365 in 2015 - End of Week 43

I'm still following along with The Unexpected Everyday for the remainder of the month of October. I'm actually caught up with this post with my 365 posts! Now to just catch up all my other pictures from summer on.

SS 1/50 | f/10.0 | ISO 6400

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Tip 18: Get Down Low

Prompt: Capture the relationship between your child and their pet. 

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Since we don't have a pet, I decided to try to capture one of my kids with their (stuffed) animal. I'm still having trouble getting the lighting right within my house. I'm not sure I can very well as our house is usually darker,

SS 1/40 | f/10.0 | ISO 200

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Tip 19: Silhouettes

Prompt: Find an area free from distractions and capture your child's silhouette.

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I knew I wouldn't have the time or right location to try for a better silhouette, so I tried this shot on the church playground. It didn't turn out how I hoped it would, and I'm not sure it could have.

SS 1/1000 | f/5.6 | ISO 800

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Tip 20: Different Vantage Points

Prompt: Capture your child's curiosity while exploring.

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Shelby loves the swings! 

SS 1/40 | f/11.0 | ISO 3200

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Tip 21: Manual Focus

Prompt: Photograph something that represents who your child is at this age without them actually being in the frame.

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All my girls love to draw and color. The older two are particularly enjoying taking an art class this year. It's been an inspiration to them doing more drawings at home!

SS 1/125 | f/5.6 | ISO 800

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Tip 22: Backlighting

Prompt: Photograph your child while they are quietly reading.

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I tried to use a window at church to get some light behind Shelby. But I didn't think about the cars being in the parking lot and in the way. So I moved to the side to avoid getting a car in the picture, but it changed the way the light hit her. Oh well. I do understand what it means to use backlighting, even though I didn't do it well here.

SS 1/30 | f/4.5 | 3200

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Tip 23: Looking Into the Frame

Prompt: Encourage your child to tell you a story and photograph their facial expressions.

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This was about as far as we got trying this prompt. Cheyenne just giggled and giggled and couldn't do anything else after that.

SS 1/25 | f/14.0 | ISO 100

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Tip 24: Slow Shutter Speed

Prompt: Capture your kids running past you, around you, or on a bike or scooter.

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This challenge was supposed to create motion blur within a picture. While I'm starting to understand how to do that better (which I would have liked to know better for when the fair was here), I don't care for it with pictures like this. I'd rather have Cheyenne in focus.

365 in 2015 - End of Week 42

Wow! I'm getting closer and closer to end of this 365! I'm still working through The Unexpected Everyday. Here's my pictures from the week of October 11th - 17th.

SS 1/100 | f/4.0 | ISO 200

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Tip 11: Clear the Clutter

Prompt: Capture the routines as your child ends the day.

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I didn't follow the prompt, or get this on the right day. This is from later in the week, and is the only picture that I actually remember moving stuff out of the way before taking the picture. There were a lot of books, papers, and crayons on the table that I moved before taking a picture of Shelby with her "collection". She gathered a bunch of leaves, sticks, berries, and other stuff from around the church and put it in a piece of foil.

SS 1/125 | f/8.0 | ISO 800

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Tip 12: Open Shade

Prompt: Capture your child as they walk away.

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My attempt at getting a picture in the shade.

SS 1/60 | f/4.0 | ISO 3200

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Tip 13: Framing

Prompt: Capture a moment in another room through the crack in the door.

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This crack is a little bigger than some I've seen, and not as sharp as I would've liked. I like the idea though!

SS 1/60 | f/5.6 | ISO 800

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Tip 14: Leading Lines

Prompt: Capture your child staring out the window.

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I didn't follow this prompt well at all. I didn't want to go in the church and try something with the window (as I've had trouble getting that to work before). And my ability to find leading lines outside wasn't so good. So I decided to use this picture I took instead! 

SS 1/125 | f/9.0 | ISO 1600

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Tip 15: Dramatic Light

Prompt: Use an iPad, open refrigerator, candles, a single lamp, or window to create dramatic light.

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This was from the same day as the framing challenge (obviously). I thought the lighting on this one was much better and I actually like this one better where you don't see the actual "frame" as well. 

SS 1/1000 | f/8.0 | ISO 1600

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Tip 16: Freezing Motion

Prompt: Letting your child do something they're not usually allowed to do - like jumping on the bed - gives opportunity to capture excitement and joy.

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I decided not to try an indoor shot with the kids jumping on the bed. So I asked them to run instead. They love running down the street and back! 

Clockwise from top left:

SS 1/25 | f/4.0 | ISO 800

SS 1/30 | f/3.5 | ISO 1600

SS 1/30 | f/3.5 | ISO 1600

SS 1/25 | f/3.5 | ISO 800

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Tip 17: Fill the Frame

Prompt: Capture your child with their favorite "lovie".

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All the kiddos with their favorites: Shelby with her blankie (more recently named Susan) and her bear named Myna, Clayton with his big dog Rainjull, Cheyenne's blankie with a bear head (I can't remember the name as she has three each with different names), and Paige with her face blankie (recently named Anna).

Random March Pictures

Random pictures from March that didn't end up in any other post. 

Clayton reading at Mamaw's house.

Cheyenne being goofy while reading and eating an apple.

Clayton on the church playground. 

Jon laughing (another rare picture of Jon)!

Grumpy Shelby.

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Clayton climbing a *small* tree.

Shelby at Elachee Nature Center.

Shelby making silly faces at Autumn Leaves.

Paige on the swing.

Shelby on the swing.

365 in 2015 - End of Week 4

I took a LOT of pictures this week! Almost all of all of them were taken Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday though. I had a hard time picking my favorite from those days, and I was extremely tired tonight, so I kinda rushed through getting them ready to post. I'll post more from our big adventures this week when I get a chance! 

Sunday was once again a hard day to shoot. I ended up just taking this picture of the bracelet Clayton made. He was excited to get it done!

Monday was an absolutely gorgeous day! We spent almost three hours at the park! The sky was so beautiful and my kids were great about letting me take tons of pictures in lots of different areas of the park. 

Clayton had started the grill and was keeping an eye on it while showing Cheyenne what to do as well. After it got going they sat down and were looking at their new Calvin & Hobbes book together! 

Wednesday was another gorgeous day, so we went to Ivy Creek Greenway with mom (since Wednesday's are Mamaw day!). The kids loved being able to get so close to the waterfall and want to go back as soon as it gets warmer!

Paige on the playground at church during Covenant Classes.

 Friday was my first day not getting any pictures. It was a crazy busy day filled with Classical Conversations, home for a nap (including me), and then Cheyenne and I going to the annual American Heritage Girls lock-in! I gave my camera to another young lady once we go there and she took a bunch of pictures at the lock-in, but I didn't take any while it was still Friday. 

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So here instead is a picture of my lovely mama from Wednesday's trip to Ivy Creek Greenway!

Bright and early Saturday morning, Cheyenne finally passed out at the lock-in. I snapped this picture of her right before we headed for home (to get some much needed rest)!

Random December Pictures

I wanted to finish up editing and cropping and adjusting my pictures from December so I could back them up and save them off my computer. (I try to keep up with that monthly.) So here's a random assortment of photos from December!

Playing with my camera during the first week I had it. This was taken at the church playground.

Shelby being silly on the playground at church.

Shelby on the carousel at Bass Pro Shop. The kids asked to go there far more times than I cared to, but it was free fun so we went a couple times during December.

Cheyenne on the carousel.

Paige reading to Shelby during Covenant Classes one Thursday.

Shelby was great cooperating with me while I tested out my zoom lense at church. 

Paige and Shelby on the swings at church.

Cheyenne on the swing.

Paige on the swing.

The kiddos posing for me while I tried out the tripod and self-timer.

Shelby in her Elsa & Anna tutu (or choo choo as she likes to call it)!

For Christmas we got a BB gun (to hopefully deter any more cats from tearing up our trampoline). Clayton loved being able practice shooting at the trees in our backyard!

Jon showing Paige how to shoot the BB gun.

Clayton showing me something he could try to win from his Lego magazine.