a passion for photography.

I have always, for as long as I can remember, had a passion for photography.

When I was seven, I remember begging for my very own camera.

BEGGING.

At Christmas, my begging paid off...Santa delivered. I got my very first camera...a purple and pink LeClic 110mm. I remember opening it and feeling overwhelmed with excitement. I took pictures of EVERYTHING. I mean EVERYTHING. I wonder how many rolls of film my poor parents ended up paying to be developed???

This is one of the VERY first pictures taken with my new camera.

My baby brother. And in the background my pile of presents. I had a picture of that too...by itself.

My mom at one point even said, "if you are going to take SO many pictures could maybe take a few with people in them???" Apparently, she had developed a few rolls of still life.

I loved playing studio. I used to set up the living room as a professional studio. Complete with blankets for backgrounds and blanket covered chairs for props.

Then I would go get my little bother and sister and make them pose for me.

I can't tell you how much they loved it. HA ☺

Come on guys!

Look at me!

Smile. ☺

My brother is 7 years younger than me. This may explain why when I was looking through pictures that  I took as a child I kept coming across pictures of him.

We lugged him around with us a lot.

I took this one in my room. Such a good little model.

(excuse the crookedness of my scanning)

I would even label my pictures after mom developed them.

Signing my work. Just in case anyone else would want to take credit.

You know, after I was looking through these I was starting to wonder if Santa hadn't brought me the camera if Ryan would have any pictures of himself as a child...I'm sure my mom is thankful for my constant snapping and obsessive picture taking.

As I got older, I remember snagging my mom's 35mm camera and taking every opportunity I had to photograph birthdays, Christmases, special occasions. And I never stopped asking my sister and brother to pose for me.

Love this one.

I used to have my sister pose like some of the pictures I saw in magazine ads.

I remember getting into fights over her not posing the way I showed her to.

This was serious though.

I was on my way to work for National Geographic you know.

I wonder what was going through Ryan's head when

I would tell him to stare straight ahead and smile...hmmm.

Maybe I don't want to know what he was thinking.

And when we took field trips to the zoo I was one

of the only kids with a camera.

I felt like a big kid. A cool one. 

Yeah, that's right guys... my mom let me bring my camera.

I came home with an entire roll of pictures taken.

None of my friends.

All of the animals.

I know my mom loved getting those rolls back after paying to develop them.

Always trying to set up the shot...poor cat.

She didn't care too much for my antique watering can.

Especially when I would put her in it.

This love for photography carried into middle school and my 4-H days and on into high school when we had photography as an elective class.

I have stacks and stacks of photo albums. 

If I could drop everything (and was good enough) I would go work for National Geographic

...in a heart beat.

HAHA.

I have 3 cameras.

4 lenses.

1 tripod.

LOTS of camera accessories.

Several photog books.

Follow, more than I count, photography blogs.

Take my camera with me almost everywhere I go.

Still have SOOO much to learn.

Much much improvement to make.

And the rest of my lifetime to photograph.