Sometimes, I really don’t know why I do the things I do… However, I guess there is a reason my nickname is “all or nothing Kahan”.

I mean, getting a new lens~FUN!!  Getting new software (CS5 and Lightroom)~thought it would be fun… Trying to transition to shooting in M (Manual) mode~didn’t even kid myself.  Trying to do figure out ALL of those things on the same day???  Typical me.  I just can’t help it.

I took the boys to shoot some baskets yesterday and of course brought my camera.  After whooping them in a game of PIG (ok, I didn’t whoop anything-there’s only 3 letters, but I did win!), I tried to play around and shoot in M mode.  I have been shooting in AV (aperture value mode), but I keep reading that shooting manually is the only way to completely control the outcome of your picture (yet another-“well, duh” moment).  Since I’m a bit of a control freak (slight understatement…), I figured I might as well learn.  Well, after countless overexposed and underexposed pictures, I got a few that turned out ok.  I still have A LOT of practicing to do… I have to keep reminding myself that I didn’t even know what aperture, ISO, and shutter speed meant 4 months ago!

Jackson getting “G”…(sorry J)

There was this really fun red wall, so I asked Charlie to run and jump on it.  I LOVED the shadows!  Oh, to have the energy of a 10 year old…

Jackson tried one too…

When we got back from the park, we had an early birthday celebration.  Sunday is my birthday….  Not that excited about this one, since it officially puts me in the “late 30’s” UGH!  Age is just a number, age is just a number…

Jackson is going to be in camp that day, so the boys (mostly Houston~thank Huz!!) made me an early birthday dinner.  They made my favorite~Ahi with pineapple salsa~YUM!!  The boys also got me a book on Lightroom (there is NO WAY POSSIBLE I could figure these things out on my own!).  I stayed up until 12:30 last night trying to figure it out, but ultimately ended up doing this post/pictures through Bridge/Elements in order to keep what little sanity I had left.

Cute little bees…love it 🙂

Still not great at Manual, but…getting better…the only way I guess.