My First Serious Portrait

My sister Sara wanted me to take a portrait of my nephew Oliver. I shot this at about 9:30 AM. The light was nice as it was overcast and we still had some nice shadows from trees on the east side of my parent's yard. Oliver sat on a bath towel to keep dry as the grass was still wet from a morning watering. Some green plants made for a nice dark background. His parents got him to smile by mom hitting dad on the head with a ball and the result was captured by the camera. Sara printed the portrait at Costco. She got three 5 x 7s and an 8 x 10 for $3. Mom, and both Grandmas already have framed portraits proudly on display!

Oliver Thomas MacKay - 1 1/2 years old

Superman!

Took these two pics of my bro-in-law Mike doing some tricks on the trampoline. They're not the most technical shots but I found them entertaining so I wanted to show them off.

Fireworks from the 4th of July!

My first try at shooting fireworks turned out to be successful in my estimation. I didn't have a tripod for these and some of them still turned out. I have a tripod now so I think I'll try some more on the 24th of July.

Playing with Motion

I decided to post a few pictures of some test shots that I took trying to create motion. I shot all of them in S-mode. They are more abstract but cool none the less.

Candids Anyone?

I love taking little candids of children at gatherings with family and friends. The reason I love to shoot kids is because they honestly don't mind having a camera with a huge lens pointed at them! Most adults cringe or dive for cover using a hand or any other hiding place readily available, and even if they don't avoid the shot you can sense that they feel uncomfortable. Little ones just go about their business and that is the time to strike! There's nothing like what I like to call "cute little candids!" Don't be surprised if you see some of these pop up in Parent's Magazine someday!

Shaylin Nicole

Oliver Thomas

Nathan John

Jensen Reed

Maya McKenna

Averie Sage

Austin Tyler

Ashton Tate

Ethan Adam

Ashton, Ethan, & Averie

Best buds Ethan & Mitchel

Halle & Tessa

Halle

Tessa

Boston

Averie Sage

The Bountiful Temple

On the way home from Muller Park I took a few minutes to shoot these shots of the Bountiful Temple. Once again, when I took these I didn't have my tripod yet so I had to be careful about camera shake in low light. These may not be tack sharp but I think the Temple still turned out as beautiful as ever. One of these days I'll go back up there and get some with a tripod and an amazing sunset. Until then, these will have to do.

An Evening at Muller Park

I took these shots around dusk, the light was just nice and soft. I didn't have my tripod so I had to be creative on the water shots to avoid camera shake.

Faux Macro

Since I don't have a macro lens yet I have to fake it. Below are a few shots of some flowers that I took. Not to shabby for an amateur!