I've slowly but surely been wading through the scads of family photographs piled up on the shelves in our apartment. You'd think that being a photographer would mean that your own life has been cataloged quite nicely.

Not so, of course! Like any family, documenting and tracing history as it's happening is hard to do. But when you do, it's a blast to look back and see how things have changed.

What is plain to see through my family photographs is an ever-changing photographic approach. What a kick to see some of my very first photographs, taken upon receiving my first SLR, a Pentax SP1000 around the age of 12. It's plain to see that in spite of my dad's careful explanation of the light meter and exposure, I didn't know what I was doing.

Whoops, in my misguided attempts to get the exposure correct, the shutter speed was too long!

What's with that huge ugly shadow across mom's body? Ah yes, flash is a whole 'nother beast.

And lo and behold, the strangely uninteresting group shot at an ice rink. No composition whatsoever.

It just goes to show that you've got to start somewhere, and that practice is such a critical tool. Part of what gets me excited about photography is that it's a democratic medium that most anyone can pick up--widely available, widely popular, and wildly interesting.

Of course, the flip side of that is that there's always more for me to learn. Back to practicing, folks!