prime lens.  So, guess what I got?  I got a 50mm 1.4 prime lens.  All I have to say is, LOVE IT!

So, I have all this great equipment but do I really know how to use it?  Not really.  So, I joined this great forum called Clickin Moms.  Clickin Moms is a place for women with cameras, from hobbyists photographers (like me) to professional photographers who can meet other women, ask questions and learn a lot about anything photography.

Right now I am taking a course on Clickin Moms called Rock Your Camera 101, it teaches you everything about your camera.  I have learned so much, not only from the course I am taking but also from the posts that the members have contributed.

If you have a camera and you want to learn more about it so you can take better pictures of your kids or you want to start your own photography business then Clickin Moms is a great place to start.  Just head over to my side-bar and click on my Clickin Moms button and check them out, memberships start at only $6.

Now, what will my next purchase be?