From Stuck to Shutter Savvy: My Breakthrough with A Year With My Camera
If you’ve ever stepped away from something only to come back and magically get it, then you’ll understand exactly where I am right now in my photography journey.
After completing the Make 30 Photos challenge in December 2024, I slowly worked my way through Part 1 (Technical) of A Year With My Camera. While the lessons are designed for a weekly pace… let’s just say I took the scenic route.
For the full backstory, check out my earlier post: My Photography Journey: A Year with My Camera.
📚 Lessons 1–6: Back to Basics (But Better!)
Part 1 focuses on the core foundations of photography—things every photographer needs to understand before truly leveling up.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what I worked through:
🌗 Lesson 1 – Introduction to Exposure
This lesson showed how your camera “sees” the world—everything gets adjusted to about 18% grey.
📷 Homework highlight: White paper and black paper both looked… grey. Mind blown.
🌸 Lesson 2 – Aperture
Aperture controls depth of field, but the f-stop numbers? Totally backwards logic at first.
- Small number (f/2.8) = more background blur
- Large number (f/16) = more in focus
📷 Homework: Same subject, two totally different vibes just by changing aperture.
⚡ Lesson 3 – Shutter Speed
This one clicked quickly!
- Fast shutter = freeze action
- Slow shutter = motion blur
📷 Homework: Capturing movement two different ways—super fun!
☀️ Lesson 4 – ISO
ISO helps you deal with lighting conditions:
- Low ISO = bright conditions
- High ISO = low light (but adds grain)
📷 Homework: Same subject, different ISO settings = noticeable change.
🔺 Lesson 5 – Exposure Triangle
Now things got real.
Balancing Aperture + Shutter Speed + ISO in Manual Mode felt like juggling three spinning plates at once. 😅
📷 Homework: Different settings, same exposure result. Challenging—but powerful.
📊 Lesson 6 – Metering & Histograms
And here’s where I got stuck…
For almost a year.
Metering teaches how your camera evaluates light, and histograms show you how exposure is distributed across your image.
📷 Homework: Adjust exposure using the histogram instead of guessing.
The funny part? When I finally picked it back up… it was EASY.
No clue why I struggled before, but this time it just clicked. Sometimes you really do just need to step away and come back fresh.
🚧 The Comeback Moment
There’s something incredibly rewarding about returning to something you once found difficult—and finally understanding it.
This wasn’t just about finishing Lesson 6… it was about realizing:
✨ Growth doesn’t always happen on a schedule
✨ Taking a break doesn’t mean failure
✨ Sometimes things make sense exactly when they’re supposed to
📷 Part 1 Test: Time to Put It All Together
Now I’m working through the Part 1 Test, which is a list of photo prompts designed to reinforce everything from Lessons 1–6.
And honestly?
I need this review.
It’s been over a year since Lessons 1–5, so this is my chance to reconnect with those fundamentals and really make them stick.
Will I finish it in a week like the course suggests?
Let’s be real… probably not.
But that’s okay.
🎯 What’s Next: Projects on the Horizon
Once I finish the test, I’ll move on to two exciting projects:
- Project 1: Depth of Field
- Project 2: White-on-White Study
Both sound like amazing opportunities to get creative and really apply what I’ve learned so far.
💭 Progress Over Perfection
If there’s one thing this journey has taught me, it’s this:
- You don’t have to move fast—you just have to keep going.
- Yes, this course is designed to be completed weekly…
But life happens, motivation fades, and sometimes things just don’t click right away.
And that’s okay.
What matters is that you come back.
What matters is that you try again.
What matters is that one day… it finally makes sense.
🚀 Ready to Start (or Restart) Your Photography Journey?
If you’ve been thinking about learning photography—or picking it back up after a break—this is your sign.
📸 Grab your camera
📸 Start where you are
📸 Don’t worry about the timeline
And most importantly…
Don’t wait a year like I did to move on to the next lesson!
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out My Photography Journey: A Year with My Camera for the full story of how it all started.
And stay tuned—because the best photos are still ahead. ✨
Happy clicking!
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Down Home at Dee’s
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