Dreaming of a White-Balanced Christmas

Last week I experimented with bumping up the ISO in low light, instead of using on-camera flash. Jeff Cowell, photography instructor in Wichita, actually suggests using the on-camera flash, placing a white handkerchief over it to diffuse the light. Fascinating… So last week in a dimly-lit restaurant, I gave it a try. This is the “before,” with on-camera flash... Read More

All I Want for Christmas is a Portrait Lens…

The Trouble with Indoor Shots Many of our family moments happen inside, which makes for a lighting challenge. Typically I set the camera to “auto” and let the flash do its work. Unfortunately, I’m seeing a lot of “washed-out” faces and shadows behind the ears. So I’m trying to turn off the flash and use available light indoors. For proper exposure... Read More

Aperture for Depth of Field

This week I found a gem of a quote: “When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” – Ansel Adams   Enough said! 😉  Speaking of focus… I have generally been thinking of aperture (the size of the lens opening) in terms of the amount of light that is let in when the shutter is... Read More

Bonus post! More "flash off" mode

I’m doing double duty today, with two posts! (I’ll make up for it next week, as there won’t be a post.) I’m loving “flash off” mode. Yesterday my son made a very sharp cap for himself, using a colander and a chain of plastic rings. At first I took this shot in “auto.” so aliens can't read his thoughts I was disappointed that the flash... Read More

ISO (I'm… So Obsessed?)

Like a techno-nerd, I’m fascinated with metadata lately. I’ve discovered that even when the camera is set on “auto,” I can go back and see what the camera chose for shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Seeing what I should have chosen in previous situations takes away some of the intimidation factor of beginning to shoot in manual modes. In the coming weeks... Read More

By the Pumpkin's Soft Glow

BOOOOO… for posting late this week! YAY for discovering a new camera setting! And no, it’s not setting the aperture, as I had hoped last week. I needed a break from the intimidating process of learning which shutter speeds & apertures go with which lighting conditions. Not to worry – there are lots of easier options. I bought a new book last week: Canon EOS... Read More

Auto No More

Well, I did it! I took a picture with the camera set on something other than “auto” (and not by accident this time! haha!). The result… let’s just say the motto of the day is “practice makes perfect,” I think. I made the mistake of letting the camera decide TOO much for me – which I can’t help yet, because I haven’t learned how... Read More

Happy Accidents

In this quest to take better photos, I have a few too many reminders that I’m doing this for the memories, in spite of my amateur status. I wish I didn’t make so many mistakes, but occasionally they end up as happy accidents. In this photo, my daughter was running and dancing in circles around the newly cleaned living room floor. She looked beautiful, and I wanted to... Read More

Tiny Details

I like the look of photographing tiny details, like hands and feet. On my list of photos to shoot is one of me holding each child’s hand – just focusing on our hands, to capture a special relationship.  For the photo below, I snapped some shots of my daughter’s feet, taken specifically to document something she said that I want to remember. The words read: Title:... Read More

Sun Flare

On my photography wish list is a lens hood. I’m getting better at recognizing lens flare (those green or yellow spots that show up on the photo when the camera is pointed toward the sun) so I can shade the lens with my hand before snapping the picture. But sometimes, I like having the sun in the shot! I’m still waiting for that perfect photo with the line of lens flare... Read More