About eight years ago, I got my first DSLR camera — a Nikon. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was excited to start shooting. I didn't take a class or read a book; I just went out with the camera and started clicking. Looking back at those early shots, I'm struck by how much I learned simply by doing.
These photos were mostly taken around Hollywood, Florida — where I grew up. My parents' garden, the beach at sunrise, and the intracoastal at sunset. Nothing fancy, just light and color and moments I wanted to hold onto.
Hollywood Beach at Sunrise
Hollywood Beach is beautiful any time of day, but the early morning light is something else. I used to drive down to the Broadwalk before sunrise and set up near the water. The color gradients as the sun came up over the Atlantic never got old.
At that point I was still shooting mostly in auto mode with the occasional dip into aperture priority. I was learning what depth of field actually meant in practice — not just in theory.
Fort Lauderdale Sunsets
Fort Lauderdale is just a few minutes north, and the sunsets over the Intracoastal Waterway are stunning. The boats, the bridges, the way the light hits the water — it's genuinely photogenic without any effort.
Some of my best early shots came from just pulling over on the A1A and pointing the camera west as the sun dropped behind the city.
What I Learned
Looking back, the biggest lesson was: go shoot. The gear doesn't matter as much as getting out there. My Nikon was entry-level. My lenses were kit lenses. But the photos I made with them still mean something to me because they captured real places and real moments.
Photography taught me to notice light — and that skill has translated into everything else I do, from web design to how I think about presentation and visual hierarchy in software interfaces. You train your eye by actually using it.
I still have that Nikon. Maybe I'll start shooting again.