New Beginnings

I've had this blog for awhile, but I struggled with starting the actual blogging process.  I guess I always assumed almost anyone could blog; I thought all you had to do was sit down and type, without much forethought.  I was very wrong.  When I got my new camera in the mail this weekend, I was hit with a great idea!  I decided to use my blog to practice and grow as a photographer, while using photography to help write my blog posts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Challenge ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every day, for the next 365 days, I am going to find something to photograph that will be the inspiration for that day's blog post.  It could be a new recipe, my family, events that I attend, etc.  I will observe and record my life and take you on the journey of what it is to be the Feisty Housewife.

I fully admit I am a completely amateur photographer (and writer).  Hopefully, through time, my abilities will grow.  I plan to use automatic settings for awhile, as I learn to handle the new machine, but eventually I want to attempt to challenge myself to explore the manual functions.  I fully encourage you guys to give me tasks or challenges - it may take some time but I love learning new ways to take beautiful pictures. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Tools ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've always loved photography, but I just stuck to a simple point-and-shoot (either Nikons or Canons).  As my interest in photography grew, I knew I needed to upgrade to a camera that let me physically set all the different functions of a camera manually.  I also knew that I didn't want a standard DSLR, because the idea of lugging around (and purchasing) multiple lenses was a turnoff. 

I found a great compromise: The Canon PowerShot SX50 HS!  It is a 12.1 MP camera that lets you fully set all the manual functions, while also allowing you to chose to shoot in a multitude of automatic settings.  There is only one lens, but with an adapter, you can add a lens hood and filters.  There is a boot for a Speedlight and you can purchase a remote shutter release for stabilized pictures, if you would like. 

My Awesome New Camera

Right now, since I'm really just starting out, I do not have Photoshop or any other fancy pay-for-use services.  I hope to eventually expand to Photoshop and maybe even Lightroom, but for now, I am just using a free version of PicMonkey.  They have both free and premium functions and I love the flexibility and options they give for someone with zero to limited funding.  I haven't been using it very long, but so far I love it.  Let me know if there are any other free sites that you use!