Skelly Pics Day by Day

February 22, 2012

2012-02-22T23:56:00.000-08:00

Andrew balancing Jason's creation
(it's a space probe that's actually hanging from the ceiling by a rubber band)

February 21, 2012

2012-02-21T22:58:00.000-08:00

The beautiful sky during Jason's football practice (he's in the light blue shirt)

February 20, 2012

2012-02-20T22:22:00.001-08:00

I knew something was up when my no-napper curled up on the living room floor and fell asleep...yep, she woke up with a fever. Poor princess has a cold :(

February 19, 2012

2012-02-19T23:06:00.001-08:00

Enjoying a s'more during our President's Day indoor campout

February 18, 2012

2012-02-18T23:01:00.000-08:00

She has the biggest, bestest pout lip of all pout lips!

February 17, 2012

2012-02-17T22:55:00.000-08:00

Jason hard at work...and getting used to his reading glasses :)

February 16, 2012

2012-02-16T22:54:00.000-08:00

A day at the Santa Ana Zoo...we bought all day ride passes and rode the train and carousel over and over and over again!

February 15, 2012

2012-02-15T22:00:00.000-08:00

Andrew would like me to tell you she was going super fast but really...it was just a super windy (and later rainy) day :)

February 14, 2012

2012-02-14T22:21:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day Chocolate Fondue

And how did her face get painted with chocolate...

Yep, her daddy did it.

February 13, 2012

2012-02-13T22:16:00.000-08:00

First day wearing their reading glasses

February 12, 2012

2012-02-12T22:10:00.000-08:00

Staining our new stool (so Jill can reach the sink.) Bought it at Ikea for $15.

February 11, 2012

2012-02-11T23:55:00.000-08:00

The highlight of our day was most definitely Jill meeting her current favorite person - Dora!

But we also worked on a Lowe's building project, and I just can't resist adding this picture to the day...

She's a serious worker :)

February 10, 2012

2012-02-10T20:31:00.000-08:00

How Beth remedies being handed-down boy skates...

February 9, 2012

2012-02-09T23:30:00.000-08:00

Jason at his PE class playing basketball...but he caught me taking pics from the sideline and couldn't resist posing :)

February 8, 2012

2012-02-08T23:16:00.000-08:00

Jason meeting his flag football team (gotta love the high quality of my cell phone camera :)

February 7, 2012

2012-02-07T22:24:00.000-08:00

Rainy Day Hot Cocoa

February 6, 2012

2012-02-06T21:25:00.000-08:00

Jill could color, draw and stick stickers all day long!

February 5, 2012

2012-02-05T21:20:00.000-08:00

Jill helping Daddy make a stepstool

February 4, 2012

2012-02-04T22:22:00.000-08:00

Played glow-in-the-dark miniature golf for Grandpa's birthday...we had a great day monkeying around!

February 3, 2012

2012-02-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

Bedtime Story Time

this is Adam's current pick every night - Dooby, Dooby Moo

I used my new toy, a light scoop, to defuse the flash. It's fun and helpful in getting more natural light in a dark setting.

February 2, 2012

2012-02-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

Kids started a PE class today - Jason's studying basketball (Beth & Adam are studying volleyball).

While they were playing...Jill saw the moon in the sky so I took a picture...

February 1, 2012

2012-02-01T22:20:00.000-08:00

Sent this text today :)

January 31, 2012

2012-01-31T23:23:00.000-08:00

Pharoah's Tomb Completed!

January 30, 2012

2012-01-30T23:46:00.000-08:00

Due to Adam's scooter being run over and Jason's bike chain breaking...both boys are riding their sister's pink one's...and looking good doing it :)

January 29, 2012

2012-01-29T23:38:00.000-08:00

It may be January, but it was great swim weather today. Even with a cast, we couldn't stop ourselves from enjoying it!

January 28, 2012

2012-01-28T20:42:00.000-08:00

Jill ran errands with Daddy and brought home some treats from the asian market :)

January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T22:38:00.000-08:00

My sister came for a super short visit to say hi to everyone (and that's my Grandma :)

January 26, 2012

2012-01-26T23:02:00.000-08:00

Adam threw four frisbees at once

January 25, 2012

2012-01-25T22:51:00.000-08:00

Only pic taken today was taken with my cell phone by Andrew...we went for a Frosty run at Wendy's to use our Halloween coupons before they expired. Thank you to our cousins for the special treat :)

January 24, 2012

2012-01-24T23:27:00.000-08:00

Spring in January...in California

January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T23:54:00.000-08:00

Decided to take some pictures of the rain and I actually caught this drop splashing...

But unfortunately I hadn't yet adjusted the white balance...here's what I wish the background of the above picture looked like...next year I'll work on figuring out Photoshop cuz I think that could fix it.

January 22, 2012

2012-01-22T23:03:00.000-08:00

Jason's bowling at his birthday party

and a bonus pic to follow-up from a few days ago...

It fell out while brushing her teeth!

January 20, 2012

2012-01-20T22:10:00.000-08:00

Sisters

January 19, 2012

2012-01-20T22:08:00.000-08:00

What I thought would be the last photo of Beth with her top baby tooth...see it hanging there? But it's currently 24 hours later and the tooth is still hanging on!

January 18, 2012

2012-01-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

Jill trying to catch the turtles (her words)

365 Days - January 17, 2012

2012-01-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

At the park...getting as close to the sand without actually going into the sand (for the sake of the cast)

365 Days - January 16, 2012

2012-01-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken in the morning at Adam's request...it then ended up being the only picture I took all day so it makes it onto the blog :)

365 Days - January 15, 2012

2012-01-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

Andrew blowing bubbles for our 2 year old Sunday School Class.

365 Days - January 14, 2012

2012-01-14T22:16:00.000-08:00

This has possibly gotten out of control...

365 Days - January 13, 2012

2012-01-13T22:11:00.000-08:00

Jason's Birthday...how to limit to one photo?!? My good camera battery died (talk about poor planning!) so these were all taken of the birthday boy with my point and shoot :)

365 Days - January 12, 2012

2012-01-12T22:05:00.000-08:00

We love board games around here...here's the latest (one of Jason's Christmas presents).

365 Days - January 11, 2012

2012-01-11T23:33:00.000-08:00

As much as I want to get my camera off auto and improve my photography skills...sometimes there's more value in the story, and that's really what I want to focus on...So today's photo was taken with my cell phone camera...

365 Days - January 10, 2012

2012-01-10T22:29:00.000-08:00

Beth found flowers...gotta love California winters :)

365 Days - January 9, 2012

2012-01-09T22:32:00.000-08:00

And Jill today...bummer of a night but as you can clearly see...she's a trooper :)

365 Days - January 8, 2012

2012-01-08T22:31:00.000-08:00

Jill today...

365 Days - January 7, 2012

2012-01-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

Busy packing up Christmas and napping off a headache so Jill took over picture taking for me today. She's allowed to use my old Kodak point and shoot and loves to take pictures just about daily of things I wouldn't normally take pictures of! I am seriously thinking I'll make an album, "From Jill's Perspective, a 3 Year Old's Story." So I'm keeping most of her pictures because they really do tell a story.

365 Days - January 6, 2012

2012-01-06T22:49:00.000-08:00

Yea! Adam learned how to swing completely on his own.

This is the face of a proud little boy!

Telephoto lens...very pleased to get a clear shot with that lens and a swinging boy!

365 Days - January 5, 2012

2012-01-05T22:40:00.000-08:00

What the boys did with their free time today...there are "rooms" for each of their friends :)

...and I took this pic with no flash, just a high ISO :)

Day 4 of 31 Days to a Better Photo: ISO

2012-01-04T22:37:00.000-08:00

Ok, this post began in May, 2011...I never wrote anything and just moved on to Day 5 because I didn't get ISO. It made sense when I read it and I've seen a grainy photo taken at a high ISO to see that I don't want that but I still didn't get it...why would I ever want to touch it? Just put it at 100, get sharp photos and move on, right? Wrong...I finally figured it out...today...that's a good 7 months after first being introduced to the beast. When I first read about it, I got out my camera and took a bunch of pictures at all different ISOs...and there was pretty much no difference in the pictures. I didn't get it so I moved on. Now, after a few months hiatus, I've been reading on in 31 Days to a Better Photo and the exposure triangle is being presented. It seems ISO, Apeture and Shutter Speed all relate. I knew about 2 of those relating to each other and understand that but ISO, still not getting it...until today. I took this photo of Jill doing her writing (she loves to do this, by the way...everyday!)

I was able to get the shot with no flash, yea! I soooo prefer natural lighting (especially since I don't have a fancy flash attachment, just the lovely pop-up flash that washes everything out!) So, I then move on to Adam. He is further from the window so this is what I got...

Bummer...not enough light. But then I remembered - ISO. Would it really make a difference? I changed it from 100 to 1600. That is ALL I changed and this is what I got...

Wow, it works! ISO does make a difference. I didn't believe it. I've tried it before but I guess I still had to figure out other stuff before I could get it. Maybe I just didn't hold the camera still but no, I took more and had the same results. I'm so excited because I've figured it out and because then I got more pics like this one...

Super Fun! Looking forward to playing more and more :)

PS If I'm understanding what I'm reading in the internet world and from what I remember from college photography...A high ISO will make for a grainier picture and should be the last resort...I have a cheap kit lens with an max aperture of 5.6...a better lens would not need the high ISO but for now, I'll use it!

January 4, 2012

2012-01-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

All this work trying to figure out settings and white balance and ISO...but sometimes it's just getting lucky enough to catch the bubble before it pops!

January 3, 2012

2012-01-03T18:01:00.000-08:00

La Brea Tar Pits

January 2, 2012

2012-01-02T22:26:00.000-08:00

Made a handprint collage for Daddy on the 8th Day of Christmas...guess the color of Jill's handprints?

Day 1 2012

2012-01-01T22:38:00.000-08:00

My attempt at Bokeh...fun to play!

The 365 Day Plan

2011-12-31T22:27:00.000-08:00

My New Year's Resolution...to keep my camera off automatic! I'm going to continue studying 31 Days to a Better Photo (I started months ago...I guess it's taking me longer than 31 days!) In an effort to be successful, I'm committing to the 365 Day Plan. A picture a day...all year...and this year, leap year...I get to post 366 days. So starting tomorrow, I'll be posting a picture a day taken NOT on auto :) I'll be taking hints and suggestions from this website and from Picaboo. No promises...I may miss a day or two. I will not post daily (I'll do catch-up when I have time). But I will continue on. I really do take pictures just about everyday anyway...now I'll be doing it NOT on auto and hopefully improving. Happy New Year!

Day 5: Aperture - My Notes :)

2011-05-26T20:47:00.002-07:00

Aperture means opening - how big does the shutter open when the photo is being taken.

Small number = Big Opening = Allows in more light = Less time required for correct exposure = shallow depth of field.
Big number = Small Opening = Reduces amount of light in = More time required for the same exposure = wider depth of field.

Depth of field is the distance, or depth, of your picture that will be in focus.

In summary...as nice as it is to understand what the camera and the lens are actually doing (the lens opening, focal points, amount of light, yada, yada, yada) I'm going to focus on what I need to remember at that moment to get the desired photo:

Small Number = Small amount in focus

Big Number = Big amount in focus

Now it's time to go play :)

Practice with the TV

2011-05-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

TV stands for time value (this is me reminding myself...say it again - TV stands for time value!) It's been a busy week but I am going to plug through this and use my camera in modes other than "green square!" Twice I did take a moment and mess with the TV setting to see the effect. I am starting to understand it but need lots more practice...This "31 Days to A Better Photo" is going to take me months!

Here are some shots of four-eyed fish at Sea World. Bare with me, it was a dark room and aquarium shots through glass are more complex than merely changing the TV but I did just that, and although I didn't get a fabulous shot, I am learning the effects of this mode.

1/5 - a good amount of light but too slow a shutter speed for the camera to be handheld - I needed a tripod for this shot1/25 - a good amount of light and fast enough to not have too much blur. This was the best shot overall (they are crazy fish with half their eye above water and half below - see them there?)1/125 - too fast, not enough light1/500 - way too fast, not enough lightI didn't note the TV for the next two but I really think they are a good example of what my Camera Manual describes as blurred vs. frozen action shots controlled by the TV mode. A slower shutter speed lets in more light and gives a blurred action shot, a cool effect if that is desired (would be a better pic if her head was turned!)And the faster shutter speed lets in less light and I got more of a frozen action shot, much more crisp detail in this picture.

Ok, that is it for TV for now...I will continue to play but moving on to Day 4 - ISO (I don't remember studying this in college photography at all, although I'm sure we did, so I'm eager to learn :)

Day 3 - Shutter Speed

2011-05-01T00:26:00.000-07:00

So the first mode we're working on is shutter speed or on my camera - TV. The TV means time value, and it controls the amount of time the shutter is open and therefore, the amount of light allowed into the photo. I spent some time last night turning the dial and figuring out the range of time value (250 = fast, less light and 1" = slow, more light).
Today was Adam's soccer game where I am the coach and therefore, Andrew gets to be the default photographer. I learned a lesson today...return the camera to "Auto" mode after playing with new settings otherwise your husband will take pictures like this of the entire first quarter: Don't see anything? That's because the shutter speed was way too slow for such bright outdoors and the picture ended up way overexposed. See what we're learning :) Fortunately, he realized it wasn't working and I was able to easily turn the mode dial back to the happy and easy automatic green square for him at the quarter break. He then took a handful of fun photos... I plan to take some pictures myself tomorrow with different shutter speeds to play and learn some more...

Day 2 - Read your camera manual

2011-04-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, this seems boring and lame but hey, if you don't know what all those buttons and settings and dials can do then you will have no clue what your camera is capable of...this also requires you to find your camera manual and take the time to plow through it. This is why Day 2 is days after Day 1 :)
Here it is...
All 179 pages of it (and it's all in English!) But I'm reading it. I'm reading it all. I am really excited to be learning (and mostly relearning as I took photography in college...was that really 18 years ago??? No wonder I need to relearn it all!)

PS Do you like how I'm already experimenting...Pic 1 is no flash and Pic 2 is flash. It's not much but it's a start to experimenting and figuring it all out :)

My Beginning...31 days to a better photo

2011-04-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

I love taking photos. I have always loved taking photos. I take a lot of good photos. I take many, many more bad photos (yea for digital photos that can be deleted!) Here is my attempt to improve my skills...hopefully in time to take some amazing photos on vacation this summer :)