Where am I going?

I'm sure all of us at some point have done some sort of hobby where you have that potential question nagging at you: "where exactly am I going with this?" I've had two hobbies just right off the top of my head that will eventually necessitate that question. The first one was horseback riding. That was easy, of course I wanted to go pro. There really isn't anything like doing what you love doing all the time. I never really took photos until I had my own kids, and I started taking photos of my first daughter when she was itty bitty because we didn't really have very much money at all. Then I started taking more and more pictures, and slowly getting better and better.

I first picked up a dSLR and started taking pics with it on AUTO a little over 2 years ago. My pictures are SO much different now. I've since learned about shutter speeds, apertures, ISO, white balance, you name it. Sometimes I look back at those pictures and really can't believe how good I used to think they were- they would look completely different if I were to take them now. But I did the best I could with what I knew when I took them. And I just keep taking more and more so I can learn and practice more. It's amazing how much I've learned in such a short time.

I've had a lot of people ask me why I'm not running around and doing this as a pro. Honestly, I don't feel like I'm quite ready yet, but I'm getting there. I want to get to the point where I can, as an amateur, feel comfortable taking photos of other people first. Yes, I do understand that amateur = for free. But I'm OK with that, because I'm still learning so much. I do see myself going semi-pro, but it isn't going to be tomorrow. Besides, I do sort of need more than just my children and my sister's family in my portfolio anyways.

In the mean time, I'm just going to keep practicing :) I will be taking pics of some of my friends and their families soon though, and some family members that haven't had portraits done in a very long time. I'm so excited but nervous at the same time. 

Oh, and here's a super cute picture I took the other day of my kids and their cousin. Aren't they just SO sweet?