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<\/a><\/p>\nApparently, if you are trying to do macro photography you should have an actual<\/em> macro lens. The one’s that come with the camera kit are not apparently lenses, but filters you attach to the standard lens. Who knew? However, after a year of the real photographers I know sneering at them, I have removed the filters and am now in possession of an actual macro lens. I had ordered two, but accidentally ordered the incorrect one for the second and had to send it back. I am now impatiently awaiting the replacement.<\/p>\n In the mean time, I can now share my good photos from the past year. Since February tends to be a pretty brutal and dreary month, it doesn’t hurt to have bright flowers and sunshine show up in one’s email at intervals.<\/p>\n 2016’s attempt at photography was to just hold my camera and click and get over being afraid of it. I have broken an unusually large number of cameras over my lifetime. In my head, I tramped around outdoors, getting lots of exercise and taking photos of flowers I could use in my paintings over the winter. In actuality I spent most of the time holding my breath, frozen in one place, and giving myself headaches by trying to will bugs to hold still or move where I wanted them with Jedi mind tricks. Everything was on automatic, and very few photos were very good, which is to be expected.<\/p>\n This year I hope to use my actual lenses, and some of the few things I have learned over the past year, and see if I can’t improve. My camera and I are definitely taking the slow and cautious route to getting to know each other. I figure if I keep this pace up I shall be able to call myself an actual photographer in about a decade or so. Maybe two. You can all say you knew me when. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n 2017 was my second year of photography and my goal was to take photos of bugs or flowers deliberately, instead of thinking I am doing the one and actually doing the other, and not getting decent photos of either. I also graduated to manual settings, although I admit I still don’t know what several of the buttons are for (that is part of this year’s goal). So today I will share some of my deliberate attempts to learn specific things…they are decent photos, but not my favorites. As February progresses, I will share more of the one’s I actually love–and you can see if you agree with me on how good they are.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Also, completely unrelated, I am running for the Fargo Park Board again. This is my favorite photo from two years ago.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>