5/52

So, I spent this week just playing around with what I've learned thus far. I also had to reschedule my first appointment due to snow and slick roads. So, I thought I'd show you a little of our fun...in pictures, of course ;)!

I LOVE this picture, not for the content, but for the composition. I love the way his truck just looks AWESOME in this picture!

I am SUCH a lucky woman. My hubby's such a hottie!

This one was my favorite of the day. I just love it!!

Week 5: Hodge Podge

I chose this cartoon, because it is EXACTLY how I felt this afternoon...the out of focus part, that is. I was in a situation where the indoor lighting was poor. I adjusted my exposure, aperture, shutter speed, and white balance, but still my pictures were dark. My only option was the dreaded auto setting, since I knew enough to know that I didn't know how to fix it. (To all you veteran photogs out there...what should I have tried????) So, at any rate, I was taking pictures of my niece and sister-in-law. I got a few precious shots of them, but my SIL was a sharp, crisp (incredibly beautiful) image, while her precious munchkin was a bit of a blur. In just four short weeks I have most definitely become an auto moder hater; a photog snob, as my SIL and I joked :)! OH MY!!! I'm lovin' it, though!

Any who! This week I'm continuing to learn about composition. For those rookies (ummm I'm including myself right here) out there, composition is a BIG topic. I might be here for the next several weeks!!! I'm going to take a look at a few more reads from the Expert Photographer, Patrick this week on dynamic tension and juxtaposition this week, but I'm also going to start learning about shooting in different lighting conditions. I'm not doing this because I'm absolutely nuts (although my friends and family may say that's true). Nope, I have my first non-family, scheduled ahead of time, real deal photography session this week.

EEEEKKKKK!!!!! I'm totally excited and nervous all at the same time! I'll be taking engagement pictures for a friend of mine and her fiancé. I told her I'd do them on one condition, that we do them early enough that if they totally suck, then she still has time to get some taken by a "real" photographer. LOL!!! I've got SOOOOO much to learn, but I do LOVE what I'm learning.

So, what have you got on tap for this week? Leave me a message. I'd love to connect with you.

Happy Snapping,
~ Melissa ~

4/52

Shut the front door! I found the motherland this week...METERING!!! I've read about it SEVERAL times already, but really didn't understand it because I couldn't figure it out on my camera. Well, after reading it for the nth time, I figured it on my camera. I'm loving it!!!!

I also did the readings on composition, and this little gem was quite informative. Patrick's information on the rule of thirds, and visual weight, are some of the best and easiest to understand that I've read. I'm going to look into his dynamic tension and juxtaposition this week, too!!!

 What a difference WHITE BALANCE makes!!!!! Just check out my smurfalicious daughter (left picture) compared to my beautiful sunny girl (right picture).

Then my fabulous sister-in-law allowed me to take pictures of this happy little bug today!! Isn't she ADORABLE????

I hope you're enjoying this journey as much as I am. Leave some love below, share your story, or feel free to give me a little critique!!! 

Happy Snapping, 

~ Melissa ~

Week 4: Composition

I haven't learned all that I need to know about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, buuuutttt for now, what I need most is practice, practice, practice! So this week I'm turing my attention to the concept of composition. It's something that I've honestly never given much thought to. I see something that catches my eye. Is beautiful for one reason or another, and I snap the shot. The images I end up with are sometimes chaotic, sometimes not at all like I remember, and, on the rare and special happen chance, a beautifully amazing glimpse of the beauty I witnessed. I want those few occasions to turn into my majority, so composition seems to be the place to go! I apologize, in advance, if anyone finds this cartoon offensive, but, being a plus size lady myself, I found it hill-ar-ious!!!! And, the fact that I actually "get it" is a testament to my progress on the learning curve :)!

I'll be consulting the Momtographers for a tidbit about angles, the experts at Expert Photography will give their perspective on composition, and, if I'm feeling a bit ambitious, I'll end with a selection from the digital photography school.

So, what will you be learning about this week? What's your focus? Leave a comment and let us know how it's going.

Happy Snapping,

~ Melissa ~

3/52

I've been a busy girl this week!!! It was my first week back to classes and externship (that's what we call our weekly field placements), and I would have MUCH rather been home with the babies! Our youngest two are also a bit under the weather. Needless to say, I've devoted less than my typical amount of time in photography.

So, what did I do this week??? I still fired the rapid clicks of my camera as I took over 1,000 shots this week! LOL!!! Most of them actually turned out in focus, thanks to my new understanding of shutter speed. I've set it to never go below 1/125, and I usually have it at 1/250. I did read the manual mode information, and I looked briefly at articles about what the number on my lens means, focal length, depth of field, aperture, focal lock, and exposure. Some of them I'm "good" with, and some will definitely need a week devoted just to them. LOL!! So, my pictures from this week are a hodgepodge of my many camera clicks, with a little bit of my understanding for why the exposure came out the way it did! For any more experienced photogs, did I use that term correctly???


Focusing on the correct point is so critical. I was focused on that sweet, chubby hand, causing his face to be blurred out. Lesson learned :)!

These two taught me another valuable lesson. Looking through the lens, I thought I was doing "okay" in manual mode. Once on the computer I realized that the poor gymnasium lighting greatly impacted the images and discolored them all. These are two GREAT shots of the kids...of Kathryn saying "cheese" and of Joseph struggling to carry his "baby seester". Kathryn was waayy too dark, and the one of them together was so yellow. Uck!

These two highlight the difference lighting can make indoors. The one of Kathryn was taken in the playroom at MeMe and Papa's house, where the natural lighting is quite poor, while the one of her daddy was taken in the family room, where there's great window lighting. Huge, difference, right??? And, as a side note, I did good. My man is hot, hot, hot ;)!!!

I knew this one was going to be a poor shot, but I also thought it'd be a great "showcase" of what I've learned in just three short weeks! So, Joe's facing the son, which is just fine. There are, however, two problems. First, he's standing in dappled light (read more about that here). That's what is causing all those spots of light and shade in the picture. He's also looking into the sun, which is causing him to squint. He needs to be facing the light, but far enough into the open shade to not be squinting :)!


The rest of the shots were from my experimenting today. I am SO happy with them!!! I had my shutter speed set to 1/250, with the aperture set on the lowest setting for my lens. The ISO was on automatic. I haven't mastered playing with that one just yet. I love how crisp these images turned out, and most of them are SOOMC (Straight Out Of My Camera)!!

 

Week 3: Manual Mode

I couldn't help but post this ad. It made LOL, literally! Can't wait to possess that knowledge and hear those words prance through my mind as my hubs and I sit on a beach some day. Of course, those words will, no doubt, be competing with the incessant cries of our children, but then that's another blog!












The good news is that in the first two weeks, I know that F8 refers to aperture and 1/250 refers to shutter speed. Didn't know that on December 31!! Now the trick is learning what apertures and shutter speeds I need under what conditions!!!

In the first two weeks I've found a number of topics that I want to explore in greater depth, like back button focusing, changing my focal point, ISO, focal length, and a deeper understanding of aperture. Rest assured, those will all be readings throughout the next 49 weeks, but for now, I'm taking it back to basics with Courtney Slazinik's overview of manual mode (perhaps that should have been week one...oopsies!) and Josh's Beginner's Guide to Photography. I'm sure this little read will take me to some other areas, so I'll be certain to add those when I post the end of week pics next Friday.

But for now, pause. Take a deep breath. Do it now!!! This photog stuff can be a little overwhelming. That's when I cut off the computer and turn on the camera. Those rapid little clicks are music to my ears and they send the stress monsters running. Can you hear them now? I sure can!!!

Happy snapping,

~ Melissa ~

Are you doing a Project 52? If so, what are you focusing on this week? Share with us all!!

2/52

My focus this past week has been, well, FOCUS! More specifically, taking a sharper image. It pains me to say that I hastily deleted my first photos of the week, because then you could really see the difference that a week makes. But, trust me, when I tell you that most of them were something of the blurred beyond recognition variety, like this example I found on the net!

A few showed a little improvement, like this one of my middle child doing what appears to be the chicken dance. Silly boy!!









Enter shutter speed and aperture! I found these handy little dudes waiting for me over in the manual mode of my camera. Oh what JOY they are brining to me :)!!! I froze time, as my youngest threw an epic tantrum! So happy to have it burnt into photographic recesses!!


And then there's this beauty. My pride and joy of the week. Using the (new found) power of shutter speed and aperture, I froze my babies limbs (at least in this frame) and allowed just the right amount of light to float into my camera, and VOILA! The final picture of the week. Ain't she purty??

By the way, all the photos posted today were edit free. Pure and simple, straight from my camera to you :). 

What do you think of this week's progress? Like the pics? How's your Project 52 or 365 going? I'd love to hear from you! 

Project 52 Intro

I started my Project 52 on my family blog over at http://theparnellcrew.blogspot.com. I decided to create a new blog to keep the two separate. It's just easier for me that way!!!


You can find my first Project 52 blog here, and my week 1 of 52 here. My first week was a focus on cutting off the flash, and this week I plan to focus on taking a sharper image. Click on the links to read along with me!! Here are a few of my pictures from the past couple of days sans la flash!! And be sure to check out my friend, Amy's, page over at Pictures...Words...Life. She has accepted the Project 52 challenge and decided to join me on this journey!!!