Ready to jump in head first!

[DirtySocks85]

Hello ladies and gents.

My name is Justin and I live in Wichita, KS. Other than some very casual point and shoot and smartphone photography I have almost no experience, but I've been intrigued by the idea of photography for quite some time, and have even "dabbled" in trying to make the most out of my iPhone cameras over the years. About 3 years ago I started to get the itch to buy a DSLR and get into photography as a serious hobby, but finances prevented it at the time.

Fortunately, finances have permitted me to finally delve in and explore this wonderful world, and I am so excited! I've done a ton of reading online for all sorts of "tips for beginners", and I ordered my first DSLR on Monday. I bought a Canon T3i w/ the 18-55mm kit lens as well as a couple of other zoom lenses (EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II and 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III Autofocus). Hopefully this gives me a bit of room to experiment before I have to throw more money at the hobby.

Anyway, just thought I'd stop by and introduce myself while I wait for my camera to ship. It should be here by next Tuesday and I am so excited!

 

[bunny99123]

Welcome! I know that excitement. Don't do what I learned the hard way, learn your camera! I jumped in and didn't take the time to learn as we'll as I should have. I bought a book just for my camera. The manual that comes with it doesn't cover half of what the camera can do. Also, learn and practice... Learn and practice... Very happy for you

 

[TheFantasticG]

By next Tuesday? Plenty time to get and read this: Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera (9780817439392): Bryan Peterson: Books

Welcome to the hobby. A few years ago (after waiting twenty and five years) I was finally able to afford getting into photography. It's a great feeling.

 

[DirtySocks85]

Thanks for the recommended reading. I'll be sure to look into it. Also, I'm pretty excited to "learn my camera" in person, but to get a head start I went ahead and downloaded the manual from Canon's website and read it cover to cover.

 

[IceCanAm]

Welcome to the site.

 

[Brandon Hill]

Woo Hoo, that's a great feeling. Go for it, and always look for the photography heroes that are on the top level of their craft, many including those not living any more. Then emulate and learn.

A Rebel is what i learned on when I started a few years back, AND I was in Kansas City then too. Congrats.

 

[Luke345678]

Welcome to the site.

 

[Luke345678]

Welcome to the site!

 

[johnford]

hello, I'v just bought my first DSLR and looking forward to learning lots.

 

[KmH]

:thumbup: Welcome to TPF Justin! :camera:

 

[DirtySocks85]

So nice to see all the warm welcomes. This is turning into one of the longest weeks of my life. I'm usually a gadget geek by nature, and I thought the week I had to wait for my iPhone 5 was tough, but I'm finding this so much more difficult to deal with. I'm fairly certain my wife might throw the nearest object at me the next time I talk about photography stuff that I can't wait to try.

 

[PhotoArtist]

Welcome to the forum!