William's first happy face!

Yesterday morning was foggy and damp. William saw the back door covered in condensation and asked to step outside. Through the glass he informed me he was about to draw a happy face. I was completely surprised when he actually did!

Mommy I'm tired right now!!

Here is an example of where you can not always be too picky about your background or you will lose the moment. This is especially true of children! A minute before he was smiling and trying to grab his feet. But this sitting up stuff is new to him and he tires quickly. You would too if your head was that big and round! hehehe

These are my favorites of the family so far. I don't have many of us on the beach because I did not want to bring my new camera around all the sand and water! Most of these were taken from our condo's balcony.

My husband Andrew and I went to SC for vacation with our two boys and my sister and her husband. We had a wonderful time. Here are my favorite photos of the beach. Pics of the family will follow soon!

Beginnings

For a few weeks I have been learning the ropes of my 60D, what button does what, how to adjust shutter speed, aperture size and how to set a focal point. Now that I have that down I am working on composition. I must pay attention to what is in the back round of my photo, where the light is coming from, whether will this photo captivate its audience.

Take a look at some of my first shots. These photos were taken with my 18 to 55mm kit lens. I have since returned this lens and shoot mostly with a 50mm prime. The wide aperture allows for beautiful fuzzing of the back round. This helps the subject of the photo stand out nicely.

This photo was not well thought out. The cabinet to the left looks awful! The electrical wire behind him although white should have been moved out of the way and the windows are glowing like two eyes. I did take time to put a nice shirt on him and brush his hair but the effort was lost in this cluttered photo.

My dear husband is so helpful with our new baby. I had hoped to capture that fact in this photo. Looking back on it now I feel the shadows on his face are all wrong and babies face is washed out by the light. The brick behind his head is awkward and the drawstring for the window shade should have been moved.

Take a look now:

I love how his eyes stand out.

The fallen tree limbs make an interesting frame to this play time.

Outdoor lighting is often best and the color of my boys shirts blend almost too perfectly with the tree behind.

Equipment

My DSLR Canon 60D takes 5.3 frames per second at 18 megapixels. It took weeks of research to make this choice. I love the camera!

Three lenses so far, an 18 to 135mm, 55 to 250mm and my favorite 50mm prime.

Before with my old point and shoot.

After with my DSLR.