I've taken all of my... well.. rather pathetic attempts at line art except one (the Silhouette one which I still am sorta "it's not horrible" about) down. Reason? I've kinda given up on drawing. I might doodle again if I'm really bored but its not going to be a skill I am going to try to enhance more. Why? Its simple, its clearly not something I had any natural talent for and I don't have the patience any more to develop it through repetition. Might this change someday? Who knows.

That being said I've been starting to get more serious about photography. It is something I've allways had a good "eye" for I've just never been able to afford it until now. I started last year with a purchase of a Film SLR; one of the last Film Canon Rebels that was ever made. A big reason I did do this is because I was planning on getting something that would last me awhile and that I could use part of the expense I paid for it (lenses, flashes, etc) towards a Digital camera by just buying a body.

Because film was more expensive I learned some things about photography with my entry-level film SLR and learned a very important mindset that a lot of digital photographers these days don't have. And that is that once you get past the entry level of SLR cameras with todays modern technology it's more of the photographer that makes a really good photo vs the equipment.

So many digital photographers take for granted the process of lining up a shot, and checking your exposure before taking a picture. Far too many simply set their cameras to full auto or P and set the shooting to burst mode, trusting that the camera will take one good picture out of five or six because hey I'm not devolping these and its FREE for me right?

Earlier this year I was given the chance to borrow a friend's Rebel XTi because he decided to buy an XTs instead (he's the impulsive type... as far as I can see theres no real big advantage over the XTi, especially if your shooting full manual most of the time like me.)

After using it for about a month I started to learn things about Photography and how SLR cameras work from the Digital that would have taken me longer to learn with my film simply because I did not have to devolp my pictures and could see the effects of my actions instantly.

The digital camera I wanted dropped a good $200-400 from the time I bought my film camera because of the hyped Rebel XTs. This met my goal of pretty much getting my film camera for free for the money I saved on it (and then some!). Being unemployed it meant a challenge of not being able to pay for one, atleast "up front".

So I financed a new Rebel XTi though the cheapest place I could find it for the price I wanted to pay for it which turned out to be, of all places, Dell.

My film EF lenses were 100% compatible, though as of right now I only have two, a 28-90 (film kit) and 28-200 (all purpose-outdoor lens). But this makes the transition a lot easier.

I'm still just starting out. Eventually when I get a job and get my camera body paid off I hope to get a better kit of lenses; a wide angle, a 300mm zoom, a macro lens and a fixed 50mm "fast" lens for indoor photography.

I've found that a faster shutter speed, and a steady hand or a monopod works just as well, if not better then a $700 IS lens with a photographer who relys on auto modes and expects the camera to do everything for him.

Also another aspect of most digital photographers is that "oh I don't CARE about how crappy a picture looks when I take it because I can allways fix it in apeture/photoshop/lightroom etc later!"

I have lightroom. I use it for MINOR fixes; these are things like adjusting the exposure, White Balance etc. But the more I learn about how to use my camera and take the picture right the FIRST time the less time I have to spend in Lightroom and this is my goal. Cut down the time done in post-processing by getting it done right the first time; this is another idea that has become a lost art to many digital photographers.

So in short, I'm switching gears and have found a better way to vent my artistic calling and that is photography. And doing it from the long-lost art of the mindset of a beginning film photographer vs a beginner digital photographer. I love my Digital SLR. I pay less per month on the "loan" for it then I did when I had to pay for film and development.

My thought for all those who want to take up digital photography: Treat a digital camera as you would a film camera. Treat it as if every shot is important and you have to pay for your mistakes. You do that; and your photos will improve a lot more then throwing more money to "upgrade" your camera ever could.