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Ellie

Photography – lesson learned

I’ve learned a lot about photography in the last few years.  Well.  Not a lot meaning I’m a great photographer (hardly!), but a lot meaning I’ve learned so much more than I knew before I started using my first SLR.  I love taking pictures and playing around with my camera and I enjoy trying out different settings, different lenses, and different lighting to achieve the look I want for certain pictures.  A lot of the time when I’m taking pictures of my house or projects for the blog I pay close attention to lighting, aperture, ISO, shutter speed, backgrounds, etc.  I take my time.  And I don’t use the flash because heaven forbid – I’ve read enough camera tips to know that if I did the walls would come caving in around me and life as I know it would never be the same!  ;)  

Taking pictures of my kids is a different story.  
Sometimes I see something ordinary that happens often in our day to day life that I want to capture and remember.  Like the other day when I glanced out the back door and saw Ellie flinging Kole around like a rag doll.  My usual response is “ELLIE PUT HIM DOWN I CANNOT DEAL WITH A TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM TONIGHT!”  But Kole was laughing hysterically – I mean really laughing – so I grabbed my camera instead.  

I didn’t worry about lighting.  I didn’t worry about aperture, I didn’t worry about backgrounds and shutter speeds and ISO.  And this one time, I didn’t worry about the possibility of an emergency room trip.

 I just snapped pictures not really worrying about anything at all.  
The lighting isn’t great and the pictures are blurry (I was really laughing too).  

And they are some of my favorite pictures to date.  
I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned about photography over the years is that while the technical camera stuff is cool to learn, it really doesn’t matter much.  Capturing a moment like this one that I will now have to cherish and remember forever outweighs a “perfectly planned” picture any day.  
Even if the moment captured was taken with the flash.  
(which these pictures weren’t because my walls are intact and I’m still here)  
:)
xoxo, Erin
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17 thoughts on “Photography – lesson learned

  1. Erin I just realized that I was never a follower of your blog. All of this time I thought I was. Shame on me. No wonder you never showed up in my dashboard. Well now I’m officially your follower. My best camera was broken and haven’t been able to replace it so I take pics the best way I know how. Your pics are always beautiful even if your not in photographer mode. Its the beautiful memories that create the happiness in them.

  2. Yes – I don’t mind blurry pictures once in awhile! Especially ones that show movement and life! It’s kind of a blogger pet peeve of mine when bloggers feel the need to apologize for pictures that aren’t absolutely PERFECT. Unless I’m reading a *photography blog* I’m not expecting perfect lighting, perfect sharpness, perfect composition – just appreciating the subject of the photos themselves. In fact, I love it when people post those ‘imperfect’ photos – it reminds us all that not everyone has to be stellar and they really are ‘perfect’ if they capture the moment and feeling.

  3. When I was first learning photography I was obsessed with not using a flash and getting everything perfect-hence one of the kid’s birthdays I had NO good shots because everything happened to fast for me to set my camera right-no candles pictures, etc. I was so mad at myself! Now when it comes to capturing those moments I don’t care about blur, flash, composition-it is SO much more important to capture that memory-just like you said! The perfect pictures are nice, but they are NOT real life and won’t remind me of it at all. And for me, photography is about memories, not perfection.
    Great post Erin. (And glad no ER was involved!)

  4. Reading your post today could not have come at a better time! I just purchased my first SLR camera today!!!! I am so excited!!!! Since I have started following so many wonderful blogs in the past year I have come across some great tutorials for this type of camera. I’m excited to take a closer look tonight once my battery is charged. And you’re right…sometimes all those setting don’t mean as much as just being able to capture the moment with a photo…no mater how it may turn out!

  5. So true! I love looking at old family pictures and think those captured the best memories. And they were taken with film before the age of DSLR and digital photography!

  6. I love those picture, they are so cute. Those are the moments that are great to capture when they are happening weather the camera is on the right setting or not. I was wondering have written post about taking pictures? I am a new blogger and new to taking pictures as well. I would love to read them if you have them.
    Thanks

  7. Oh this post came at the right time! I am just stating a blog and I have been worried about my “picture taking” skills. This post makes me feel much better :)

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