New Project

Lately I have not been blogging too much and I haven't really been taking too many pictures.  So I decided to give myself a project.  My project was shoot a few pictures every day but to only use my 35mm fixed lens.  I will be working on this project for 3 weeks.  Here is what I have so far. 

 Day one of my project - swim lessons.  Yeah...NOT the best way to start this project.  My 35 lens is a fixed lens which means you cannot zoom in and out.  In order to get a closer shot you have to get closer.  Which means I was the crazy Mom at the pool chasing my kids around to get pictures!  Plus they really frown down upon "street shoes" on the pool deck (or so says the 45 signs that they have all over the place).  So me and my Ugg boots were not winning anyone over.  At this point I had one decent picture (see above) and I was ready to give up.  I missed my zoom lens!!  

On the way home I played around a little with my camera in the car.  Now, let me say this...I LOVE my 35, I am not just very good with it.  I feel like I "miss" a lot of shots because I can't quite get the right subject in focus.  It is great for super close up shots, but I feel like i can't get the whole picture when I am trying to take well...whole pictures.  So anyway, in the car I got daring and switched the lens (not the camera) from auto to manual.  This just means that my lens will auto focus on a subject if I leave it on auto but if I put it on manual then I have to fiddle around to get the right focus.  I don't normally play around like this because while I am doing this I miss all the good shots of the adorable stuff my kids are doing.  But today I figured why not, it is part of my project!  So in the car I switched it and I learned so much!! I finally realized that I could get the whole picture!  This picture of Oliver doesn't really prove that...I just think he looks super cute reading his "Melmo" book and watching Tom and Jerry.

Ok, this is not a great picture of the fam but I did get Claire and Oliver to both be in focus while shooting with my lens (again the lens not my camera) on manual.  They are all very busy playing video games on Daddy phone while I was trying to get everyone ready for Uncle Johnny's birthday dinner!

My handsome guys in their sweaters and button downs.  This one was easy because I was standing right in front of them.

My hot mamas.

Now here are the kids playing.  I am sitting close to them but they are both in focus.  This lens is great because it is has a pretty wide angle.  FYI Oliver loves this Elmo (he is a big fan of Elmo lately)!!

And here is Susie just being cute.

Claire wanted to show off her DS.  Now while fiddling with my lens on manual I could get really close to Claire and get both her and the DS in focus while still getting great aperture. I am getting somewhere!!

This is just my family.  I didn't really do anything, they are just that good looking on their own.

Here is the birthday boy!!  Happy birthday Uncle Johnny!!!

Here is Oliver with his favorite book (thanks Aunt Di).  He takes it everywhere (which is not easy because it is so heavy) and reads it over and over!  Notice how I got Oliver and Ricky in focus :)

And some pictures are just cute regardless of aperture or settings.

Happy birthday!!!  Clarie didn't want to sit with Uncle Johnny for cake.  Mark had to run to work for a bit and she was missing her Daddy so she was little off.

Nana and her boys.  I almost got it but Oliver is blurred!  It was at this point I was missing my zoom lens again because I felt like I was missing good pics!  But I gave myself a project and I was sticking to it!

The Popp boys.  Annndddd Oliver is blurred again but hey, I got most of them in it!

Ok Claire was back in it!  She perked up  and was ready to be my model again!

The hardest part about using my 35 is that I am literally climbing on the table (due to my limited height) to get close enough to get everyone in.

So I slapped the lens and the camera back on auto and handed the camera to my brother so that I could actually be in a shot.  Apparently Uncle Johnny didn't feel this was gonna be a good shot.

A little better. 

Claire and her buddy.

By the end of the night the kids were beat.  So they snuggled up and watched Despicable Me.  Oliver didn't want to sit with anyone else but Claire.  I love that they love each other so much! And I think it is adorable that he is sitting her lap and he is almost bigger than her!

I have a bunch more pictures and I will share more of them throughout the next 3 weeks of my project.  Wish me luck!

Also, Happy Birthday Uncle Johnny!!  

Words cannot describe how proud of you I am and how much I love you!!