Good Shot

I got my first digital camera around 2003.  My dear father-in-law upgraded his camera and sent us his old one.  I was delighted to have a digital picture-taker.  And I could download pictures right onto my computer!  How wonderful!  It ran on regular batteries, and running the screen would just suck the life right out of them, so we used the itty bitty viewfinder instead.

Five years later, I upgraded my computer and lost the software to run the now-obsolete camera.  So I splurged and bought myself a Costco point-and-shoot for Mother's Day.  Oh, it was so nice to be able to just grab and shoot nice pictures of my kiddos and life as it was happening.  I kept it on top of the doorbell box in the entryway, so it would be quick to snap a shot.  And then I dropped it.  On the rough rock floor of our entryway.  The door that held the battery in broke, and the flash never worked again. Oops!

For Christmas the next year, Trent went to the pawn shop and got me a nicer point-and-shoot.  It lasted for a little while, but then it got temperamental.  It wouldn't turn on when I told it to.  And when I pushed the shutter button, it had to think about it for a while.  It took the picture when it was good and ready to.  It led to a lot of  "1-2-3-say cheese!  Keep smiling! I pushed the button so no one move.  Stay there.  Keep smiling!  Hey, get back in there!"  and then it would take the picture.  I actually got a lot of pictures of the floor because I got disgusted with waiting and losing my subject, but when I would lower the camera THEN it would take the picture.  Of the ground.  Bad words.

And then it quit working altogether.  Most of my pictures in the past few months are beauties like these.

So they finally talked me into buying a real camera.  I found a screaming deal online with the back-to-school specials (you need a fancy camera to go back to school?), gulped, and hit the "buy" button.  It's nice but not amazing.  Which also means that it didn't break the bank.  But it does come with lenses, so it will be fun to play with the effects.

It came and the boys are so excited about it.  I'm happy that now I'll be able to take nice pictures.  I'm mostly happy that I'll be able to pick up recording our lives again.

Now if I could only figure out how to work the thing...