taking pictures

I have been messing around with photography for about 8 years now. Joe bought me my first Nikon SLR (film) camera. I took some classes, got in the dark room, then got pregnant and set the thing down, reaching for the digital point and shoot instead. Since then I've upgraded to digital SLR and tried to refresh my knowledge of general concepts of photography, exposure, etc. I'm proud to say I'm back in the "M" mode on my camera. I so want to be good at taking pictures! It's not easy, but if you take enough pictures, you're bound to get one or two good ones. At least in theory.

Getting your shooting done in the right light is huge. If you wait until it's warm out and catch the noon sun, you are screwed. So I forced my kids to shower on a Saturday morning, change into clothes they didn't pick themselves (this is just asking for a meltdown), and trek out to the middle of a field across the road from us. Camera, lenses, tripod, blanket in hand out the door into the 45 degree morning we went. I was so disappointed when the golf cart (yes, we have a golf cart) wouldn't start...cold hands, runny noses, 2 hours and 200 shots later we were done. They were actually great sports. Taking pictures of your kids isn't always easy because you get frustrated with them a lot easier than any other subject. For example, "put the stick down, Gabe, put the stick down, PUT THE G#@D#@# STICK DOWN!" Yeah, it's super fun going out shooting with Mommy! Anyway, here's a sample of what I came up with.

The expressions just crack me up on this one. How did he know what her face looked like?

Here's what happens if you don't get the "good light". Nothing you can do to get rid of the tree shadows.

No passing zone

And check out all the pumpkins!