Family photo session

I am happy to say that my second photo "job" (I say "job" because I don't charge anything) went much better than the first one. I actually checked my settings as I was shooting and wasn't nearly as nervous as I was the first time. A friend of mine wanted to do family photos with an urban look, so I scouted locations downtown. I found a nice brick wall that was in full shade and where they wouldn't be looking into the sun:

They were so much fun to work with! I let them be as goofy as they wanted, and their personalities really came through in some of the shots:

I still have a lot to learn--especially with posing people--but it was a fun afternoon. I can't wait for the next one!

Still loving the lens...

My new lens

I'm in love. I finally laid down the money for an L series lens, and…wow! It is a thing of beauty!

Oh, the wonders of nature!

We took Naomi to the zoo for the first time. It was a fabulous day for it, and we all had a wonderful time. For once, my favorite shot of the day didn't involve my daughter:

These little girls were so excited every time the sea lion zoomed up in front of them (he was swimming in a big vertical circle). There were so many people there that I couldn't get an angle with just the two girls, but I just love that hand sweeping up!

Shooting backlit

I finally had a breakthrough with back lighting. One of my favorite portrait photographers does all her shots with natural light, and they are often backlit. The results are stunning. But whenever I tried it, mine were coming out with the subject too dark. Until now. Cue dramatic music:

The light here is actually coming from behind and to the side in these. But, oh! How bright and beautiful it is! :)

I think I've gotten better...

I haven't been doing the 52 week project (obviously), and I haven't been blogging much (obviously), but I have been taking pictures. A lot of pictures. And something clicked. No pun intended.

A recent trip to the butterfly gardens (a low-light setting):

Week 3 (Phew! All caught up!)

We've had really heavy rainfall lately and some flooding. I went down to the river today to take some pictures. I wish I had a "before" shot to show you because this picture just doesn't do it justice. The river is high.