San Antonio

ISO: 800  f/3.5  shutter speed: 1/13

This was taken in San Antonio, which was a blast and I learned SO MUCH. We went to the Alamo one night and walked around and there were some cool lights so I wanted to try the whole twisty thing mabob where she stays still but the background is like moving in a circle. You do this by turning the camera while taking the picture. You have to use a slow shutter speed so you have enough time to move the camera in the time that it is actually taking the picture. The trees in the background had lights all on them so that made it a cool opportunity to do this. I couldn't figure out the white balance when editing so that is still kind of off. I am not good at white balance, that is something I have figured out recently.  I liked this one because her head is actually still and there aren't lights in her eyes like my other ones (not on here).

Aaaaaaaaaaaal

So, I finally learned what AI (al) focus, AI (al) servio, and one shot mean. It's very exciting too! So, one shot is you focus and then it stays focused there. AI (al) focus is like where you focus on something and it stays focused on that person or thing even as it moves. And AI (al) servo is an in between. It is supposed to stay locked if it doesn't move, but if the object moves it will also move. I was super-d-duper-d excited to finally learn this. Last year, I never changed the drive mode unless Smith or Hannah told me too. I was probably shooting in the wrong mode half the time, but I no longer have to worry about that :) It's so exciting to learn more things and feel more knowledgeable about what you're doing. I still have lots left to learn, though, like I need to learn what the metering mode means. I also want to learn some in Photoshop, and possibly the Calvin (??) scale. I just want to learn as much as I can before I leave next year because I doubt I'll have another teacher like Smith. Anyways, I feel accomplished to finally have learned what this means :)

101 Dalmatians

ISO: 320  f/5.6  shutter speed: 1/125

ISO: 320  f/5.6  shutter speed: 1/125

So, for Disney day the drill team decided to dress up as 101 Dalmatians and Mrs. Still as Cruella Da Vil. It was a really cool idea and since the drill team spread still needed more coverage, we decided this would be a good idea. So, at the beginning of drill team I went down there and got them to all get in the pit (they're puppies so of course they had to be in grass). They did one normal picture (not on here) and then two, well these two. They were all trying to act like puppies and in my personal opinion it's pretty funny. The pit was split half shade and half sun cause it just wanted to make my job more difficult. I put the drill team in the shade and started off with myself in the sun, but that didn't work cause there was a huge glare so then I went to the shade. I was trying to get rid of the distracting background, so I tried laying down and making just greenery in the background but that didn't work. Then I went to the other side of the pit on the hill trying to get kind of above them. I wasn't able to get high enough so the background isn't quite how I would've liked. I wouldn't mind the trees and sky, but it's the building part that bothers me. It also would've been better if I could of blurred it out, but because the team is so big I didn't want to widen my aperture so I wouldn't loose any of the members. I used the 5D and 24-105mm lens for this picture. I had to change the white balance in Lightroom cause it started off extremely blue and icky. I also cropped this picture.

Full Page Bleed. Whoop whoop!

ISO: 1600  f/4.0  shutter speed: 1/100

Yay! I got a full page bleed with this picture! Whoop whoop. I was so excited when Potter told me that I could be the one in charge of the full bleed for the bonfire spread. She told me what she wanted and I had it all planned out, and even got what she originally asked for. This, however, is not it. Now, I can't take full credit for this image, although I wish I could. But I do have to admit that Smith was the one that pointed this out to me and said take this, it could be a possible full bleed if the fire one doesn't work. The fire picture didn't fail, I did get it and how Potter asked too, but she liked this one better because it was different. Not the same old picture that we have even had published before in 06. Anyways, I am very glad to have gotten to take this picture. I was using a 7D and a 17-50mm lens for this. I used the brush tool along the bottom part where it is black because there were a couple people you could see that had white shirts on and Potter asked me to get rid of them. Luckily, since it's just supposed to be black, it was super easy to get rid of the people and it didn't take in photochop work. Lightroom was all I needed.

Homecoming Game..fun stuff! :)

ISO: 1250  f/2.8  shutter speed: 1/250

ISO: 1250  f/ 2.8  shutter speed: 1/250

ISO: 1250  f/2.8  shutter speed: 1/250

ISO: 1250  f/2.8  shutter speed: 1/250

ISO: 1250  f/2.8  shutter speed: 1/250

ISO: 1250  f/2.8  shutter speed: 1/320

ISO: 1250  f/2.8  shutter speed: 1/320

So, I really like Smith's lens that he just sold, the 70-210 2.8 lens. I used it for this game and really REALLY enjoyed it. I was pleased with these images. I have finally gotten some ok football images and it makes me happy. My flash died in the 2nd half of the game and I had already given my extra batteries to Sabrina so I had to shoot the rest of the game without a flash but surprisingly it wasn't too terrible. I was absolutely freezing at this game but apparently that didn't affect me in too terrible of a way.  I'm just really happy that they aren't all crap and I was excited over these. YAY! The thing that made me most happy was they are in focus since I've been having such a hard time with things in focus and it's so annoying and it shouldn't happen to me but luckily that's not the case here.

NOOOOOOOOOO

ISO: 1250  f/3.5  shutter speed: 1/125

Aghhhh. No. Not even fair. This picture irks me so much. I was having trouble with the focus points on Bigma so Smith changed my focus point to all of them. Naturally, with my luck, Natalie is not in focus and Michael is. No fair. Anyways this could have been a really cool picture, but this is what it is.  Also, I would like to add that this computer has been nice to me all day but last time all the computers hated me and I spent 4 hours doing all the pre-lightroom stuff. That was super annoying but I finally got my pictures processed today. Hallelujah. 

Awkward Family Photo

ISO: 1000  f/2.8 shutter speed: 1/80

So, last night I was out until 10:45 working on different pictures this being one of them. I was told to get a picture of Sarah Hacker playing the piano with her parents helping her. When I got there, they told me that Sarah had never played piano before in her life. So, we had to change the game plan and just do a pic of them sitting on the couch. A boring picture might I add. I am not proud to call this mine at all, I wish I would've had a creative instant thought but yeah, that didn't happen. So here is my boring picture but it's not awkward like it would have been had it been the piano one. Oh well.