Ry's 3 Year Photo Shoot

Well, my first photo shoot is over...and it was interesting.  Photographing an almost 3 year old is tough work!!  She wouldn't give me a real smile and had ZERO interest in looking at the camera.  So, my quest for a good picture of her looking straight at the camera and giving me her beautiful real smile was defeated...BUT, I still got some decent ones of her none the less.  I was so nervous about this shoot.  I have been playing with my camera for a few months now and felt pretty good about my settings.  I had also gone out a few nights prior and took some photos of the locations I had in mind to get an idea of the settings I would need to use according to the lighting at that time of evening.  I waited until a day that was warm enough for Rylee to wear her dress and not windy or too wet.  When that day arrived I mustered up the courage to say "lets do this!" and off we went. 

Rylee, who dislikes wearing dresses, put on the outfit I wanted her to wear and told me she felt like a princess.  I thought for sure this was a good sign that the shoot would go well!  She was excited to go with me (since it included a Gator ride to the location) and I was super excited to get started...and get it over with.  The first 8 minutes or so went well and she did everything I asked (accept give me a real smile or look at the camera).  These 8 minutes were all in the same spot.  When I told her it was time to go to a new spot, she asked if we could go home....bummer.  But I got another 35 minutes out of her and I could tell she disliked every minute of it, but she never once complained!  She asked if we could be done and go home and also told me she was ready for her treat that I promised her..."just a few more pictures," is what I kept telling her, and she humored me each time.  I did deliver on my promise....with a bowl of ice cream and sprinkles as soon as we got back home.

I took a couple hundred pictures and after weeding through them I have about 60 left that are decent...and about 10 that I really like a lot!  I was just hoping for one good one, and even though I didn't get the exact one I was hoping for, I am happy with the results!  I just got my photo editing software and was going to wait to show some of my favs with you until I got them edited...but, I'm pretty sure my first editing experience will inspire a whole other blog post.  So, without further ado, here are some of my favs from our shoot, unedited. 

I learned quite a few things from the experience, regarding my camera settings, things to watch for in the background, composition items to watch, ways to use the evening sun to make the lighting just right, etc.  The most important thing I learned though is that you can't ask a small child to do anything you want them to do, because the picture really turns out "fake".  The best way to photograph a child is by letting them do their own thing and taking pictures as they do it.  The most genuine faces I captured of her were when she was ignoring my requests to smile and look at the camera and just being herself.  I already promised her I will never ask her to look at the camera and smile again. 

I also learned afterwards from my fashionista husband that, "Rylee needed a belt...that's what they would have done on The Devil Wears Prada."  Thanks honey...we will be sure to get your advice FIRST next time :) 

Picture Perfect

Hi everyone!  I'm still here.  I haven't had anything I've been eager to write about lately.  I have felt overly compelled to post something though and while rummaging through my last few weeks I decided to write about my newest hobby that has been consuming my thoughts and "free time" lately.  Photography.

I've always loved seeing that perfect picture with my own eyes and thinking, "where is the camera when you need it?".  Boy have I learned that what you see with your eyes is SO HARD to capture through a lens!!!  It seems so simple....look through the viewfinder and push the button, right???  Well, if you want to trust the camera to get the picture "right", then sure, it's that easy.  However, if you really want to capture the mood of the image and add your own style....that's a whole other set of instructions!!  This other set of instructions comes with jargon of it's own too, like Aperture, white balance, noise, ISO, bokeh, and so on. 

Before I decided to purchase a DSLR camera, I spent a fair amount of time reading about photography and watching youtube videos on how to operate the camera as well as the way to use each setting of the camera.  By the time I was done with that, I wasn't sure I still wanted to jump into this hobby.....I'm still not even sure, ha!  It really is a lot to learn...but practicing on my kiddos is so much fun and every once in awhile I get a wonderful picture of them!  I'm hoping to never pay for professional photos again. 

I have only just begun this hobby and am only surface deep in what my camera can do.  I feel like I am getting a decent grasp on the basics, but then again, I haven't tried taking pictures in many different settings.  I found a couple of neat places to take pictures today, but then I realized I have to get there at a certain time for the sun to be just right and it can't be a windy day, and oh boy, this really is a lot of work - ha!  Oh, and trying to get a stubborn 2 year old to let me take her picture -- forget about it!  I'm already planning lots of bribes for her 3 year pictures coming up!  I take lots of pictures of the kids' toys for practice too...they are so bright and colorful and really quite perfect to practice getting my lighting just right. 

And then there's editing, which I haven't even touched yet....my mind spins just thinking about it!  I've been researching editing software and just can't decide if I want to buy something yet or not.  I like a lot of my pictures without any editing.....but I know they could probably be even better with some touch-ups.  Oye.....I understand why photographers are so expensive!  Though I have to say that now that I'm learning about photography, I'm finding a lot of "professional" photographers' pictures to be mediocre in my mind.  Not saying I can do better, I just find myself critiquing their photos more than I ever would have before. 

I googled "DIY photo backgrounds" the other day and my thoughts are now consumed with all of these ideas I want to try.  This could become an expensive hobby!  I already bought a 2nd lens and am only a few months in!  Who knew that there are so many lens' and they all portray images differently?!?!?  I know in the end though I will come out ahead if I am able to take my own pictures of my kids for the rest of their childhood. 

As I think about it, this hobby is really perfect for me, because it gives me something to learn, practice, perfect...all while creating fun tangible items to keep.  Since I don't have a "job", learning photography has been a great way for me to use those "on the job" skills that have gotten a little rusty....learning on my own, researching answers, patience and perseverance (a different kind of patience than I have to have with my kids), etc.  I'm really quite enjoying it....at least for now.  We'll see what happens in a few weeks when I do my first real shoot with my daughter as she turns 3.  I'd like to get into some landscape photography as well.   My goal is to have an entry or two at the state fair sometime in my life :)