Photography 101

So, my one little word this year is NURTURE and part of that is nurturing myself...my interests, my creative soul, taking time for myself. I have been enjoying Ali's One Little Word Class at Big Picture Scrapbooking and when I saw that they were offering a photography class titled Mastering the Manual Mode, after I hestitated for a minute about spending some money on myself, I decided to go for it! The pre-class assignment is to take a variety of pictures that we will then take again at the end of class to see how our photography has improved. So, I thought I'd share my pre-class photos here and in a few months I'll share my new photos and we'll see how my photography has changed.

Here are the picture assignments:

1. Someone you love - (my oldest son).

2. Two people you love - (my hubby and new baby nephew)

3. Your favorite food. (M&M cookies...YUM! You can find the recipe HERE).


4. A flower, tree, or plant.


5. A landscape. (Obviously not my strong suit.)

6. A person or pet in action - (my youngest son running to come see me).


7. A candid photo (try not to let the subject know you're photographing them).

8. A self-portrait. (Yep, that's me...can't wait to learn how to improve this! :)

9. A favorite object in your home. (The leaves have great sentimental value as we picked them up for a third anniversary gift when we were on vacation in Oregon. However, the red bowl and decorative balls made for a nicer picture I think.)

10. A group portrait. ( Unfortunately I can't share one of my favorite group photos...as it has a whole bunch of kids in it that I don't have specific permission to share here.)

Have any of you taken a great online photography class, visit a fab photography blog, or have any photography tips? I'd love to hear them! Any feedback on these photos is also appreciated! :)