Smile Marge! You're on candid camera!

I've always loved photography. Cameras have always been a hobby of one person or another in my family. In my case, though, I feel that it is more important than something I do on weekends or when I take a trip (although I will still do both of those things). As a web designer, if you don't at least understand the process of photography, I think you're doing yourself a disservice. 

Let's face it, glossy pictures that catch the eye will keep a visitor to a website interested. It's also easier to look at a picture than it is to read text. The moral of the story: sometimes a story is better told through pictures than a mountain of text that no one will read. 

To sharpen my skills and get some critical feedback, I recently decided to join two photography meetup groups that we have in Milwaukee - Studio MLP and Milwaukee Photography. I've only been to one meetup so far but I have to say that the individuals at my first meetup were quite fantastic. I was a bit concerned since I'm such a newbie to the digital SLR world but these photographers (who range from amateur to studio) were more than helpful. (I've actually noticed this helpfulness to assist the rookie from not just photographers but also other web designers and developers. Think I'll pursue that in another blog...)

 
Here are a few photos I've taken in the past that I'm particularly proud of.  I've put some more on my website and will update those as I continue in my photographic studies.

As an aside, if you're a web designer, you need to take a look at these two books that are excellent resources and that I recommend: Photoshop CS4 for Photographers by Scott Kelby and the Digital Color Management Guide and Printing Guidebook by Canon. The first is readily available at bookstores and online. The second was generously given to me by Jeff Dobbs from Mike Crivello's Cameras but it looks like you can find an older version of it online at Amazon for $4.65 or as a PDF on Canon's website.