I Shot The Flowers

With mommy's day on the brain, flowers just seemed to fit today's post. Yes, I am FINALLY posting photos from our visit to the Tulip Fest. I would like to say I planned it this way so that it coincided with a holiday that uses lots of flowers, but I didn't. I just can't lie. Anyway, I decided that this post wouldn't be about recapping our visit, but instead I would use it to give you a little insight into my day as a camera happy nut. 

Can I have a moment of confession here? I felt like it was my first time picking up a camera as we headed out to the fields. My fingers shook as I pressed the shutter, unsure if what I was seeing would actually come through in the photos. Funny thing is I have had so much practice taking photos of Eden INDOORS during this long Oregon winter, but I have never really had the opportunity to practice OUTDOORS. Crazy right? 

Since this was a rather new experience for me (well in the sense that I was controlling my camera and not letting my camera control me by using "automatic" mode) I figured it might be helpful for me, and for all of you out there to see what my settings were for each photo. This may help those of you that are dabbling in amateur photography to see what each setting does for a photo. As a reminder, I use "Av" mode almost exclusively so I set the aperture and the ISO, while the camera determines my shutter speed. I have actually started to play around in manual, but am still loving my "Av" mode. Another note, I used my 50mm 1.8 lens for all photos unless noted.  

F 3.5, 1/4000, ISO 100

F 4.5, 1/320, ISO 100

 1.8, 1/4000, ISO 100

F 1.8, 1/4000, ISO 100

F 1.8, 1/4000, ISO 100

F 5.0, 1/500, ISO 100

F 5.0, 1/500, ISO 100

F 5.0, 1/1600, ISO 100

We are ignoring my goofy face and enjoying the fact that my daughter looks adorable in her sunglasses and um HELLO check out my hair...it hasn't been this long since my wedding day.

F 2.8, 1/2500, ISO 100

F 3.5, 1/1600, ISO 100

I  was in love with the color of this picnic table. I wanted to take it home and put it in the backyard. Sadly, my yard is the size of a cracker jack box so I realized a photo would be the best choice. If I were cool and had a fancy editing program I would have only had the picnic bench in color. So let's just pretend I am fancy.

F 3.5, 1/2000, ISO 100

 Lens: 18-55mm
Focal Length 34mm, F 4.5, 1/2000, ISO 100

I hope that gave you a bit of insight into how I work when I pull that camera out. It was fun getting to play around with my camera with a real live sunshine. Now, if a certain little person didn't choose to have her naptime and meal time during the later part of the day, we would have visited the fields in the evening so I could have avoided some of the harsher shadows from the sun. However, the little miss kind of rules our lives and you know what? I am okay with that. It gives me a little more of a challenge. Yes, I am perfectly aware that morning light is just as fab, but let's not go there...certain people in this household like to stay in bed FOREVER. Just saying.

Now go pick up your cameras and start clicking!