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I have always felt drawn to photography.  I love the way images captured by famed photojournalists, like Alfred Eisenstaedt and Dorthea Lange, can stir up elation or despair as you imagine yourself on the scene at that moment in history.  

Growing up, my parents had a subscription to National Geographic.  While I didn’t have the patience to read much more than the captions, I would thumb through each issue just to take in the amazing photography.  I can still close my eyes and easily picture the Afghan girl’s intense eyes looking back at my from the living room table even though it’s approaching 30 years later. 

A few years ago, a media tour with work took me to a meeting with the Associated Press.  As soon as I completed the interview, my host allowed me to walk around the conference room and slowly take in each framed, Pulitzer Prize winning photograph and caption.  It was truly an amazing experience. 

So far in 2012, I have managed to keep my New Year’s Resolution to take a photo a day in 2012, and it has exposed me to some amazing photographers.  Whether seeing their daily posts at the 365 Project site, clicking through their weekly submissions at LensProtoGo’s 52 Week Project, or browsing the photography postings at Pinterest, I am often left speechless by the talent I’ve seen in the first 23 days of this year.  While my 2012 photographic journey is predominantly yet to unfold, I have come to one realization:  I have a real passion for street photography, travel shots, and the great outdoors.  Don’t get me wrong, I am in complete awe of the photographers who capture the amazing life moments held in weddings, maternity shots, newborns, toddlers, and senior portraits.  But what really takes my breath away are the shots that range from an old, dilapidated barn to the steel beauty of the Eiffel Tower, the simple beauty of a clear stream running over smooth pebbles to an ancient Incan ruin in Peru.  While I’ve still got so much to learn — about composition and lighting and camera settings and more — I do know that I want to focus on these types of shots, and I welcome any advice any of you have to help me continue to develop my skills.

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