Dani Lee Photography?

I had an evening completely to myself tonight so I decided to grab my camera and head down to the beach. It was the first time I was at the beach by myself with my camera. I quickly learned that when people see you taking pictures, they suddenly are very eager to have your to their picture. What I thought would be a nice quiet night on the beach ended up being social hour for me. But, I really enjoyed it. I met some very interesting people- people that I would probably never talk to or approach because I'd be way too intimidated but theres something about the camera that pulls out a more outgoing side of me, I guess. Below is the first group of characters that I came across:

They were SO excited about their picture when I showed it to them!

After a quick convo with these fellas, we went our separate ways and I began snapping pictures here and there, trying to get a better feel for my camera and all of its settings. Below are just a few shots I took before I met my next subject:

 As I was getting ready to leave the beach, I noticed a guy who was skim boarding. He had gathered quite an audience since he was the only out there and he was a little bit of a show off. As much as I wanted to take photos of him, I figured I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of an audience and a photographer (I kind of have a thing about feeding into people's egos. It drives me crazy). BUT as I was walking away, he asked me if I was able to get any good shots. He then offered his services and said that he would do his best to give me a few good shots. I really wanted to take some pics soooooo I gave in. I'm glad I did. I'm happy with some of the shots that I got of him. Afterwards, he of course was curious to see how they turned out and I showed them to him. He was thrilled and even asked for copies- how could I say no? Next time, I'm charging for my services :-) But, shame on me for being judgmental because he ended up being a super nice kid and was very kind and respectful. Below are some of my favorites that I shot of my new friend Travis:

While I was taking pictures of Travis, another gentleman (with an EXTREMELY nice camera) joined me and my little photo shoot and even gave me a few pointers as the night went on. While I had expected a quiet night, I loved meeting and getting to know several different types of people. I think I will end up visiting the beach with my camera more often! 

I know some of you out there are incredible photographers already, so please don't judge me too hard with these pictures! Like I said, I'm learning and I've got a long way to go but I really do love being behind the camera. I don't know where I'll go with photography- maybe do some freelancing or work for National Geographic (BIG DREAM!) or maybe I'll end up starting Dani Lee Photography, who knows?! But I've got some time to figure it out. Hope y'all enjoy the photos! Oh and if you would like to have a little photo shoot of your own, just let me know;-)