Speaking through photographs.

i always take the time to look at your new pictures b/c they're always fascinating. i was wondering, how much has that camera impacted your life? from what i can see, it defines a large part if you. i know we're not close or even talk lol but you pictures say so much about you that i cant imagine you with out you photography

I got this message today on facebook from a girl I used to be friends with in middle school, before I had a d-SLR or any camera, for that matter.

So I sat down, and really thought hard about how much my camera has impacted my life. And because pretty floored the more I thought.

Photography has been with me for about seven or eight years now. For my eleventh birthday, I got my first digital camera from my parents (Kodak Easyshare) and began to photograph everything is sight. Somewhere on this computer, I still have all the random shots that never amounted to anything. Then, for my fifteenth birthday, my parents took me to pick out a better camera, and I got a Nikon Coolpix point & shoot. Though, at this point, I had already begun looking at bigger, better cameras. But I was told if I wanted a d-SLR, I would have to buy it myself, with my own money.

So, for about two years, I started experimenting more with my little point & shoot. Learning ISO and timers and micro photography. But even using the custom settings, it wasn't enough for me, it was all too controlled.

The Christmas of 2006 was when I bought my Canon Rebel XTi. And it was probably the most expensive piece of confusion I had ever bought. But it didn't take long before I started to understand everything. I felt so free.







Then, in the summer of 2008, my Canon Rebel XTi stopped working. And I felt absolutely heart broken. Luckily, it was replaced shortly after with my Canon Rebel XSi.

Sometimes, when I'm bored or thoughtful, I'll go through folder after folder after folder of my photos in order, starting back in 2005, up to now. It's so interesting to watch myself grow in each photograph I pass. I'm so glad I keep everything, and I never delete anything. So its like I have my life, documented.

My camera has impacted my life greatly. And everyday, I appreciate it more than the last. Especially now, with everything I've gone through these past few months. I've created some beautiful art that is so meaningful to me. Photography is my only means of self expression, really. No matter how much I write, or speak, my photographs always say a thousand more things. I live through my viewfinder constantly, and that is truly art.

And I want to touch the world with my images.