Cooper

My favorite little guy, Cooper, is a little over 6 weeks old now.  So, Angela invited me over to take some 4th of July themed pics.  I used a 50 mm macro lens (thanks Rockbrook for letting me exchange).  I was super excited to try out all of the new things I had learned last week in the Canon EOS Discovery Day workshop.  However, I took so much away from that class, that I didn't even know what to try first.  I shot all of these pictures in "Manual" mode which was a first for me.  (thanks to Shanda for that inspiration)  All of my other recent ones were shot in "Aperature Priority" mode.  Here are a few of my favories.
Angela worked as a great assistant keeping Coop content and calm for his pictures. 

Cooper loved laying in this bucket for the most part. 

I got several great shots, so it's hard to pick just a couple. 

- Taking a short break -

My "PhotoWalk" with Shanda

Okay, so let me introduce you to Shanda - no picture, because she would hate me if I posted one - but Shanda really deserves the credit for my camera purchase.  She is the one who showed me how accessible photography could be.  And the person who was very honest with me about how much work goes into learning how to properly take a photo.  About a year ago, she told me I should buy a DSLR camera and I just wasn't ready, for too many reasons to mention.  Anyway, she is my "Photography Myagi", Sensei, mentor, or whatever you want to call her.  She really has helped teach me a lot, point me to the right resources, etc.  I wouldn't have learned half of what I have, if she hadn't been so willing to share with me.  You will read her name frequently in my blogs. 

Now that you've been formally introduced, this photo was taken on my first "photo walk" with Shanda. (May 2, 2010) We walked around the Old Market and she let me learn on her camera.  We took pictures of fences, and buildings, and cars, and really everything that grabbed us.  The biggest lesson I learned that day was how to switch my focus points from automatic to manual selection.  That little button on the back of my camera changed the look of my pictures going forward.  If you have a Canon Rebel camera and want to learn more, just let me know. I'd be happy to tell you how to find your button.  :)