Natural Light and ISO

(I put this post together in Early January and forgot to post it)

Over a year ago I took a great beginning photography course from Veronica Reeve. The main thing she focused on was shooting in Manual Mode with Natural Light. NO FLASH! She said that a picture taken with flash was like a picture of a moment that never existed. If you look at her pictures (which I think you should) You'll notice how real they feel. Its because she is amazing behind the camera without a lot of extra fluff. She says she only spends a few minutes editing and tweeking her pictures which says a lot about her skill. Any way my point is shooting in manual and flash free is hard. Especially when you are shooting in low lighting. I am no expert in this area but if you  have tried shooting in manual mode with an DSLR and get easily discouraged because of low light, (like I do). Try bumping up your ISO, in the case of christmas lights you may have to raise it significantly. You definitely get a little extra noise (graininess) in your pictures but I think its worth it to capture the moment how it really is.

Thoughts

I guess I'm getting in the groove for my official "challenge to self". This is a picture from a few months ago that I just like, not sure why but I do. Maybe because I pick up these toys a million times a day and am constantly amazed at her love for "little things". Anyways, I've been thinking through this challenge and trying to decide if I should post unedited pictures or let myself add to them in photo shop to help create the mood. I think I've decided to post unedited (with maybe a little sharpening or color adj) mostly and if I do add to it just post the before and after. I love unedited/slightly edited images because they seem more real.  I'm also going to challenge myself to not just post a picture of my kids everyday. Sometimes yes, but not always.

From Favorite Pictures

A photo a day......

A Photo A Day? I'm trying to decide how to challenge myself behind the camera. I'm not in a position to take classes. I don't have the time or the money. What I do have is a great camera, and a little know how. So I'm gonna start taking a picture (Manual settings/flash free)and posting a picture every day that represents something going on in my life. Im hoping to continue for a year and see what I can learn. April first I will start posting daily. I plan on giving myself one week from each picture to load and post it, so I'll most likely always be one week behind. This picture has nothing to do with my challenge its just one I like of my sweet little lady.

From Wheelers