I LOVE my camera!

Since today was the day that the prospective Scrap That Moment design team members are uploading their layouts to showcase their photography it is only natural that today's Blog Challenge was to focus on our cameras. What kind of camera we use..do we love it, etc? I wonder if Jocelyn knew what she was doing asking me to start talking about my camera. Did I mention that I LOVE my camera? Oh yeah...that is the title of this blog entry! I will try to restrain myself for the benefit of anyone who happens to read this. (You will thank me later).

I didn't start out much of a photographer...actually it is Bill who is the photographer in the family. His job used to be a photojournalist and he has been to school for it and has access to all sorts of super awesome equipment through his work and it has always been 'his' thing. His photos are awesome! The stuff I took with my little point and shoot were just our 'snapshots'...the regular tourist kinda stuff and pictures of the kids being kids, nothing amazing. Then I got bit by the scrapbook bug. And the photos I was taking started to evolve. I started paying attention to what he was doing, and to what others were doing and my photography started to improve even more. Then the BIG day came when Lynette Daniel invited ME to be one of the official photographers on HER site! I still can't believe that she put me up there with Heidi Jones and Chriss Coleman! At that time I was using a Kodak EasyShare DX6340 and was perfectly happy with it. Bill had bought himself a Panasonic FZ20 camera and was really enjoying it. He was taking awesome photos and wow that camera had a GREAT zoom on it. When we were out and about I often would ask him to get the shots that my camera couldn't get but that I could envision. Then Panasonic came out with the upgrade to his camera, the FZ30. When he held that camera in his hands it was love at first sight. He put it on layaway for himself and planned to sell his old one. Meanwhile we went on a trip to Portugal during which his camera malfunctioned. He had to send it to the manufacturer for repair and he was even more eager to get the new camera. Fast forward to Christmas day. Guess what he gave ME for my big gift??? Yup...the FZ30 that HE wanted SO very much for himself. I got a little teary eyed, it was like the gift of the Magi! I still can't believe that he gave that camera to me. It is the most awesome camera. You should SEE what that zoom can do! It has image stabilization, the screen can flip out and rotate down so if I want to hold it over my head and see what I am aiming at I can do that, I can shoot on Auto, I can use some of the presets, I can shoot manual, and all sorts of stuff in between. It is a BIG jump for me up from the Kodak, and there is PLENTY for me to learn about it's capabilities. I know I would be overwhelmed by a digiSLR...so this camera is perfect for me.