Spring is in bloom all around us. From the flowers to the trees, to the dusting of yellow pollen that infiltrates every nook and cranny of the South for 2 solid weeks.
I think the good Lord made springtime in Georgia so incredibly gorgeous so that people would have a reason to go outside. I mean, why else would anybody risk days (or weeks!) of coughing, sneezing, and itchy, watery eyes, just to open the windows??? The pollen down here is a killer, but the views are magnificient!!!
I’ve been inspired to pick up my camera again. First, by the amazing colors of spring. Then, by reading these tutorials by Keli. When I took a photography class last January, as in 2009 for heaven’s sake, they spoke about aperture and it was about as vague a concept for me as polar cap absorption.
But I’m not skeered anymore! I took Keli’s advice and started playing with my aperture settings one night after dinner. I didn’t have a lot of light to work with, but I did get this:
I was trying to capture something she called “Bokeh”. I can’t define it for you properly, so I won’t even try. All I keep thinking is “bigger means smaller”. The bigger the aperture window, the smaller the number. I’m hoping this will make more sense as I keep trying.
So this morning, armed with nothing more than my Canon Rebel, a red chair and Buzz Lightyear, I went out in search of Bokeh with my kids.
Oh Look! I found some!!! See the white light reflecting behind Emery? That’s so cool!!!
I had my camera set at the smallest aperture setting about half the time were at this park. Sometimes I forgot it was on and got some strange shots with crystal clear foliage in the foreground and the kids blurred out in the back. Like this:
But even that is a neat picture in my opinion. And as usual, taking the pictures themselves is only part of the fun! Cuz then you can come home and edit til your hearts content!
Crop ’em, warm them up, take away shadows, or ad text like the one above. The possibilities are endless! So those of you out there with digital cameras…no more excuses! Let me inspire you today to go out and capture life!
And please, please, please…don’t let those amazing photos sit in your computer! What a shame! Can you imagine if the only purpose of this gem was to take up space on my harddrive??? Print them now. Sieze the Day!!! There’s no time like the present! Yada yada yada. You get the idea.
Oh, and if you want to see all of today’s pics, just click here.
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