Photography Fad

My newest hobby is photography.  I've always wanted to learn to take better pictures and recently decided I was going to get serious.  Well, as serious as one can be with a family.  I practice when I can.  Since winter has set in, I've moved in doors with the camera and I've had to start practicing with the use of flash.  It is challenging and I'm still learning and have a long way to go.  But I have a photographer friend who is a great mentor and has been giving me tips and encouragement.  I'm kinda proud of myself.  Here are some samples of what I've done.

Below is one of my very first attempts at getting my camera off of auto and using the manual setting.  I was trying to blur the background.  I remember being so surprised that it worked.

My poor children are my models to practice on.  They are pretty sick of me saying, 

"Hey, look over here into the camera."

This one is Adrian being patient enough to let me try out a new lens on him.

Ryan will actually let me take more pictures of him than Adrian will.  But he sure is squirmy and it is hard to get any pictures of him that are very sharp.  It's a good think he's cute.  I took this one right after kindergarten.  He still has paint on his hands from some art project he had been doing that morning.

Eventually I was brave enough to venture away from my own family.  Some good friends allowed me to use them as practice and take maternity pictures.  What a privilege that was.  We had fun, but I've got to say, I was pretty nervous I would do a terrible job.  It was an excellent learning experience.

 Look, I even got a little fancy in photoshop.

These pictures eventually led to this amazing event.  

Here is our little guy only a few hours old.

And then this...and me trying out a watermark, that I've since decided is not what I'd hoped it would look like.  

That's the update on my latest craze.  I hope it will develop into something serious one day.  I really would like to take portraits of families.  As soon as winter fades away I'll be back outside.  Until then, it's me and the boys inside with a flash.

Happy new year friends!