My kids were out in the front yard playing one night. That may seem stupid to mention to many of you, but here in AZ, you know that summer is uttering its last gasp when kids will go outside after dinner and actually stay out there for more than five minutes.
I digress.
My kids were out in the front yard playing one night, and the light was divine. I snagged the camera and snapped like 100 pictures.
My lack of photography training is evident. Even the perfect light can't mask the fact that these are all slightly out of focus.
Here's my question for all you great photographers out there (Dana? Kara? Pam?) Do you know a good online photo class? I was so happy taking these shots, and then . . . I looked at them. I have an old-school 2nd generation Canon Rebel XT and a few lenses, I know how to use the aperture/shutter speed/ISO, but I just can never get it right. My pictures just miss crisp focus and what I want them to be. I'd love suggestions!
Have a great weekend. Supposed to be 107 today and over 100 through the weekend. I always tell myself that you can count on it being under 100 on October 1st, so maybe by Saturday next week?
I digress.
My kids were out in the front yard playing one night, and the light was divine. I snagged the camera and snapped like 100 pictures.
My lack of photography training is evident. Even the perfect light can't mask the fact that these are all slightly out of focus.
Evie in her "gangsta" stance.
Lily hauled her dinner outside after tumbling, just because the weather was so nice.
I wish this one was sharper . . .
. . . and this one. Hyrum was hilarious in that tree.
His "show me your teeth" smile.
The light! But the blurry!
So much love in this one! Then . . .
Evie transferred a little dinner to Lily, and that ended the love fest.
Notice the twin scabs on his head? He had been running down the sidewalk and his feet couldn't keep up with his body, forcing his head to the cement. Did it hurt, Rum? "Well, I cried."
Lily mugging for Mom.
At the last minute, Micah came out to cheese it up. Then he started laughing at how funny he was.
Here's my question for all you great photographers out there (Dana? Kara? Pam?) Do you know a good online photo class? I was so happy taking these shots, and then . . . I looked at them. I have an old-school 2nd generation Canon Rebel XT and a few lenses, I know how to use the aperture/shutter speed/ISO, but I just can never get it right. My pictures just miss crisp focus and what I want them to be. I'd love suggestions!
Have a great weekend. Supposed to be 107 today and over 100 through the weekend. I always tell myself that you can count on it being under 100 on October 1st, so maybe by Saturday next week?
love the one of your girls kissing.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of lens are you using? Not much of a photographer, but when I switched to a 50mm lens my photos seemed to sharpen up a bit. Using a wide aperture helps too (1.8-2.2 -- even the cheap 50mm lenses can do that). Sometimes using the "sharpen" tool in photo-editing software helps but it won't save a blurry photo.
ReplyDeleteDarcy at Life with 3 Boybarians has a really great series called 31 days to better photograpy (its one of her tabs at the top of her page). She makes it really easy to understand and you can move at your own pace. For instance, I haven't gotten beyond the first couple of lessons. .. haven't forayed into portraits yet.
ReplyDeleteHope that helps.
That night looks familiar - picture us in front of your house on bikes!!
ReplyDeleteI've done an on-line one-on-one (skype) class with Nicole Hill (nicolehill.blogspot.com) and I know she does classes in Utah. She's got mad skills.
I'd be more than happy to sit down with your for a while and show you some things - let me know!
FYI - there's a lot of sharpening done in Photoshop
ReplyDeletedon't be so hard on yourself, these pics are beautiful! my have is the very first one ;-)
ReplyDeletethat would be FAVE, not have ... darn you, spellcheck!
ReplyDeleteFabulous! Love the saggy diaper...and the kissy shot! What great pics. So much fun! You know we all struggle with all that can be done with pics...especially when we cant figure any of it out, but these are really precious!
ReplyDeleteyour kids are darling - even blurry! i have been meaning to buy this book for myself to help learn more about my camera http://kristendukephotography.com/?p=2851.
ReplyDeletelooks like she might do skype classes too.
Blurry? I just thought they were all beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThere's an awesome lady, Sarah Goodman, who does a day long class in the spring time. She teaches you ALL about your camera and what settings to use. She boosted my confidence enough for me to start my own business! :o) Check out her website, www.sarahgoodmanphotography.com. You could email her as ask when she's doing her canon class. She's a great resource and SO nice!
ReplyDeleteOne book that made a world of difference for me is called, Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson (you can get it on Amazon).
I'd be happy to help out with any questions you might have, too! :o)
Im totally bad about taking blurry pictures, so I have ALOT of black and whites in my house. Once its in B&W, you can't even tell they are blurry - it just looks like it was supposed to be that way! Love your pics!!
ReplyDeleteThese are still MORE than keepers. I love the one of Lily and Evie, both before and after...as well as the twin scabs and tree hanger.
ReplyDelete=)
love love love the one of E transferring foody! haha
ReplyDeletei love digital...that we can snap a 100 photos in 5 mins flat...our children's spouses will thank us! hee hee
Hi Jen,
ReplyDeleteI missed this post likely while at Home Depot ; ) I agree with gabe Darcy's series is great. I mainly shoot in AV, it's a secret most photographer's don't like to share. It's all... oh I'm in manual mode. But AV makes your life really easy. Just worry about ISO and light metering and the shots can be amazing.
Also don't be afraid to take shots directly into the sun with your subject blocking a bit of the light out. You would have had to almost be on the ground with Evie. Backlit shots can be really special.
Dana
I took a great class through Big Picture Scrapbooking. I still have the notes, but I really can't remember a thing. I'm so scatterbrained with the technical stuff. Off to check out these other suggestions!
ReplyDeleteI thought these pictures came out pretty good :) I can barely tell that they're blurry! The kissy shot was so cute until you mentioned the food sharing part...ewww...
ReplyDeleteIf you're looking into online photo classes, have you tried checking out Clickin' Moms? They have really expensive classes but I've heard a lot of positive things about it from other mom photographers.