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My holiday photography goals:

1. Focus on people, not objects. People, family and friends are the very essence of the season, and many times the highlight of the holidays. The emotions around events need to be captured. The tree may be really pretty, but does it make you feel.

2. Chimp less. Simple fix (ha) and directly relates to number 1. The less I'm looking at and adjusting the photos I just took, the more I'm able to see what's happening in front of my lens. Same thing goes for equipment. Nobody cares how many lenses I have or what size my flash is. They just want to know if you captured little Jimmy's huge smile.

3. Be the subject of my own photos. These are my memories, too, and I need to be a part of it - not just the man behind the curtain.

4. Give back. If I take a great photo of someone else, or better yet, someone else's kids, I need to share that memory with them. My shot may be the only capture of that event for them. It might be my photos that they are flipping through in 20 years, reliving the memories. Photos are important, and not just to the photographer.

I wasn't the only photographer (amateur, pro, or otherwise) out this weekend. There was gear everywhere - cameras of every size, shape and brand. It was easy to spot those there for the scenery. They were the ones that exchanged black leather for worn packs and camera straps.

The big picture, at 300,000 people and bikes strong, was slightly overwhelming - where do you start? I remembered some advice I heard on Photofocus and decided early in the day to pick a theme and stick with it. This is always a solid strategy, forcing you to think in a particular mode. In my case: details.

My mom is a fantastic painter and has a special place in her heart for sunflowers. It was the subject of some of her earliest work, and recently she's been talking about going back. When I took the picture above, she was one of the first people I showed it to.

Our conversation went something like this:

Me: I really like this photo
Mom: You know why you like that photo?
Me: Umm... it's pretty?
Mom: MATH! It's a spiral.

What does that mean?

She wasn't just poopooing my work. Sometimes it not about the color or the subject - it's all about Fibonacci's Number, the Golden Ratio and ultimately the Golden Spiral.

Our eyes are naturally drawn to this ratio and the various forms that it takes - in the case of my photo, a rough spiral.

So what it is that you carry around in that man purse, exactly?

Being prepared when you leave the house means having a wide variety of tools at your disposal - glass, speedlight, a mono or tripod, lens cloth, a sandwich, maybe a magazine or book for inspiration, and oh yeah, a camera.

First up, you need a camera (duh).

Well, before that, a warning: When I first decided to get into photography, I knew that I wouldn't be able to afford the best of everything. The more you read, the more you'll know that this stuff is expensive. That fact alone almost kept me from even pursuing this as a hobby. I'm not saying that so you'll be impressed by my pile of crap, but so that you will know what you're getting into. Moving on.

Because of the hefty price tags out there I knew that I would need to look for two things.

1. For flexibility: A jack-of-all-trades camera.  I wasn't going to be out in nature switching lenses around like a photographic Rambo. I needed something for prints, online display, anything and everything.
2. For the lens: A kit. Buying the camera as a kit got me the camera body, a good short range lens, and a good conversation with my local camera shop guy (mucho importante).

Some simple research showed me that there were clearly two camps - the Sharks and Jets of photography - Canon and Nikon.  Within those two camps there were two camera lines that were potential winners - The Nikon D series (40, 40x, 60, and 80), and the Canon Rebel XTI. 

Ken Rockwell to the rescue. True, this article is from 2006, but it's exactly what I needed.  Based on image quality, price, and most importantly - expandability, I went with the Nikon D40. I knew that down the road I would want additional lenses, a tripod, and all the other goodies that would help me expand and utilize my skillset.

So far, so good.

For about as long as I can remember, I've had a blog.  

Early on it was incoherent rants about interstate 540. I then graduated to semi-coherent rants about I-540, followed by a mix of posts about my family, less frequent posts about, well, nothing really. Then - finally and mercifully - it died.

Well, it's back.

This blog (and it will still be filled with randomness, I promise) will primarily focus on three things:

1. Local awesomeness.
Fayetteville is a fantastic town and jam packed full of awesome. There's always something going on, or someone interesting hanging around. I will write about it. Maybe not well, but it'll happen. 

2. Photography.
Most likely photos of point #1. Taking it to the next level - I want you, dear reader, to learn with me.  I am not a pro, so as I take photos I'm going to post sources and inspiration.  If it sucks, tell me so that we will learn and become better.

3. Personal stuff that you won't want to read.
Sad but true. You will see pictures of my kids, and on occasion read about what I had for lunch.  You will know what book I'm currently reading, and maybe what movies I'm watching.  Stay tuned for that.

Peace.