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| Pamela Hsieh Rehab Revolution |
All right, so, what’s all this about photography practice?
I’ve always had an artistic eye and mind. The reason I didn’t truly embrace an interest in photography for so long in my life is because I never had the camera -- and yes, you can take great photos with a crappy camera (and believe me, I did), or terrible photos with a great one (. . . believe me, I do!), but I always felt like I didn’t even have the option of professional-quality equipment. My father has an old machine from Japan in the seventies, but it uses old-school film, and I was not going to learn pro skills on that.
Photography has vaguely been on my mind as a future career option, whether it be full time or just a source of side income, for a while. But I don’t want it simply to be a hobby anymore, so the moment back in September when I suddenly came into owning my first DSLR -- the big, bulky type of camera whose lenses swap out to various sizes (it’s the one pictured in my previous post on Shuffles) -- of course I immediately contacted my French friend Bertrand, who is starting his own “photography lessons on the streets” company in Paris. Coincidentally, he was about to make a brief trip to Chicago shortly thereafter, so he very graciously offered to practice his teaching skills on me while he was here.
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| Bertrand in action -- camera war! |
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My good friend Shannon (the one who got me
the sweet neck strap) and her prize pumpkin
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It was also during this weekend that I confirmed my one concern about DSLR operation: its requirement for both hands.
You see, a DSLR doesn’t have the zoom lever that little point-and-shoots do. In order to zoom, your left hand has to twist the lens itself.
So what started out as a photography lesson also started proving to be great neurological reprogramming material as well. After practicing regularly since the acquisition of my fondly named camera, Bertronica, I have finally begun mastering the zoom with my left hand!
I’m not suggesting you should go out and invest in a huge camera if the only pictures you take are fuzzy shots from your old flip phone, but if you happen to have access to an SLR (non-digital, like my father’s) or a DSLR, consider taking it out for a spin and practicing it wherever you go. Just make sure you always wear your neck strap. ;)
Besides, it doesn’t hurt to have some nice pictures, either.
To our healing,
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