For a long time now, I have thought of myself as something of an amateur photographer. That is, until I meet some world-class photographers that also referred to themselves as amateurs. I guess that makes me sub-amateur.

Now, I admit that I have never taken any formal photography classes, but I have read up on my ƒ-stops, my aperture settings, and my such-and-such. But the costs of film and, worse, development has always held me back from really experimenting with photography as an art form. I cringe at the thought of spending $25 to find out I exposed 36 frames with the lens cap on. But, thanks to the seasonal generosity of my family, I managed to upgrade my camera this year and I have traded in my film grains for the pixels of a digital SLR. And, while I think that Robert Mapplethorpe has nothing to fear from me, I say let the experimentation begin. For my first trick, I'll take a picture of my camera on the outside.