White Balance...

Well I had my first DSLR class yesterday and it was terrific! I learned a lot and could not wait to put it all into practice. We are not allowed to use flash for any assignment in this class and that's gonna be challenging! LOL! I use flash for just about every shot I take, whether indoors or out, so this is going to be interesting. Yesterday our main focus was ISO and White Balance. Our assignment for next class is to...

• Shoot various pictures using different white balance settings.
• Shoot in Program Mode (Starting next week it's all manual! LOL!)
• Purposely shoot various photographs using the wrong white balance.
• Set the ISO based on the lighting conditions.

Well I could not wait to get started. When I got home I grabbed my camera and headed outside. The azaleas are out in full bloom right now so I started with them. They were out in the bright sunlight so I used ISO 100 and "Daylight" WB. Here is a shot of our hot pink azaleas...


And here is a shot of our Peach Azaleas...


For these other shots I adjusted the WB to "Shade" and left the ISO at 100.




Well that is it for today. Next time I will purposely shoot with the wrong white balance and try some other ISO and WB adjustments. See you next time with another photo adventure!

Back Then...

I got my very first digital camera back in 2001. It was a 1 MP Sony Mavica that cost close to $600! Yikes!!! Today it is barely worth $25 but I loved that camera and took it everywhere! Below are two pictures I took with that old camera. As you can see, the resolution is not that great but back then I did not know that. LOL! Below are two shots I took with the Sony 1MP Mavica. I took this one at Stone Mountain Park during the 4th of July fireworks, 2001.

A neighborhood cat, no doubt staring at my birds.

And Now...

Fast forward a couple of years and several cameras later and you will find me today with my first digital SLR. I purchased it several months ago after it was recommended to me by a professional photographer. It's the Pentax K20D and I am still learning how to use it. Today, I actually start photography classes so I hope to really get to learn the inner workings of this camera and do some great things with it.

I have been playing with it a lot lately. Here are some photos I have taken in the past two weeks. These are from our trip to Zoo Atlanta.


These are from a "Bird's Night Out" dinner I attended last weekend with members of the Georgia Caged Birds Society. It was really neat because we were able to bring our pet birds with us to dine at the restaurant.

Well that is it for today. See you next time with another photo adventure!

The Journey Begins!

I was outside in my garden taking pictures the other day and noticed all the beautiful flowers in bloom. They awoke from a long dormant winter and have come to life and begun anew in Spring. This got me thinking that it's not too late for me to start something new, or, at least breathe new life into an old hobby and passion of mine. So after several months of thinking about it I decided, why not! I am going to start a blog on my photography pursuits! I lead a very busy life as it is and am not sure I have the time for another blog but I have decided to take it one day at a time and see how it goes. LOL!


I am not a professional photographer, but I do have aspirations of achieving that title one day. I see this blog as a possible chronicle of my journey to that destination. Along the way, I hope to impart some of the tips, tricks and knowledge I learn, as well as provide some inspiration. I invite you to come take this journey with me. My journey begins. Wish me luck!