Hey hey from a Cool Chica in Kansas

[SunnyCait]

It is possible to be cool and from Kansas, I swear... LOL.

My name is Cait and I've been a lurker on here for awhile, and then just... well I had to join after a few months of this, right? Haha! I got sucked in. Seriously, the amount of things I've learned from just gleaming over the forum randomly is more than I've absorbed in the past like 19 years of my life from various other sources. I already love it here.

I'm 19 and currently live in Ft. Riley, Kansas. I'm not really "from" there, as I'm an Army brat and we've moved more times than years I've been alive. I enjoy cooking, knitting (weird hobby, I know), and lots of other random things. Mostly anything random. Oh and I'm a huge movie buff. I love me some Katherine Heigl. *mmm* I work and I go to school (medical transcriptioning and an Associates in Allied Health). It's all kinds of fun.

I use a Canon Rebel XTi, and I'm getting used to it as time goes on. I'm used to shooting with my 35mm version of the earlier Rebel, but it retired as soon as I got the DSLR this past December... We're goin' digital, baby. I also have various other and mostly me-rigged pieces of equipment not really worth mentioning.

Right now I mostly photograph nature type stuff, my pets (some double digit number of rats that changes every so often, three mice, and my main lady Karly, my Golden retriever/border collie cross) and I can be found shooting candids of my cousins and various family and friends. Recently I've gotten into portraits, and it's an interesting forray, and actually the reason I sought out a photography forum. So much to learn!

Tomorrow I'm doing my first semi organized shoot... I'm excited and nervous and it's a lot to deal with, haha! But my model is also a friend, so we have a pretty open communication line that I hope we can maintain during our fierce attempt at being prof. camerawoman and model. Not too high hopes because we're both newbs, but I know I'll at least come away with photos she won't mind getting copies of and showing off. She's easy to please.

Anyway... Enough about me! I'm just happy to be here.

[tbnj]

Welcome, Cait. You should post some of what you get from your shoot. Good luck with it.

[SunnyCait]

I'd love to, but I'm so afraid! LOL! If there are some I like I'll certainly share; I'd love some pointers, for sure.

And thanks!

[tbnj]

There are some good tutorials on this site that will help you out. Check out Benji's Rules of Portraiture tutorial (that may not be the exact title, but it's close). That'll give you a great start.

[SunnyCait]

Oh, I've been reading this place like crazy... Actually Benji's rules were what lead me here! Well, Googling did, but it's the first tutorial I read on here and it got me sticking around. There's so much great information here, I just hope I am retaining it as well as I think I am. We shall see!

[tbnj]

Well, good luck then. I'm sure you'll do fine. Can't improve without practice, after all.

[L. Robinson]

Welcome to the Camel SunnyCait. I look forward to seeing your Photos.