Photography course at Chemeketa Community College

During last term, my focus was on learning more about Oregon, and so I took a Geography of Oregon class. This term, however, my focus is turned toward learning how to take better pictures, and so I am in a photography class. Unfortunately, while my point-and-shoot camera takes good photos, I have learned it does not give me the full creative control of a DSLR camera. So tomorrow I plan on going to the local Shutterbug and getting the cheapest DSLR I can get ($450). The good news for me is that as I continue to upgrade my camera, I should be able to use the same lenses on every DSLR I buy as long as I stick to one brand. After consideration, the brand I choose is going to be a Canon. On top of that, I plan on buying a $125 changeable lens that will continue to allow me to get great photos of flowers like the ones below that I took last year (my favorite is the yellow one with orange spots).

Now of course, when you add those values together, it means I will be paying $575 for the first camera I ever bought myself as all the other cameras that I have had were either hand-me-downs or bought for me without my input for what I wanted. Now, for me that is quite expensive as lately I have been making less than $140 a week after health insurance and taxes are taken out; and that is working three days a week. To put it plainly, if I work only one day a week, which happened this week by the way, I basically will make nothing. So, once again I am looking for a second job to help cover basic expenses (student loans, car insurance, etc.). Thank God I am able to live with family until I can support myself, as the economy has shown that a bachelor degree doesn't mean squat! Luckily I still have some money saved up from when I worked at the cannery over a year ago.

So instead of looking to see which class I will be taking next term, I am now looking for another job...again. I am hoping for a job with the USPS or a live-in community type of thing for the elderly or disabled, but we'll see. At any rate, my exploration blog (Mid-Willamette Explorer) may see few articles during the next few months due to lack of hours at work. If this does become a reality, I will definitely make an effort in Spring when the flowers come out and the scenery of the valley becomes more pleasant.