My first New Year's Resolution, lol:)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

As I awoke this morning, took a deep breath, and considered this year ahead...one of my thoughts was "hmmmm...it's time for those New Year's Resolutions again"...now I know many of us has looked at New Year's Resolutions with various emotions over the years...

I've decided to take "some" of the pressure off this year, but just cannot pass up the opportunity to VOW to do SOMETHING better this year...well, unfortunately, my New Year's Eve came with some realizations...I really need to continue to study my Frugal Fotography, lol...

Every year since I've moved to Southern California, our tradition is to put our feet in the Pacific Ocean right after midnight...which we did last night...and this is all I got...

Pretty crappy, huh?  Well apparently this Frugal Fotographer needs to learn a few things about taking night time pics:

1.  When using your "good" camera, if you take the lens cap off, you'll be able to see those awesome friends you want to fotograph.
2.  Before giving up, thinking it's just too DARK to take a pic with your "good" camera, check to see if the lens cap has been removed first (if you can see your friends through your point and shoot camera, SURELY you can see them through the viewfinder of your "good" camera, right?)
2.  Your back-up plan, your "old" point and shoot camera is just NOT meant to be used to take pics...at the beach...at night...when there isn't even a moon to illuminate the area.
3.  Now that your in your 50's (and so are your friends), you don't have an hour to figure out you just needed to remove the lens cap from your "good" camera...it's cold, you're cranky from staying up so late, and no one is in the mood to pose for frugal fotos at this hr, lol.
3.  Practice taking nighttime pics BEFORE the "big" event, so you're prepared with how to take the BEST pics in low light.
4.  Practice using Photoshop so that you can "fix" those "not so great" pics and be able to salvage them.

The moral of this story?

REMOVE THE LENS CAP FROM YOUR CAMERA

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR

AT SOME POINT, I'LL LAUGH ABOUT THIS (WELL, I'M DOING THAT ALREADY, LOL)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!