Have you ever thought about wanting to do a certain hobby, but were too intimidated to start it? I have seen many different creative crafts and skills that I think would be fun to learn how to do, but fear of not being able to do it holds me back. I have completed some community education classes on different sewing techniques, but these were to enhance skills that I already had. It took my friend to help me face the challenge of learning something new.
 
My friend and I were looking through the community education classes that were being offered for the winter. There was a class for black and white photography. This is something that I have been interested in for several years. I loved looking at the photographs that professionals take in color, but I am always drawn to the black and white photography the most. I am not very skilled at taking photographs, so I have never attempted to experiment with black and white film. The class for black and white photography stated that you would learn about focusing, lighting and film speed. There would be indoor and outdoor photos to take. You could bring your own camera or use one from the photography class. My friend was very interested in taking the class also, so we decided to take it together.
 
I live in a house on a lake. There have been many times when I have wished that I had the skills to take pictures of ducks or loons on the water, or to capture the waves when the wind is blowing. When we started the class we each had to write what we were most interested in accomplishing. I included taking pictures of nature and especially the lake. This class was wonderful. Not only did I learn about shadows and distances, but also about timing. I was really glad that I had the chance to use the cameras from the photography class. There were several different kinds so I could experiment with them to find what I was comfortable with. My instructor told me that I have an eye for what makes a good picture. On one of our field trips I captured a great picture of a pelican on the water. It was a cloudy day so the lighting on the water using the black and white film was perfect. The bright white of the pelican against the gray water and sky was fantastic. I had an enlargement done of the photo and have it hanging in our living room. I am so glad that I took the risk to learn black and white photography.