My New Camera!

Can I tell you about a truly enjoyable

summer activity I did recently?

Well, it all began here:

B&H is a little piece of heaven for photo & video enthusiasts.

They have an event space where experts conduct free seminars.

Yes, FREE!

From choosing the best camera, to lighting & composition,

to marketing your work. During the summer, they have

photo safaris & scavenger hunts. They lend you a camera and

the group hits the streets of New York City in search of

items to photograph. Prizes await the best photos.

Here's the camera we got to try:

The Fujifilm Instax Mini.

It works like a Polaroid camera (instant film).

We were also given a free cap & T-shirt!

{I love freebies...they're TADA!}

Cameras being handed out...

Plus boxes of film {we each had a total of 40 shots}.

After a short demo, we were given the list of 25 items

we had to find. We had 4 hours to complete the mission.

The output of the camera is this credit card-size photo:

Item #2 on the list: Tourist taking a photo

in Times Square

Item #14: Green park chairs sitting pretty

Item #22: A French Arch with a fountain in NYC

Item #16: An ice cream truck like Mr. Softee

Item #18: A man riding a horse, and getting nowhere

It took us from midtown to downtown on a sweltering day.

I was able to cross out the items in about 2 1/2 hours,

without taking a break -- I really wanted a prize!

But sadly, some folks who were faster and

highly skilled beat me to it {they gave

away B&H gift cards}.

We got to keep the camera though!

And that's a prize in itself.

I also have a stack of photos:

This week, I'll show you how I turn them from blah to TADA!

See you tomorrow, okay?