Eric and I got into a heated debate this past weekend. He claimed that the world would be a better place if everyone had a math or science degree. While it was kind of him to include social sciences like psychology and sociology (which I was sure he would exclude, considering his pomposity when it comes to hard sciences), this argument is not over! And this time, he’ll have to read about it on the internet, so that I can’t be interrupted.

I fueled the fire with with, if we were all scientists the world would lack variety and it would be so boring…I mean what about art and journalism? He rebuttals, who says scientists can’t write or paint, if they are moderately intelligent and talented, the scientists can be the journalists and painters too!

Well what if I don’t like science?– the debate gets personal! While he considers my [currently in progress] graduate degree (Communicative Sciences and Disorders) a “scientific” degree, there is not much respect [from him] for the B.S. in Marketing. Hello mister engineer man it’s called Bachelor’s in SCIENCE. I suppose it’s more commonly known as a B.S.– how unfortunate!

He said he wouldn’t get rid of all the non-science degrees, but that in a perfect world we would all get science or math degrees, before heading off to art school or starting an English degree.  Do any of you artists out there hate him yet? hehe…

In the end, I agreed that high school and college graduates ought to have a better grasp on math and sciences than they currently do.  BUT that doesn’t require a degree in math, engineering, physics or biology. It simply requires higher standards. Despite my pessimal geometry skills, I am an advocate of raising educational standards. After all, if they (meaning the mysterious people on top who decide what goes into standardized tests and who gets into college) set the bar higher for math and science, they will eventually do it for language and literature as well. It makes me giddy to imagine a world where students are no longer permitted to graduate from high school if they are still making then/than, too/to, and their/there/they’re mistakes!

But enough of this “raising the bar” talk, it’s for a different post! This post was supposed to be about education and the arts and I have digressed.

My heated, yet loving, debate with Eric got me thinking about art. Photography in particular. When he said the world would be a better place if everyone had a math or science degree, I immediately imagined the world without my favorite photography blogs!  While photography may come naturally to some, including my father, that gene seems to have skipped me! I dream of purchasing a digital SLR, as if that will somehow turn me into the photographers I adore like Deb at Smitten Kitchen! But before I get ahead of myself, I suppose I should follow the lead of Naomi and her husband at The Rockstar Diaries and actually document events with the camera I already own. If I can’t remember to take my camera with me,  what would be the point of making an investment as grand as an SLR?

And so I decided to do a little research to educate myself on how be an amateur photographer!

I have clicked through websites like HP and Kodak, and all of blog entrepreneur’s ten great photo blogs and I compiled a photography to-do list. Now all I have to do is remember to bring my camera along and follow these tips!

1. Get down– When you’re shooting a tiny subject like a baby or a puppy, get down to their level. It fills the frame and makes the photo more interesting!

2. Take many pictures– The beauty of digital cameras is that you can take as many pictures as your memory card can handle. You’re more likely to capture the memory just the way you want to, if you take multiple pictures.  Some cameras even have a “burst” mode that will automatically take several pictures with just one click.

3. Use available light– This is a big one for me. I always end up shooting pictures in a dark corner of a bar with a flash that would light up all of New York City. I end up with overexposed faces and underexposed backgrounds. Standing near a lamp or a window will allow you to capture the image as you see it.

4. Experiment with different angles– Your subject doesn’t have to be in the center of the photo. You can use lines to inspire the angle you’re shooting from. Shoot from above or from below and observe how the focus of the image changes!

5. Avoid distracting backgrounds– HP has a fun online exercise on their website that will help you get an idea of what a perfect background looks like. If you’re observant enough, you can capture the background, without capturing everything that goes along with it.

Stay tuned for my photographic adventures!