My quest in being a better photographer

  This summer I have been trying to improve my photography skills in a few areas. One of those areas is lighting. Since my favorite subject has been landscapes,I have been using different combinations of settings; ISO,F-stop,white balance, each important in its own way.
  I have subscribed to several photography blogs with tutorials, gone on you tube and watched many pros give their advice, and then went out and used the info learned to see if I could take award winning pictures. I felt like a failure at first. Not that the photos were awful, though some were,but I wanted so badly to have most of them come out good enough to feel I was a good photographer. I put my self worth in how the pictures came out, which was a really bad way to look at it.
 Here are a few pictures I took. I know they could be better, but I need to realize that I am still learning and will someday look back and see how I've improved. For now, I am mediocre at best.
I hope you like them, even just to see a part of my world in New England.

  QUESTION:
What has been something you have tried improving, but became frustrated and almost quit?

                           My backyard at sunset..

I love the vibrant colors of Autumn!

                                     
                                       Connecticut River at sunset, view of Vermont from NH

I was trying to capture the cold bleakness of Autumn.

This brave bird watched me as I took pics

I like the way the tail feathers glow from the sunrise, it shows the details of the feathers.

My friend was kind enough to put up with my tinkering with lighting, for over an hour. She is a natural for posing, which helped me a lot. 

She is also very patient, which is really how we got through it. 

 This is one of the best shots, taken at the very end of the shoot:

She looks relaxed, lighting wasn't bad and it wasn't grainy.

This is one of the first pics taken, it looks grainy and is badly lit. (yes, she changed shirts.)  

I think I made bad choices in the type of lighting used, as well as where they were placed. 

So many things are wrong with how this one came out, but we laughed and chalked it up to a good learning experience.

Late Summer photo fun

This summer has been great! I had a chance to visit family, friends, and take a few day trips. I return to work tomorrow after all these weeks off. I do enjoy teaching, and am looking forward to sharing stories with everyone :)

Here are a few of the fun things I have done since the last post:

My son took a week of lacrosse training.

 He liked it, but the hours were way too long for an eight year old.

Three of my nephews became first time dads =)

Christopher with his son, Connor.

My niece,Aubreigh, and her cousin, Logan <3

Found a spot by the Connecticut River where the sunset looks awesome! Ashley Ferry's Landing is one of my new favorite places to be at sunset!

Had a  few trees,mainly pines, cleared from our yard. 

What a difference it makes with the extra space and sunlight.

Also went on several botanical photo excursions.

This tree looks like it has a silly face ( at least I thought it did up close.lol )

Not sure what species this is, but it was interesting watching it lope around the picnic table.

I also had my first non-family photo practice shoot.  It was more for me to get better acquainted with my settings and poses than anything else.

Autumn is on the way.I love taking pictures when the leaves start turning!
Hope you enjoyed the pics.
What are a few highlights of your own summer so far? Feel free to mention a few in a comment below. Thanks :)

Love and blessings,
Lori LC

Sharing photography with my kids

I am always happy when our family spends time together;regardless if it is playing a game, watching a movie or hiking a trail. My favorite memories are of the times we were all together.
I recently purchased a camera for my daughter(yay for online yard sales:) ) It is a Sony, I have a Canon. They both take great pics, (when the user knows how to set the modes)
We went around the neighborhood to shoot some neat pics. I was so pleased to share my hobby with her and compare photos afterward. She has a good eye for lighting and composition.

Here are some pics we took:

 We also went to my favorite spot along the Connecticut River (as of today) and took several good pics,despite the rain.

Afterward, we drove along back roads in hopes of finding some interesting subjects. There was a brief rainbow,but vanished before we could get a pic. I suggested that next time we should take a bike ride and meander around town,which means I will need to find a good bike.Maybe I will find one on the online yard sales ;)
Keep your eyes open for a different look at things
Love and blessings,
Lori LC

My First ATV ride

   Have you ever felt nervous about trying something new, but weren't sure why and couldn't find an excuse to get out of it?
As I grow older, I am also growing wiser and more cautious. What once would have been a fun time for me is now a source of aches and excuses not to go. My husband and son each have four wheelers which they drive on a local rails to trails path. It's about 8 or 9 miles one way,but they only go half way because my son is only 8 and his thumb tires easily.

I was dreading the bumps and curves I imagined it would be like.  I finally reasoned with myself that it was going to be more like a motorcycle ride,which I really enjoy, just on dirt trails instead of highways. Once I had that image in my mind,I was good to go.
  We drove to the lot and prepared to go. We both wore helmets,I had on ankle boots,jeans and a wind breaker. The initial entry to the trail was kind of bumpy, and there was horse poop on the entry bridge.He just drove past it. I immediately noticed the pretty scenery,greenery,smooth trails,signage,and the river wound along the edge most of the ride.
  My eyes were getting wind blown, but when I looked at the reflection in hubby's helmet, I realized there were goggles on top of my helmet.Much better! I didn't bring my camera on this trip because I thought it would be too bumpy and bad for taking it out.I ended up using my phone instead.
Here is the one hubby took of me,

 I did end up enjoying the ride after all, and was looking forward to taking a camera on the next trip.


We went out two days later, with my son in the lead.
 The following were pics taken,mostly in sport/action mode for the movement of the atv.

watch for horse droppings

my cameo ;)

Water and landscape are my favorite subjects, so there are several of those.

peering over the rail of a metal bridge

There were several bridges, including a few covered bridges.
 

There was a deer on the trail,but I didn't catch it in time.

The deer took off before I had a chance to focus

Who can resist a big mud puddle ;)

 
I had a great time =)
Have you been on one? any story to share about that , or a snow mobile trip?
 Thank for reading, you will really make my day by leaving a comment below =D
Love and blessings,
Lori LC