Rhonda has been a BetterPhoto member since 12/26/2001 1:26:44 AM.
I have loved taking pictures since I was very little. I got my very first camera by saving the Bazooka Bubble Gum wrappers:-) I don't have the camera anymore but I still have the pictures.
I had never owned anything other than point & shoots until I got my first digital camera, a Kodak DC240. I started getting serious in the Spring of 2001. I bought every book and magazine that I could get my hands on to learn photography. I taught myself photography and using Photoshop. From there I took my first BetterPhoto photography course, Beginning Photography, and bless his heart, Jim really taught me a lot. He probably remembers how I struggled with apertures and shutter speeds:-) My Advanced Marketing class with Bryan was a huge help and he as well as Jim really boosted my confidence. My next camera was a Canon PowerShot Pro90 IS and I also got a Nikon CoolPix 995 for macro work.
I always say that I outgrew my first digital cameras because the more I learned the more I wanted to experiment and to experiment with the things that I wanted to try, I needed control over my camera settings. Jim told me that it would be a whole new world, and open many doors with a digital SLR and boy was he right! I did a lot of research and decided on a Canon EOS D60. That is really when I started to learn things and the more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. The D60, my very first SLR, was worth every minute of the wait, and I absolutely loved it. The Tamron 70-300mm telephoto was my first lens. From there I purchased and am currently shooting with the Canon EOS 10D, and am thrilled to have it.
Well, that pretty much covers the "how" I got started in photography but to me the really important thing is the "why". I have loved animals, wildlife and nature for as long as I can remember. Thankfully my parents were wonderful and let me have just about every kind of pet you could have and as for the critters that I did not have, my brother would bring home. Everything from snakes to bats, raccoons, skunks and everything in between. I truly feel that my brother is the only other person that I know who loves animals, wildlife and the outdoors as much as I do. When I installed my first water garden I was amazed at all the creatures that were drawn to the water and I wanted to share with others the wonderful things I would see. I have to say though, that the biggest impact on me was a photo that my best friend Angie had taken of a little tree frog snuggled in a day lily. I was just in awe. The first thing I said to myself was "I want to do that!" and the second was "how can I do that!" and the rest is history. Thank you Angie:-)
I invite you to take a journey into the world as seen through my eyes.
I welcome any comments on my photos and I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy taking them.
Rhonda
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WORKSHOPS:
Beginning Photography with Jim Miotke.
The course was extremely fun and it really taught me a lot.
At the end of this course I was one of the photographer's voted Best In Class and received a Featured Photographer gallery which I am really proud of.
Advanced Marketing with Bryan Peterson.
I absolutely loved this course. Bryan is just awesome, and he taught me so much. At the end of this course I was voted Top Photographer and received a Top Photographer gallery which I was just thrilled to get.