Cutest Post Ever

This might be my most adorable post ever, and it doesn't even contain a single Brycen picture.

Remember a few weeks ago when I ranted that I wanted another perfect picture of bokeh and Brycen? Well, I kind of got it right, but I have definitely found out that practice makes . . . better bokeh. Anyway, a friend of mine shared I could practice on her kids in front of her tree. She has 4 kids under 5. Her oldest is about 9 months older than Brycen (who turns 4 on Saturday!!!) and her triplets are about 2 and a half. 

She writes about them here, on her awesome blog.

I was feeling great that day (acupuncture is wonderful) and headed over armed with my 50mm lens, these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and 2 Santa hats. I was so glad Bonnie didn't have high expectations of me, I felt no pressure. And her kids were AMAZING. I could have sat for hours in front of the tree with them. 

Tip: At first the bokeh was not coming out at all, which was disappointing because I got some cute ones of them pointing to ornaments. Then Bonnie and I realized at the same time - the child needs to be closer to the camera (or midpoint between)! 

These are far from professional, and I put zero editing into them. But, I loved getting a taste of what a different career might look like:

This one was hard to capture, but I wasn't giving up. Bonnie has many great pics of him on her blog, so I know he can smile and be still! What a cutie. 

"We''ll take those cookies, now!"

And I can't forget to mention, her oldest surprised me with individual apple pies before I left. He helped make them and was so proud. My mom and I enjoyed the pies immensely. Thanks, Bonnie!

Text on Photos

Today I finally discovered an UNCOMPLICATED app to use when I want to add different types of text (and/or artwork) to my pictures. I have wanted to do this for years. Now that I finally have an updated phone and updated updates and updated pictures . . . I decided to buy and app called "Over," So far it has been worth the $3.99 I spent. I figured since my phone bill went actually went down $30 a month, I could splurge on an app or two - the second will be a game for Brycen to learn letters. 

So, if you need me, I will be playing with this app:

Now the issue is how will they look when I print them out?

The Results

The Camera: A Nikon D60
The lens: 50mm prime
The bribery: the promise of ginger ale with dinner that night (really kid? you probably could have asked for a trip to Disney World and I would have ordered the tickets right then and there).
Wardrobe changes: 3
Locations: first at park, then at home, in front of Christmas Tree
Total number of pictures taken: 89
How many I really like and will use: 5 or 6


Thank goodness we went to the park first so I could play with my camera - I had some serious focusing issues going on. (I was using single point focus, and did not realize it, so most of the time it wasn't focusing on Brycen). I am bummed because as we were romping around in the pine tree forest, I could have taken some great shots, but they were all blurred. I did like this one:

And this happened:

I REALLY am done with this, mom

As soon as we returned to playground, he wanted the sweater off, but strangely put the hat on, without being asked. It was around 70 degrees here in Charlotte yesterday so I didn't mind. Here are a few as I played with my camera and he played with bubbles and ate a snack:

When we returned home he took a 2 hour nap and even though I should have been napping, I continued to play around with my camera. After he woke up and played quietly to get the sleepys out, he began the posing session.

I asked him to show me his favorite ornament from tree and the kid shows me the bubble whistle he had been playing with earlier - somehow it had turned into an ornament! Oh well. I should probably note here that our tree isn't even finished being decorated. But I am the type of person who would rather put energy into Christmas Cards then finishing the tree decorating.

I love the bokeh in the second picture! And his faces. When I mentioned that ginger ale he perked up and ran to get one of his outfits.

The bokeh is not as big or as creamy, but I love his expressions! I think more lights on the tree would help.

Then things got serious. He changed into the sweater.

DONE!!!

The enlarged picture made the Christmas card, along with a few of the earlier pictures. Not 100% perfect (like last year) but 99% for sure!

Christmas Card Picture

Last year, at 6:41pm on December 23rd, I took the above picture.

It is on my top 5 favorite pictures I have ever taken list.

I love his messy curls.

I love that he is drinking tea. He requested hot tea, probably peppermint flavored, a lot last year.

I love the slight blur to the photo.

And I love the blurry, dreamy, colorful bokeh in the background.

How on earth did I take this picture? Did I just happen to have my camera set at the right setting at the right time when Brycen actually was still for a moment??

How can I repeat this so it can be on this year's Christmas Card?? Because I am actually tempted to use this old picture, when he was inches smaller, pounds lighter, hair curlier. He had turned 3 just 4 days before. But who really would notice, his mug is mostly covered with a mug. (hee, hee).

No, I am going to figure this out. Here are my clues, using iPhoto information tab to help me:

-it was taken at night (hence the time stated above)
-the flash was not used
-the ISO was set to a standard 400
-The lens! I was using my 50mm lens!
-the f stop was 1.8 (I don't remember what that even means)

I never use a tripod, but it's possible I was balancing my camera on a stack of books. I also believe we had more lights on the tree last year. I am wondering how many other lights we had on in the room, I think the main source of lights was from the tree itself - all things I can change.

I also have a new problem this year - an overly curious kid. (I am done calling him a toddler - sniff, sniff). Every time I take out my Nikon he wants to play with it. And because I have let him in the past play with it, he doesn't deal well with no. There may be some bribery involved in achieving the perfect Christmas Card picture.

So, PATIENCE, bribery, 50mm lens, no flash, possible fake tripod, dark outside and barely lit inside, and maybe things will work!

p.s he's actually quite good at taking photos with my camera. I want to give him my old Nikon coolpix but I can't find the charger. And I should write a review about how horrible the v-tech camera for kids is. But seriously, I am proud of my little photographer!!

March: Rent a Nikon D90 and a 50mm Prime Lens

Every month in 2013 I want to try something to improve my photography.

In January, I took my first photography class.

In February, I went on a mountain trip in very poor weather.

First of all, March flew by for me. It was quite the enjoyable month, although it was very chilly in the southeast. Since I am still debating (and often checking craigslist) my future camera options, I decided to rent a D90 for the weekend to see if I like it. If you will recall, I can't use a prime lens with my D60, but I wanted to see if an upgrade would be worth it. Here is what I learned:

1. I don't like battery grips. The rental came with one, and I wasn't sure if I could take it off. It made the camera body double the size, and it made it awkward. Obviously, it's suppose to make the camera easier to grip, but I don't think I will need one, unless I go professional.

2. I honestly thought that if I had a 50 mm prime lens (meaning it was fixed on 50mm and could not zoom in or zoom out) I would be able to walk up to a flower, stick the camera in it and shoot amazingly detailed closeup photos. Imagine my surprise and frustration when this was not the case. The camera went berserk and refused to shoot anything unless I backed up at least 6 inches.

So I emailed a D90 user, the amazing photographer who posts her lovely shots of snowflakes here and asked her what she used to take those pictures. She commented back almost immediately (thanks Tammie!) that she used a 105 mm lens. So I looked up that lens on amazon . . . wow, photography is not a cheap hobby.

3. So, feeling frustrated, and not really getting what I wanted out of the camera or the lens, I only played with it a little on Saturday. I took it hiking and took some shots similar to what I would take with my D60. Yes, the quality was better, but nothing that made me want to upgrade soon.

4. Then today, Easter Sunday, I broke out the camera and the 50mm again to take 900 pictures of my son. He is 15 months old, and always on the move. He began hunting for Easter eggs in the backyard and I clicked away. We took him to the park, and I clicked away. I even took pictures indoors with the flash.

And I love how ALL the pictures came out. The 50mm lens really freezes him, and the bokeh in the background came out gorgeous shot after shot. Yes, I fell in love with the lens before I fell in love with the camera, but I have to have an updated camera body to have the lens!

Luckily both the D90 and the 50mm lens can be found for excellent prices. As for the 105mm lens . . . well, there's always next year!

p.s. This is my 100th post - and I think it's fitting that a monthly project falls on the 100th!

At the Park 5, the Rule of Thirds

January 20th, 2013
Neighborhood Park

Instead of putting the horizon directly in the middle of the shot, I put it at 2/3 down, to emphasize the beautiful Carolina sky.

January: Basic Photography Class

ISO: 200 Aperture: f/5 Shutter Speed: 1/60

A Swing at the Neighborhood Park
July 19th, 2012

Every month this year I want to do one thing to improve my photography. These things will include taking classes, being mentored, purchasing a new lens, photo expeditions, and photo shoots of people.

I had some credit from classes I missed last year, and I finally had a chance to use it by taking an all day "boot camp" on basic photography skills. If you're nervous about taking a photography class, January is a great time to do it because so many people just received cameras for Christmas. The lady next to me had not even taken her Canon out of the box.

Here are a few things I got out of the class. Please remember that I am not a professional and I could be misunderstanding something - again here is what I got out of it:

Aperture:
1.  Aperture (the number after the letter f) has to do with what is in focus. And since focusing out the background (making it blurry) is one of my favorite things to do, I am about to become a student of aperture.

2. The lower the f number, the less of the background is in focus. The higher the f number, the more of the whole picture that is in focus. I think of it like this to remember: lower number, lower background quality. (Although I think a blurry background is actually beautiful quality). My picture above is an f/5. 

3. Putting the camera on A or AV mode will let you choose the f numbers. 

4. The lower the aperature, the higher the shutter speed. 1/4000 is a HIGH speed, and anything with quotation marks after the number is LOW speed. More about that later . . .

Shutter Speed

5. Putting the camera on A or AV mode let's you choose the f numbers AND makes the camera choose the shutter speed! Woo-hoo! Or, you can put it on M (manual) and choose both. 

6. When looking at shutter speed, the “ (quotation mark) after a number means actual seconds. So, if you set it to 15” it’s going to take 15 seconds to take your picture. Low speeds like this are needed for those neat night shots. Again, 1/4000 is a fast, high speed.

7. If you go slower than 1/60, you should be on a tripod. 

ISO

8. Messing with the ISO (light sensitivity) will let you get lower and higher aperture and shutter speed numbers. 

9. The default for ISO is 400, but if you're indoors you can crank that up

10. The better (and newer, and more expensive) the camera model, the more ISO choices it will have. This where my lovely (old) camera is weak, but because I love to shoot with sunlight indoors and out, it's not a big deal.

Composition

11. Vertical shots are often better than horizontal

12. A shutter speed of ½ and lower will get you some silky shots of water moving, but be sure to be on a tripod

13. Macro shots are not an ability of a camera. It is the ability of the lens.

14. A prime or fixed lens (meaning it can’t be zoomed) can take wonderful macro shots. I am looking at getting a fixed lens at 50mm. 

15. BUT, they make different 50mm with lower and lower f numbers. The lower the number it can reach, the more expensive the lens. So, this little guy is under $150 and can go down to f1.8 but this guy is $350 and goes down to f1.4. I have no idea what the difference between f1.8 and f1.4 looks like. 

16. And finally, something ALL teachers tell you: use the rule of thirds. I need to get some technical stuff down before I start thinking about this every time I take a picture. Some rules are: water can take up 2/3 of the frame, and the remaining 1/3 can be sky (or vice versa). Fill the vertical frame with a person, and make sure their eyes are 1/3 of the way down. Basically, think like there is a nine square grid on your frame and use it to your advantage.