Thursday, January 13, 2011

Hello Love. {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

The New Camera (Jan 6th)
With this picture, I retired my faithful point-and-shoot.
It's here! My first ever DSLR Camera. For a week, I was eagerly checking the mail each day, waiting for it to arrive. The day it came, I was tired--about to take a nap--when I thought, "I'll just check the mail first." And there it was, ready for me.

I never napped.

My new camera is a Canon EOS Rebel XS DSLR. So far I love it, although I really don't have a clue what I'm doing yet. I'm slowly making my way through the manual that came with the camera and hoping to read some good books on photography soon.

For now, I'm experimenting with the non-automatic camera settings and using Picnik to edit my photos. The next exciting news is that we purchased Photoshop Elements using my husband's 80% student discount! Whoo-hooo! I'm waiting for it to arrive now. :)

Here are some of my 1st photos with the new camera. Don't I have the most squeezable model ever?

1st Shoot With New Camera (Jan 7th)
He loves being outside.

Contemplative
Contemplative


In The Slide
The slide is a favorite. Not the best lighting in there, though! :D

Merry-go-round (Jan 8th)
Merry-go-round
How sweet is this face? I couldn't get the smile PLUS the angle I wanted (thus the bar). But his face still melts my heart.

Holding Hands (Jan 10th)
Holding hands

I took the last picture when we were taking our morning walk to the mailbox. I love that little hand.

So...help a newbie out. Do you have any go-to photography resources? I need some reading! I don't even know what ISO means yet...
_______________________________

It's Thursday, ya'll! Throw your best adventures at me--let's have fun! Link up your blog post below, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and take a look around at the other participant's posts. Leave some happy, encouraging comments. :) I look forward to what you have to share.





P.S. This post was made possible by a very sweet father-in-law. Thanks, Dad P!

Linked to Company Girl Coffee and I'm Lovin' It.
Share/Bookmark
Posted by Alicia at 7:00 AM
Labels: ,

33 comments:

  1. Sarah @ Loved Like the ChurchJanuary 13, 2011 at 8:06 AM

    What great pictures! Squishy looks so cute in all of them! I especially love that last one. :)

    We have a Nikon D40 and it's super nice. But our lens went out and the one we want is too expensive to quickly replace. So we have a point and shoot that we've down graded to until our camera is fixed. However, I have zero camera/photography knowledge, so I am on no use my friend. Haha!

    ReplyDelete
  2. MiriamJanuary 13, 2011 at 8:16 AM

    Wow, did the one-eyed, green monster ever jump through the screen and onto my shoulder with this post!! Man, I'd looooove to have a great DSLR camera! I have my eye on a Nikon D300 in my dreams. I'm so excited for you, though, and I'm sure the one-eyed, green monster will fade away ;)

    I think Pioneer Woman has some photography tutorials on her site. Yeah, I have no idea what ISO, f-stop, aperture, and all that stuff is. But it sounds sophisticated and professionaly :) I guess I'll have to learn that stuff if I really want to be a photographer when I grow up.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2011 at 8:32 AM

    Amazing pictures! We just bought a Rebel as our "Christmas gift to each other" and we love it! I'll bet you could find a good deal on an old photography textbook. My husband has one from college that we've been referencing. I need to sit down with it and really soak up some good information. Until then, I'm learning by trial and error. (Mostly error!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. AliciaJanuary 13, 2011 at 8:41 AM

    Aw, Miriam, I understand! To help with this, I just sprayed this post down with "anti-one-eyed-green-monster" spray. The spray is organic and no animals (except green monsters) were hurt in the making of it. :)

    There, much better.

    Sarah and Kelsey--thanks! :D Kelsey, I look forward to seeing more pictures from your Rebel camera.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ohAmandaJanuary 13, 2011 at 8:48 AM

    Oooh. I suggest a photography class. I've had my camera for TOOO long and I still don't know what to do w/it. I bought a book (that I can't think of the name of right now) and it just went straight over my head. (I did write a post about this same thing...let me find it...)

    ReplyDelete
  6. ohAmandaJanuary 13, 2011 at 8:49 AM

    Here it is: the comments are super helpful:

    http://ohamanda.com/2010/09/03/disney-world-photography/

    ReplyDelete
  7. AliciaJanuary 13, 2011 at 9:12 AM

    Amanda, thanks! I'm perusing the comments now. :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wendy (The Local Cook)January 13, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    I got a new camera too for Christmas! Have fun!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Aiming4SimpleJanuary 13, 2011 at 9:49 AM

    How fun to grow as a photographer!

    What kind of camera were you using before? I'd love to get a point and shoot that does better close-ups, maybe with Swagbucks. Any tips for me? Right now I use a 3.2 mexapixel Easy Share, so I'm seeking, not giving photography advice. =)

    ReplyDelete
  10. CraigJanuary 13, 2011 at 11:22 AM

    The pictures are all perfect already - I say enjoy and explore and have fun - no hurry.

    God Bless

    ReplyDelete
  11. AliciaJanuary 13, 2011 at 11:23 AM

    Julia, before I was using a Canon PowerShot A610....a 5 Megapixel camera that was about 6-7 years old! It was a really good camera for us, though! I think I had to send it in to have something fixed once.

    Now they have new versions of the Powershot out...:) I used the manual mode in combo with the macro setting to get my close-up food shots.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2011 at 12:55 PM

    We love our dSLR! Can we say bounce flash? I don't know too much, but we 2 sites that give me great info. I'm on my phone right now so I don't want to look for them, but I will try to remember to send the links your way.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Scott and Sarah NicholsJanuary 13, 2011 at 1:50 PM

    Hi, I just got the same exact camera a couple days ago. I found a tutorial online at http://sites.google.com/site/biowbiow002/twopeas_12week that I'm going through that is really helping me learn how to use it. It's pretty easy. Love your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  14. KatieJanuary 13, 2011 at 4:10 PM

    Ooo how fun!! Those are great shots for someone with no camera knowledge. Squishy's little smile is fantastic!

    I think we have the old version of your camera and are now upgrading our lenses (very slooowly). The first one we got is a 50mm. While, it's not super versatile it was pretty cheap and I love the shots it takes. Great for portraits with the person in focus and the background all fuzzy.

    Pioneer woman did a great four part aperture series. I did have to look up a few things (like ISO) while reading it, but really useful.

    Here's the link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2008/05/what-the-heck-is-an-aperture-part-one/

    ReplyDelete
  15. AliciaJanuary 13, 2011 at 5:04 PM

    You guys are awesome! Thanks for all the resources! :D I have several of your links open in different windows...:)

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2011 at 5:17 PM

    Super easy to understand techniques!!

    http://www.theshabbyshoppe.com/blog/index.php/category/photography/

    Tons of great info:

    http://www.digital-photography-school.com/
    (I think this guy is also the guy behind ProBlogger.)

    I think I'll be joining in on your link up this week. We made homemade sugar scrubs at MOPS this week.

    ReplyDelete
  17. CandiJanuary 13, 2011 at 7:39 PM

    What a wonderful gift!!! When you figure it all out, you should do a blog post, so the rest of us know how to work our cameras :)

    Just kidding!

    Kind of :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2011 at 8:18 PM

    Hey maybe going to MOPS can be your next adventure? ;) Your first meeting should be free. Not sure if they're all the same but we have free childcare, there is a potluck breakfast buffet, great speakers, fun crafts, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  19. ElizabethJanuary 13, 2011 at 9:50 PM

    Your pics are great. I see talent runs in the familly!.. You might want to get the full Adobe Photoshop. since you get such a great discount. Now that I think about it, it might be worth it just to take a class so I could get Photoshop, Lightroom and Painter! .. Oh sorry got carried away.. There are tutorials on Lynda.com although it has a monthly subscription fee you can learn a lot and quite any time! I am looking to get a DSL ... eventually... did you get a good deal?

    ReplyDelete
  20. StaciJanuary 13, 2011 at 10:31 PM

    Thanks for commenting! I look forward to meeting you too :) And I'm so jealous of your new camera. Me and my point and shoot are stuck with each other for a while, I'm afraid.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Ammie @ domesticallyobsessed.comJanuary 14, 2011 at 8:39 AM

    I see AN IMMEDIATE difference in the qualilty of pics, alicia! Rock on!

    ReplyDelete
  22. TidyMomJanuary 14, 2011 at 9:03 AM

    Congrats Alicia!! You're going to have so much fun with it!!

    Darcy's 31 Days to better photography series is awesome http://my3boybarians.com/31-days-series/

    Amanda's Everyday Elements site is FANTASTIC....I HIGHLY recommend her workshops! http://everydayelementsonline.com/

    And Clickin Mom's is a great online forum http://www.clickinmoms.com/amember/go.php?r=3384&i=b12 you can use the discount code FRIEND until 1-31-11 to get 20% off new membership!!

    Have fun!!

    ReplyDelete
  23. LydiaCateJanuary 14, 2011 at 10:12 AM

    Great pictures! How fun. I know you will enjoy your new toy and we will enjoy seeing what you capture with it. You do have the cutest subject!
    Have a blessed weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  24. UnknownJanuary 14, 2011 at 10:13 AM

    It's always so good to have good subjects that model so willingly!

    ReplyDelete
  25. KatharineJanuary 14, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    It's soooo beautiful ~sigh~ it is on my list...I'll be interested to see how you like it, I've only heard good things!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Kathleen T. JaegerJanuary 14, 2011 at 11:15 AM

    Ohhh...a digital SLR has been on my wish list for a long time. Congrats!!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Debbie TJanuary 14, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    LOVE. the photos! What a FUN new toy! I'm like you - I love pictures, but all those photography abbreviations - still trying to learn them. =) I want to graduate to a bigger camera someday - and hope you are able to find LOTS of good help and resources while you learn & play!

    ReplyDelete
  28. One More Equals FourJanuary 14, 2011 at 1:18 PM

    Wow! Your pictures are amazing. I am a terrible photographer...I have tried, it just isn't my gift so I have a deep appreciation for your talent! Beautiful! Have a fun weekend playing!

    ReplyDelete
  29. CindyCJanuary 14, 2011 at 1:57 PM

    That is really, really, super cool! And it's already taking great pictures, even without much tutoring! But, like you said, having such an adorable subject makes it hard to take bad pictures! :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. AmberJanuary 14, 2011 at 6:29 PM

    Congrats on the camera! Isn't it remarkable what amazing photos you can get with that nice big lens? I have a DSLR and usually just use the manual modes. I know very little about photography either but it works for me.

    ReplyDelete
  31. CarolJanuary 14, 2011 at 7:12 PM

    Great post. I have always wanted a camera like yours, but no such luck. You can always try www.thepioneerwoman.com and click on the photography link to get some great ideas. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  32. AnonymousJanuary 15, 2011 at 8:59 PM

    Hey, congrats on the new DSLR, it will totally change your life! You should look into Scott Kelby, he is a fab photog with loads of resources and also here:
    http://www.digital-photography-school.com/

    I put them in my reader about a year and a half ago and there's loads of super amazing writers there.

    I got a new camera too this year the T2i and have been spending some quality time with the manual. It's amazing what technology can do, can't wait to see your progress!

    https://jennoreilly.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
  33. The Unglamorous MommyJanuary 29, 2011 at 11:15 PM

    Great meeting you at Blissdom!!!

    Love the pictures you took!! I have a DSLR and am starting to get into photography more. I have info on my site for people with DSLRs and plans to add more lessons as I go. Check it out: www.theunglamorousmommy.com

    ReplyDelete

I love your comments. :) I know your time is precious, so I appreciate the time you spend reading and giving feedback.

Please be respectful of others and kind with your words.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)