Manual Photography

It's time for me to master this photography thing.

I am determined to figure it out.

No more turning the dial to the emerald green auto button on the top of my camera.

I did take a photography class in college after all.

Complete with black room and all.

If you have never experienced a black room for developing pictures, I highly recommend it.

Very satisfying to see what you captured through your lens

AND

in a calm dark space.

Would love to have a small area in our home just to develop pictures.

Maybe one day.

In the mean time, I will continue to upload to the computer and learn from my mistakes.

I do remember from class that MOST pictures are more appealing if your subject is in a side quadrant.

Yesterday, the same day I took these pictures, I turned the dial to M and started my own little class.

Kent helped me out A.L.O.T.!

Here is what I will be using on this journey.

Nikon D40 with a 52mm lens.

We also have a larger lens, yet I won't break out that bad boy until I get a better handle on things.

First, I started with subjects that weren't so..........mobile.

Took some pictures of our neighbors blooming crate myrtles

and statue in their yard.

Then, I took on the real challenge.

My own little moving target.

Too much exposure

WAAAAAY too much exposure

Better colors, now if I would have just remembered to FOCUS :)

Okay, we are going somewhere now.

I can see better results.

Um.  Not really interested in the details of the Tonka truck.

I've got to remember to focus.

I love this picture of Kent.

A. Because I think he's a cutie.

B. Because that smile comes from watching Hughes.

The Tonka truck went back and forth

back and forth

back and forth

I'm liking this picture

I also took this picture manually. 

Bear with me as I figure out this aperture/f-stop information.

I make the decision today, to never use the alluring, green auto button again.

Well, almost never.

If anyone has any great advice, article links, great books, informative blogs, please help me out.

We've got a lots of memories to capture!