If you asked me to spend the better part of three hours studying, you’d probably get one hell of a look from me. Why? Because studying is definitely not high on my list of enjoyable activities. Funny enough, though, it’s what I did one night at work.
I spent around three hours digesting one site, reading all I could, looking other things up and even jotting down some notes that I could reference later on. Nope, it wasn’t school related in the least, unfortunately. If I could apply myself so well to that I might be a 4.0 student then! (I probably could be, to be honest, I just don’t want to put in the time & work for something that won’t be very important later on.)
Okay, so what was I studying up on that was so insanely interesting to me? Digital SLR cameras!!
How do you do it?!
Even though I was soaking in the knowledge of what features I should be keying in on when I buy my first dSLR, I wouldn’t expect myself to become so engrossed for so long. Not only did I spend a good few hours on the site, but I printed off more material to go through at home or at school when I’ve got spare time and no computer access.
No, it wasn’t a few hours straight, because I’d be repeatedly interrupted, but it was still pretty crazy for me.
The same thing can happen when I have something to write about, though. I can sit down, with the tv on and everything, but just write. (Like I am now, lol.) If I can’t become fully engrossed in what I’m writing, I usually quit. I might come back to the idea later, or I’ll just stick it in my phone and wait for the day when inspiration hits.
I’ve always wondered how people could get lost in activities for hours at a time… And then I found myself doing the same thing. Not sure what it is for everyone, but I know what makes it possible for me:
Doing what I love.
I really enjoy writing, and when I’ve got a good idea going, I can get it out and into a form I’m happy with without too much fuss. If I’m not totally into the idea, I just set it aside…. I know waiting for inspiration to hit isn’t that great of a trait for a writer to have, but it’s been alright for me so far. 
(It’s something I’ll work on when I move into making money from it. Hey, I can do it for school fairly easily so I’m not a total hopeless case!)
As for the camera, I’ve dreamed of getting a dSLR ever since I decided that I really enjoyed taking pictures. While my point and shoot Canon has done an amazingly good job compared to all the other cameras I’ve had, it’s still only a point and shoot. There are limits to what it can do, and I’d like to think I’m fast approaching its limits. I mean, I have to be getting better with as many pictures as I take now, right? 
According to Flickr, I need pro status for all my picture storage!
While I like the pic, an SLR would give me way more options to make this better than the P&S I used did.
Sadly, my expensive car hobby led into photography, which can be an equally expensive hobby. Finding an amazing camera that would be great for race pictures is awesome. The $1,800 price tag before lenses, however, is not. I don’t exactly need that, though. I may never need it, to be honest. Some amazing pictures have been taken with average equipment… Better equipment doesn’t necessarily mean great pictures.
When it comes to picking one out for me, though, I’ve been overwhelmed with options. The easiest decision was narrowing it down to either a Canon or a Nikon, but even that didn’t make it any easier from there! So I spent quite a while learning all the technical jargon, how it applies to different styles of photography and what I should be looking at for the type of pictures I want to take.
But there’s still work involved…
Of course, there’s still work that needs to be done, it’s just that most of it is so enjoyable that it doesn’t feel like work!
Even though I think I have the dSLR narrowed down to what will probably be the best fit for me, a Nikon D40, I still have to come up with the ~$500 for the camera. I’m definitely spurred on by this (Edit: link was broken*)
No related posts.
Best wishes with the career. I think you offer wise advice–find something you enjoy doing and immerse yourself into it.
Thanks! I’ve read about it so many times elsewhere that I’m pretty much determined to be like that too, and I wanted to pass along the message.
The D40 is pretty good. I used to have one. The lack of an internal focus motor might drive you nuts though. You’ll have to either buy expensive AF-S lenses only or get good at focusing manually.
You might also search for a refurb D80. Adorama often sells refurbished cameras. The 80 is the same generation of camera as the D40, but it has the focus motor, bracketing mode, and some flash modes the D40 lacks.
It’s much easier to grow out of the D40 than the D80/90.
Yeah, that was one concern of mine. I’ve had zero experience with SLR’s, and the D40 seems like a really good way to get into it. I kinda thought that getting good lenses wouldn’t be a bad thing, as I could always use them with a future camera as well. (Just stay Nikon.) I looked into the D80′s, but then that whole budget thing kinda got me.
Not expecting miracles out of it by far, but more of a camera I can learn with and what not, and the size was definitely a huge drawing point to me. I want to carry that thing EVERYWHERE. And it won’t be entirely overwhelming to me either, I can be easily frustrated with things. I still have to get good at this picture thing anyhow.
I’m pretty new to DSLR’s too, and about a year ago I bought myself a D40. I’m really happy with it, the focus doesn’t bother me that much. Luckily for me my parents had an older broken N80 laying around and let me have their 70-300mm nikkor lens. Unfortunately that means I have to shoot in manual focus with the older lens, but I’ve gotten okay at it with time.
I’ve read tons and tons and tons of reviews on the D40, and most just cite the limits of the camera as the only problem. It’s still more capable than a P&S, tiny and I’ve seen crazy pictures taken with them. Plus it fits in my limited price range.
And while the AF-S and VR lenses are expensive, it’s something I’m likely to keep or even able to resell for some value, so it doesn’t feel like a waste to me. I might start scanning craigslist after we move for another camera body like the D80 or D90. In this area, there really isn’t anything… (Just a D60 with two lenses for $600, but who’s to say it’ll be around when I get the money together?)
Amazing GET! Who do you get all your iPhone news from? ^^
Um…. Wha? I don’t even have an iPhone yet. ._.
Hey Meg! It’s Steven from Twitter.
I don’t know if you got a D40 yet, but it’s what I use. I have a 50mm manual lens that I use for my macro photography. Both it and the camera serve my purposes. The D40 is lightweight and capable, and I love it!
Hey, thanks for visiting my humble blog!
Actually, my hubby got me a D3000 for Christmas, and I’m loving it so far. I’ve only got the 18-55mm kit lens so far, but was looking into a zoom lens and wide angle lens to play around with.
Like I said on twitter, I really like macro photography, but it’s not the first thing you’d think of to pair with cars… Maybe that’s to my benefit, though?
I enjoy both and when the weather warms up I’d love to work on fitting them together some more.