Since moving to Colorado 5 years go I've been completely in awe of how beautiful it is.  Everywhere you go you see something different and more stunning than the day before.  I just want to take it all in, I want to capture just that perfect moment in time.

This led to the idea that I should learn to use my camera, REALLY, use my camera..  I've tried to do this, unsuccessfully, on and off over the years.  Frustrated because I'm usually a very good independent learner, books and the internet as teaching tools are generally intuitive for me, but not this time.  I just couldn't get it, how shutter affects aperture affects ISO, and visa versa, etc. This led me to finally break down and look for a decent photography class.

Enter Jeffrey Rupp and The Denver School of Photography (TDSOP) (http://denverschoolofphotography.com/).

For around $250 I would set aside 2 hours a week for the next 4 Tuesday evenings, OK.. I could handle that and if it doesn't work, well not too much lost.  I was ready.

The first Tuesday night, after getting lost on my way to the gallery... dang construction at 6th and I25 that never seems to be completed, I finally make it to Denver's Art District.  I'm nervous... should I bring my gear? just my camera? will it be hands on or more like a presentation?  Will everyone be experienced as I sit there clueless and dumbstruck?

Entering TDSOP I see it really is a quaint gallery with some stunning artwork on display.  Still feeling intimidated, I'm glad to see that there are only enough chairs set out for 8-10 people so I hopefully won't be just a number in a sea of students.  I take a seat in the front row with a couple of other students, keep my head down and keep quiet.

Then Jeffrey comes over and introduces himself, so cool, casual, and with a smile that lights up the room.  He shows us around the gallery, identifies the restroom, points to the fridge and says help yourselves, and then tells us about his own journey in photography and how he came to teach.  There is absolutely no arrogance or pretense to this man, he is just completely genuine.  I start to relax.

This is Week One, Depth of Field and Aperture, don't worry about Shutter speed, or ISO, don't worry about how they are connected, just understand and practice this one concept and come back next week and we'll review our homework, 3 examples of Depth of Field.  Over the next 4 weeks Jeffrey laid it out for us in the simplest of terms how photography works, and something clicked, I got it, I finally got it!!

And so my obsession began.  Get up early on the weekend, 2am, 3am, 4am, whatever needed to get somewhere before sunrise.  Get in the car and just explore.  I love it!

Now It's been a little over a year and I'm still getting the hang of it, still learning, still getting better.  I can see my photos getting better over time and I've actually had a few framed and printed and they are proudly displayed in my home and, super excited to say, the homes of a couple of my friends.

Now lets see if we can add people to the mix... 

I wasn't really sure I wanted to shoot people, that's REALLY hard.  They require posing, avoidance of a forced smile, and they certainly don't want to be out at 6 am when the light is just amazing.  Then I found Jasmine Star, I just love her work, so natural, so beautiful and her photographic stories are inspiring so I was inspired to at least give it a shot.

So this blog is inspired by Jasmine's magazine, Exposed, where she lays it all out, the good, the bad and the ugly of when, why and how she first picked up a camera in 2005 and how she got to be one of the top international wedding and portrait photographers in the world.

This is my journey, what i did, how I did it, what worked and more importantly what didn't.  I'll tell you about my portrait sessions, my landscape adventures and a bit about me.

Feel free to leave comments and ask questions, maybe we can figure this out together.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Cindy