September 18 – I John 4:7

I woke up in a fun way this morning, with the words of a song (slightly rewritten)going through my head — “My Love just wrote me a lettah.” and I realized my Love has written me a “Lettah,” and it was waiting on the table in the computer room for me to read. I got up, sat at the table, and listened. I John. Ok. 4. Ok. 7. I John 4:7 Dear Friends,... Read More

Down home

Remember last week’s post about our miserable portrait studio experience? A couple days later, one of my husband’s coworkers (a photography hobbyist) said she was giving on-location family portraits as her Christmas gift! I’m so excited! A photo makes a great gift – even just a nice snapshot of a favorite person. Last week the kids and I made the ten-hour... Read More

Finding Inspiration

It’s a double-post Wednesday! (White balance below…) This was the week for our family Christmas portrait sessions. I think the receptionist at the budget portrait studio swallowed her gum when I told her we’d be bringing in four children under age four. On the first try, my oldest son hid behind the props and wouldn’t come out. The only picture we have of... Read More

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

Adding Texture

Another double-post Wednesday! This week I have been playing in Photoshop with the pictures from last week’s (hasty) post. Just consider those the “before” pictures! After some cropping and edits, here is my row of trees, revisited: autumn changes The primary change was adding a “texture” called the Difference Maker. Aptly named! It is a JPG image,... Read More

Silhouettes from home

I made a whirlwind trip home last week and am still recovering. The exposure triangle (ISO, aperture, shutter speed) will have to wait. Instead, here are a few shots from last week.  The light there is different from the light here. The sun hits the fields and makes them look like green velvet, and the seed heads in the ditches glow like rows of sparklers. This is a shot of the... 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