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And, no, I didn't read the manual or watch any videos yet. These were taken at Big Bear Lake, a two hour drive from LA, where I was living at that time. No cropping. No color correction. I cringe now.
One of my favorite landscape photographers is Thomas Heaton. He runs a helpful YouTube Channel. Check him out for tips and tutorials.
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One of my first day trips from Los Angeles was Solvang, about a two hour drive. It's a Danish themed village with amazing pastries. (My great grandparents were born in Denmark, which I've been to now. Those photos are several years and many posts in the future.)
I tried out my new camera, Nikon Coolpix L3. at a nearby waterfall. 
Creekside Place Park
It was crowded, and I had not read the manual -- again.
For a good tutorial on shooting waterfalls: So, there's a gap in my early photos of LA. I dropped my camera into the ocean while heading out to surf in Malibu. Nope. I hadn't backed the camera up either. ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR PHOTOS IN TWO (or more) PLACES. Once settled in LA with a job (doing a bit of everything on film sets), a place, and attending UCLA, I signed up for the AIDS Lifecyle in honor of 17 friends that I've lost. The bicycle ride starts in San Francisco and ends in LA: 575 miles over 5 days. That year we raised $11M+ that year.  This was a group training ride from Hollywood to Malibu and back.
For more information on this annual charity event: www.aidslifecycle.org I didn't have a job. I didn't have a place to live. I had $400 in my pocket. But I was on top of the world. And the first thing I did was:  For more information on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Note: Her star is located near the cross street of North Highland Ave. So I roll into LA… on a Friday… during rush hour… on the 10. It was a parking lot. The lady next to me was doing a crossword puzzle… and toking. I turned up the radio and eased my seat back. Then, I noticed something new; a rolling billboard. Police shooting Brown Datsun CA License plate Hmmm. Interesting. On the other side of me, the car ahead of him was a … Brown Datsun… Oh F BOMB! I grabbed my cell phone to call 911. Before I could press the second one a police helicopter was circling and a SWAT team was maneuvering and surrounding the car. I immediately dropped to the floor board. Multiple shots were fired. I lost count. I covered my head with my hands. Shouting. Then silence. Someone knocked at my car window. It was a SWAT team member. “You OK?” I checked. I wasn’t shot. I crawled up into the car’s seat again. “I think so.” “Out-of-state plates.” “Um. Yes. I’m moving.” Grinning, “Welcome to LA.” Dazed, I drove the rest of the way to Santa Monica, where Route 66 ends. Thankfully, I didn’t end that day.  Santa Monica Pier Happy to have gotten this fuzzy shot.
I bought my first beginner digital camera just before I moved from Cincinnati to Los Angeles. I drove 2,191 miles across the country in my Mustang. These were the first images I captured.
My first overnight stop was in Oklahoma City to visit the National (Bombing) Memorial. The chairs represent people that were killed in the bombing. The smaller chairs symbolize the murdered children. It was eerie, quiet and somber. I can still feel the sorrow years later.
My second stop was in Santa Fe on a whim. (I graduated from the University of Cincinnati, majoring fine arts and history. The plan was to be a museum curator, but you need a PhD. I was broke and exhausted, and I was a single Mom at that point.) I wanted to see Georgia O'Keeffe's work in person.
Bronze sculpture in the historic downtown
We'll come back to Santa Fe later...
I had to cross over into California on the legendary Route 66. This was a pull out overlooking the state line. As I started my Mustang, a Beach Boys song came on the radio. Perfect.
Route 66 overlook
Ugh. These horrible first images...
Here's one of the best and easiest videos to explain the Exposure Triangle. I was working at the dreaded day job, Monday through Friday, which gave me weekends off. I spent my time writing, producing, directing and being a gopher for a cable access TV show, “The Travel Junkie”. That’s when my Mom suddenly passed away. I wasn’t dealing with her death well, so friends suggested that I write about it. Knowing how to write TV scripts, I created a screenplay. Friends encouraged me, telling me that I should submit it to a contest. Fine. They made me. So I did. A judge of the contest, who was also a producer, called me. Apparently, I had talent. He suggested that I move to Hollywood. I bought my first digital camera before I left to capture my new adventure. It was a simple snap and shoot; Kodak Easyshare Z740. Of course I didn’t read the manual, and just started clicking away. Which leads me to the first lesson: READ YOUR MANUAL. Always!
In November Google sent a notice about my photo storage. It had been free for 6 years. In June they will start charging. This was confirmed by many photography sites. This will force me to either save, transfer or delete my photos. So my journey with photography (and this blog) has begun...
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