Oh Deer!

Two post in a row! I'm loving this new camera I'm trying out.
I am addicted to the zoom lens. Want to see why?

This

Is

Why!

Oh deer I'M IN LOVE!

Fireworks photos

I have tried for years to take fireworks photos and often get blurry shots but I took the time to do some reading and try out some settings on my new Nikon D3000.
I love this shot and wish I had had the settings right when I took it but these are the kinds of shots I used to get.

But I decided a new camera means learning new things so I spent the afternoon perfecting my manual setting expertise (which wasn't much before tonight and is still sorely lacking but I'm learning!)
It's amazing how much you learn from picking just one subject and learning what your camera has to do to get those shots.

First of all, for fireworks shots you need a tripod. I found mine in a box of junk labeled "Stuff" in the attic.

Now for the settings....
Turn your flash off.
Turn your dial to S and set your shutter speed at 4 seconds...yep 4 secs...that's why you need the tripod.
Then turn your dial to M....that M was kinda scary for me. I usually ruin my shots when I try to play with the M button.
Set your ISO to 100. Setting this as low as possible will reduce the noise in your photos.

I played with the manual focus setting like some of the tutorials I read said to do but I found that my auto focus worked much better for me. Use an aperture between 5 and 11. Mine was set on 5.6.
I also played with the Active D lighting on and off. I couldn't tell much difference at all but ended up leaving it on.

That's it, I pressed the shutter button and let the camera do it's thing.
Much better results than I have gotten in the past and I get another chance to play tomorrow night when we have our fireworks at church!

So in a nutshell...
Tripod
Focus: Auto
ISO: 100
Shutter speed: 4 seconds
Aperture: 5 to 11

Hope you all have a Happy and Safe 4th of July!!

Nikon D3000

I know I promised vacation pics but I have misplaced my SD card!! It's here somewhere, I just don't know where! In the meantime I want to tell you about my experience with the Nikon D3000 DSLR this past weekend. I don't usually do product reviews but in the 20 minutes that I got to play with this camera I fell in love!

The in-laws were in from Nashville on Sunday and I picked my mother-in-laws camera up and started chasing my boys around outside.

I love the clarity of these pics. I told my mother-in-law I was going to hide her camera in my couch so she couldn't take it home.

I really was serious!

She told me I didn't have too...

that I had a birthday in June......

and that if that's what I wanted then that's what she would get me.
After I popped my eyeballs back in to my head and wiped the drool off my chin....

I said , "Are you sure?" and she said.....

"YES!"
Hurry up June 13th!!!!!!
I'm already picking out lenses and accessories!

My Camera

I have had a few people ask me lately what camera I use. I have a Canon Powershot S5 IS. It's a top end point-and-shoot, DSLR-wanna-be. It has 3 lenses (besides the one that comes on the camera) that can be purchased separately: A teleconverter which I have (it lets you zoom WAY in.), a wide angle lens and a macro lens (several name brands of each are available for the S5. I would love to have a DSLR but I want the video capability of the S5 for T-ball games, basketball games, vacation, etc. We have a video camera but it's easier just to throw in a large memory card (8 or 16 GB) and catch those special moments without the hassle of mini-tapes and two camera bags. There was a time when I always shot on Auto but have found that shooting on P with my ISO at 80 has given me much better photos with less noise and more bokeh. I love bokeh, especially in the pics of my boys and the close ups of flowers. It also has an excellent zoom and Super macro setting. So that's my camera. If you have any questions, please ask.