My D7000: Closing in on 20,000 pictures

I'm about 1500 pictures shy of turning over my D7k for the second time.  I've only had the camera for 1 year and two months.  I've been taking pictures like a crazy woman.  I'm still learning lots of neat things about my camera.  In July, I learned how to and experimented with shooting in continuous mode.  That was fun!

For the month of August, I will be learning to use my camera in manual  mode.  I still have a lot to learn about taking better pictures.  Learning to look.  Learning about exposure.  Learning more about shutter, aperture, and ISO and how they play together.  My head is already swimming from all the information I've gathered.

Funny.  My FB photo challenge/assignment for the month of August is:  Learning to Look.  I will be sharing and teaching my fellow FB friends...how to take better pictures by learning to look.  This month, they learned about taking pictures based on a theme I gave them.  They also had to think outside the box.  They were really creative in the pictures they took.

The month of August will hold many challenges for me as I progress into becoming a better photographer.  That's my goal.

Relying on My Backup Point and Shoot Camera

I was late starting out this morning, grabbed my shoulder bag and headed to church.  As I entered the church sanctuary I realized the church elders were having a special announcement...our new pastor arrived.  I didn't have my trusty D7k DSLR with me.  I quickly pulled out my Coolpix 7100, set it to Program mode, auto ISO between 100 to 200, and hoped for the best.

I took these from the back of the church.  The church lights were dimmed except for the front platform area. Based on previous experience, any movement would result in a blurred picture:

Here, you can see everyone was still during the praying over our new pastor and his wife.  The CP7100 handled this picture very well as I zoomed in (157mm, f4, 1/4, ISO 200) and composed this shot:

I took this picture during the Children's story skit.  Again, everyone was still and the picture came out reasonably well:

After a few shots, I noticed I was getting blurred pictures from the kids moving around.  Any slight head movement produced a big enough blur in the picture.  I then switched my ISO from 100-200 to Auto High ISO.  I haven't used this setting before and wasn't sure what kind of results I would get.

We had a special sermon presented from one of our youths, Alex.  Alex had the whole congregation involved at the beginning of his sermon.  This picture's ISO was 1600:

Here's another picture taken at ISO 1600.  The kids were moving, but notice there are no blurred body action:

After looking at these pictures and comparing it to ones I've taken with my DSLR, this CP7100 did a great job with the white balance.  My pictures came out brighter as well.  Not as clear or sharp as my DSLR, but good enough to post here and on Facebook.

I'm pretty happy with the results.  I made do with what I had with me.  My Coolpix point and shoot camera didn't let me down.

Using My 50mm Lens: A Picture for Photo Challenge #3

When I came home from work I noticed a Swallow Tail butterfly was flittering around in our front garden.  I grabbed my camera and whatever lens was attached and ran out the door.  This was one of a dozen pictures I snapped.

Check out the lovely bokeh this lens produces:

50mm, f2.8, 1/500, ISO 100

Here are a few more shots of the Swallow Tail:

50mm, f2.8, 1/800, ISO 100

50mm, f2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100

Putting My New 50mm to the Test

My new lens was patiently waiting in its box for my new B+W filter to arrive.  When I purchased the lens I thought I had a 58mm filter laying around.  I was wrong.  I'm that kind of person.  I won't touch a lens unless it has a filter.  So the lens and I waited...until this evening.

I took a few shots inside my house in low light.  Here's the results:

I'm enjoying the bokeh

Flower bouquet

A quick portrait shot

I then took a step outside to see what was blooming and found this beauty:

Lily of the Nile

All it took was 30 minutes of my time and I'm hooked on this lens!  This 50mm f/1.8G lens equates to a 75mm lens on my D7000 camera.  I think this will be a fine portrait lens!

A Multiple Post Day!

I've have two posts today.  Yes, I'm in a chatty mood...read on.

I've also added additional wedding pictures and photography comments to the "A Wedding on Friday" post I did dated July 7th.

Enjoy!

My Favorite Bag: Tamrac Aria 6 for Photographing Events

A few months ago when I was visiting my local camera shop, I came across this bag in person.  I originally saw this bag advertised on Amazon and then immediately went over to Tamrac's website to check out the specifications.  The bag is new this year and comes in two versions:  Aria 3 and Aria 6.  The Aria 3 bag is so adorable, but I knew it would be too small for all the camera equipment I wanted to carry with me (just in case).  I was on the fence with the Aria 6 bag.  I wasn't too sure that it would be huge and bulky for me to carry around.  

At my local camera shop, they carried both models plus the three colors:  black, brown and moss.  All three colors were beautiful!  I had a hard time choosing the color, but naturally opted to get the safe color...black.  I think my second choice would be brown.  I know, I shouldn't choose the camera bag color based on my wardrobe!  If I didn't play it safe, my first choice would have been moss green.  It was that pretty!

Back to my bag choice.  The Aria 3 is quite small and would fit a D40 or a D5000 camera with a short lens without any problems.  It's an adorable sized bag.  Very fashionable.  I chose the Aria 6 for its size and capability to hold all the camera equipment I would need to carry with me.  

Aria 6: Front

The bag is made of lightweight water-resistant nylon fabric.  Yes, the bag is amazingly light.  I thought I would wear this bag as a messenger bag, across the body.  I haven't had the need to.  It works perfectly as a shoulder bag.  That's how comfortable it sits on my shoulder.

The back of the bag with pocket

One of the key selling points for me was the side pockets.  It can hold my iPhone.  I can slip it in the pocket with any problems.  Now, how many camera bags do you know that have small phone pockets that can hold an iPhone-size smartphone?

Side view

The interior is very roomy and holds all the camera gear I want to take with me:  D7000 with my 18-200 attached, SB-700 speed light, an additional lens (one of my primes), a small lens blower, extra batteries, extra media cards, my keys, my wallet, my pens and notepad for taking notes, and of course my iPhone.

The removeable padded interior dividers flexes quite a bit.  It hasn't been an issue with me.  I just wanted to point it out as other bags come with a firmer padded dividers.

Inside the bag with my D7000

Inside, there's a back padded pocket for an iPad.  With all the camera equipment I have to carry, adding an iPad does weigh the bag down a bit.  Still, it's a handy addition in case I need to use it.

Interior:  additional pockets for storage

Under the front flap is a pleated zippered pocket.

Under the front flap:  another pocket for storage

The Aria 6 bag is very stylish, lightweight, and very functional.  Isn't it cute?

The adjustable strap with movable padding

While I use my Aria 6 bag for taking pictures of local events, I still have my favorite camera backpack,  the Tamrac Evolution 6 that I use for long distance travel.




Just like purses and wallets, a girl can't have too many camera bags.  Yes, I'm a Tamrac gal at heart!

Photo Challenge #2 From Last Week

Last week on FaceBook, I published another photo challenge.  The theme was...My Five Senses (smell, touch, taste, hearing and sight).  Here's the results of my photo challenge from last week:

Smell:  fragrant candles for relaxing

It was a challenging theme for everyone and I had little time to get something together (other than the candles above).  I decided to go through my pictures from VBS (+1000 pictures) and see what I could come up with.  I decided to a do a collage that captured the remaining senses:

Touch:  Ted the bear used at VBS

Taste:  Locust treats and the taste test from VBS.  Early b-day cake from work.  It was chocolate cake and it was yummy!

Hearing:  Can you hear the kids at VBS?

Sight:  Beautiful people at VBS and borrowing someone else's glasses

After July's photo challenge is over, I hope to start another one for the month of August and incorporate some photography techniques to keep the challenge more interesting.

Are you interested in joining me?