August 28, 2009

More practicing what I learned in Dallas.

So if the all-to-entertaining Sarah Goodman is reading this, I am so really trying to use manual more and more. I love how the images below (all shot in manual) really came out so much closer to what I saw with my eye. The color, the brightness, etc. None of these have been run
through Photoshop. All were shot on 400 or 800 ISO and auto white balance. I think I am getting there. Just more practice. And kids that aren't mine. I thought, "I'll let them be them for a while and then also get some of what I want" Yeah, no. Or not well. But that is not
Jackson. He was helpful. Now the 4 1/2 year old was a slightly different story.

Another problem is I am really finding that, yeah, the kit lenses do pretty much suck when you want natural light. I really wanted to argue with you and Candice Stringham, that indeed yes, you can get great images with a kit lens. But I am finding that the circumstances for
that have to be just right and I would really have lost that discussion. Oh well. I only have a wish list of about 3 lenses that are all constant 2.8 (I have a 1.8 50mm that someone is using).

Jackson one night noticed that I was looking at a camera and some lenses. The conversation went like so:

Jackson: What'ya doin'? Me: Looking at a camera and lens. J: How much it it? Me: $xxxx Jackson: Will that hurt my college fund?

We won't discuss what that will do to a college fund, now will we.

August 09, 2009

More playing with the camera.

So tonight the kids were outside playing on their bikes and scooters.
So I took the opportunity to play more with my camera in manual mode
and the different metering modes. I think i horrified Jackson and
confused Reid when at one point I was laying down in the street at
they passed by.

I used my Nikon D70 and NOT Heather's D90; using the D90 make me want
the D300 worse because of the speed and it is going to be quite a
while before that happens. All images were taken with a NIKKOR
70-300mm Zoom AF-S f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR lens.

August 03, 2009

The Birthday

So another year has come and gone. Jackson is now 10. I am actually having some issues with this. He is no longer my little boy, but at the same time he is. The evidence of him turning into a tween has been more evident over the last couple of months. Pokemon is still in full effect, but watching shows like The Suite Life, The Wizards of Wavery Place, and shows on Cartoon Network Real like Build Destroy Build. And (I love this), he has finally told me to stop doing something because I was embarrassing him. Only one more school year and he will be in middle school.

He had a good party at the ConocoPhillips swimming pool with several of his friends. His cake? It look like an Oreo thanks to a pan that we bought was Williams-Sonoma. After having his party we went to Red Robin in Tulsa for his dinner of choice. Of course, we had to get the Tower of Onion Rings. The rest of the afternoon he spent playing Will Sport Resort.

After having spent the last week in Dallas learning more on photography at the Creative Photography Retreat, I decided to put it to work. So I happened to be at Wal-Mart and saw this shower curtain and thought it would make a cool background. I look at the pictures above and, again it hits me that he is not so little any more. I'm not sure I can say that I have 2 young kids and that is strange.

August 01, 2009

And the tradition continues

Every year since Jackson has been born, we put balloons up around his
doorframe - one for each year. We are now up to 10! 10! How is it that
he is 10. A decade. I don't feel almost 40 and don't look it (I don't
think, HA!). But, even though I may run 15 miles a week, blowing up
one more balloon gets tough. Once he hits 12, I think a balloon
bouquet will just be ordered and tied to his door handle.