Avery's Easter Pictures

Yesterday I had Jo Ann bring Avery over so I could practice with my new backdrop and some props I bought. Jo Ann and Avery were awesome! But, I'm afraid that none of these pictures are perfect (I learned 2 very valuable lessons: have a fast shutter speed--which I did not--and I'm starting to outgrow my camera), but at least I tried and some of them turned out kinda cute. (Oh, don't try to print any of these pictures--for those of you who print them from my blog. They have all been resized for the web, so if you print them, they will not look good. I can always email you the pictures you want to print).

I'm not going to lie; this skill-building phase I'm in is sooooo frustrating. I make stupid mistakes (like having a slow shutter speed) because I get overwhelmed with how fast everything moves. It just makes me wonder if I will ever be good enough to charge people...

Happy Birthday to Mom!

Tonight we met at Sue's house to celebrate Mom's birthday.

She enjoyed her gift and I enjoyed hanging out with my family!

On Friday, Hannah and Emily had a test to go from red belts to brown belts. In this testing, they had to break two boards--once with their fists and once with a kick.

Hannah was a bit nervous because she has had some board breaking issues in class.

But she managed to break it with her fist on the first try, and with her foot on the second try (they only get three tries).

And Emily had similar results. Except that when she broke the board with her fist, she REALLY broke it. The pieces splintered and they flew from the instructor's hands. He was impressed with her force.

They were so excited to receive these brown belts and have board breaking bragging rights. Now, they are just one belt away from the recommended black belt. They are more determined now than ever to reach that black belt status!

On a rainy day

What else should I do but take pictures of some rain drops?

Some day, I'm going to get me a macro lens!

Me, Hannah, the Nature Center, and our Cameras

Yesterday, Hannah and I went to the Nature Center and spent two hours walking the trails, talking, and taking pictures. She has been showing an interest in photography lately, so I tried to teach her some of the things I know. I have been feeling down about taking pictures. I am struggling with locations and just overall quality (I think). I've been focusing on technical stuff now for weeks, and I feel like all the joy I used to feel while taking pictures has disappeared. I thought that maybe going to the Nature Center to take pictures just for the fun of taking pictures, might make me feel better. And it did. I found some new places I'd like to use for locations...like this house (the pictures are just for fun...) And I just shot flowers, and trees, and paths just because. I mean, I did pay attention to focus and exposure and stuff like that, but there was just no pressure.

and it was just invigorating. I did come home and edit these pictures.

And had fun doing that.

It was a replenishing day all the way around.

(Sorry if the formatting is all messed up...I tried to fix it, but Blogger wouldn't cooperate!)