The Way I View. . . New Beginnings

This year, I have joined up with eleven other photographers for a monthly challenge. Each month, we are given a theme (for January it was new beginnings). The challenge is to take a photograph that represents the way we view the theme.

I've actually been thinking about new beginnings a lot as we approach my daughter's first birthday (coming up this Sunday). Over the past year, I decided to put a lot of my goals as a photographer on hold while I spent time with my baby. I don't regret this decision, but I feel that it's time to pick up where I left off.

What does this mean exactly? Well, quite a few things. I'm hoping that 2012 will bring the official launch of Michelle Johnson Photography. This will involve a whole lot of paperwork, but the most visible thing is I'm working on a new look for my blog/website. Keep checking back to see what's new and exciting around here!

Of course, I'm also hoping to spend some time working on my skills as a photographer. After Christmas, I sold my trusty Rebel and upgraded to a 50D which gives me a little more flexibility, especially in low-light situations. I also purchased a speedlight (flash) and am currently working on learning to use it more effectively. Hopefully, between the two upgrades, I should be able to shoot in conditions where the lighting is less than ideal (which as we all know, happens quite a bit here in Western Washington).

I'm also working to push myself out of my comfort zone and shoot different types of subjects or shoot from different perspectives. That's part of the reason I'm participating in this challenge as well as attempting a personal Project 366 (take a picture every day for a year). Hopefully, these projects will result in more posts on this blog too.

So, that brings you up to speed on my photography goals for 2012. Hopefully, as time goes on, my blog will show that I'm making progress on them. The next photographer in the group is Danielle of Focused Heart Photography. Be sure to check out her post and follow the links until you've seen all twelve photographers (and it would be nice to leave each of them a comment). CLICK HERE to see Danielle's post.