MomShots

I checked out a book from the library called The Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing by Philippe L. Gross.  It is filled with a lot of beautiful black and white images and I look forward to reading deeper into the book and being inspired by his photos.  I keep trying to read the book but haven’t made much progress.  Being a mom is like that, right?  

I did read most of the introduction and he tells a story that has had me thinking all day.  I’ve been turning it over and over in my mind and really relating it to me and my skills.

The story is basically that one of his first cameras was a Hasselblad.  Now if you’re new to photography, like me, you may not know that astronauts such as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of the famous Apollo 11-17 Moon Landings used Hasselblad cameras to take these incredible photos of the moon.  They are really high end cameras and are capable of some amazing things.  

Anyway, the camera that Gross had was one that you had to hold at your stomach level and look down to see the image you were going to take, not up at your eye like we normally think of cameras.  He could see the image but it was reversed and hard to see because it was so far from his eye.  

At first he was pretty frustrated with the results he was producing.  He felt that since he had this spectacular camera he should be able to make spectacular photos right away.  He soon came to terms with the fact that he had to learn the tools necessary to make a great photograph; composition, light, etc.  Just because he had the camera didn’t mean that he automatically knew these things.

So I have been thinking about this and can totally relate.  I know I have a pretty good camera.  It’s not a Hasselblad by any means and it’s a few years old but it has the ability to produce really nice images.  I just need to learn the tools necessary.  As I learn those tools I will be able to take great Momshots and other photographs.  

I am really excited about this.  It’s kind of funny how excited about this I am.  I seriously think about it night and day.  In fact I had a dream about getting a new lens last night.  It is totally permeating my subconscious!

I am going to go sit and read more of this book right now.  I may have a pile of laundry that needs folding but I am going to just ignore it and spend my time doing something much more fun!

Last night we went to the park down the street and had a picnic dinner.  After we ate, I followed the boys around with my camera for a while trying to get some good Momshots.  I have to say that they are getting better at being photographed.  They are starting to strike little poses.  I don’t know if posing is good or not, but they are beginning to understand that if they are moving when I take the picture it will be blurry.

Anyway, there was a little section that was shaded by a large tree.  Magnus was crawling around in that area and he was just adorable so I decided to try out the trick with using the flash to eliminate shadows.

This idea is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately.  My Uncle Eric (who is a fabulous photographer) posted this tip here.  He said:

…the photo of the grape juice, try using the flash to fill in the shadows.

So I thought I’d give it a try.  My results were less than perfect but I’m OK with that because this is all a learning process for me.  This first one is overexposed but I can see that if I had used different settings it might have been a great Momshot.  The EXIF data on the picture says that I used an aperture of f/3.3 and a shutter speed of 1/180 of a second.  I probably should have sped up the shutter a little bit.  Maybe 1/200 would have been enough to get more definition around his jaw line.  He’s pretty cute though, isn’t he?  

This second one isn’t perfect either but I think it is closer to the desired effect.  He isn’t engulfed in shadow but he’s not totally blown out either.  Different settings made a big difference.  I used an aperture of f/5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/180.  So the smaller aperture made quite a difference.

It looks like I was playing with adjusting the aperture.  I usually play with the shutter speed and leave the aperture alone pretty much alone.  

I read the other day that one of the differences between an amateur photographer and pro is that the pros don’t ever show anyone their bad photos.  Well, since this is a site dedicated to learning photography, I am going to be showing a lot of my not so great shots.  Maybe one day that will change.  I keep hoping that I’ll download my camera and it will be filled with awesome Momshots.  One day…  

So I guess the moral of the story is to practice, practice, practice.  I am going to keep at this until I get some good consistent results.  That’s what this is all about.  

This Momshots tip is for those point and shoot cameras that have different preset modes you can shoot in.  You know, landscape, portrait, party, fireworks, whale watching mode - well not really but whatever, there are a ton of preset settings…  I found that when I would try to take some Momshots with my camera in the regular camera mode (My Nikon Coolpix 5600 literally has a picture of a camera on the dial) I was getting frustrated because I wasn’t able to capture the action fast enough.  I would hit the button and like 10 minutes later the shutter would open and close.  OK, maybe not actually 10 minutes, but when you’ve missed the action, 1/2 a second or 10 minutes might as well be the same thing!

I discovered the sports mode one day by accident.  I was thinking about my camera and the different presettings.  I may have even been reading my manual!  I started thinking that the purpose of the sports mode was to capture the action while the action is happening.  Isn’t that what taking pictures of my kids are all about?  Yep!  So I realized that if I put the dial on sports mode I might actually be able to get a halfway good picture - or at least not miss the action.  

It was the best thing since sliced bread!  I suddenly was able to take pictures of my kids and what they were doing when they were doing it.  This was a major breakthrough.

Now my sister, Olea, just bought a really cool Sony Cybershot.  I’m really impressed by what a great little point and shoot it is.  I guess I’ve kind of been out of the loop since my Coolpix has been working pretty well for the past 3 years; I haven’t upgraded.  Anyway, her camera doesn’t have a sports mode.  I was kind of surprised by that, but then on the other hand, the whole action of taking a photo seemed much faster than what I was used to.  It definitely could have something to do with new technology, but we’ll talk more about that later.  She is going to give me a little review of her camera, in the future.  So stay tuned…

My uncle Eric made a comment on a recent post about using the flash to fill in the shadows on the picture of my son, Garland, sitting on some cement.  I have been thinking about that and am excited to try it.  I didn’t get a chance to try it today but am planning on trying it very soon.

Today, I found the USB cable for my Nikon Coolpix 5600 (In all fairness, Ben found the USB cable).  That meant that I could download the Momshots off of that camera instead of using it for a shiny paperweight.  

One of the images on that camera is below.  It is my son Garland.  He is wrapped up in a blanket (handmade by my sweet sister, Olea) and he is hugging a juice cup.  This is true happiness for him.  Being snuggled and having juice.  His wants are simple.  

Anyway, I like how this picture looks.  I like the dark background and his bright face in the foreground.  I think it looks pretty good.  I love those big brown eyes!  I believe this was achieved by being pretty close to him and using the flash in a fairly dark room.  Not very scientific, but I like the result.  

In my perusing of blogs photographic, I found this cool site.  First off, I love her name - My Funky Camera.  I think it’s a great name with lots of personality.  She makes lens cozies and camera straps out of bright, colorful fabric.  I love them!!!  I’m putting a lens cozy and a new camera strap on my wish list.  

In case you didn’t know this about me…  I LOVE handmade items.  I am also attracted to bright shiny objects.  Now bright, shiny, handmade objects are even better.  It’s a match made in heaven! 

I am in the market for a new lens - a 50mm.  I need a lens that is more suited to portraits instead of product photography.  When I get my new lens, I’m going to *need* a lens cozy for my old lens.  It may be a necessity…

After my trip to the zoo last week, I came back with a whole bunch of MomShots.  I took photos of my boys, my friend and her boy.  I also took photos of a bunch of animals.  When I downloaded my photos onto my computer, I found that I really had very few good shots of my kids.  I was struggling with the camera settings.  That is one of my biggest struggles currently - Making sure that my photos are not over exposed or under exposed.  My camera has an automatic setting but I usually don’t like the results so I usually shoot in manual mode.  The photos taken with the automatic mode always seem a little too dark for my taste.  I think there is a way to alter that but I haven’t got that far in my reading of the manual yet.  

Anyway, my husband, Ben was glancing over my zoo pictures and made a comment to me that really struck home.  He said that I need to get down on their level a bit more.  I am consistently taking shots from my height (nearly 6′) and so all my photos end up looking down on my kids.  Same angle gets a little boring.

Brilliant idea!!!  Thanks Ben. 

So now when I am taking photos for my 7 day challenge, I have been thinking about ways to get down and more to their eye level.  I’ve been crouching, kneeling and even laying on the ground to try to get a different angle.

Here is a great example of a photo that could have been much more dramatic if I shot it at a different angle.  It is the white alligator at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, UT.  He is a pretty big guy.  I wouldn’t want to tussle with him in a dark alley way!

As you can see, I shot this from above.  In reality, there were a bunch of kids there so I was just kind of taking what I could get easily.  What I should have done was muscle my way down there and taken a shot that showed his body stretched out behind.  That shot would have been much cooler.  Maybe next time!

It’s a great zoo and so I’m sure we’ll be going back.

This next shot was taken at home.  I had some fence work done on my yard and when they guy left, he left the original cement with the broken post in a corner of my yard.  So basically, I have a little fence grave yard next to a mud puddle my boys play in.  Anyway…  My son was sitting on one of cement blobs in the shade and I ran over and took his picture.  I knelt down on the grass and started shooting.  I think I’m a little bit below eye level so that we are slightly looking up to him, but I think it looks kinda cool.  At this angle I feel more invited into whatever he is thinking.  I’m not looking down on him and I think it makes for a much better Momshot.

One of the things that I love about this is that he is covered in grape popsicle.  It had dripped down his chest and is all over his face.  He is taking a break from the heat before he starts running again.  I think this “break” only lasted about 15 seconds.  He’s always on the go!  

So moral of the story?  Change the angle you are shooting from.  Try any other angle than looking down on the kids.  It changes the nature of your Momshot into something more interesting and inviting.

Today was day 3 of my personal 7 day challenge. My challenge is to get out the camera and take at least one photo every day for 7 days.

I have had some good Momshot opportunities lately. We’ve had some really summer-like weather lately and the neighborhood has seen an epidemic of kids running through sprinklers. Warm weather means lots of bright sunshine, but that also means heavy shadows. Sometimes that is OK, I think. I think shadows can sometimes add interest - but maybe I’m saying that because I’m not a professional… I don’t know, I just say it like I see it and I sometimes like shadows.

Day 1:  My oldest son drinking water from the hose.  I love how the water is frozen.

Day 2:  My oldest son eating birthday cake at my uncle’s birthday party.  I like how intent and focused he is on this bite.  I love that he has frosting on his nose.

Day 3:  The day was very hot and two of my sons were playing in the sprinkler.  Can you see my son trying to catch droplets on his tongue?  I love his facial expression and how ridged his whole body is in anticipation.

So I have been thinking about something.  I was thinking about how photography relates to playing the violin, or any instrument for that matter.  When I was a kid, I learned to play the violin.  I took private lessons and I played with school and city orchestras.  I loved it.  It was something that I really enjoyed and something that I began to get pretty good at.  It was a really enjoyable creative outlet.  I could really see how my playing and skills would get better when I would practice daily.

Since life has gone on, I don’t pull out my violin and play as often as I should.  I really enjoy playing but for some reason I always have an excuse not to pull it out.  When I do, I know that my playing is not as good as it used to be - because I don’t practice.

So I’m relating this to my photography skills now.  I want to get better.  If I want to improve than I need to practice, practice, practice - just like any art form.

I am issuing myself a challenge to pull out the camera and practice every single day.  I am going to start small with a 7 Day Challenge.  I am going to take at least one picture every day for 7 days.  I’ll let you know how this goes.

So I’m pretty excited! I just got back from a class that was offered by my local camera store. It was called SLR Essentials and turned out to be pretty cool. I wasn’t the most clueless person in the place and I learned some things that I didn’t know. I am still trying to grasp some of the concepts and make sure I understand them.

Some things I learned:
SLR = Single Lens Reflex. Basically, because of mirrors, you are seeing through your view finder, exactly what the lens is seeing. On your old school point and shoots your view finder is above your lens and so what you see is not exactly what the lens sees. Now a days with these new-fangled digital point and shoot cameras that really isn’t an issue because you can use your LCD screen to see what the lens sees and rarely use the view finder. Hmmm…. I didn’t know that!

Aperture (also called F/Stops) is the size of the hole in your lens that you or your camera can choose. The larger the number, the smaller the hole. Small f/stop number needs a fast shutter speed. So in other words, if the number is small then the hole is large. You would want your shutter to move quickly so that your photo doesn’t get totally saturated with light and ends up blown out or over exposed.

Shutter Speed are fractions of a second that the aperture is left open. So if you are trying to capture an action shot of say… your daughter chasing after the greased pig at the local 4th of July celebration (seriously I saw this event last year at my aunt’s town Independence Day celebration!!! I thought it was some old tyme story and no one really did that anymore. They do. It was awesome!). You are going to want to use a wide opening in your lens, a.k.a a small f/stop number and a fast shutter speed. This will capture your sweet girly in all her greasy glory with out any blurry movement images.

Yay!!! I get it!!! Now to translate that to my camera… That is going to take some practice.

I also learned something else. I haven’t told you about my cameras yet. I have two; a Nikon Coolpix 3500 and also a Nikon D100. One is a point and shoot (this one is pretty hammered. It’s been dropped a lot and my 4 year old takes pictures with it all the time), and the other is a digital SLR. Apparently we’re a Nikon family. I don’t know why. However, I will still love you if you are a Sony, Olympus, Canon, Fujitsu or any-other-camera-brand-I-can’t-think-of family. It’s just the way we roll over here at our abode.

Here’s the thing… the D100 is about 5 years old. It’s big. It’s actually my husband’s. He bought it for work a million years ago and when that job ended he got to keep the camera. I have always called it Ben’s (that’s my hubby’s name) Camera. It was his. Until now. I’ve stolen it from him. I am claiming it and have begun to learn how to use it. I was a little afraid that it was too old and that technology was so much more advanced that the camera would be obsolete. Tonight I learned that it is not. It still rocks. It is still an awesome camera and I am super stoked to learn how to use it.

I may have had the oldest camera in the class but it is still an awesome camera. It may not be able to shoot 12 megapixels but 6 megapixels is still capturing some pretty incredible images and clarity. It can do SO MANY THINGS!!! I am so excited to learn that camera inside and out.

I made a goal tonight on my way home from this class: I will learn the Nikon D100 inside and out. I will learn how to use all the features on it and I will become a good photographer!

So really, I guess that is two goals. But they are good goals. I will stop coveting the D40X and be very happy with my D100. By time I have mastered this camera, I will perhaps have enough pennies saved up to buy the newest hotness on the market. And then my pennies won’t be spent in vain. I won’t be one of those women in my class who had the coolest newest camera on the market and didn’t now anything about it. Anything!!! I will earn that camera.

So what’s the moral of my story today? I guess the moral is: Take a class at your local camera store. You might be surprised by what you learn. My class was only $20 and I feel that I got a really good value. I feel like I know my camera a little better and am excited to take a bunch of shots tomorrow at the zoo.

So I had a little mishap with my camera. Well, not actually a mishap, more of an unknown problem. I looked through my view finder this evening and everything looked fuzzy. I didn’t have my glasses on and I was a bit tired so I rubbed my eyes, blinked really hard and looked again. Still fuzzy. Fuzzy is not good.

My next step was to get a second opinion. Were my eyes freaking out or was something really wrong with my camera? I couldn’t tell. So I brought the camera to my husband and asked him to look through the view finder and tell me what he saw. He also saw fuzziness. I felt a tiny bit of relief in knowing that it wasn’t my eyes but I was also getting concerned that my camera might be broken. We tried cleaning a few places here and there on the camera, to no avail; it was still fuzzy.

Then I remembered where the camera manual was and decided to look at that, just in case there might be something in it that would relate to the situation at hand. While perusing through the Quick Start guide, I spotted what I was looking for; a section called “How to Focus the View Finder.”

I was ecstatic! I found the answer to my little problem. And of course, it was an extremely simple answer. There is a little focusing lever just to the right of the view finder. All I needed to do was move it up or down until the image became crisp. So I ran downstairs and grabbed the camera to test out my little nugget of knowledge. Low and behold it worked! My camera is not broken. I just need to learn how to use it!!!

So the moral of this story is short and simple… Keep your user manual in a safe and accessible place so that you can refer back to it as needed. Take some time to read through it and you might be surprised by what new information you learn about your camera.

So while you’re busy chasing kids, cleaning up spilled apple juice, folding laundry and finding time to get to the gym, try to pick up your camera’s user manual and read through it with an eye for details you may not be aware of. Tonight I will be chopping potatoes for Potatoes au gratin while I will be reading my manual. I’m excited to learn more interesting facts about my camera!