Nikon 101

We have this beautiful camera, or as Tom says, "its not a camera, its a Nikon" and I have no idea how to use it, in fact I just put it in auto and point and shoot; so I took the opportunity to sit down and actually learn to use it while here on Lake Norman. I had the opportunity to sit down with Kevin at Photography by Kevin and get a one on one lesson on all the features and awesomeness that this bad boy is capable of, and wow, the things it can do!

Kevin was great, I had a three hour lesson on aperture, shutter speed, composition and proper use of the flash and I now feel set and confident to get out and play with all my new learned skills. I was also given a challenge for a photo a day for a year, so if you're on Instagram, you might get inundated as I take this challenge beginning on April 1st!

We took last weekend to take and really explore Charlotte, we had the opportunity to walk the streets, take in the scenery of the this vibrant and fun city, and of course break in my new found camera skills.

First lesson, Charlotte doesn't have a downtown, they refer to it as uptown, and it is a much bigger and bustling city than I gave it credit for; I was amazed at all the booming businesses, the number of tourists and then the charming homes in the fourth ward; and then there is NoDa, the artistic area of Charlotte. Just driving down the streets of NoDa made me feel like I stepped of the set of the latest hipster movie; bands playing on the corner, people walking their dogs up and down the streets and into galleries and all in true hipster fashion.


Ethel also got her first taste of hockey while we were here. The Charlotte Checkers had their annual Pooch Party along with Project H.A.L.O., a no kill animal shelter, and we were lucky enough to go this dog gone fun event and I'm pretty sure even Ethel enjoyed it!

Overall, North Carolina has been my most favorite stop along the way; I don't know if has to do with the fact that I am finally acclimating to the nomad status, the relief of the house finally selling, or if it really was just the location and the people. Either way, we are looking forward to exploring other aspects of what this gorgeous state has to offer.