the wedding

My brother-in-law got married today. I was so excited for the chance to take some pictures at a wedding. They had a family member do the official photos but I was hoping to take a few of my own.

What I realized today is that it is pretty hard to get a good picture when you have a child in your lap, a diaper bag on your shoulder, are assigned to sit in a certain spot and yes did you catch that, I was sitting down for the entire ceremony. These are a few of my favorites.

Waiting to walk down the isle.



Right before it all started, the best men and maid of honor (I am not sure that is what they were officially called for this wedding) did a dance to "The Final Countdown."



Watching his bride approach him...



The bride watching the groom during the ceremony....they are definitely in love.



The kids playing after the ceremony.



I missed other pictures of the hoe-down, dancing, pot-luck, cake cutting and toasting the couple. We left right before the bicycle parade but I was able to snap a couple of shots of the bride & groom bikes. My favorites pictures from the whole evening.

New Assignment; shooting my daily schedule

"Practice shooting from the hip/on the fly/random things. Set a timer to go off every 60 min. when it goes off grab your camera and as quickly as possible take a shot-you set all the settings, but remember that this is supposed to be helping you learn to “quick grab the camera” and get GREAT shots."

I am not sure I did very well with this assignment. I haven't been shooting a lot lately and I think it has effected my skills. I didn't post settings but can go back and do that if desired. I got started late in the day but here is what I captured:

1. Coming home from school.


2.


3. (I know it is not spring, but we have a lilac tree that is a little confused. I am so glad it is not dead, but it missed the boat a little on blooming.)




4. Really late Lunch (disgusting, huh?) - in fact, I should just call it dinner.



5.

6. My afternoon project

7. We got a new toy: a used trampoline from some neighbors.

8a. An early bath.

8b.

9a. Here is the last post for the day. Sugar cookies...

9b.

9c.

Gettin' some learnin'

Today was the first day of school for this area...including my own son.

Intentional Sun Spots

I would say this is one of those things that is harder than it looks, but fun to try.

Love these kids! 50 mm, depth of field

Both of these were taken with my 50 mm F/1.4 lens. It is an amazing lens. In the first shot, the depth of field is so shallow. In the second shot, it was much darker outside than it appears to be in the picture. This lens needs very little light to take a good picture.

This sunset was stunning. I wish I was a better photographer and could've captured what we really saw that night. This is in Northern Idaho. The wheat fields were so golden. The colors in the sky were so dramatic. Simply breathtaking; the best sunset I have seen in a long time.

Classic Letters

Check out my Classic Letters Blog for more information!!

Last Names:

Available in color too, although I think the Black and White is better.

***********************************************************

Other words

"happy"

Random Photos

These are called Black-Eyed Susans. I love them. I meant to get some starts from my mom but forgot.

My second try at fireworks...I need a lot more practice. :)

You can't get much more Redneck than this: (catching salamanders in a pond with swimming goggles and a tire tube)...



Oh wait, this might be slightly more red neck....teaching your 7 year-old how to do it.



The cabin at the farm.

FAMILY photography (mine)

These are pictures of my own family. Group shots have many challenges and I think it's a bit more complicated when it is your own family.

Okay so it wasn't that bad, but it was harder than I thought it would be. I learned a lot and all that being said, I think there are a few keepers.

(click to enlarge)