Clever/nonsensical titles aside, I am very pleased to now be the owner of a Canon EOS Rebel T1i/500D digital SLR camera. That’s a mouthful. From here on out, I’m going to refer to it as my “camera.” Here’s the first decent shot of a Christmas light I think I’ve ever taken.

I’ve played a bit with my camera and love it so far—but there’s still lots to learn. And it scares me. I’m afraid I’m going to break something every time I touch it. So far I haven’t… but cross your fingers I don’t do something idiotic and/or non-reversible.
The manual that came with it is more confusing than helpful, so I decided to order a fancy guidebook called David Busch’s Guide to Digital SLR Photography
that is specifically for my Canon model. One of the reviews said that it should have come standard with the camera, so I’m hoping it will be more understandable than the Canon manual. At the very least, it’s more likely that I’ll learn something from it than from the internet searches I’ve been doing, which invariably lead me to click on links that lead me away from actually learning anything. I don’t think I have ADD, but come on. It’s the internet.
I’ve uploaded some of my first photos to my Flickr account, and I’ll keep adding to that as I go along. I’m most excited about the macro capabilities. Even though I just have the kit lens for now (and the foreseeable future), it’s already reminding me of the great photos I used to take with my mom’s old 80s-era film SLR Canon (may it rest in peace, or rest in someone else’s good care, because it was stolen in 2003).
I still have my little point and shoot digital camera and intend to use it as I have been—it will stay in my purse or backpack and be on hand most of the time. But I am stoked about the photographic possibilities that lie ahead with my 15.1 megapixel camera! It also shoots HD video, has autofocus, a pop-up flash, and it even cuts julienne fries!
Thanks to my Mom and Ben, who turned my materialistic birthday/Christmas wish into a reality. I hope to create many non-material treasures with it in the future. Or, you know, a zillion more photos of my cats.