We are so excited to tell you all about our most recent winner of our winter 2017 camera giveaway! Anna Brewer was the lucky winner of a Nikon D810! Congrats Anna!
Here is some other great information about Anna and her love of photography. You will also see a few of her photos below as well as one with her new camera. Enjoy!
How did you first get into photography?
"I've had a camera in my hands since I can remember. I used to borrow my parents' camera when I was still a toddler but I distinctly recall my 8th birthday when my present was my very own camera - a Kodak 110mm. A few years later my parents gave me their Minolta SLR 35mm and I saved every penny I had to buy the film and get my pictures developed making albums of all the adventures I went on. When I got out of high school, digital cameras had been a thing for a little while but I was extremely hesitant to leave my old Minolta behind. It wasn't until 2007 when I was able to get a second-hand Nikon D80 that I truly fell in love with digital photography and got to take my first, and sadly only, photography class before starting my family and putting my college hat away for awhile. I never could put my camera away and have been taking pictures every day since."
What is your favorite thing to photograph?
"Since having kids I really love trying to capture all their expressions and just how beautiful my everyday life is. The photographic reminders of those fleeting moments bring me smiles every time."
What type of style would you say fits you best?
"I’ve done some commercial product photography but I think I'm probably classified as a candid photographer. I’m always trying to preserve the little details that most people might overlook or things that years from now I might forget. Every one of my pictures has a story to tell. One day I hope to get into portrait photography as I love capturing my family as it’s grown."
What is your most favorite shoot you have ever had and why?
"As a teen I was visiting the FiLoLi Gardens outside of San Francisco. There was this little bench I just felt I had to photograph. I ducked down behind some tulips and snapped a shot before catching back up with my friend. When I developed the images I fell in love with most of my pictures. The way my friends' face was so playful and happy; the way the sun was catching the water; and especially that bench. It was the first time I took a picture that seemed to capture magic even in MY eyes and it was the first picture I took that I blew up to hang in my home. Since then I carry some kind of camera with me every day."
What was your first reaction when you found out you won the camera?
"Complete disbelief followed by extraordinary excitement. I’ve been growing apart from my Nikon D80, not feeling like it was worth the weight when most cell phones these days can take more pixels and the sensor on it has been limiting the low light situations I’ve been trying to capture. I think I finally grew past it’s capabilities and found myself getting stagnant. I saw the contest go around on Facebook and it seemed real enough so I entered and didn’t think much of it. When I won I was sure it was a scam until I heard back from the organizers and my husband looked it up and told me it was a real thing. I’ve never won such a significant prize."
Are there any other fun or interesting facts about yourself that you would like to share?
"I'm a stay a home mother of 4. I love backpacking and consider my camera “worth the weight” in my bag as my luxury item. My husband and I even went backpacking for our honeymoon in our favorite location south of Yosemite. I can’t wait to take this camera and get some of the shots I’ve been trying to capture for years but haven’t had the equipment for."
What camera did you choose and why?
"I chose the Nikon D810 because I’m already familiar with the menus and have a couple of lenses I can use. I’ve tried a few other brands but I always find myself coming back to Nikon."
What do you think of the camera now that you have received it?
"It intimidated me for the first couple days. It didn’t have several of the buttons my other cameras did and it had new buttons I didn’t recognize. I spent a little bit of time reading the manual before taking it out to try it and realized it’s just like my other cameras but the settings are faster and easier to change. Getting some pictures of my kids in different settings without having to sit down to change the menu settings was a lot of fun. I can’t wait for a couple sunny days so I can see how I do with it in some of my favorite places. So far I really love it!"
Congrats again to Anna on winning a Nikon D810! We are so happy for you. You can see more of Anna photos by following her on Instagram @DailyBrewHouse.
