My new digital SLR Nikon D40X is here! And what fun we’ve been having. I have taken so many photos in the past few days, I haven’t even had the time yet to look at them all. I came home Wednesday from work to a HUGE box. And of course, as I started taking all the cool things out, someone else slipped right in.

I’m not sure what has been more fun for Sophia–playing in that huge box full of packing peanuts or getting to play outside so much lately in the awesome light so Chris and I can follow her around clicking away. She sure is getting good at striking a pose for us, which is definitely a learned skill that many adults have forgotten. So I’m very thankful that my toddler immensely enjoys the camera pointed at her!

And what I’m enjoying immensely is the way this camera helps me take great pictures. I had reached my limit with my point-and-shoot and was quickly tiring of the fact that every photo I took had to be edited and adjusted in Gimp or Photoshop after the fact. That can get exhausting. But man, with the dSLR, I literally took it out of the box, added a battery and storage card, and shot the photos of my daughter above. Granted the camera was set to automatic with the flash on, but there was no post-processing done. I just clicked and got better photos than I have ever gotten with my Canon PowerShot SD110.

This opens up a whole new world of photography for me, and I’m very excited. I am now taking some time to learn how to use all the great manual settings. But don’t be discouraged if you don’t have a dSLR and are shooting away with a point-and-shoot. You can still take great photos. You don’t need fancy equipment. You just have to keep shooting!

I expect I will keep my portable little camera with me in my purse to have on hand for all those unexpected moments of life that I want to remember. Don’t worry, little guy. I haven’t completely forgotten you. Now excuse me while I go cuddle with my Nikon a little longer.