Fields of Blue

We drove out to Chappell Hill yesterday to get some family shots in the bluebonnets. I did use the tripod for the first time, I L.O.V.E. it. I'm sure it was quite hilarious as I pushed the shutter and hopped over the bluebonnets to pose with Scott and Annelise. I wish I had brought my remote, that would have made it easier.

I took several shots with my 70-300mm lens. I was so caught up in the bluebonnets, the barn and posing that I did not finagle the settings as I should have. Ooops. We took an ice cream break and went back for a few more. I used my 50mm and tried different manual settings. The afternoon sunlight turned out to be fairly harsh. For these shots, SmugMug auto adjusted the color/exposure.

Easter Afternoon Close ups

Took several shots around the yard this afternoon. Bright sunlight caused some shadows on other pictures. Still a fan of the extreme close up.

17-85mm & 70-300mm, portrait setting

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.