A bumpy transition

After a day full of frustrations and discouragement with my new camera (silly me, thinking that I would turn it on and it would just produce better photos than I am used to with no work... or manual-reading. ugh.), I finally got a few gems. This photo has given me back a little patience and hope. I see the light! I know th

is camera is raved about by many and has the potential  to capture beautiful photos. For whatever reason, most of my photos are turning out rather flat and cool. I'm boggled by this, seeing that the reviews explain an oversaturated and warm photo by default... hmmm. The auto white balance doesn't seem nearly as warm as my D40 AWB.

Any tips?

I did a comparison shoot with a stationary subject. The 1st shot is with my D300 (ISO 800, AWB). The 2nd shot is with my D40 (ISO 800, AWB, same light). See the difference in brightness and saturation?

Now that I'm looking at them side by side, maybe the color is more accurate in the 1st shot.. I'm just used to that color pop. What do you think?? CC is appreciated!

Reflecting on Vaca

Just trying to stay on theme with a couple reflections (and a shadow) from our week at the beach! Gotta love that warm glow from a setting sun.

Her little red wagon...

We went for a walk last night... and she insisted on pulling the wagon (with no help) rather than riding in the wagon. She definitely has a mind of her own. I didn't mind though, because I was able to follow behind and take some pretty cute photos! (And, I'm even on theme... there's a slight sun flare in there somewhere!).

 CC is always appreciated! Thanks for looking!

I <3 NY

The hubby and I (and my camera!) went to NYC a few weeks back. We had a fabulous time!

The first 2 shots are taxis in Times Square. I had to take the time to practice my panning. I shot about 20 exposures but got a few keepers! I think these two are pretty neat (click to enlarge to see better details)! The last 2 shots are of the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a very hazy and hot day and the sky was an ugly, dreary gray color which didn't do much to help these photos so I decided to just go with it and convert them to creamy black and whites.

CC is appreciated! :)

Thanks for looking!

Fun with a tablecloth

While wandering through Target today, I stumbled upon the 50% off summer clearance section. Lots of fun stuff, especially these pretty pink & white geometric tablecloths. You know you have a problem when the first thing you think is, "ohhh that could be a really cute backdrop"! When we got home we tried it out... despite slightly cramped quarters and a 50mm lens, I was able to get a few keepers. I wish I could have gotten her further from the background so it would have been more blurred, but nonetheless, the tablecloth/background for $1.74 was well worth it!!

Thanks for looking! CC is appreciated!

Best Buds

I never knew what a blessing have a dog was until Kylie was born. The doggie brings so much joy into her day. Every morning she is just thrilled to wake up and see her doggie! She plays with her, while laughing her head off, all day long! I caught a few minutes of their typical time together and couldn't resist making it into a collage!

Sun is Glorious

Kinda on theme because this last shot was taken using fill flash! ;)

Family of 3

We had a little family photo shoot last night. The purpose was to get a great shot to be printed on canvas. I wanted the focus to be on my daughter and the photo to be cropped around my and hubby's waists. But when this little gem popped up on my computer I just fell in love. I love the way she is looking at her daddy and the way we are smiling down at her. It just doesn't have the same feel when I crop it (plus she isn't as sharp as I would like, so cropping it just emphasizes that). The issue is hubby's hand holding the remote. How obvious is it? Any ideas on making it better? Is it canvas worthy? I would love to get feedback on this one. Oh, and color or b&w??? Thanks!! =)

Happy Girl

Smiles & eye contact for the camera aren't easy to come by these days. But the old "peek-a-boo with the door" trick works every time!!

My little sweet pea

Working on some backlighting , used a little fill flash, still have some blown-out spots... ugh, this is tough! Any tips would be appreciated!

Did manage to get a few keepers, though.

And, I just ordered my first canvas of this first shot... weeee!!

CC is appreciated! Thanks for looking!

Future LPGA'er?

Since this week's theme is inspiring women, I decided that this would be an appropriate photo.

Female athletes are inspiring women to me.  If my daughter wants to be an athlete, I will encourage it and never underestimate where it can take her!

Painting with WaterColors

Thanks for looking!

Cousins

My 8 year old niece came to visit this weekend. It was great to have her around to entertain the munchkin... but I was especially pumped to have a willing (and still!) subject to photograph! She was a great little model and really enjoyed "working it" for the camera!  The chair photo below is one of my favorites, but I can't decide if I like it better B&W or color. What do you think?

Ending the day with a nice, bubbly, soak in the bathtub!

Thanks for visiting! As always, CC is appreciated! =)

Tulips

Click to see more detailed version.

Thanks for visiting!! 

Silly Girl

A fun storyboard from an older photo!

Daddy's Little Helper

Helping daddy wash the car!

Manual. SS 1/200, f/7.1, ISO 200.

CC appreciated.

Nervous, happy toes!

My best friend's wedding shower was this weekend and I took tons of pictures! Of all of the great "opening presents" shots I took... this one is my favorite from the whole day! She was sitting in a chair opening presents and I noticed that she kept doing this with her feet. I couldn't resist! Oh, and this was my first real attempt at selective coloring using photoshop... I'm still learning and definitely a little rusty!

Thanks for looking! CC is always appreciated!

Exploring her world

I tried playing with both of these photos in photoshop, I think I like the color version the best, but the black and white has a sweet, calming feel to me. I did a creamy black and white version on the 2nd one. I'm pretty clueless with PSE, hoping to practice, practice, practice, read and practice some more and maybe it will all make a little more sense for me.

Until then, this is all I've got!!

Thanks for stopping by!

The wonder of water

Look who got a new sand & water table! Playing in the water is so so fun...unfortunately, the water doesn't stay in the table.

Loving this natural light!! CC is appreciated! 

Manual: SS 1/640, f/5.6, ISO 200, Sunny WB

Thankful for the SUN!!

Enjoying some evening fun in the sun!

Thanks for looking!