Learning about light and exposure

I love my photography course!  I'm continuing to learn what makes a great photo but each day I realize how much MORE I have to learn!  {And how much more equipment I wanna buy!!  Yikes!}  I grasp the concept of light, but then need to add aperture. Then I realize shutter speed plays a huge part and never mind ISO which we haven't gotten to yet!  It's been a blast and the online Facebook group has been so fun to be a part of!  We share our photos and get feedback and then we can see other students' photos to help us grasp new concepts too!  

So here are some of my practice shots from this week.  Not perfect but I'm learning!

We talked about light outdoors....  And reflectors.

And indoors... Getting that sparkle in the eyes aka catchlights.

And then we moved on to exposure stuff.

Look at my blurred background... {bokeh - I'm so fancy!}  

Oooooo I'm learning!

My most cooperative model got a bug bite under his eye Friday night.  Poor guy.  Hopefully it clears up soon so I can practice more and get some more cute pics!!

3 days and learning much!

So far so good!  I am really enjoying my photography class over at Shultz Photo School!  We're on day 3 today and I've already learned about composition and lighting.  He really packs a lot into a lesson and speaks in a way that is soooo clear and makes sense to me!  He uses videos AND writes it out.  Sooo glad I signed up!!

I might have thought I had an eye for framing a shot but a lot of times it was one photo out of many and it was luck!  Now I know some fun rules that really help make a photo work.

Composing a picture using better angles, rules of third and leading lines are really new concepts for me.  Today I practiced on my friend's pup who we're watching for two weeks.

Here he is in my garden.
Used rules of third to compose the shot and leading lines work here too. {If you know what that means!}
Nevermind my overgrown, not-so-cared-for garden!

And here is pup staring down his ball hoping I'll throw it to him.

I used a different perspective than just straight on to add a bit of drama.

Love it!  {Even if it could have been framed out a bit better... I am learning!}

So that's the lastest!  So excited to learn photography speak and technique FINALLY!

Taking a course!

Today, I took my kids to a local sunflower field for some photos.  I got so many great ones with my fancy camera!  

Then I got home and went through my pics and sadly my kids aren't as crisp as the leaves closer to the camera.  I know that's a depth of field issue but have no idea how to fix it.  I still don't know how to use my "new" DSLR camera.

Later, I went on a blog I follow called Money Saving Mom and she had a post about Shultz Photo School.  I already subscribed to their emails ages ago and enjoy their tips so I thought... That's it.  I've had enough of using my awesome camera in auto.  Time to learn!  I just signed up for their course "21 Day Photo Fix" after watching the video on this page HERE.  He describes me to a T!  So wish me luck as I learn more about photography!!!

Innocent eyes

So often I look at my kids and wish I had a camera handy to capture a moment.  Usually it's not anything I could possibly capture... more the feeling I get when I look at them and one I wish I could savor forever.  Today I had one of those moments as my sweet girl was by my side talking to me from the floor.  The light was coming in at just the right angle, making her beautiful chocolate eyes sparkle.  Her sweet innocence melting my heart as I think about the girls in Nigeria who were kidnapped.  I am holding this girl more tightly today.  Grateful for my daughter and praying for the Mommas who are grieving and praying for the return of their daughters.  I am praying BIG with a hopeful heart.

Checking in

I'm afraid I didn't continue with a photo a day as I had hoped.  Buuuuuut you know what is this weekend??  TIME CHANGE!  And that means a later sunset.  And that means Spring is coming... warm temps and this chick will be venturing outside again!  Can't wait to take my camera out to explore nature.  Soon.  Soon.

Photos to share

Continuing with the photo challenge, here are some new photos!

Here are some cute snowman coasters that my mother got me years ago.  I love how they nestle in between the snowmen in the front and the trees.  

 I took so many pictures trying to get a good one of the light in my dining room.  I played around with so many settings, realizing I have no idea how to use my camera or what I even it would need to set even if I knew how!  Must get my butt on YouTube and watch some tutorials this week if time allows!

My bamboo plant

My dark curtains in my kitchen.  

My children's open box of crayons with a few impostors!

My son does the cutest art projects at preschool. 

Thank you for taking a look!  Any tips always welcome!!  Or links to your favorite online resources!

Photo a day x3

Here are some of my latest photos and what I'm learning.  All these photos are unedited aside from the added watermark and text so any feedback is appreciated!

 Nothing like fresh and clean laundry!  I took many photos of this because it was hard to make a pile of clothes look good.  I also had reflection off the metal.  So I played around a bit and like this final shot.

 This caddy is on the counter in my kids' bathroom.  What I need to figure out is how to make the photo brighter without editing.  I had to turn the flash off because it was too intense.  Gotta learn about color and lighting!!

We had so much snow yesterday but to be fair this is today, Jan.6's photo for "outdoors".  The beautiful snow is gone. I took many photos in an attempt to focus on the raindrops.  Again I have to figure out aperture or f stops or something here!  I tried to take my lens off and hold it away from the camera body for a macro shot but couldn't figure that little trick out.  Must read up on that again.  But for now, this isn't too bad!

That's about it for today.  I'll probably continue to group my photo-a-day pictures together just because of time.  But I appreciate you stopping by!

Photo a day challenge

A fun way to learn to use a camera is simply to use it regularly.  I tried taking a photo a day back in 2010 but had a baby and couldn't keep up!  

{See my personal blog for that A Productive Endeavor blog, Project 365 tags.} 

Since then Pinterest came along and I love these monthly challenges with a theme a day!  The Idea Room posted this one and I definitely want to play along!

So here are my first 3 photos for Jan. 1-3 with my new Nikon D3200 camera!

I am committed to working out regularly again.  I started the Couch to 5K app to rebuild my endurance.

I love to make cards and this is how I store my stickers.

It's been coooold here.  This is my husband relaxing by the fire.

I realize they aren't perfect but I am learning.  Any tips are welcome if you have an eye for it!

Creating a watermark

I don't know how to use Photoshop so I rely on PicMonkey for all my photo editing.  I have been wanting to create a watermark for my photos for years but never could quite figure them out.  I was THRILLED when I found a tutorial using PicMonkey, which I know well!  Here is the link to Tempting Thyme's blog who had amazing easy to use instructions!  That is how I created the watermarks you see on my blog title photo and others!  Had to share!

A new year and a new camera

I have had my little faithful point and shoot camera for FIVE years!  That is a long time to have a camera these days, especially for someone who takes a bazillion pictures like me!  I have priced out DSLRs and waited patiently for a couple years.  In fact, I started this blog last November thinking my days with a DSLR were just around the corner.  Nope.  Did some other things with my moula and had to rebuild my savings.  

I originally wanted a Nikon D5100.

But the D5100 was already replaced with the D5200.

*sigh*

And the D5200 was definitely beyond my price point.  

*whimper*

The newer D3200 appeared on sale, dipping into the price point I was interested in!

So I compared.

Source Snapsort

Definitely comparable.

The big difference for me was the lack of the swivel screen but something I could live without.

Easily.

Then along came Black Friday.  

The sweet deal I was watching like a hawk.  

*click click click* SUBMIT!  

This baby was MINE!

Introducing, my first DSLR, the Nikon D3200.

{photo taken with my not as crisp cell phone camera}

Next up... how to use it, and all that jazz!