St. Charles, Illinois: A gift Shop on Second Street, Fox River Below

This view is a textured wall of a Second Street gift shop in St. Charles, Illinois, with the Fox River in the background. It was taken during an autumn walk. It is these types of views, along with this blog, as well as the interest from my brother, that is making me contemplate becoming more versed in photography. I learn from wonderful photos online from some of the blogs I follow (e.g. www.genevadailyphoto.com by Kelly).

There is a fairly steep learning curve to be a good photographer, as I don’t know an f-stop from a bus stop now. I only own point-and-shoot cameras now. I must confess, many of the pictures that these cameras take are excellent. In my recent posts, the picture of Buddha in my living room, the Health-o-meter scale in my bathroom, the Ferris wheel in Chicago, and the mushrooms by the railroad track were all taken with the same $150 point and shoot Fuji ZZ33WP camera.

The limitations of the point-and-shoot camera are quite noticeable, however. Each of those pictures was taken in highest light. Each is a still photograph, no motion. None required telephoto capability. None required flash.  None necessitated cropping and expansion. 

As I research cameras--and have had a promise from my wife that, should I sell enough of my current stuff (kayaks, computer stuff, other odds and ends) on eBay, I can use this money toward a new camera--I have become increasingly interested in exploring the outmost limits of the hobby. Motion photos, photos at night, pictures with indirect flash, and extreme close-ups are all things to try.  I will keep my promise to my wife and sell enough things to afford the camera. I'm doing my Internet research on cameras, and my brother has given me sound and experienced great advice. Stay tuned in months ahead.