The World's Worst Photographer

That would be me. The world's worst photographer. I am not ashamed to admit that my photographic skills are non-existent, although I am always trying to improve. I fostered the hope for many years that the cause of my miserable photographs was the fact that I took all of my photos with instant cameras--the kind you use once and then throw away (however, in my case, it was the resultant photos that should have been thrown away).

My photographs are invariably out of focus, under- or over-exposed, bland, and lacking in artistic composition (according to my very artistic daughter). What to do?

I hoped that my recent purchase of a Sony Cyber-shot digital camera would be the solution to my problems. I must say that this little camera is a woman's dream (mine is pink!). It does everything but the dishes.

My Cyber-shot makes aiming and shooting much easier than with the old, standby instant camera. Even though my hands always tremble and shake whenever I shoot photographs, my Cyber-shot has some sort of mechanism that keeps the camera steady and virtually all of my photos are no longer blurry. It also has an easy to use zoom feature that allows me to take close ups that I couldn't begin to take with an instant camera. (Here is a photograph of a neighborhood squirrel that I zoomed in on from quite far away.)

Probably the best thing about my Cyber-shot is the wide screen. No longer do I have to squeeze my eyeball around that minuscule little window to attempt to "see" the picture in the viewfinder. The screen is as large as the camera itself and I can hold it out from my eyeball and still easily see what my camera sees. The screen also serves as my TV to show my collection of already-taken shots. I can display them individually or as a slide show (with music if I like!). I can even take short videos!

To further display, print, or send my photographs, I just hook my Cyber-shot up to my computer. It comes with user-friendly software that instantly connects me to a photograph display and repair program. Here, I can make changes in my photographs before I store them or send them to friends or post them on my blog.

I know I am not nearly as good a photographer as many of the bloggers I read, but I am determined to improve, and with my new Cyber-shot, I have the perfect tool to help me do so.