Picture Perfect ... Almost!

As I take Momtographie I have to slow and down and notice the details.  Details in light, place, camera settings, my kids, etc.  This in itself has been a blessing!  I am an on the go person ... when I slow down I feel like I should be doing something.  But as I take more pictures I notice the small things - a shy smile, ripples in the pool, where the sunshine is best.  These are things D sees all the time as a 4 year old with wonder in her eyes.  They are also things S is starting to point to with interest and wonder.  I'm so glad to be seeing them again for myself. Here are a couple of photos of small things from a concert we went to around town yesterday. Guitar painted with "pretties" as D said Concentration

Last month we discovered a new play place called PB & Jack.  It's near Old Town Fairfax, about 45 minutes away.  We don't go up often but that makes it more exciting for D and S when we do go.  They have tons of things for both kids to climb, jump, slide, and play with.  The employees stay inside the play area and entertain the kids.  There's a coffee / snack bar so I can sit for a second while the kids play.  Most of the time I play with them though. After a long week we headed up there this morning for a couple of hours.  I was determined to practice taking pictures in manual mode while D and S had fun.  This is the first time I've used Manual where I get to set the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.  It was challenging but fun for me!  I think the pictures came out pretty well.  I still need to work on making quick setting changes - both deciding and doing.  But, I'm proud of myself for using Manual at all! ...

We took D to Celebrate South Riding today with some close friends and their kids.  S stayed with Grandma since he's still getting over the fever virus he has. The whole time we were there she talked about riding the ferris wheel.  "Yes ...  No ... Yes ... No!"  She and Daddy got in and out of line twice during the day.  Finally at the end of the day she whispered to Daddy, "I want to ride the ferris wheel."  We were so proud of her for facing her fears and doing something she was unsure about!   Here are the pictures of the event. Are you sure it's safe Daddy? It's this tall Getting on UMMMMM.... Hold on tight A little smile Off they go Getting better Great smile!

One of the hardest things about having 2 kids is spending one-on-one time with them.  I try my best to give each their own time during the week.  The last few weeks have been some tough ones on this front.  I know the summer will be difficult for dedicated time with S.  But I also know he will get time when D starts school again in the Fall. Today D and I had some fun time together while S napped.  It was important for both of us since S is sick and very much a mommy's boy when he doesn't feel good.  This makes it hard for D to get much of my attention.  So while he slept we painted eggs from her Kiwi Crate, played in the sand table, and had a great time! Painting cardboard eggs  Movie star Fun with portraits and background blur D loves to use the hose So happy

I got a new toy today!  (Yes, me - not the kids.) It's a 50 MM lens for my camera that lets me lower the aperture to 1.8!  Three weeks ago this would have meant nothing to me.  In fact I would have been upset because I couldn't zoom in and out.  But after starting Momtographie class this lens is AWESOME!!  I was able to take some great pictures of D and S in action at our picnic today.  I can get in close and achieve the blurry background.  I love it!  I do need to practice some so I can figure out what settings work for what situation, but at least I know how to do this. Happy Memorial Day!

I've finished my third week of Momtographie class.  This week I learned about the third ingredient for creating pictures of out AUTO - aperture.  This is part of the camera lens that lets light in.  When you use a low aperture you can achieve bokeh.  That's the blur in the background of photos.  This week our task was to try to take pictures to get that artistic blur.  In these pictures you can see a bit of blur in the background.  Some are better than others in that respect. I only have the lens that came with my camera and cannot achieve a very low aperture with it.  It's also difficult for me to think about shutter speed, ISO, and aperture all at the same time to get focused subjects and blurry background.  I've always taken photos in AUTO, so being in charge of settings is overwhelming.  When the picture doesn't come out how I want I have to stop and think - is it the light? the ISO? the aperture?  By th...

D recently got a bike with training wheels and we've been practicing riding it with the spring weather.  Today we took it to our favorite open lot and took off.  She was doing great ... until going down a slight hill.  She got going fast, panicked, and hit the brakes.  You can imagine what came next - tipping and falling.  B and I waited to see her reaction before acting.  She was upset with some tears.  But she got back on her bike and kept going!  I'm sure this is the first of many spills in our future. Here's some pictures showing the evolution of wheels in our house. D's first trike S's first trike ride while D rides on her own At the pumpkin patch getting pulled Rides around the house S pushing the wagon    D at the ice rink Big Girl Bike    Riding with Mommy Mommy giving a kiss to the first bike boo-boo