A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

It's been a year since I started blogging about my experience moving from Chicago to St. Thomas.  As I reflect on the year, I can honestly say that I've learned a lot about myself...what I want out of life, what defines me, what makes me happy, etc.  Of course, I haven't figured it all out by any stretch, but I've gotten a lot closer to understanding who I am then if I had simply stayed on course with my life in Chicago. 

Of course, I've had a lot of fun sharing all of my experiences through this blog, and I look forward to continuing to use my blog to include all of you in my life.  However, one of the major things I've learned this past year is that change can be good.  So, instead of continuing to write lengthy blogs about exotic islands, hiking excursions or boating around the Caribbean with friends, I think it's time to switch it up. 

Since moving to the island, I've taken an interest in photography.  For any of you that read my blog regularly, you've probably noticed that I often include a new photo at the very bottom of my blog with every posting.  All of these photos are pictures I've taken with a simple point and shoot camera.  Recently, though, I've wanted to take my picture taking 'skills' to a new level.  I found a local photographer that teaches classes and bought a fancy new camera.  I now go to a 2 hour class once a week to learn the art of photography, and I work on different lessons that I've learned in class throughout each week.  Some of my pictures are better than I ever thought I could take and others are terrible. 

Since they say a picture is worth 1,000 words, I figured that rather than writing 1,000 words every few weeks, I'd start posting a picture of the week for everyone.  I still intend on writing about some of my experiences, but by posting a picture with you every week, my hope is that I can share a different side of myself with you in a more creative way. 

So, here is my first picture of the week.....

This is my boyfriend Kevin, and I love this picture for so many reasons.  I was outside on our deck practicing what I had learned in class the day before, when Kevin came out to see what I was doing. 

On a fluke, I took this picture of him, and since he didn't want me to take his picture at the time, it is the only one I snapped of him.  Typically, I need to take several photos before I get a good one, but this one simply worked out. 

For those of you that know Kevin, you'll know that he doesn't typically have a complete smile on his face when he's in a picture, but I was teasing him because he didn't want me to take his picture, so I caught him with a full smile.  At first when I saw the picture I was disappointed because I had wanted more of a 3/4 view of his face, but the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. 

I have always loved the character in Kevin's face, and the lighting that morning brought it out in this shot.  I also love the angle that his face took in the picture - his profile almost creates a diagonal line from one corner of the photo to the next, which, I have recently learned, creates great composition.

Anyway, maybe I'm over analyzing this photo, and I only love it because I love Kevin.  So, please forgive me if you aren't catching on to what I'm saying.