Joel, Is photography something for which you are officially trained/educated or is it a passion for which you uncovered your own gift within? Your pics are amazing!
Hi Stephanie, Thanks so much for writing and the great complement! I have been fooling around with still photography for years, but I’ve never taken any formal training. I did learn about shooting video and TV stuff in college, and I do video photography everyday which helps with my framing, but I keep my still stuff as a shear passion and joy for when I’m away from the stresses of work. -Joel
How much does a camera make a difference in pictures? I want to experiment and see what I can do. I have one basic digital camera and one auto focus 35 mm camera. I feel like a goof, but my work is psych nursing. I work in a high school for kids with mental health issues and a school with kids with autism/Aspergers. I am also raising two daughters (teenagers) and a 9 year old son with autism on my own. This is the part where I feel like a goof …. as much as my mind loves understanding people, things analytical, I do need a creative outlet that can fit into my life. I am recently developing my knitting skills. Photography has been an interest toward which I have made no real movement yet. I live in MA and love the New England scenery and my kids. With input from a work colleague, I finally bought my own decent laptop and would like to design a blog. Aspirations …..
Hi Stephanie, there’s never any reason to feel like a goof, sounds like you are doing a great job dealing with all the responsibilities that life is presenting, and working with and raising a child with autism is highly courageous and commendable! Shooting photos has always been a great distraction for me, and it’s an outlet for my inner artist (I can’t draw to save my life). The beauty with photography, like most art, is that there isn’t really any wrong photo, and you can go from really simple and basic, to as complicated and ambitious as you want. The camera will make a difference in many ways, but the pure act of framing and capturing an image that you like can be done on any camera. My suggestion would be to just play around with the camera you have, take tons of pictures and learn from them, as you do it more and more you will figure things out. If you find later that you want to get more serious, research stuff on the internet, read articles on basic photography, and just go out and experiment, with time comes knowledge and increased skill levels, but the only ultimate thing that matters is that you’re enjoying the whole experience of capturing a frame that makes you happy … keep aspiring, it’s what keeps a person going, I still do!
-Joel
December 27, 2010 at 2:28 am
Stephanie Randazzo
Thank you very much for the encouragement and inspiring words! They are stored within,
I began a tiny bit of looking on the internet and found my way to a book ….Digital SLR Cameras and Photography for Dummies …..I am a book person. Now I will have a genre other than psych books collecting in the house! And, I have a photography teacher at the one school in which I work to help me understand. Such a camera may be my gift to myself next Christmas! The knitting I have to be taught by role modeling – those resource people are at work too. I am going to claim some time to go out in the snow today. Thanks, Joel!
I was directed to your site from Juniper Moon Farms. You have so many beautiful pictures but this one I just love. Can almost hear the water rushing by. Love the Cardinal in the tree too. So many lovely photos.
You have a great eye.
Commenting from susan’s blog. I love the movement in this photo. It is so hard to choose a favorite so I did eeny meany miny moe to choose between my favorite three!
I love your photos, they are really breathtaking – you make me want to go and take tons of pictures.
I’m from Susie’s site it was impossibel to pick a favorite – I love this Skeleton Trees. Killer Moon and the Peering Squirrel the best….. I think.
Pops & Mojo Photos 
Joel, Is photography something for which you are officially trained/educated or is it a passion for which you uncovered your own gift within? Your pics are amazing!
December 24, 2010 at 11:01 pm
Hi Stephanie, Thanks so much for writing and the great complement! I have been fooling around with still photography for years, but I’ve never taken any formal training. I did learn about shooting video and TV stuff in college, and I do video photography everyday which helps with my framing, but I keep my still stuff as a shear passion and joy for when I’m away from the stresses of work. -Joel
December 25, 2010 at 10:18 pm
How much does a camera make a difference in pictures? I want to experiment and see what I can do. I have one basic digital camera and one auto focus 35 mm camera. I feel like a goof, but my work is psych nursing. I work in a high school for kids with mental health issues and a school with kids with autism/Aspergers. I am also raising two daughters (teenagers) and a 9 year old son with autism on my own. This is the part where I feel like a goof …. as much as my mind loves understanding people, things analytical, I do need a creative outlet that can fit into my life. I am recently developing my knitting skills. Photography has been an interest toward which I have made no real movement yet. I live in MA and love the New England scenery and my kids. With input from a work colleague, I finally bought my own decent laptop and would like to design a blog. Aspirations …..
December 26, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Hi Stephanie, there’s never any reason to feel like a goof, sounds like you are doing a great job dealing with all the responsibilities that life is presenting, and working with and raising a child with autism is highly courageous and commendable! Shooting photos has always been a great distraction for me, and it’s an outlet for my inner artist (I can’t draw to save my life). The beauty with photography, like most art, is that there isn’t really any wrong photo, and you can go from really simple and basic, to as complicated and ambitious as you want. The camera will make a difference in many ways, but the pure act of framing and capturing an image that you like can be done on any camera. My suggestion would be to just play around with the camera you have, take tons of pictures and learn from them, as you do it more and more you will figure things out. If you find later that you want to get more serious, research stuff on the internet, read articles on basic photography, and just go out and experiment, with time comes knowledge and increased skill levels, but the only ultimate thing that matters is that you’re enjoying the whole experience of capturing a frame that makes you happy … keep aspiring, it’s what keeps a person going, I still do!
-Joel
December 27, 2010 at 2:28 am
Thank you very much for the encouragement and inspiring words! They are stored within,
December 27, 2010 at 12:44 pm
I began a tiny bit of looking on the internet and found my way to a book ….Digital SLR Cameras and Photography for Dummies …..I am a book person. Now I will have a genre other than psych books collecting in the house! And, I have a photography teacher at the one school in which I work to help me understand. Such a camera may be my gift to myself next Christmas! The knitting I have to be taught by role modeling – those resource people are at work too. I am going to claim some time to go out in the snow today. Thanks, Joel!
December 27, 2010 at 3:17 pm
This is perfect zen. It’s tranquility balanced by fierce turbulence
December 27, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Thanks Bon!!!!!
December 28, 2010 at 12:45 am
I was directed to your site from Juniper Moon Farms. You have so many beautiful pictures but this one I just love. Can almost hear the water rushing by. Love the Cardinal in the tree too. So many lovely photos.
You have a great eye.
January 5, 2011 at 4:04 am
Love the movement….
January 5, 2011 at 5:04 am
Commenting from susan’s blog. I love the movement in this photo. It is so hard to choose a favorite so I did eeny meany miny moe to choose between my favorite three!
January 5, 2011 at 2:21 pm
This piece is breathtaking. Love the movement and can almost hear the water rushing by…
January 5, 2011 at 2:39 pm
I love your photos, they are really breathtaking – you make me want to go and take tons of pictures.
I’m from Susie’s site it was impossibel to pick a favorite – I love this Skeleton Trees. Killer Moon and the Peering Squirrel the best….. I think.
January 8, 2011 at 12:06 am
This is just beautiful. I, too, love the sense of movement and I find it very calming.
March 4, 2011 at 4:00 pm