Camera Love

First, comes baby. Then, comes blog. And then, comes a desperate need to take better photos. I've been dreaming about getting a DSLR for a long time, but it seemed far out of my reach and completely unnecessary when all I had to take photos of were pancakes and cats.

But then, I had a beautiful baby. And she grew, and grew, and grew, and here I am a month before her first birthday, longing to capture every single second of her short-lived babyhood. Babies do not hold still. Ever. Have you noticed?

Sure, we got some decent ones in the first few weeks, when she was a melty, grunting lump of digestion.

And things were hit-or-miss in the middle months, when she started to mobilize but was still slow.

But then, she learned how to crawl. And soon all of our photos began to look more or less like this:

...And I pouted. And whined. And stomped and lamented that my baby was growing too fast and we were just letting it all slip away! So Elliot got me a fancy camera. Not so fancy that I'm intimidated, not so fancy that I'll set up a photography studio and take pictures of newborns sleeping in hollowed-out watermelons, but far fancier than any point-and-shoot I've ever picked up. It's a Canon Rebel T2i, and I've never been happier to play with a gadget. I have no idea what I'm doing, of course, but this little guy is quite user-friendly and we were able to take some lovely snapshots straight out of the box.

This weekend has been full of the usual playdates in the park, laughing at the yuck faces babies make when you give them lemon slices, and not much else. But now? Look out, grandparents! I've got a new toy!

This is My lovely friend Brenda and her sweet little one. She and Little E are thick as thieves.

See?

Aforementioned lemon shot. There are lots of these.

There are also three hundred shots of babies on swings, but I'll spare you the rest.

And then, there are the ones that make my heart explode.
The cost of the camera is more than recouped right here.

Okay, okay. Enough already.

Last one, promise.

Next up: learn how to really use the camera. I've read over some super-easy tutorials courtesy of Ree, The Pioneer Woman, and I'll be spending the next, um, decade of my life practicing. Because I don't think I'm ever getting another gift again. 

Tips? I hate manuals. Talk to me like I'm four.