First day of school

For my birthday, Nick enrolled me in a weekly photography class for beginners.  Wednesday was my first class, so I headed down to Cord Camera after work, camera bag in hand. 

Speaking of camera bags, I just happened to receive the camera bag of my dreams, the day before the class started, after an exhaustive search.  The objective was to find a camera bag that didn't look like a camera bag, but that functioned like a camera bag.  Tall order, right?  I scoured the internet and Etsy, but had no luck.  By a fluke, I found an Etsy store that seemed to carry these types of bags at one time or another, but that didn't' have any in stock at the time.  I read the shop description, which sent me to a blog, which informed me that I'd have to sign up to be informed when a wait list opened.  Since I had no other options, I signed up and waited to hear when the gates would open and I could order.  The email finally came over 4th of July weekend.  I saw the summer bag selection and immediately signed up for the wait list.  Then I waited, and waited and waited.  Apparently, I'm not the only one who's been on such a mission.  I checked my email, I checked the Ketti Handbags Facebook page, I checked my email again.  Finally, on Friday, September 3, the email came through.  I had successfully been patient for about two months.  I paid the Paypal invoice immediately and the waited for the bag.  When I got home on Tuesday and saw the box on the front porch, I knew that it had finally come.  I was worried that I'd be disappointed, but hopeful that it was THE ONE.  It was...THE ONE.  The bag is awesome, fits perfectly and looks like a purse.  The top opens nice and wide, with two compartments inside for the camera and lenses.  I was so excited that I sent a picture to my sister, who approved.  Bonus?!

Back to photography class.  I wasn't too sure what to expect.  I walked in and saw a room full of mostly middle-aged women, with awesome cameras.  The instructor was a little older, but seemed to know what he was talking about.  The experience levels vary from enthusiast all the way to "I don't know how to get the pictures put on my computer" to "what brand of camera do I have?"  The instructor was obviously passionate about photography as he showed some of his work to the class and began his explanation.  Unfortunately, he started to launch into photographer-speak, and lost the class in his jargon.  I think that a portion of this class will end up to be self-taught, which is ok, since it will at least give me a starting point and a frame of reference.  After the background information, it looks like white balance will be first on the agenda.  We didn't get to the in class assignment, but I think I'll be able to figure it out using my instruction manual and the internet.  Stay tuned for class #2.