July 25, 2011

Learning.

I just bought a Nikon D3000 in June and I'm trying to figure out how to use it in my spare time. Since I have so much of that, in between dishes, laundry, baby-wrangling and doing appraisals.

I figured a nice camera was a pretty good investment after having my first baby, not just to capture everyday happenings but also to shoot something worthy of framing and hanging on my wall. I was super excited when my husband bought it for me. Photography studios that don't want an arm and a leg kind of underwhelmed me; they all seem to have snazzy cameras, but with someone that appears to have zero experience... I figured I couldn't do any worse. I also love the added bonus of being able to capture moments spontaneously, at any location.

I've been able to capture a few cute shots, but I usually have to take a billion to find those diamonds in the rough. I've only learned a teensy, tiny, itty-bit about photography so far- there is so much I want to explore. I would like to stick mostly to natural light photography, but I'm open to learning flash in some applications.

I'm going to post pictures on here for friends and family as an extension from facebook. Feel free to give me any critiques, tips or ideas!

Here are some pictures I took of my baby girl, Charlotte, last month. Look at that face, she made these pictures reletively easy- even for a novice like me. I'm not a bit partial :)

PB2

PB3

Although they sometimes turn out like this...

PB1
she's like, "mom, quit putting that huge black box in my face!"

But then we're back to this. I backed up a bit to catch some flowers in the background that I'd just noticed. I'm trying to be mindful of not only what I'm focusing on, but what's in the background as well.

PB4

I gave her one of the flowers as a prop, improving. Umm... it was a good idea in theory.

PB5

Everything, in the mouth.

I changed my angle next. I love the contrast between the soft fur and the weathered deck.

PB6

PB7

PB8

I took these pictures in the evening, when the sun wasn't as harsh. If I remember right, it was even a little overcast. I have had pretty good luck with evening shots so far. The next thing I would like to conquer is being able to take photos in any type of light, and even be able to use the brightness to my advantage. If you've had success doing this, please give me a few pointers!

4 comments:

  1. Photography should come easily to you. You've always had an eye for style! Such a beautiful model for your first shoot posted here proves it!

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  2. Thanks! She makes it easy :)

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  3. Hi, Ashley. Aunt Carolyn just told me about your blog. I just started one myself about my home improvements. Here's my link, if you're interested: http://juliaestellehayes.blogspot.com/
    Gorgeous pics of a beautiful baby, by the way! ;)

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  4. Just read it, great projects and super entertaining to read! I'm definitely putting it on my list

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