My Camera

Since I used my camera a lot this weekend (to capture snow-laden trees, the excitement of our One Body One Hope Liberian Luau, and to document my growing kids) it seems very appropriate that I'm answering Nikolyn's question today. Her blog, Answer to my Prayers, is a peek into the life of "an average, everyday woman who loves the Lord." She's a public health nurse, an intercessor, a wife and mother of four. Her youngest is a newly adopted babe with the sweetest, most kissable cheeks I've ever seen! Except for my own kids' cheeks, of course. ;)

Nikolyn's question is: What kind of camera do you use? I'm flattered to say that Nikolyn likes my photographs, and I'm happy to share the story of how I became an amateur photographer...

The short answer to the question is: A Sony DCS-H2 with a Zeiss lens. Sounds fancy, but it's not an off-the-charts camera. I love it for some things, loathe it for others. The truth of the matter is, we bought our fancy, digital camera a couple of days before we hopped on a flight to Ethiopia. We had everything packed and ready to go--clothes, passports, copies of our dossier, homestudy, important government papers, medicine (for us and our new baby), everything--except for a decent camera. I had a bit of a conniption because we were on our way to Africa for heaven's sake, and our camera was a gift I had received in college. Thankfully, Aaron had a little emergency fund stashed away and we decided to blow it on a good camera. The Sony was an impulse purchase.

But I've never regretted it! The photos from our time in Ethiopia are exquisite, and as I learned to manipulate the many settings (including aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) I started to have lots of fun. I have to confess that probably 80-90% of my pictures are just so-so. But every once in a while serendipity strikes and I end up with a gorgeous picture. And so does Aaron! His photos of last year's Liberia trip are absolutely stunning. National Geographic worthy. Ah, that's the beauty of a digital camera. :)

It seems appropriate to leave you today with (what else?) photos! I hope you enjoy them. And I hope you take the time to answer a quick question: Do you have a hobby that snuck up on you later in life? If so, what is it? How did you get interested in it?

Here are a couple of my favorite Ethiopia photos. Actually, all the shots of my new little son are my favorite, but these are quite nice, too! I think people imagine that Ethiopia is this desolate, barren place, but we found it to be strikingly beautiful. At least, in the mountains in and around Addis Ababa.

And here are a couple from our spectacular trip to Spain. The top one was taken at the castle in Malaga, a city at the southern tip of Andalusia. The door was photographed in the Moorish palace at the Alhambra. Words cannot begin to describe that amazing place.

Last but not least, a few portraits that Aaron took in Liberia. You should really see his entire collection--it's absolutely breathtaking.