5 Photography Must Haves

My first passion as an artist has been and always will be photography.  It kind of fell in my lap years ago and I realized I'm actually pretty good at it.  As the photography world changes and the ability to do so much with camera phones and DSLR's continues, there are some MUST HAVES for me in the future.  Below are 5 of them that I'm definitely getting and exploring with at some point this year (especially the phoneography ones, because I SUCK at phone photography lol).

1. Instax mini instant camera: Think #tbt of today.  This is reminiscent of a polaroid camera that gives you an instant picture.  It's smaller and gives smaller prints.  For a gal like me who grew up with polaroids and miss film but not ready to toss my DSLR, this is perfect.  Plus, my son can have a go at it along beside me. WIN!
2. Glass Diana + Lens: I LOVE the look and feel of film. However, I don't love the feel of how much a film camera will cost me right now, plus I prefer to see what I'm getting right away.  Yeah, the mix of two worlds.  This lens makes that possible for a gal like me.
3. Pocket reflector: I'm a natural (and available) light photographer.  I love the look and feel that natural light gives and can work with the available light that I'm given. There are times, though that a reflector is necessary but I refuse to carry my pro size around.  This is PERFECT for a daily take around and appeals greatly to my simplistic nature.
4. Photojojo iPhone AND Android lens series: Since I just migrated to an Android (oh how I miss my iPhone), this lens kit caught my eye.  AND they have 2 new lenses added to the bunch!
5. Phoneography starter kit: If you're like me and you want to take your phone photos a bit more seriously, this is a great way to start.

Note:  This post focuses on products from Photojojo.  I am not being paid from this post, it's just a store I like for photog stuff.

My Work: Photography

This series is from a shoot I did in Nashville, TN back in September.  I was there for a photography conference (more on that later) and was in a break out session about videography.  While learning, I decided to get some stills.  Below are some of those shots.  If you're ever interested in checking out my portfolio of work (in the stages of starting it over with my new style), check it out here.  Here's the beautiful Daisy for you to view....

New Series: Ted(x) Talks

If you're new to TED Talks, they are talks (presentations) that focus on "ideas worth spreading".  When I first heard about TED Talks, I happened to come across one on a creative's blog.  That talk was about surviving as a business owner.  Since then, I've seen talks that range from inspirational, motivational and straight up truth telling.  This past week, I've come across two TEDx Talks (the "x" come from talks done at the local level), that I've simply been in awe about.  It made me think that since I LOVE anything truly motivational and in it's essence encourages people to be a better them, with the simplicity in its message, I should share these talks on a regular basis.  Today's first talk is going to wow you.  I mean, the fact that it comes from a teenager, is wow enough.  I loved it because it actually made me rethink education (and as an educator, that says a lot).  It also made me pay more attention to my son's desire to be homeschooled and gave me motivation to get that done for him sooner than later.  So here is our first talk.... ENJOY!