I'm a horrible photographer. I struggle with applying the concepts of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to produce creatively correct exposures. Composition is another big challenge for me. Yes, I know the Rule of Thirds and apply it – but my pictures don’t turn out looking spectacular. Maybe it’s because the point of view I pick for my photos do nothing to add “energy” to them.

As I look at other people’s photos here on Flickr, I am often mesmerized and wish I could produce the same results. This always leads me to the question: what’s a wannabe to do?

Sex! Sex! Sex! Did you immediately focus your attention to this part of my profile? This paragraph serves no purpose. Please read my profile in its entirety. When you get to this paragraph again, just skip it. :)

To remedy my lack of photography skills, I decided to take it up as a hobby. So, I purchase an entry level system to learn on. Here’s what I have so far:

- Canon Digital Rebel XT (Body Only - Black): $694.95

- SanDisk 2GB ULTRA II CF Card: $79.99

- Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II: $72.94

- Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 EX DC: $379.95

- B+W F-PRO MRC Coated UV FILTER 010M 52MM: $28.95

- B+W F-PRO MRC Coated UV FILTER 010M 67MM: $48.95

- Shipping: $34.51

- Understanding Exposure (Updated Edition): $24.95

- Look on my face after taking a photograph with my $1300+ system and realizing that I still take crappy pictures: Priceless

In desperation, I joined Flickr in hopes of learning a little more about photography. I plan to study other people’s photos and will try to get ideas from them. In many cases, I foresee myself attempting to duplicate other people’s work. Please do not take offense to this; I’m a left-brained individual and creativity is a challenge for me.

When I post my photos, I hope people will post “critical” reviews of them. This will help me grow as a photographer. Please tell me what I did right, what I did wrong, and what I could have done to improve the shot.

Thank you and I look forward to being a member of the Flickr community.

UPDATE (November 2008): Shortly after getting my system, I started a web design and development business. My business, coupled with some personal issues I had to go through, forced me to put my photography hobby on hold.

I've gotten a few more toys lately:

- Sekonic L-358

- 77mm Expodisc

- 300ws Strobe