Happy 4th!

Just a few edited pics from that day. 

Farm Days

Graffitti

A Day at the Park

Forcing myself to edit. Still not loving it.  I am so in need of LR...

Letter Challenge- H

Photo Challenge- Modern Day Still Life

A little editing...

I hate editing, I think it is the one thing that will keep me from ever becoming a serious photog.  I cannot figure out this PSE, it's like my brain just doesn't register what the books are telling me.  Ah, I will keep at it, but am not going to set my sights too high in this regard.  I tried a b/w conversion going for a more vintage feel, and a second edit looking at color.  

Coming Back to 12 Weeks

So some friends and I have another blog set up to practice more on our skills.  I am starting the 2peas course again with them.  Here is assignment number one.  Aperture. You can see on the last photo that I had to up the ISO which added to the noise in the photo.  

f/1.4    ISO 200  SS200

f/8.0    ISO 200   SS 200 

f/22  ISO 800   SS 200 

Llama Llama -April 23,2011

 ISO 200 SS 1/200 f3.5
 Tried some edits to boost the lighting on the previous three. Kinda bummed about the focus problem on this last one.  Don't know where it landed, maybe her jacket?

Llama Llama was at the library today.  I think these pics look grainy, but it could be the computer.  I had to shoot the last two in auto since I couldn't figure out where to bounce my flash.  Need to look into that.

April 20, 2011 Micromachines

Not sure who remembers these, but my boys have inherited by brother's collection and love them!

ISO 200  1/300  f3.5  all with speedlight

April 8, 2011 It's a Girl!!!

 ISO 200  f3.5  1/200

 ISO 200  f 2.5  SS 1/200
Our little gender reveal party cakes and gift for baby.  We fooled our moms by wrapping a blue outfit in blue paper. 

April 1, 2011

 ISO 200  SS 1/200    f 4.5  all with speedlight
Total mom shot.  Child in sensorial play with pudding!

March 25th, 2011

 All 1/200    f4.5   ISO 200

So we brought up the kitchen for a weekend when we actually had no showings.  The boys loved it.  Nothing really too great, but my inspiration is coming with the nice weather.  

March 20, 2011

Building a triple cup straw.  I like practicing on nothing at all.  I actually get some good exposures, but when I go out then its all over.

March 18th... Here comes the zoo pics

I only go here about a million times during the summer.  So you'll be seeing a lot of zoo pics.  Some may be mom shots, but who are we kidding I am a mom so whatever I am not even thinking about making money off my "skills" (if you can call it that).

Any tips on shooting inside a water tank...?  I had the flash set to highest setting and still it was so dark.  I needed more time to adjust settings, but yeah right with a 1y/o in tow. 

SOLD!

We are in the process of building our new house. Hopefully I will soon post a pic of a sold sign on our current home.  I attempted to capture the boys staking out the lot .

SS 1/1000  f2.8   ISO 200

Time warp to March 5th...

I again am attempting the speedlite at a different setting. I like the turn out better. I have to keep my ISO low to reduce the noise.  Still seems grainy but I cant tell if it's because I have blown it up on my computer. 

 

So I am also just working on the lighting aspect now, I find I have more success when I focus on one thing at a time and then put it together with what I have practiced.  Hopefully once the lighting is down I can put it with composition. Really, photography is all about practice and I can actually tell I have slacked off. 

Going back in time...

So I need to post up pics from the past that I have neglected to do.  I am really disappointed with how they have turned out, once I uploaded them onto the computer.  They seem really grainy.  This speedlite thing is a lot harder than it looks kids. 

 SS 1/200  f 4.0   ISO 800  w/speedlite

 Same settings as above

 Same settings as above



This is where it gets tricky.  I was using the Speedlite, but later learned I did not have the settings right, at least I think that is the problem.  I am trying to use the manual setting on the SL, but it is hard to adjust it constantly when the lighting is changing.  I also was finding it difficult to find a place to bounce light.  I did not have it set at custom WB, which I feel would have helped out with the coloring in some. 

 SS 1/200  f4.0   ISO 800

 SS 1/200  f2.8  ISO 800

SS 1/200 f2.8 ISO 800 

Overall I love the speedlite, it is just going to take me some getting used to.  I am much more comfortable shooting outdoors, so I am forcing myself, however painfully, to shoot more indoors in an uncontrolled environment (ie no background or lighting).