Shooting 101

A few months ago I joined an amazing website called Clickin Moms. I have always been interested in photography and hardly ever leave home without my camera. (Even after we upgraded to a large and clunky camera that I can't just throw in my purse). I have become particularly obsessed since Jackson was born. He's growing up so fast and I don't want to miss a thing!! Getting better pictures of him was my primary goal. I also joined so that I could become more proficient shooting in manual mode and to learn more about the business in general. John has gotten behind my hobby/aspiring (maybe someday) career and bought me a fancy new lens and first online course for Christmas. I spent hours waiting for my class to open for registration because they have limited seats and fill up within minutes of opening. It was definitely a "bad mommy" morning. I plopped poor Jax in front of the television with a box of goldfish, so I could sit and refresh my screen every minute. Thankfully, it paid off and I got into Shooting 101.

The class consisted of four weeks of material, assignments, and reviews. I was a little nervous and intimidated because many of the women in my class had far more experience than me... From day one, we had to shoot in Manual mode which I had only tried a couple times. It was extremely overwhelming, but got easier and easier as the weeks progressed. The class ends this week and, while I am far from an expert, I am so much more confidant shooting in manual. I've also seen a dramatic improvement in the color and clarity of my pictures and learned several tips for successfully photographing wiggly toddlers (like Jackson).

Earlier this week, when the temperature was actually above 30 degrees, Jackson and I had a photo-shoot for my final. Here are some of my favorites:

And the one I chose for my final assignment...

I'm so sad for the class to come to an end- I learned sooo much and throughouly enjoyed being in "school" again. (I know I'm a dork). I can't wait to take more classes!