Saturday, March 21, 2009

Mama's got a new speedlight.

Mama just needs to figure out how to use it.

A speedlight is an external flash which is BIG and attaches to the top of your camera. It gives off much more light than a standard camera flash and can be bounced off of the ceiling (so subjects aren't blinded) to eliminate that dreaded back shadow. Of course, it's not the easiest thing in the world to figure out.

I spent a little bit of time last night messing around with my new tripod, which was my Valentine's Day gift. Yes, some women ask for diamonds or other expensive jewelry. Others ask for designer clothes and handbags. I just want camera equipment. I took some pictures using the tripod this morning and feel confident that I've managed to master that. I thought it would be best to start with something easy.

I set up the speedlight while the girls napped. Here are some test pictures from this afternoon.

Em, Anna and Allie.



Em as a baby model.



Em, Anna and Allie.



Em sitting and Anna standing.



Rich's niece, Erin, was visiting from Virgina this weekend so she stopped by with her two children, Tyler and Madison, and Auntie P. Here are the girls watching their car pull up. They seemed excited at first.



And then they suddenly became shy. Here they are with their "who are you and why are you in my house" pose.



Here's a cute picture of the girls looking at pictures with our guests.



I felt bad because it took the girls such a long time to warm up. At one point, Tyler held his arms out to Allie, trying to play . Allie FREAKED out and attached herself to me, crying. By the end of the visit, the girls freely gave kisses and hugs goodbye. And a fun time was had by all!

4 comments:

The Beers Family said...

Have you taken any photography classes? I just got a SLR for Christmas and it takes great pics but I have no idea how to really use it!

pyjammy pam said...

i bought a speedlite last year, and my pictures didn't seem to improve. so i sold it. thank goodness they have good resale value. hmm. but yours look good! maybe i should have kept it. ah well.

Sarah said...

I haven't taken any classes but my dad is a photographer (side business) so I grew up with photography. I'm slowly learning how to use our camera - it's so hard to find the time!

Pam - it's a pita to figure out but it seems to be working. my mom has one on her camera and I can see the difference.

Unknown said...

Ohmygoodness... I absolutely LOVE that picture of the girls looking to see who's coming in. It couldn't have been cuter if you would have staged them. Amazingly adorable... Your girls are just the cutest...