I am a shy person (perhaps contrary to popular belief).

Always have been (hey, at least I can admit it, right?). Moonlighting at the House of Mouse for all those years forced me out of my shell; though my role required no talking, lots of miming, quick thinking, spontaneity, running around in a dog costume, and complete anonymity (#truestory)…which, let’s be honest here, was really why I enjoyed it so much. With that role came photos. Lots and lots of photos. It makes my head hurt thinking about how many  family vacation photos I’m in…but I digress. Needless to say, I’ve never had an issue with having my picture taken (except maybe for those middle school years… *shudder *).

I appreciate the art of photography and enjoy taking pictures, but never really thought much of it. I think the evolution of Instagram and working in arts marketing has made me 1) appreciate good photography 2) made me realize that simple, inanimate objects are beautiful and can have depth and 3) candid shots are priceless. After a few years of casual browsing (and being satisfied with the photo quality of my various iPhones), I decided it was time to use my tax refund for something fun: a DSLR.

It took countless hours of research (wavering back and forth between Nikon and Canon…good grief, it was exhausting) and the knowledge that I am a complete novice and need to actively teach myself how to not only properly use the camera, but to use it to its full potential. Challenge accepted!

Saturday evening, The Boy and I took the new Nikon D5300 out on our nightly stroll. We have a long way to go, but our first spin with it wasn’t too bad (see above). And after an hour or so of toying with it, a Dogfish 90 Minute was most definitely needed (also, see above). The camera overall is pretty stellar. The biggest selling point for me was the built-in wi-fi. It was a little higher than I originally wanted to pay, but I can already tell the built-in wi-fi will be well worth it!

Not that I needed more convincing to spend my tax refund on a high-quality camera, but since I brought up the House of Mouse earlier…The Boy and I are headed down to Orlando this fall for a little trip over Halloween weekend. Not only will it be my first time back in nearly two and a half years, but also the first time I will be going as a guest and not a cast member. Talk about a change in perspective! Also – Milwaukeean nerd alert – I can’t wait to see what kind of funky shots I’ll be able to get of the infamous “Recombobulation Area” sign at the airport when we’re in Wisconsin next week. It’s truly the little things.