Sunday, July 29, 2012

Like Mother, Like Daughter

I've let a couple of days go by without picking up my camera, and I've missed it.

I have spent some time, though, catching up a little more on my favorite blog, and read some really helpful posts on photography there.  I live for her technical photography posts, because I can just never seem to find the time to sort through all of the information in my one photography book, and she lays everything out so clearly, just a little at a time.  Today, I ran into a post explaining the relationship between ISO, f-stop, and shutter speed, and how all that relates to metering (a concept that has escaped me thus far).  Unfortunately, I can't get my camera to do what hers does, and I'm not sure if that's because she has a D40 and I have a D50, or if I'm just doing it wrong.  So, while I was finally able to figure out how to adjust the f-stop (I put it down to the minimum my lens allows- 3.5) by looking up a manual for my camera online, I was not able to adjust the shutter speed by metering, and had to simply pick a speed myself.  I think I ended up at 160.  I set the ISO to 400.

And then, Tom laid Michael down on the floor next to Abby.  They looked so adorable playing together, I saw a definite opportunity there to try some new things out.

I'm never sure what really "good" lighting is supposed to look like.  I think in most of these, it is okay.  However, this being my first time using manual settings on the camera (as opposed to Shutter or Aperture Priority), I was not prepared to have to so carefully choose my focus points as well.  The plus side is that now I am starting to understand what having focus points means, and how to use them.

Unfortunately, in these first two, I focused on Abby (who is in the background) instead of my foreground subject, Michael.



I finally got it figured out for this one:


But in this one, the focus on Michael is a little soft- I think my focus point was actually on the blanket in front of him.


And in this one, I managed to focus on the little green truck instead of either child.


Abby, by the way is here pictured declaring "no, no," to Michael.  I can only assume that she thought he was "playing with it wrong."

And here's another shot that's actually in focus.


Here's where it really starts to get fun...


...because Abby discovered a new game.


It involves rolling over her brother...



...again...


...and again.


I've learned, from old photographs, that I was a big fan of doing this to my older brother, Michael, when I first learned to crawl.  Despite the fact that he was a bit bigger than me at the time, it reduced him to angry screaming.  My tiny little Michael, on the other hand, seems to be taking it like a pro.

Though I wonder at his expression here.  He seems a bit shell-shocked.


I really wish I hadn't ended up with such a soft focus on him, here.  Such a cute little face.


And I wonder what he really thought of it all.  What a silly big sister he has- just like her mommy.