The Camera and Me

So I know I'm always saying this, but boy have I had a lot going on lately.  In the midst of getting back from the great voyage, starting my new job, being sick, and making sure that Sam's birthday was celebrated to the largest extent possible, I've also developed a new interest in photography.  

I'm pretty sure that I will never qualify as being a Photographer with a capital P, but the other day I was reading one of my favorite blogs, The Pioneer Woman, and she has a section on BASIC photography skills.  I was so excited because it was all the questions I was too embarrassed to ask friends who are  photographers.  I just about fell out of my chair when I took my first real look at the buttons on my camera and realized it could do way more than flash or not flash, which has been the extent of my skills up to now.  

As I read through the online tutorials my enthusiasm just grew.  Sam helped me learn about my camera by jumping around so I could see if I could find the button that would make my shutter speed fast enough so he wouldn't blur.

  

Not a blur in sight!  Unfortunately the sun was setting and I had to turn to the apartment to find subjects.  

This is the clearest portrait of my shoes that has yet been taken.  You can see they are well loved.  We are conquering the elliptical together.  

Perhaps no plastic flower has been photographed more than this one.  I really wanted the flower to be clear and everything else to be fuzzy, but it was such an uphill battle.  You can see I found the black and white setting.

My favorite photo from this session though was this one, in which our modest t.v. is about to be beamed up into the mothership.

The next day I had a lot more success when I was able to go outside.  I lose time when I am experimenting with taking photographs.  Reggie, the maintenance person at our apartment (who I've spent a lot of time getting to know due to a few apartment disasters) thought it was pretty hilarious when he found me huddled behind a bush with my camera in the parking lot.  I spent about two hours taking pictures of leaves and flowers (again hoping to capture the clear flower fuzzy background look all the cool kids are using) and I only stopped because I had to go somewhere.  

If you wanted to see a couple hundred more pictures of this bush let me know!

Sam has been happy to review all the pictures of grass and leaves I'm taking lately when he gets home from work.  He even votes on which of the twenty pictures of this bad boy is the best...

Sam's choice for Dead Leaf of the Day

  

However he is getting sick of being the star of my portraits, so if you want to sit and let me take your picture for a few hours, let me know.  He will LOVE you.  And I will do everything in my power to make the background fuzzy behind you, I promise.

On a very important side note, thank you for reading my blog.  It means so much to me when I hear that you have read what I wrote and you share comments.  Have a happy day!