A rant about picture taking from a pathological picture-taker

Get ready to read... 

If you know me, you know I love to take pictures. I call myself a pathological picture taker and I am not ashamed to say that. Ever since I got my first digital camera that didn't even have a zoom button, I've been blowin' it up, taking as many pictures of me with my friends and loved ones. So bad to the point that one year for Valentine's Day, as part of my present, Alex gave me a HUGE pack of AA batteries. I later wised up & bought a fancier digital camera that doesn't take AA batteries. 

Anyways, we're playing a slideshow at our rehearsal dinner... don't worry, we're not going to stop you from eating to have you watch a montage of our entire lives while a song play that'll make ya wanna cry. But don't think I didn't think about it!! Yeah, so, we're playing a slideshow. And I knew this moment would come. The moment when I would "have to" {I really really wanted to} go through ALL my past digital pictures. All 39,482,384 of them. And MAN did I enjoy that!! It took me back. I love to reminisce & remember good times. It's crazy and awesome to see how much things have changed while looking to see what hasn't changed at all. I took pictures in those moments just for that purpose. And some precious memories I will never get back, and those pictures are all I have left. 

I just wish I had pictures from before 10th grade. I love my Mom but she is the worst picture taker. And while she loves pictures of us, she wasn't as picture crazy as I am. Therefore, 94% of the pictures of me and my friends growing up are either non-existent or completely chopping off a vital body part or something of the sort. Love you Mom! 

I'm not just a crazy picture taker. I do have good intentions and a purpose for my picture taking. Get annoyed all you want, but you'll be sad when you look back and don't have any pictures of your happy memories. And by gosh, my kids {God bless their souls} are not going to regret not having any pictures of them growing up. 

Once I got my iPhone I completely ditched my digital camera. I somewhat regret this. Taking pictures with your smartphone is so convenient, but it really doesn't take the same quality pictures as my somewhat fancy digital camera. And when it comes time you actually want to print your pictures and enlarge them, you're screwed. Don't even get me started on this stupid Samsung Galaxy S3 I have. The thing's camera is a joke and it takes an act of Congress just to get it to take a non-blurry picture. And FORGET about asking someone else who hasn't got it's stupid ways down to a science to take a picture for you, because they will. all. be. blurry. 

I see myself getting super anal about picture taking. I am not in denial. But seriously, if the last picture you took with someone was a super messed up blurry attempt at a picture, wouldn't that break your heart?? It'd break mine! 

I say all that to say... I am back!! I am carrying my beloved digital camera around with me again and you better believe I am gonna be taking some pictures!! I had an awesome bachelorette party this weekend, and *I* got hardly ANY good pictures and it seriously makes me wanna cry. We looked so darn good!! WHYY did we not take more pictures?! And now I have to bother people to get their copies...'cuz y'all know saving them from Facebook is not the same. {Please tell me you know this.} Facebook completely destroys any quality you had in your picture if you want to reprint it. 

Am I the only crazy person thinking like this?? I am sure I'm not.

But I bet no one's willing to admit they're equally as picture psycho!! 

Oh well, I will say it loud & proud...

My name is Nicole

and I am a pathological picture taker!!!

Momma got an iPhone! (Part 1)

So Momma got a new iPhone today.  She went from a flip phone to an iPhone & was always "this person" when it came to iPhones:

In the first hour of teaching from the ground up all about iPhones, I got the following funny quotes/scenarios from my mom:

• "What is this watery stuff? Why is it there?" (Referring to the generic background)
• "Why are these buttons jiggling?"
• Me: "Mom, they're asking for your security code."
  Mom: "Why?!?! That is my personal information! It's ****."
  Me: "OMG Mom! Not your Pin Number!!"
•  "Does IMDB have to be capitalized?"
• "It says I have six 'inboxes'."
• "What is that sound?"
•  Then she focused for a really long time on her new alarm sound.
  Me: "Mom, can we move on?"
  (She picks the alarm that sounds like a nuclear bomb is headed our way. That'll sound nice in the mornings.)
• I told Mom to search for the BB&T app.
  [5 minutes later...] Mom: "Dream car??"
  Me: "What??"
  Mom: "It's asking me what my dream car is."
  Me: "I don't know what your dream car is, Mom!!"

Then she ended it with a, "This is fun!!" 

It's so funny and a little frustrating to teach "the older generation" current technology but I admire her for trying! She'll get the hang of it soon, hopefully. I just warned her that she can not text and drive using her iPhone.  ;) 

I'm sure I'll be updating this in the future.  :) Until then....

See ya later, Blackberry World....

So...to make a long story short: I had a Blackberry Pearl Flip. However-many years later, it got super slow. Word on the street is that you take the battery out & put it back in to reset the thing, causing it to up it's game a bit. So, did that. Only problem was- the stupid thing didn't turn back on! I, in a panic, went to the closest Verizon store, which was a satellite store. I should've known.... I leave the place hearing that my phone has zero hope and that I can pay $50 for a brand-new, out-dated, three-year-old phone. Uh, no thank you. My friend, Yeisson, works at the "real" Verizon store (a.k.a. probably every Verizon customer in the greater Hickory area's worst nightmare). I leave the satellite store, knowing I have to buy a phone, having my heart set on an iPhone, and racing across town to the "real" store so Yeisson can sell it to me and make some commission off of it. You know, gotta help my friends out when I can. :) So, you see where this story is going. I leave the Verizon store, $220ish later, with my beloved iPhone.

I have to give myself credit because I lasted almost two months after I could have gotten an iPhone and waited until I didn't have any more options.

So. Obviously it is WAY better than the crackcrapberry I was using, but I definitely have to get used to using it. I don't know all the tricks like how to not let it autocorrect, and how to change the water drops background on the home screen, and little silly things like that.

I really want to get into using the calendar. I am just so paranoid though about my schedule(s) depending on technology. If anyone wants to give me any suggestions, I'd love to hear them! Y'all know I love my write-in planners!

I've always admired seeing funky-looking pictures that people post on Facebook from their iPhone. I asked my friend Becky what app she used for those picture effects & one of the apps she suggested was Hipstamatic. I have really enjoyed taking pictures of .. oh, ya know .. anything & everything today using this app! The only problem with it is you can't use the phone's handy dandy front camera to take pictures of yourself you & someone else. My other friend, Maggie, suggested the Camera+ app....so I'll try that next! I haven't really played around with it...only enough to know you can use the phone's front camera with the Camera+ app. If it can get my pictures to look as good as these (below), then hey, I'll be in business. As you can see, I've just been snapping shots of whatever I can, and loving the results....

Bless This Home

Mawmaw's hot pink azaleas

Friday morning on my way to my internship...so beautiful

windmill in the garden

Mawmaw's lilacs...they smelled so good.

here is my sweet sweet grandmother :)

and here's my Pawpaw.... :-)

I said "to make a long story short" again, didn't I? My bad... :)

Send me your iPhone app suggestions!