Venturing outside, no children, just a camera =)

[Aayria]

Last night my thoughtful husband (though still not thoughtful enough to agree to getting a new lens yet =P ) watched the children so I could go for a stroll with the camera

I stopped at the grotto near our home and had a couple shots that *I at least* feel somewhat proud of and wanted to share.

What I learned:
1.It is incredibly relaxing and fun to step outside and take pictures on a quiet evening.

2. Around sunset the light is changing constantly! I learned not to forget to keep checking my settings and light meter...or else one shot of a flower taken 2 minutes after a previous shot could be far too underexposed!

3. I thought I would like pictures of the flowers most, but something about the lines and patterns in the third shot is really appealing.

Thanks for looking!

1)

2)

3)

 

[Iron Flatline]

Excellent post. I agree, going for a camera walk is wonderfully calming, and gives you a chance to see your world very differently. I disagree in one minor item though - I think Number one is by far the best of the three.

Have a good weekend.

 

[luckyss]

Nice work on the first one!

 

[cnutco]

I like the first one, but I think I like number 3 the best.

 

[EddieDerbyshire]

number 3 - <3

 

[Gaerek]

#3 simply doesn't hold my interest like #1 does. Nice work.

 

[iBats]

i like 1 quite much, and the cool colors really complement the subject, 2 would be nice but the background is rather distracting to me, try a lower fstop next time, and 3 has some really nice patterns, but is a little too cluttered for my tastes

 

[Aayria]

Thankyou for all the great feedback, everyone! It really is encouraging to hear from others who enjoy photography

I just came back from my first "shoot" today, and had SO much fun! I did some shots for my friend and her family of her very pregnant belly before their 5th little one arrives any day. It was the greatest feeling in the world to see how much she really did enjoy the photos when I showed her the results, and I think she even wants to print some off! She also asked if I could come back to do a session with her newborn

THIS is why I started taking an interest in photography- Photos really do affect people! They become such treasured memories that they'll enjoy for years down the road to come. And the more I learn, the more honored I am to share my passion for photos with friends and family- I am truly blessed to be able to give them this gift.

On a side note- I learned today that when you are "on the spot" taking pictures, it's SO easy to forget just about everything! I mean, I know and understand the settings on my camera, but I made such noobie mistakes on several shots because it isn't second nature for me yet to just think of things off the cuff. I had to go back and re-do several because my settings had been off or I'd forgotten to adjust. But overall, it was a great learning experience and we had some beautiful shots that she was just in love with!

 

[Iron Flatline]

It gets easier, but it happens to everyone. I just finished a workshop with a famous fashion photographer who forgets she had the camera set to a crazy high ISO from the night before, misses focus, and to switch it from one shooting mode to another. Everyone forgets. What matters is to keep checking, and to get the shot again. Nothing worse than sitting at home and realized you screwed it up when you could have gotten it with a little patience. Worse are the ones where you get home and realize there's a tree growing out of the side of the subject's head, or a Stop sign.

 

[pbelarge]

The color, shades and depth of field do it for me, this is the keeper of the 3. Also the fact you made this a portrait type shot really helped with the composition.
Nice shot


BTW:
My children are grown, and no grandchildren...yet, so I get to go out at least once a week by myself, no phone, just me and Canon. :mrgreen:

 

[Aayria]

It gets easier, but it happens to everyone. I just finished a workshop with a famous fashion photographer who forgets she had the camera set to a crazy high ISO from the night before, misses focus, and to switch it from one shooting mode to another. Everyone forgets. What matters is to keep checking, and to get the shot again. Nothing worse than sitting at home and realized you screwed it up when you could have gotten it with a little patience. Worse are the ones where you get home and realize there's a tree growing out of the side of the subject's head, or a Stop sign.

LOL that was exactly what I did! I had the camera set to a very high ISO from taking some pictures at night without a flash yesturday, and forgot to change it... So we redid the first quarter or so of the shots once I noticed. And even the second thing you mentioned; I had a shot of her family together that I took from a few angles. One of them I didn't realize until after I got home that a cross on their wall was sticking out the back of her tall husband's head. Fortunately that was the only "something sticking out their head" mistake, but I had just told myself before the shoot started NOT to let that happen

 

[Aayria]

The color, shades and depth of field do it for me, this is the keeper of the 3. Also the fact you made this a portrait type shot really helped with the composition.
Nice shot


BTW:
My children are grown, and no grandchildren...yet, so I get to go out at least once a week by myself, no phone, just me and Canon. :mrgreen:

Wow! Thankyou for the great compliments!