Since I took the photography workshop in May, I've been trying to pay more attention to light and composition. I've been avoiding my "auto" setting on my camera, staying instead on aperture priority and using natural light as much as possible. Here are some of my favorite shots from my vacation that don't include kids as subjects.
The old shed on my grandparent's farm.
The old shed on my grandparent's farm.
A butterfly showing off it's two hearts.
The hay barn on my grandparent's farm. 
The meadow in front of the farmhouse. I love this shot. It captures my memories of the farm. Running through the meadow to the creek to catch minnows, playing frisbee or football or catch, catching fireflies, playing dodgeball with my uncles. The farm was magic.
I love the way the light shows through the petals and flashes on the water that's trickling in the background. This is just one of the many flowers that are planted around the fountain at my mom's house.
One of my most favorite shots. I love the light tip of the flower against the black background and then the way the stem is blurred. I used the macro setting on my camera for this shot.
Another bunch of flowers at my mom's house.
You walk two feet into the woods and it's a different place. The trees are alive with the birds chirping to one another, mosquitoes are suddenly in a frenzy at the smell of fresh blood, there is a stillness in the air which is at odds with the sound of the birds and buzzing of mosquitoes. And the air is fragrant with the smell of green moss and freshly fallen rain, even when it hasn't rained. It's magical and these woods surround my mom's home.
I found these wildflowers at the base of a tree in the woods.
I love the way this old red pump shows up against the green of the woods.
Sunlight shimmering on the lake (lagoon?) at Columbia Park, another place where I spent many summer days playing at the playground, swimming at the pool, feeding the ducks, lazily traversing the lake on paddle boats with my grandparents, throwing my club down in anger at the mini-golf course (to the utter delight of my grandpa), and sliding down the giant slide. This is the lake where my Uncle Monte and I once went ice skating where he told me before we ever stepped foot on the ice that if there was suddenly a "BOOM" sound that meant that the ice was cracking and I should lay down to distribute my weight evenly and then crawl to the edge. Then, after skating for a while, there really was a "BOOM" sound and while I did as I was told, my Uncle Monte was high-tailing it across the ice as fast as he could run!
Though this park has changed quite a bit since those days, it's still a place of wonderful memories for me.
I did not stage this photo - this is how it was when I walked into the yard. I just love it. This is on my grandparent's farm, in the yard just to the side of the house. The bike is leaning against the post that's holding up the badminton net. That net has been up for decades!
An impulse shot because I didn't know how it would look. This is inside the hay barn and that's a barn swallow perched on the window looking outside. I didn't know if there was enough light but I really love the way it came out. I love the hint of woods in the background through the dirty glass, love the profile of the bird as it seems to be peering outside.
The meadow in front of the farmhouse. I love this shot. It captures my memories of the farm. Running through the meadow to the creek to catch minnows, playing frisbee or football or catch, catching fireflies, playing dodgeball with my uncles. The farm was magic.
I love the way the light shows through the petals and flashes on the water that's trickling in the background. This is just one of the many flowers that are planted around the fountain at my mom's house.
One of my most favorite shots. I love the light tip of the flower against the black background and then the way the stem is blurred. I used the macro setting on my camera for this shot.
Another bunch of flowers at my mom's house.
You walk two feet into the woods and it's a different place. The trees are alive with the birds chirping to one another, mosquitoes are suddenly in a frenzy at the smell of fresh blood, there is a stillness in the air which is at odds with the sound of the birds and buzzing of mosquitoes. And the air is fragrant with the smell of green moss and freshly fallen rain, even when it hasn't rained. It's magical and these woods surround my mom's home.
I found these wildflowers at the base of a tree in the woods.
I love the way this old red pump shows up against the green of the woods.
Sunlight shimmering on the lake (lagoon?) at Columbia Park, another place where I spent many summer days playing at the playground, swimming at the pool, feeding the ducks, lazily traversing the lake on paddle boats with my grandparents, throwing my club down in anger at the mini-golf course (to the utter delight of my grandpa), and sliding down the giant slide. This is the lake where my Uncle Monte and I once went ice skating where he told me before we ever stepped foot on the ice that if there was suddenly a "BOOM" sound that meant that the ice was cracking and I should lay down to distribute my weight evenly and then crawl to the edge. Then, after skating for a while, there really was a "BOOM" sound and while I did as I was told, my Uncle Monte was high-tailing it across the ice as fast as he could run!
Though this park has changed quite a bit since those days, it's still a place of wonderful memories for me.
I did not stage this photo - this is how it was when I walked into the yard. I just love it. This is on my grandparent's farm, in the yard just to the side of the house. The bike is leaning against the post that's holding up the badminton net. That net has been up for decades!
An impulse shot because I didn't know how it would look. This is inside the hay barn and that's a barn swallow perched on the window looking outside. I didn't know if there was enough light but I really love the way it came out. I love the hint of woods in the background through the dirty glass, love the profile of the bird as it seems to be peering outside.
2 comments:
Your pictures are great - really capture the area. There certainly is a lot to think about with the manual settings and the options are endless. I usually forget about the ISO speed but that can totally help with not having to use the flash. And, isn't it interesting once you know some good tips (like shooting your subject/kids at their level), it's hard to not correct other people pointing down at their kids. Anyway, keep taking lots of pictures for us all to enjoy.
Beautiful pictures Kels.
Jen
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