Simple post this week. =)

In this day of digital cameras there is no excuse to not take tons and tons of shots. Practice makes perfect and that nifty little delete option makes practicing free! Also, the quick satisfaction of seeing your shot instantly makes it even better. You can see the image, assess it and make adjustments as needed.

I practiced a lot when I first started out and to be honest, I still do. I would recommend shooting something (anything) everyday to keep learning. Here lately, I haven't been shooting everyday due to my insanely busy little 9 month old but I can tell a difference. When I was shooting everyday, I was learning something new everyday. I was fine tuning my skills and discovering better ways to get the right image. I was sharpening my eye, training it so see creatively.

These things are still happening but at a bit slower pace. Shooting something everyday keeps things fresh. Now, I'm not saying you need to spend hours shooting things all day long (althought I have had many of those days! lol) but take at least one shot of something and it will help keep things alive for you as you are learning. I think it's especially important as you are still learning all the settings and how they work or if you are learning a new skill. Practice until it just happens for you and you don't have to think through all the steps first.

In the delete file over the years are literally THOUSANDS (if not more!) of images where I was just practicing. Shooting an apple and watching how different lighting affects the mood of the image. Hundreds of my son eating his lunch while I figured out how to shoot with fill flash. Shots of toys in the yard to see which way to aim my subjects to get the best catchlights and less shadows. Pics of kids in the yard to practice backlighting... the list goes on and on. Seriously there are an amazing number if images that I shot that I will never use because they are awful but I learned so much while "playing". When the M&M bribes wore off, I shot the M&M's. Honestly. See? (Clicky)
Keep shooting!

{Mommy Moment}
Since a post is useless without a pic, here is one of my littlest man...

It's a shame these gorgeously long eyelashes are on this little boy and some baby girl out there is really missing out! =) Don't you just love how they stick together like then when they are in the tub (or are crying big crocodile tears!). Pure sweetness... life is good.

I usually prefer lots of color in my images. I love how alive it makes things so I especially love color for the images of people and especially my kids. However, I do love a good B&W now and then and this image seemed to scream for it. I even love all the noise in this one from the ISO bumped up to 1600 (I had the hubby grab the camera and didn't have the flash on it - it was darker than it seemed in the tub tonight! lol). Something about B&W's gives a nostalgic feel or makes it classic. This one is a classic. I'm in love!