Playing with a Canon

Guys, if you've been reading our blog for a while you know I have high aspirations of being a photographer.

Actually, I said that wrong;

I'd just like to be able to take decent pictures. 

I fancy myself somewhat of a creative soul. 

In reality I'm half decent at copying *some* artistic mediums but I haven't been blessed with a boatload of original creativity.

So it really torques me when I pick up a camera and the photos I take are...fair to middlin', at best, and ding-dang awful at worst.

I WANT to be able to be gifted.

I also feel like this when I get a notion and pick up Mark's guitar to start playing through my guitar songs repertoire. 

Including and limited to:

- Lord I Lift Your Name on High

- One of These Days by FFH

- Wipe Out

- the base line to Mission Impossible theme song

And then my finger tips start throbbing, I cry and moan and get frustrated that my guitar playing is just NOT progressing, and I put Mark's guitar up in the case until the next time I get it out...in November.

So I'm trying.

I'm. Trying.

To be better at photography.

Y'all are just my audience so we can reflect on my journey.

And it had better be a journey, dang it.

Roses my sweet husband purchased for me

(as I have a policy against buying flowers for myself).

I really, REALLY want a macro lens

But I have a policy that Thou shalt not acquire any more photography equipment until thou finally learns thy aperture settings.

So I use a handy trick where I take my 50mm lens and turn it around to get a really close shot.

Hard to do, but SO fun.

My biggest girl.

I love this because usually she has her eyebrows screwed up in question 

Legit questions about life and questions concerning our authority as parents alike.

My biggest boy.

He's almost always smiling, sweetie muffin pie that he is.

I'm kinda in love with bokah (the blurriness in the background), 

but I could've bumped my f-stop up a bit to get more of his face in focus.

Live and learn.

My middle girl.

When she smiles her eyes usually disappear so this is a rare capture of her baby blues.

Also, I decreased my shutter speed a bit much.

*sigh*

Me, working on technique through the reflection on the dirty screen of my iMac.

This! This was taken out my bedroom window at 11:30 P.M. looking NORTH.

Nearly midnight and look at the sky! Crazy latitudinal issues here.

I could have/should have set up my tripod for this, but I always trick myself that I can hold it still enough with a slow shutter speed....NOT, as evidenced by the light bounce you see on the far horizon.

FYI: That actually is the light of the Beatrice Alpha oil rig platform out in the Moray Firth. Awesome.

Ok, so as not to overwhelm you, thus ends this leg of the journey.

I think it's safe to say I'll be back with further specimens of my artist pursuit.

Because it is definitely me chasing after it.

In the meantime I'd like to start learning the rift for Sweet Child of Mine...

you know, broaden my musical pursuits as well.