First Session with the New Camera

Other than some snapshots around the house with my kids, I really haven't gotten to try out the new camera much this month. :( Between the bad weather and spring (hopefully) just around the corner, opportunities have been limited! I personally am holding out for that nice weather because I can't wait to go back to shooting outdoors! However, I did manage to round up a friend's kids just so I could try out my new seamless paper and backdrop (and camera/lens, of course!). Here are a few favorites:

Window Light

I love window shots, so at the end of my daughter's 18-month photo session, I thought I'd try some with her. I kept telling her to look at the cars (and sometimes she'd point, too!) to keep her interested. I played with a few different B&W conversions. I think I'll definitely try this some more in the future!

18 Months!

I would like to stay in denial, but my little baby is growing up! She recently turned 18 months old, and I am just now getting her pictures sent to family and friends. I didn't think to do photos of her until that morning (shameful, I know!), and she really wasn't in the mood, but here are some favorites:



a vintage conversion


this one shows her personality best--ORNERY! :)




giggles

Valentine

It's that time of year again! I had a few Valentine sessions in January, and loved using some new Valentine-themed props for the occasion.

Here are a few from a session I did with 18-month and 5-year-old brothers. I was only able to get one good shot of the two of them together--like any toddler, the younger one wasn't really interested in sitting still right next to his brother. :) As you can see, the lollipop was a big hit...what kid wouldn't be willing to be photographed if they get candy out of the deal?

Brrr!!

Well, here we sit, after yet another Iowa snow/ice storm...this one seems to have been more snow and less ice, and with the warm temps today a lot of it has melted, leaving us with a world of slush. Yuck! Anyway, it would be difficult to top the last major ice storm we had, in the very beginning of December. The trees looked like they were made of glass, and were just about as fragile! I went out the next day with my camera and my insanity, with tree limbs crashing down all around me and water seeping into my boots, and took dozens of photos of everything encased in ice! It was quite the experience! I never realized ice could be so difficult to photograph, but I guess it is as close to invisible as you can get! :)















This is my hubby's car. Gotta love the lens distortion!




My husband was out the day after I took the above photos, and found this rose completely preserved in ice. Knowing it would be a great subject to photograph, he came and got me right away...he wasn't too happy when he found out I borrowed HIS shoes to tromp through the snow to photograph it, though! :)


Another of my hubby's great finds...maybe I should get HIM a camera!

Specular Highlights

I'm participating in a small study group online right now, and this week's experiment is with specular highlights and the effect aperture width has on the shape of light in a photo...the more wide-open the lens, the more round the lights. So if your lens is stopped down, the lights will take on a hexagonal appearance.

...I'm sure I've totally lost everyone by now, but anyway, here is one of the shots I took during this experiment (lens wide-open; note the rounded appearance of the lights):



It looks like she is awed by the lights, but really she was just starting to cough. :)

Grandpa's Pond

A few weeks ago we visited my grandparents in Illinois. Since it was so nice out we took the girls for a walk around their pond. I dragged the D40 along for fun to see what I could get. Here are a few:

Old pumps are so photogenic!


My dad with Kara looking at the frozen pond


Playing with textures




The "look"






Reagan with her great-grandpa


Throwing leaves onto the ice







This is unedited, posting just because it makes me laugh...I thought she was looking at leaves on the ground, so I took several photos and then she says, "What's this, Mom?" and I realize she is holding up goose poop! Oh my!