Camera Recipes

Isn't this redbud beautiful?

I was using my favorite 50mm 1.4 lens for buttery blur outside of the bush. These photos are barely touched in post processing, the blur is the lens, not photoshop.

I was standing as still as possible, almost completely against it with the lens hood just an inch from the bush. I had my camera in manual, I focused on the inside of the bush, so the branches coming towards the camera would be blurred. The aperture was set at f/4, shutter speed @ 1/320 & ISO 200. It gives you a good starting point. I would always recommend starting out with the lowest ISO possible & increase as needed. Check your histogram with each shot, especially with each lighting change. Remember, to the right is for bright, to the left is for dark, you want it to look like a mountain. This was an overcast morning around 9 am & the bees were buzzing right next to me. I even got a lucky shot of a few of them & I didn't have the settings on for freezing it in action, I still love it anyways.

If you weren't excited about what this post had to say, I apologize but at least the photos are pretty ;)

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Do you see it?

It floated over the house, headed for the front yard, then quickly laid some rubber turning around, soon after it passed over the tulips. I couldn't believe it climbed inside the tulip to get a treat. It's not very obvious when you first see the photo, (click on photo to see it better) since the other tulips are looking tired & dying back. I had been sitting & waiting for a humming bird to come back to the feeder or to check out the tulips again, I wanted to get a little tighter shot so I had my 85mm 1.8 lens on my camera. I took a few shots before deciding to grab my favorite 50mm 1.4 lens. The front door was open so I ran inside to change my lens. I took less than a minute, ran back outside to the front porch & it was gone. I was lucky for the 2 photos I got & those were pure luck. The photo above is the 2nd shot I took, I like the pattern. Below is the first shot with it climbing in for a pollen bath.

Pretty cool, you don't see these butterflies everyday & glad I got a unique shot.

HOT, HOT, HOT!!!!! Shannon & TC

These were the funnest photos I have done, to date, I am so happy to get every year with these 2, I hope to have many, many more. Happy Anniversary TC & Shannon, LOVE Aunt Kim.

Tulips took a hit...

These first 2 photos are from today & are the result of the tulips taking a hit with a lot of down pours, often with hail over these last few days. They are still pretty in their own way but when you view below, you'll see them more in their glory. Each year, they are here for a limited time only, Enjoy!

I'm going to plant the yellow tulip bulbs (that got hailed on a while back, right after buying them), on the driveway side of the front yard in the Fall. That way we have yellow on each side, then plant these pink & orange tulips on each side to add the splash of color. I also have a few other kinds of bulbs I'm going to plant in the Fall so look out Spring 2013, I will be having a blast photographing all the color & I'll definitely share it with you. I hope more tulips bloom this year, this is the first time I've ever planted them so I'm not sure what's going to happen. I'm trying to be patient for the outcome, I love nature.

Our little creek

Check out those clouds dropping down in the valley yesterday. This is what we seen as we started out for a walk down to our shared creek. The sun was peaking out between the clouds as 1 went over us & I wanted to get a few shots of the creek before it rained again. I LOVE that photo, almost didn't take it. Click on it to view it larger, it's much better. It was taken with my 50mm lens on my Canon 50d body. Yes, that is my best body but that doesn't make me any less of a photographer.

Jon did not want to pose for a shot during our walk but when he walked away from the fire & stood there, I couldn't resist. We love working in the yard & I think this photo speaks volumes. It shows the growth (we see) in our park progress & the work that still needs to be done like picking up the smaller rock, etc.

This isn't just a broken McNabb Cypress, it's also one that's still alive & we thought it added character to the area so we left it alone....at least for right now.

This last one is my favorite of the creek photos, it was near the end & a little blue sky was found in the reflection. It is so peaceful to just look at it, click on the image & enjoy!!!

PS Jon always said that when we got the creek cleared out as we had imagined, it would be picture perfect. I totally agree already & we're not even half way there in this small area we're working on. This property is definitely worth retiring on, too bad this creek goes away as Spring arrives but I'm loving photographing it while it's here.

My little blessings

Click on the photo to see them bigger & to see the spider on the railing, I wasn't focusing on it but was pretty happy to discover it. Don't you just love it when it rains & the sun is shining too. Boy, it kinda sounds like I've been ungrateful during the last couple of posts & that's not the case at all. I love photography & love little surprises & reminders that everything doesn't go as planned & we just need to find the positive & the beautiful in each situation. I love photographing people & everything that goes with the uniqueness in their lives, not cookie cutter poses. Nature is where I started & where my heart finds comfort, peace & love. These are a few photos that I took out my back door within a couple of hours of each other last night. Don't you love this beautiful sunset that kissed me good night. I am a lucky, lucky girl & I know it.

Totally Loving Spring - Redding Photography

When I first started photography, this is what I photographed. No pressures, not deadlines, nobody asking me to photoshop their bodies to make them look like a model, switch heads, etc. Just beautiful blooms in one way or another, simply looking pretty for the camera.

All of these photos were taken with my 50mm, 1.4 lens at different f-stops & shutter speeds but what makes these images most important to me is the growth I see in my own photos, not the fact that I use better lenses. I still love the nature photos I took in the beginning with the kit lenses, the difference is the blur, not the content. I hope everybody is enjoying their Spring, I hope I made it just a little more colorful for you. Before you know it, it's going to be hot enough to fry an egg on our front porch but I love the warmth spring & summer brings.

Baby Lucas - Redding Photography

Meet Baby Lucas, the little man in charge. Refusing to go to sleep, afraid he would miss something, he stayed awake the entire session. The photo of his eyes closed while mom was kissing him was only a second long. There are times when you have the best laid plans, all you have to do is check off your list while taking photos, then there are times like yesterday, when they all go out the window & you just go with the flow.

Simply put, I was super happy to get to see him. I hope he let mommy sleep after I left, I stayed a while hoping for him to get tired but it just wasn't to be. I could either be regretful or just wait until the next time I see him. As he grows, there are more opportunities for almost every shot we didn't get to take. I can't wait for family photos. Congratulations again Jennifer & David!