My first pictures.... well...

Not really the first b/c I've taken about 200, but these are my first as I learn...I FINALLY got my SLR camera that was my birthday present (June 10...) a week ago. I got the Canon Rebel XS. I was so fed up with my point and shoot Kodak b/c the batteries fall out and don't last long. Other than that it is a pretty good little camera to have around. As a scrapbooker I decided that in order to start making wonderful lay-outs I should upgrade the camera! I also just want to document my life better, I want to learn to take fabulous pictures that tell stories. You get to a point where the camera is the key. It's an exciting, new journey for me. I have more to learn than I can comprehend, but I'll take it one step at a time (as much as I can given my need to accomplish things asap!) I really hope to take the Karen Russell photo class in the winter. By then I should have the basics down (like how to focus!!!) and will be ready to step it up. I awe at her pictures regularly.

As most know my garden is one of my top 5 loves. I have such a big project to bring Keith's yard back to it's glory. Being the daughter of a landscaper I am up to the challenge. I started this year with some simple cutting flowers and annuals - snapdragons (my personal favorite after peonies), petunias, zinnias (although Mom ended up with the bright colors and I have all yellow and light green!), cosmos, verbena, morning glory's, Cleome, daisy's, and then a random pack of seeds that came up really cool! Also worked a little more on the perrenial border - 15 peonies that are gorgeous and added some phlox, shasta daisy's, sedum, there are iris and day lillies... I have a battle with a ground hog and a few deer so I need to work on that. The damn ground hog munched the phlox right down along with the cone flower when I first put them in, the phlox are blooming now - just not the height they should be. I moved the Cone Flower so I won't get them until next year. I am putting Russian Sage that should ward off the bunnies, not sure about the deer. This fall I have to finish the other side of the peony border. Oh... and daffodils. If they were gold we'd be millionaires I have NEVER quite seen anything like it. I dig them up in clumps of NO JOKE 100's... I pulled out another wheelbarrow full 2 weeks from an area that I had already attacked. I would be fine with them if the flowered, but they don't the way I want so I am just trying to thin them. It's a big joke on me.

Above is a little collage of pictures I took yesterday...I wanted my first lesson to be how to take pictures close and somewhat blur the background. What better subject than my beautiful blooming flowers! It just so happens that this is the first topic in the Scott Kelby books (but know I have much more on this topic) I learned to focus close with a low aperture and get down with the flowers. I also saved the mirror lock-up which I think helped b/c the other day I tried to take similar photos and they were somewhat blurry. (Don't I sound like I know what I'm talking about... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.)

If you've read this far... thanks! I'm rambling... I may blog as I learn to use the camera. It's fun! I have 3 books plus the manual plus about 4 computer programs with manuals! Then I move to photoshop...