Behind The Lens: Carol Elliott

I have loved getting to know Carol Elliott through her photos. She has great variety and angles in all of her work! I first met her through DesignerDigitals and really connected with her through the DD Flickr group.

I hope you enjoy her photos as much as I do!

What sparked your interest in photography?

I have taken pictures ever since I can remember.  My uncle gave me my first camera when I was in early grade school.  The camera used 126 film and was literally Mickey Mouse's head.  To take a picture you pulled his ear down, there were a lot of blurry pictures!  I then had several 110 cameras that got me through college and when our oldest was born I moved up to a 35 mm point and shoot.  As my children grew I started taking even more photos, but it wasn't until I got my first digital camera in 2003 that I really started thinking about what I was doing.  My first dSLR followed a few years later.

I had a lot of fun with the metering techniques as well as bokeh in "Give it Your Best Shot no. 1 capturing light".  I think I need to keep my Christmas tree up year round just to practice!  Maybe I'll just hang lights on a plant! 

What camera do you use?

I shoot with a Canon 40d.  I love it.  I upgraded from the Rebel Xt to it.  My daughter now uses the Rebel.   She is taking photography in high school, but is learning her basics from me (thanks to you).  She sees things differently than I do and it is very refreshing!

What is your favorite lens?

My favorite lens is the 24-70 mm f/2.8 (I got it for Christmas).  But prior to that it was my 50 mm f/1.8.  My boys play soccer and my daughter swims, so for sports my go to lens is the 70-200 f/2.8. 

 My daughter read as I had fun with depth of field.  I love this shot and as a bonus so does she!

What makes you happiest about your photography?

I love capturing my family, our home, our life, and anything else that catches my eye.  I get great pleasure from looking through the photographs I've taken ... both old and new, good and bad!

What have you learned that helped your photography most?

Learning how to use my camera has obviously made a huge difference in my photography.  I've also taken to heart what you have said about taking pictures every day.  I think the two work hand in hand.

What did you enjoy most about Your Life: Captured Through The Lens?

I had been struggling on my own to understand all the buttons/knobs and how to set the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed so my photos would look like I pictured them in my head.  It was slow going.  I was shooting some in aperture priority, but didn't know what I was doing.  "Your Life:  Captured Through the Lens" was just what I needed.  It was easy to understand and just plain fun.  I don't know how many a-ha moments I had during that class.  Every week I'd be telling my family "guess what I learned today, let me show you what I can do now  ...". 

 I was taking photos for the tricky lighting assignment in "Your Life:  Captured Through the Lens".  This shot worked, but  ahhh ... metering!  I found the additional help I needed in "Get Me Off of Auto".

How has your photography changed since reading Get Me Off of Auto? 

I was beginning to get the basics down after taking "Your Life:  Captured Through the Lens".  I wanted to start shooting in manual mode, but was so slow that even inanimate objects moved before I was ready to take the picture.  "Get Me Off of Auto" was the answer.  It is a wonderful resource for the things I was beginning to feel comfortable with and has helped me immensely as I'm trying to shoot in manual mode.  I especially struggle with metering and have found just what I needed to know, as well as so much more in this ebook.  

 This photo is proof that I am beginning to see my world differently!  Everywhere I go I see things I want to photograph ... bits, pieces, pictures, life.

What are your photography goals for 2010?

I have two main goals for 2010. The first is to become comfortable taking portraits, specifically in manual mode.  I want to take my daughters high school graduation photos this next summer.   My family tells me I am ready, but I know I'm not.  A few of her close friends have asked me to take theirs as well, doubly not ready!  Secondly, I want to learn to use my off camera flash.  I rarely take photographs at night or in poorly lit locations as I don't know what I'm doing!  In a way, these two items are related as I'd like some indoor shots of Natalie!  I'm continuing my photo-a-day project in 2010.  I started posting a PAD to flickr in March of 2008 and it has just become part of my daily routine. 

You can see more of Carol's great photos in her flickr gallery and her scrapbook gallery at DesignerDigitals.   

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To help Carol with her 2010 goals, I'm providing her with a copy of my next tutorial, "Let There Be Light." It will be available at DesignerDigitals soon.