Confessions of a Shutterbug

It's amazing how addictive taking photos can be. A couple of months ago I bought a Canon Rebel XT SLR camera, and haven't been able to put it down since. There's just something surreal about capturing that moment in time, and being able to share it with others, or just to have it for myself to look at later and remember. Something about capturing a moment the way you see it, the feelings/emotions you get from it and being able to share that. Everyone looks at a photo and comes away with something different, but there's still a unity that comes from viewing that same photo. Now whenever I see something my mind automatically processes how I'd shoot it if I had my camera. I see a plant growing in the crack of the sidewalk and think "Urban Nature!" or a speed limit sign and exclaim "There's High Contrast!" It's a liberating view of the world. To look at an object as more than it appears, to try to unravel it's story and reveal it to the world. I absolutely hate when I get a photo idea in my head and can't make the camera take the same shot. In my first week of Intro to Photography I've learned more than I ever thought I'd need to know (and there's still two weeks left!). I hate to go anywhere without my camera in hand, because I just know that I'll see something I want to take a picture of. I don't mind trespassing or balancing precariously on a ledge to get the shot. Anything it takes to get that perfect shot, that's what I'll do. Ah, the incurable burden of being a shutterbug...