Fall-ish Pictures

A couple of weeks ago, I took the boys to a nearby covered bridge to get some fall photos. Unfortunately, the leaves were still green so I didn't get the fall colors I was hoping for, but I knew we wouldn't have time this last weekend with Alden's birthday and I didn't think we'd have any leaves left by this weekend. So green leaves, but they still turned out nice, I think.

Note: We are finally in the stage where Leland will happily oblige to have his picture taken, but his smile doesn't look genuine. And Alden smiles constantly but is never looking my direction. So pictures of these two still take some work. I took about 200 pictures and ended up with a couple of keepers.

See...fake smile, but GOSH! He's still so handsome.

Cheeeeese!

I love this one, but I wish Leland's face wasn't covered.

We found a caterpillar!

Another car pulled up to get pictures so the boys were distracted. I still love this one though. Leland's pose is on point.

They had fun running back and forth across the bridge a gazillion times. And there is a bell to ring as well, so of course they had fun with that. Leland has asked if we can go back. I'm sure we'll be back at some point. Such a pretty place for pictures. Also, the property that it's on is for sale. I want to buy it! Now to just stumble upon gobs of money to afford it. 

New Pool (and more photography practice)

Last week, after I filled our pool, I discovered that there were more holes in it than the just the top ring that had been flat for the last two summers. There was no saving it, so I grabbed another one at Target.

The boys were so excited and hopped in it that afternoon, after only about 3 hours of it warming up. It was freezing, but they didn't care at all. So I used this opportunity to practice my photography some more.

It still took me a while to get my settings "right" for a correct exposure, and I still had many shots that weren't in focus, but these turned out much better than my beach ones. They are brighter, but almost too bright in some areas. I have a hard time finding the right balance.

In my mind, I still have a lot to learn, but I am pleased with some improvement.

Beach Play (Photography Practice)

A few days ago, I took the boys down to a local beach on Lake Michigan. It was way too cold for swimming (Lake Michigan takes a long time to warm up and we haven't had too many warm days), so the boys just played in the sand.

My goal in this was not just a fun activity for the boys, but also a chance to practice with my camera a bit. I haven't really used it much in the last few months and I'm not thrilled with the photos I take. Maybe it's my equipment, maybe it's me, maybe it's an editing issue, maybe I'm being harder on myself than I should be, or most likely, it's a mixture of all of those things. But, basically, I'd like to get to the point where I can take decent (not professional, but not random mamarazzi) portraits of my own kids. And since practice makes perfect...or at least helps one improve, then practice is my goal this summer.

It was a really cloudy day, so I adjusted my exposure compensation, but then they turned out overexposed (though they didn't look so bright on my camera display, there were SUPER bright when I uploaded them), so I had to edit them to tone it down a bit. I have a hard time getting that bright (but not too bright), crisp picture.

Here's what I got that I felt was worth sharing.

Probably my favorite as far as lighting.

Suggestions from my photography friends would be deeply appreciated. Mostly, I struggle with getting my settings right. I spend so much time fiddling with my settings that I miss a lot of photo opportunities. To get the lighting right and the right part in focus...the struggle is real, friends.

(I know about composition, but since I'm focusing on the more technical aspects right now, I'm paying less attention to composition.)

Also, I only have Lightroom 5 for editing, and I really probably only scratch the surface of what I can do with that program. But I feel if I can get a better photo to start with, I won't need the editing so much.

A Little Sunday Walk

Last weekend, I took the boys out for a walk to try and get some cute fall pictures and practice my photography skills. I don't plan to do it professionally, but I am only happy with my photos about half the time, so I'm hoping to improve that just for myself.

I was a little bummed that the gorgeous fall colors we had been seeing had faded and many trees were bare. Just a week earlier, the colors were so bright and vibrant. But we had been so busy up until last weekend that I never had a chance to get photos earlier.

It i so difficult to get photos of my boys together right now. While Leland is finally to a point where he might stand still for a picture for a second, Alden is always on the go (and he's always looking down). I still was able to get some decent photos, I think.

They have my heart.

I spent about ten minutes total trying to get pictures, and then we just walked and explored. Even if the pictures didn't turn out how I wanted, we still had a fun walk.

Little Boy Blessings

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law asked me to take some maternity photos for her. She was pregnant with her third boy and wanted to do something special. I told her I would be happy to, but I made sure she understood that I am no professional. I can take decent pictures, but I don't have the greatest editing software (nor do I know how to use it to its full potential). But I managed to get some good shots in her backyard. Here are some of my favorites.

The whole family

Isaac was quite a ham for the camera. Sweet boy.

I felt pretty honored to know the name before anyone else. And at first I didn't love that the 5 was showing on the 'B' block, but then I was cool with it when I realized the meaning - they will now be a family of FIVE!

There were a lot of things I would have liked to be better, but I think they turned out decent for a simple 20 minute backyard shoot. And Laura was happy with them, which is what really matters.

Gone Fishin' {Newborn Photos}...

For Alden's newborn photos, we went {again} to my friend, Alisha. She also did our maternity photos. I love her creativity and incredible speed at editing pics. Our shoot was Sunday, and I got our CD in the mail today. Holy cow.

Alisha said she had a little "Gone Fishin'" set up that she had been dying to use. I wasn't so sure about it when she told me, but when I saw it, I agreed that it was adorable, and was excited to use it for our sweet Alden.

So anyway, enough of my chit chat - here are some of our favorite photos from our shoot.

These are just some of my faves. So many great shots that I just adore. I am so thankful to have these treasures.