Parties Parties Parties

So, one thing I'm very much intrigued by is small event photography.  Over the last two weeks I've had the opportunity to take pictures at 2 such events.  One of them would be Easton's birthday party.  IF you read my last entry, you already know that he's my nephew.  The other event would be Kristen's baby shower.  Kristen is a coworker of mine and is due in early September.....although I think she'd love to deliver early!   Let me tell you friends... it was not as easy as I thought.

Easton's party was at Pump It Up in Omaha.  Once again I used my trusty 50mm macro lens.  Getting the right shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings were quite a challenge.  I guess I just assumed since the lights would be bright that everything would just work itself out.  Ha, not so much. I tried to get some "bouncing" action photos that would be super sharp. Do you know how FAST 5 year olds can move?  I think I underestimated them.  So, with the action shots, I was not as successful as I'd hoped.  Due in part to the lighting conditions and my lack of experience.  I'll know better what to do for next time though.  In my opinion it was a success and great experience,so I'm extremely grateful to Stef for inviting me.  Once we moved into the party room and got situated for cake and gifts, I had figured out some of my settings and things went a little more smoothly.

Kristen is such a great mommy to be. Her shower was full of cute and cuddly gifts and some of the funniest gifts I've ever seen.  She even got a Sock Monkey! I was so jealous.  It was by far the most I've ever laughed attending a shower. 

A little secret...she and her husband Ryan, have agreed to allow me to take some photos at the hospital during early labor. This will be a definite first for me and I'm not sure who is more excited...Kristen or Me?!

Easton is going to be 5!

So, today I got the priveledge of taking Easton's 5 year old pictures. Stef (his mother and my sister-in-law) and Jeff (his father and my brother-in-law) brought him to Standing Bear Lake at around 10:00 this morning.  It was blazing hot and not a cloud in the sky.  We started with a few family poses so we could get them out of the way before the adults melted in the heat. And trust me...they melted fast..we all did!

Easton was a great sport and didn't complain about the heat at all.  He did need to rest a few times, as he was up late last night cutting a rug at a wedding reception.  Isn't he handsome!? Oh, and if you could only meet him...he's so super smart.  Which, somehow, makes him extremely funny too.  It was a great morning.

I finally was able to use the chair that I purchased at the junk store several weeks ago on an expedition with Shanda.  I painted  it red, cut a new seat and recovered it. It's not exactly professional quality refinishing, but not bad for my first attemp.  Okay, it's not even close to professional refinishing, but I'm still proud. Ha! For this shoot, I used  my new 50mm  macro lens - yes I broke down and bought one - and I was even able to use the old metal bucket I bought (at an entirely different junk store) with Shanda.

For those of you learning to use your DSLR - I tried to use my flash for fill light under a tree today.  The sun shining through the leaves was giving crazy shadows all over their faces.  I was  shooting in Manual, and my meter kept blowing up as over-exposed.  I hope to find a solution to share with you.  If anyone else has an explanation, I'm open to hearing your advice.  Otherwise, I plan to make a trip to see my friends at Rockbrook Camera next weekend to see if they can help clear things up for me. More to come...

Easton is turning 5 next weekend and I can't wait to celebrate his birthday with him.  Stay tuned for next week's post which should include some shots from his birthday party at Pump It Up. 

So - this one probably won't make it in a frame, but I had to put it out here for Easton.  He was so proud of how well he could kick the soccer ball! He kept asking me to take pictures of him as he was kicking, so I know he'll be happy to know that this "Beckham" pose made it on the blog. Happy Birthday E!