Good to be back to our own river walk, even if it is nice and chilly today.
Category Archives: Photography
Show and Tell
After reading reviews, Justin recently purchased a Sony Nex-5 camera to replace our Nikon D40x.
I wasn’t altogether sure I wanted a new camera, but the flash was shot on the Nikon and would need to be sent away to be fixed (and it was not under any warranty). I have to say though, I am thoroughly converted after using this new little one and seeing the pictures it takes!
First off, it is a very easy camera to use. There are a ton of settings, but the straight-out-of-the-box Auto feature is pretty simple and handles most situations quite well. All the shots I took at Piccolo were using the Auto feature. No need to focus, set up the flash, adjust the settings, etc. Easy-peasy, with great results!
But there are some also some really cool features, which aren’t very difficult to switch to and select. I really like a lot of the black and white photos Justin shot while Trav, Em and I were playing a game of Farkle. There was a ton of sunlight coming in the window, but I like the effect it had to blow out some of the exposure.
Another fun feature is the color-select feature. With just a quick twist of a dial, you can grab a quick black and white image, with only one color standing out. We’re still playing with this one – definitely depends on the setting (and the color) for this one to really pop.
Our new favorite lens is the Canon 50 mm. Which shouldn’t work on any camera but a Canon. Except Sony has released adapters for lenses of other manufacturers! So we’re able to get a relatively inexpensive lens that everyone loves – and we’re no exception. This lens is fantastic for portraits and close-up shots, like of Jenn, Maureen and Madie during a picnic we enjoyed on Labor Day at a riverfront park. Perfect light, beautiful subjects.
But it also takes some cool scenery shots too. A great all-round lens, as long as the subject field isn’t too far away.
Another plus (or possible drawback) is that Justin enjoys playing with this camera a lot more. He likes playing with the settings, changing the lenses, and clicking away. So you may be seeing a bit more of me now. But you won’t see any more shots from the Nikon – it’s going up on ebay tomorrow!
Random iPhoto library photos
Here are some random photos from our iPhoto library. Some don’t make any sense, some are weird, and some are mildly hilarious. Most we took, but some we didn’t take and are in there anyways. I currently have 13,994 pictures in the library (almost 70 GB), so I’m sure there’s some more gems floating around in there somewhere. I decided to do this because I stumbled across the first picture of the dog in the dress. Pure genius.
Best not to ask why
Downtown Seattle
Creepy....
Meat, cheese, and bread. Good day in our house
Behind you! (not taken by us - no idea who this is)
Julie, hard at work (she's on the right)
This is what Storm would do on every laundry day
We used to have a playhouse in our yard. Now it's a garage for a golf cart.
Belts Run!
Me, petting a goat
Fireworks on the 4th of July
Jim makes for good pictures
Julie is much more photogenic than I am
This is my normal picture face
Norm couldn't stand anything small on the edge of the table
Julie probably left Trav and I alone that day
Yoda cake pops
Jim, with a cross dresser on Fat Tuesday
I can't remember why we took this. I'm sure there was a good reason
friends and fotos.
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- The Paulsons, carefully coordinated
This afternoon Justin and I drove down to Wisconsin Dells to meet up with some great friends from our college days. We only get to see Mark & Kerry and their two boys, Riley & Logan, about once a year, but we always enjoy it when we do. About 5 years ago we caught up with them in the Dells as well, and met at great restaurant, The Cheese Factory. When we agreed to meet there, we had no idea that the restaurant is, in fact, a vegetarian restaurant. We all found the food phenomenal and have always recommended it to anyone heading to the Dells. When Mark & Kerry mentioned they would be vacationing at a resort in the Dells this weekend, we all agreed a trip back to The Cheese Factory would be on the agenda. We connected with the fam at their resort, and then all headed over to the restaurant.
- Riley’s self portrait
The moment I took our camera out of my bag before the meal, Riley, age 5, was captivated, and expressed his desire to learn how to use it. With the strap securely around his neck, he snapped almost 200 photographs of everything and everyone around him. While his mom and dad may have been concerned with the safety of the camera, I was actually really looking forward to seeing our visit from his point of view.
- 5-year-old’s view of Justin
While there were plenty of “test” pictures, as he was figuring out the focus and shutter speed, there were a lot of really fun, neat photographs taken.
- Checking out the dessert offerings…
- This mother and son didn’t expect the paparazzi at dinner!
a cool shot of the out-of-order jukebox
Hard not to smile at an excited kid with a giant camera!
this is the lens cap. and some sweet bokeh action.
I love this picture of Logan!
Even Logan (Riley’s younger brother by 2 years) wanted to try (obviously!).
Riley's not too pleased that it is Logan's turn with the camera!
Seriously... a 3-year-old took this picture!!
As Justin downloaded the photos onto his laptop on the drive home, we were able to reflect on the chance we were able to have to catch up with this great family, as well as be a bit amazed at some of these fantastic memories – some more in focus than others.
playing on twisted old trees is much easier without a bulky camera in-hand!
...plotting how to get the camera out of MY hands, and back into his...
