Product reviews, parenting articles, and advice for first-time moms from the experiences of real-life mommies.

My husband just bought a new camera.

My husband just bought a DSLR camera.

My husband just bought a Nikon D80.

And I was afraid of it.

Seriously, I’m used to the cute little Nikon CoolPix point-and-shoot that we’ve had forever where you quite literally “point” it at your subject and then “shoot” the pic.  I learned much about photography on that little camera.  Things like “make sure that the heads of all the people in the picture aren’t cut off” and “the flash only lights up a few feet in front of you, not the entire concert stadium”.  And once I mastered those incredibly difficult photographic techniques, I started working on framing my photos using 3rds, and not always using the flash, and looking to see what’s in the background of what I’m shooting (ie. is that pile of dirty dishes the back drop of the otherwise incredibly cute pic of the kiddos?).

I just got to a point where I felt comfortable.  Like I kinda knew what I was doing.  Like I could take a half-way decent picture of my own children.

And then he bought the monster camera.

And everything I was proud of myself for learning was now child’s play.

I was suddenly immersed in a world of F-stops and aperture priority and focal length and ISO.  It was to be expected that I was scared.  Intimidated.  Overwhelmed.  Sad that I wouldn’t be able to take pictures anymore because there was no way I would ever learn how to use this thing.

Somehow (I blame it on almost 14 years of marriage), my dear husband picked up on my hesitancy to even try using the camera.  So, he sat down with me, showed me how to put it on “auto” everything and then MADE me shoot with it until I was more comfortable with it.

Now, I’m learning how to change the focal point.  And use the “aperture priority” setting.   I’m still fuzzy on F-stops and ISO and the difference between lenses, but at least it doesn’t scare me to pick up the camera anymore.  So, when our friend handed me his D3, the much bigger brother to our D80 (see above picture), I actually kinda knew what I was doing.  In fact, he may have created a monster by teaching me so much.  Now, my friends know that if I’m showing up at an event, I’ll probably be the one toting around the camera bag and shouting at the kids to “say cheese” for the umpteenth time.

And I’m actually okay with that.