How Many More Mom?

A. sat patiently as I took several pictures. Notice the pink shoes (of course) that are shedding glitter all. over. my. house.

70mm, f 5.6, 1/8

A Girl and her Pappo

A. and I took my dad out for a birthday breakfast at IHOP this morning. His birthday was Tuesday. Of course I brought along The Camera. I actually considered taking my little Powershot, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I also did not get a shot with myself in the picture, I couldn't relinquish control of The Camera.

I used my 50mm 1.4, f4, 1/15. I love (of course) the close-up of this, and I was sitting across the table. Not sure what the strange orbs are, maybe a reflection from the glass wall we were beside. I don't have Photoshop so I can't edit it it out. I'll live with it for now.

Just Ducky

This morning I glanced out our window to see two webbed feet visitors waddling across our yard. Since I am pretending to be a photographer, I grabbed my camera and dashed outside. I tempted them with some bread so they might linger a while so I could capture some shots.

I switched to my 70-300mm lens and snapped several as they waddled around. I took a few in Manual, but since I'm slow, slow, slow as I adjust my settings, I realized I might miss these little webbed friends. I shot in Av mode instead.

140mm, f11, 1/50. We were in the shade, so it turned out a bit dark. I should have tweaked that I guess.

300mm, f11, 1/125 See I even shoot close-ups of ducks! Maybe there is a close-up support group?

Goal for this week: Practice more in Manual mode in order to get faster. Take pictures every day, both outdoors and inside.

I quickly snapped this picture this afternoon before picking up A. from Pre-K. I felt like capturing a bit of Spring on a muggy February day, however a windy day and a time crunch don't lend themselves to the best results. Oh well...

One of my goals these next few days is to practice with my 17-85mm IS lens. Using the 50mm 1.4 these last couple of days really spoiled me, the prime lens is hard to beat. However, I think the 17-85mm will be my walk-around lens, since it covers a nice range. I also want to experiment with some of the exercises mentioned in Understanding Exposure.

This was taken in Av mode at 85mm, f11, 1/50. I should have been closer and shortened the depth of field more.

By now you may have noticed that I am a fan of the close-up. Given my druthers (whatever druthers are) I prefer to shoot close. At least that's where I am today, I still have a lot to experiment with my camera and different lenses.

I am also learning I am NOT a fan of the flash. It is so harsh and unflattering. Of course, I only have the pop up flash. Someday I will upgrade. Maybe. Right now, I'm enjoying learning to shoot without it. I love the natural light.

This was shot in Av mode (A. wasn't feeling extra patient this afternoon for me to tweak the full manual) at 1.4 aperture, 1/125 shutter speed.

You Called?

My Brain Finally Clicked

The other day I had a lightbulb (or should I say flash) moment. I was reading through this and trying to use the manual settings on my camera. Finally, everything came together and made sense. I snapped some pictures using the Av setting and then I played with the full Manual (Full Monty?) settings. My goal was to capture some of A., but I did NOT want the flash to wash everything out.

I took several with my 50mm 1.4 lens and was excited to see the results. I love the bokeh (blurred background) and the soft, natural light. It did not come out as sharp as I might have liked, but I still like this photo.

I have to admit I was pretty proud of my little old self.

The scoop: 50mm 1.4 lens set @ 1.4 aperture, 1/40 shutter speed, ISO 200