I am a 64 year old widower from the Twin Cities anticipating retirement. I recently returned to photography after a long absence. I took a lot of pictures back before the digital era using a Nikon SLR and lots of Kodachrome 64. Last year I bought a Nikon Cool Pix to record some urgently needed ma Read more...

I am a 64 year old widower from the Twin Cities anticipating retirement. I recently returned to photography after a long absence. I took a lot of pictures back before the digital era using a Nikon SLR and lots of Kodachrome 64. Last year I bought a Nikon Cool Pix to record some urgently needed maintenance work that needed to be done on the home that I rent. After taking a dozen or so pictures the Cool Pix lay unused for a few months. Then in mid-October, 2012 I read about someone doing a 365 project, and I decided why not? I've missed two days since my start on October 13 - one because the batteries gave up the ghost, and I didn't realize why my camera no longer worked. On the second missed day, I just forgot.
Since starting with digital, I've been thrilled with being able to take as many pictures as I want without having to worry about the cost of film and printing. I'm equally thrilled with the instant feedback. No more having to wait for the lab to finish developing my rolls of film. I've also been surprised by the quality of the pictures I've been able to get with my inexpensive point-&-shoot. There are however some major frustrations with using the point-&-shoot. One is the lack of control over shutter speed and aperture. Also, the camera only has a screen for framing the picture. On sunny days, I often can't see the screen and end up guessing how I'm framing the picture. I also have trouble keeping the camera steady without being able to brace it against my forehead. The Cool Pix is a voracious eater of batteries. I've been buying a 12-pack of AAs each week.
And then there's the free or very cheap software for editing pictures. Amazing! I've come to feel as if I'm cheating when I modify a photo so much. I'm passing every picture I shoot through Snapseed.
Well, enough rambling. I have jumped directly from film to digital and can't help but be enthused.