Nice to meet you.

Your first 10'000 photos are your worst, - Henri Cartier Bresson.

Watching my camera's count up the amount of images I have taken since I became an SLR owner was a slow, frustrating, exciting and worthwhile learning process. When I was 10 years old, I got my very first SLR camera, a black Minolta that was completely manual. I had to wind the film after I pressed the shutter, set all the exposures myself, and all the aperture controls were on the barrell of the lens. My father, who is a New York Institute of Photography graduate used to sit down with me and my camera and take me through loading my film correctly, basic exposure lessons, apertures and shutter speeds. He was my first real teacher.

I remember on his 45th birthday my Mum decided to invest in a digital camera for his birthday gift. A Lumix 10x optical zoom digital camera, it was no SLR but he still had control of his apertures, it was exciting to be able to see what he took straight away. However, the camera quickly became outdated and he upgraded to a Canon 400D which I used to steal to have a play on whenever I had the opportunity.

When I was 16 and only a year away from being able to take Photography at school, I began to pester my parents about getting my own digital SLR, only this resulted in my Dad upgrading to a Canon 50D and me getting the hand me down Canon 400D 'on loan' - it technically still wasn't mine. Year 12 rolled around and I was finally taking photography at high school and I was officially in my element.Never had I been so passionate about a school subject, I spent my lunchtime hours in the dark room, relaying my art boards and taking hundreds and hundreds of photos. The best part about it was seeing the results I got from it, and I received a 100% grade average award for excellence in photography at the end of that year.

My final year of High School rolled around and on my 18th birthday I finally got my own DSLR - a Canon 550D. I was over the moon and my boyfriend at the time also surprised me with a 50mm lens to go with it. My Canon was my new best friend, it literally came with me everywhere and I felt so fulfilled that I actually had my own DSLR, no more stealing my Dad's. It was mine.

My Canon 550D, was used constantly and I watched it count up the amount of photos I had taken during it's life with me. I completed a Diploma in Professional Photography through the world-wide correspondence course with the Photography Institute with my 550D at my side. At last, after owning this model for 2 years and finally taking those ten thousand photos, I decided I was ready to upgrade. I upgraded to a Canon 60D and knew it was time to get serious with my photography.

Which is where this blog comes in.

On the same day as my new camera arrived, I began my own Facebook page for my photography www.facebook.com/PhotographyByNatalieWaugh and my little business was born. I was contacted by my first clients very soon after who wanted me to photograph their wedding, then I got another few weddings on top of that and then a few other great photoshoots. I was beyond happy.

Now that I have finally decided what my career path is and how serious I am about making this my life, I believed it was time to get more knowledge and experience under my belt. So here I am, creating my blog for my Certificate in Photography at the Western Institute of Technology Taranaki, while simultaneously studying the very same diploma my Dad studied in 1996, the complete course in professional photography through the New York Institute of Photography via correspondence, and a Diploma in Digital Photography through the Southern Institute of Photography. It is going to be a busy year, but I know that it is going to be beyond worth it. Everything about photography excites me and I can't wait to share my work with the world.

With those first 10'000 photos behind me, with my camera at the ready. I'm inspired to become truly successful.