New Toy: Nikon D40x

This year I got a real surprise for Christmas. Tom was gracious enough to purchase me an awesome gift, a Nikon D40x SLR camera. Though frankly I know nothing about real photography! So, it is my new hobby. Or will be when I figure out enough to really do something with it. I thought I would blog some of my progress for both sharing with my friends who are helping me out with my education on photography (thanks Kathy K.!) and for those of you who have to hear me talk about it. Now you can see it and comment on it!

So everyone says to not be afraid and to just go out and play with it. So I did. First I captured some pictures of Natalie just out riding her scooter. I am using a zoom lens to really capture some detail. Nothing exciting here, though I love how the camera can focus on a single subject and "blur out" the rest of the picture. It really draws attention to the subject. See how much I have learned?

I also went across the street and took some pictures along one of the many canals that run

near our house. In the picture here on the left, you can see the JinMao off in the distance with the new even taller building to the left, the Shanghai World Financial Center. It is hard to see, but the Pearl Tower is visible right at the end of the canal in the skyline above it. It was pretty quiet out there as it was a Sunday as well as part of the New Year holiday still. As you can see, I really liked trying to capture the sun shining into the water. The water was pretty still and the reflections of the trees

made for an interesting subject. I took about 75 pictures while freezing my feet and hands off. I was trying to play with the light and I was amazed at how hard it was to get the picture focused correctly! I have a much greater appreciation for professionals or even amatuers who take good pictures. I hope some day to be there...