That's it. I'm admitting it. I'm officially a photography nut. This past few days were very enlightening to me. Ever since we got Cap, a Canon EOS 350D DSLR camera (aka Digital Rebel XT), I have been experimenting with it on how to get the best picture, studying lighting techniques, shot angles, and the rule of thirds. I also realize that there are things that you can't control, no matter how good your equipment is. For a refresher on what these things do, aperture controls how blurred the background is, ISO controls the intensity of the light that should be captured, and shutter speed controls how long the lens opens up to capture light. Here's what I learned, so far:

• With bad lighting shooting indoors, you compensate with a slower shutter speed, or higher aperture, or a higher ISO. The use of flash is also recommended, although I wouldn't advise the use of flash if it doesn't have a diffuser or you don't have a way to diffuse it.
• With good lighting shooting indoors, lower your ISO setting as much as you can, lower your aperture as much as you can, and speed up your shutter speed as fast as allowable.
• In broad daylight shooting outdoors, ISO should be at the lowest, aperture should be at the lowest setting as possible (depending on the lens and the zoom factor), and shutter speed should be quick enough to let enough light possible without over-exposing the shot.
• Evening shooting outdoors, flash photography is highly recommended, but with a mild diffuser, so as to avoid overexposing your subjects on a dark background.
• The rule of thirds will make your shots look artsy. It is applied while looking at the viewfinder and taking a shot. When looking through the viewfinder, divide the box in nine squares. Your subject should fall on the lines and corners of the middle square, NOT INSIDE it.

I am so enjoying this hobby of mine. Next phase in this hobby would be getting the right lenses for the right shot. If only I can get a third job. Hmmmm.