I actually completed the first 30 days of my 365 Project. I actually did it. One picture each day. Phew!
With 30 days of pictures comes some reflection. 1. I can take my camera with me anywhere. I was scared to lug my big DSLR everywhere. Would the light be right? Would I be too busy to take a picture? Would I be too conspicuous? Honestly, after a month of taking pictures wherever I go, I've stopped caring what the circumstances around me will be and just take the picture. Perfection is not necessary. 2. There is beauty in the every day. I'm a stay at home mom. Sometimes all I see is the inside of the four walls of my home. I was nervous I wouldn't have anything "exciting" to photograph. What I learned is that with my trusty camera by my side, I notice things differently. Toes sticking out from under a blanket while my children giggle because they actually believe they're hiding from me. Focused concentration during our regular game times. The sound of made up stories as my three year old "reads" new books from the library. The every day moments are the ones that count. 3. I can actually take pictures in manual mode and not screw up! There is so much freedom in manual mode. Shooting in semi-automatic modes limited my ability to see the whole photograph and often I'd forget to ask myself the question, "What do I want to achieve as I take this picture?" There were so many times before I'd forget to set my ISO because in aperture priority, everything simply balanced itself out. Then I'd get to my computer and do a face palm because I'd forgotten something so basic. I was letting the camera have too much control. I'd gotten into the habit of not thinking. Now, I can feel a process developing each time I pick up the camera. White balance. Check. ISO. Check. Aperture. Check, Spot meter to set the shutter speed. Check. Readjust to achieve the look I'm going for. Check. And snap. I have a lot of growing to do still, but this month I felt liberated by manual mode. On the flip side, there are some things I want to focus on next month: 1. Learn to set manually set White Balance. 2. Look for the light. 3. Tack sharp images. Every time. 3. BOKEH. I'm starting to become obsessed. And it's Christmas, so there's lot of opportunity. Maybe that's too much for one month, but those are some areas I know I need to focus on next. Here's to one month down and to a new month of capturing the moments of Christmas. |
AuthorI'm a "mom with a camera" inspired to freeze moments with the click of my camera. Archives
March 2018
Categories |