My life with a camera...

My name is Allison Lynam Curti. I am a 34 years old mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, niece, friend and hopefully one day a photographer. I have always loved taking pictures. I actually think it may be just in my bones but the first real memory I have taking pictures was in 9th grade(I think). My BFF, Jill, and I used to dress up and take pictures of each other. We did this a lot. Although these pictures are really embarrassing now, we did a pretty decent job! I actually think we sent a few to Joey McIntyre, yes from NKYOTB. If only I had a way to post a few. (I will spare you Jill)
Then I took photography I and II in high school. I LOVED it so much Santa brought me a camera like the one we used in class. It was Minolta Maxxum and was a lemon. It was rebuilt 2-3 times. I think I either have a terrible memory or I cheated my way through the technical side of those photography classes because I can not grasp taking pictures out of the automatic setting. In college I still had that lurking desire to take pictures and tried to get in a few photography classes but they would all fill with art majors and I was not able to get in. Santa brought me my first Canon Rebel. I was thrilled! (Yes Santa still came to me in college!) I took so many pictures with that camera. From Zeke and Brett's engagement pictures, a good friends newborn's pictures and picture of my beautiful step daughter. I had a ball. But I never stepped out of the "green box". (The green box is the automatic setting.) Then Canon had to go and come out with the Digital Rebel - the very first Digital Single Lense Reflex (SLR) camera under $1000. I just HAD to have it! So, the first Christmas I was married, right before we moved to Siciy, Mom and Dad got it for me! Gosh I am spoiled! The next Christmas I got a new zoom lense and a flash. Still I never could grasp using the camera for it's potential. I tried to take picture in Sicily and that "green box" was just so comfortable. The pictures were not up to potential though. In June of 2006 I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy, Sullivan. And at that moment when most mom's want to take all the pictures they can, I lost interest. Why? I don't know. I tried hard to get it back. That spark, interest something. NOTHING. I was so disappointed. We moved to Virginia Beach in January of 2008 and sometime in this last year I started feeling it again. That desire to pick it up again. I started to miss the feeling I get when I have a great picture. So, I ordered a book I was recommended to read and started reading and playing. I still had that block against the technical side of taking a picture. This fall, I began to feel eager to learn and started going back to the old forums I used to visit, looking at camera's and playing around. This Christmas my parents blessed me with a new Canon 40D. It is a more professional camera than the rebel I had, which was way outdated due to 3-4 new much better rebels coming out since I got it. I LOVE my new camera and let me tell you, I've got it again. I am so eager to learn. I met a girl in my mom's group who has asked me to be her assistant. I am so excited about that. I also joined a meet up group on meetup.com called Picture This Photography meet up of Hampton Roads. We had our first meet up last night and I left there so so excited! I thought Mike would never shut me up! I have a lot to learn but I feel like the Lord has blessed me with opportunity to do something I love and I have got to jump on the wagon and not let this amazing opportunity be wasted! So...as my journey of photography begins, or restarts I should say, I am going to share it with you. I can not wait to look back in a year and see where I started and where I have come. I hope one day to be a photographer, a good one. As a career? I do not know, but soon I will know. Either way, I am ready to learn to take amazing pictures!