some photos hanging out on my camera

Just a few weeks ago some good friends came for a visit. We visited the beach while the tide was out (perfect!) and went for a evening swim.

The train went by and we waved. I'm really going to miss this beach.

Love these guys.

Isaac's personality continues to flourish. He now has opinions on his clothes... 

and likes to dress like a little sk8r boi.

Mamo came for a super fun visit. That same week, the Book Barn got a ton of train books. 

She treated the boys to a few that have become instant treasures.

Xavier got the neatest toy for his birthday from Uncle Colin and Auntie Suzi. 

All the boys in the house love it. Thanks!

We continue to get great mileage from the magnet toys Isaac got from his birthday. 

If I could give it 10 stars, I would. Thanks for the tip Jennifer!

Mo and big boys made a pop pop engine (or something like that). It didn't pop as much as Mo wanted, but Finnian and Isaac could have cared less. They made their own boat out of stuff around the house. To two boys who dream about robots and construct new lego creations daily, it was awesome.

With Finnian gone at school all day everyday, Isaac is relishing in his alone time with me in the afternoons while Xavier naps. He asks to cook or bake almost every day. Check out the "muffins." 

Did you know muffins could have so many sprinkles?

Though he STILL prefers to crawl over walk, this little dude is trying his hardest to talk. We recently taught him how to blow kisses and bump fists. So, he like the b words: bump (buh), brother (bruh), ball (baw), bus (buh). That's right, bump and bus sound the same, so we look for other clues, like an arm sticking out or Finnian's approaching ride home.

Finnian started soccer, which is all-in-all, amazing.

Look how cute his coach is!

Sometimes they all end up like this:

And they always end up like this:

Lots of short people with shin guards. So cute.

And, we got one rare photo of us all together! And smiling! A miracle! Too bad we all have scrubby beach clothes on and not everyone is looking at the camera. But really, I cannot complain. 

It may have to be our Christmas photo. Thanks Rich!

photography's key

I've been so fortunate to know a few great photographers who have passed along some helpful tips to improve my photos. There was the journalism school professor who taught me the rule of thirds and composition basics. Bree patiently shared her tips on gear, pointing me towards my prized camera body and showing me the magic of prime lenses. Then, Allison lent me Understanding Exposure.

Despite all of this intervention, I'm three plus years into SLR ownership and I almost always use the automatic setting. Pathetic, I know!

With a new resolve to learn the awesome technology I already own, I turned to Katie Evans, photographer and author of The Key to Taking Pictures like a Professional Photographer. Katie graciously shared her book with me and let me review it here for you.

Someday, my kids are going to thank Katie Evans.

Because of her, I may not have to take a million photos anymore to get that one sweet shot. Her book is inspiring, encouraging and written with a common sense, approachable style. If you want to take consistent, higher quality and even more artsy photos, this book is worth every penny!

Katie breaks photography down, into easy-to-digest steps, with inspiring photos as examples and only the most essential graphics. She shares tips and tricks she's learned on everything from gear to camera settings to composition. The best part of all is that she doesn't explain every last setting on your camera or every last theory on perfect lighting. Photography is stripped down to just what you need to know.

Finally! Someone totally understands what I can handle right now.

In other photography books, I've read about the aperture-shutter speed-ISO relationship in technical terms. As noted, I don't regularly use the manual setting, so you see how far that theory has gotten me. Katie, on the other hand, actually dishes: She shares exactly what settings she starts with and her step-by-step process to achieving beautiful images, that people pay her for. For a non-technically wired person like myself, this approach is a breath of fresh air, giving me a solid starting point. Then, when her explanations get the most technical, she follows up with a pep talk to reassure you to give it a try.

Beyond your camera's settings, Katie shares tips like how to make your subject's eyes sparkle (I always wondered how photographers did that!), how to properly transform an image to black and white, suggestions for how to create unusual, yet dynamic angles and framing and a very cheap, but really neat idea for softening the automatic flash light. Katie even breaks down essential photo editing tips - hitting the highlights with specific parameters.

My biggest complaint with this book is that it is electronic. As a manual, the book begs to be dog-earred and referenced while sitting in a field somewhere, fiddling with your camera's settings. But never fear, while the electronic book is still available, paper copies are hot of the presses too.

I would not sing this book's praises if I did not think it whole-heartedly deserved it, but it does. With SLRs seemingly becoming the new family norm, everyone deserves to be able to maximize the powerful camera they've invested in to document life's adventures. Katie's book will get you there. It's already gotten me off automatic.