Photography Lesson Homework: Aperture

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I recently found a weekly blog post designed to teach people how to use their digital SLR and use it to it's fullest potential.

I really enjoy photography and always want to improve. I also must admit that while I knew exactly how to use all the settings on my old Pentax K1000(best camera ever!) and a lot of the settings on my 35mm SLR, I have never really bothered to learn my digital SLR. I guess I could attribute that to the fact that I got my digital SLR when I had an almost 5 year old and a 2 month old. It took great pictures on full auto and I left it at that.

I see so many fantastic pictures taken by family members and on other blogs, etc. I really want to improve my photography skills. I realize that my, now 5 year old, camera is a little outdated and that a new digital SLR would improve my pictures and abilities, however, that is not in the budget at the moment and I can still learn with what I've got. So with that in mind, I am slowly learning and practicing things from the It's Overflowing blog series. I thought I would share them with you. Hopefully you will notice a difference in the photos on my blog as well!

The lesson I practiced for this blog post was the Photography Friday 2 {Aperture}.  I notice that her camera has aperture settings from 1.8 up to 18. The best I have been able to get my camera to give me is 3.5 up to 14. I also found that the further I zoomed in the higher up the aperture would go. For example, if I was as wide as my lens will go, I might be able to get my aperture to go to 3.5 but as I zoomed in it would go up and often the lowest I could get would be 5.0. I still have yet to pull out my camera manual and see the official capabilities of my camera, so I am a little confused as to why the aperture changes when I zoom in. Do you know why? If you do, please leave me a comment below or contact me via my contact page. Thanks so much! Of course I should also get the manual out to see exactly what my camera is capable of...wouldn't that be handy.

Here are my pictures showing the different aperture settings. I don't personally see as much difference in my pictures as I can see in hers. I am guessing there isn't as distinct of a difference due to the cloudy day on which I took the pictures. I am guessing I might be able to see more of a difference on a bright sunny day. Again, if you know if this is correct, I would love feedback!

When I read and practice the next lesson, I will share it with you as well. If you are interested in photography and improving your skills, I have found her lessons to be easy to understand and easy to practice. Enjoy!

KC

Family Time Fitness Curriculum *Giveaway*

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I am excited to announce my first giveaway. I am equally excited about the product that I get to give away.

After 5 years of homeschooling, I finally decided that this year I needed to add a 'real' PE program. We have always done a variety of classes, park days, and such but just like many homeschoolers, we didn't have any program we were using. I know that I am not that unusual in my thinking that we just didn't have time to fit anything else in and that what we were doing was enough. However, for me, I decided that this year I needed to figure it out.

Real Structure....Really?

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I thought it might be interesting to write about our typical week. I must admit that I like reading how other people do things and I thought maybe other people do as well. Of course, that being said, it is my putting this out there for anyone to read and that always takes a bit of courage or vulnerability. Hoping I don't sound like a nut job, but then I think I am a nut job, so I am not sure why I worry about it...hee hee.

I resisted any kind of routine or schedule for many years. I don't like them. I prefer to just kind of figure it out but between starting to homeschool 5 years ago (wow, has it really been that long!) and my oldest child seeming to need some structure, I have gone kicking and screaming into a typcial week. I won't call it a routine or a schedule as those words just annoy me, plus there are so many times that the 'routine/schedule' need to be modified that I can't call it that anyway.

Rapunzel Tangled Party Favor Bags

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Under my latest, better late than never blogs, I am finally adding the last part of Pumpkin's Rapunzel Tangled Themed Birthday Party. Today I wanted to show you the simple favor bags I made and filled for the party.

You can view my other posts about this party here:

Really Cute Lanterns

Real Easy Rapunzel Banners/Pendants

Real Rapunzel Birthday

Native American Unit Crafts

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It has been quite a while since Snowflake finished her unit studying Native Americans but I hadn't posted some of our fun from that unit. It has been 3-4 months since she finished this and I don't have a great memory so I can't remember if all of these were done in 1 unit or if some they were done between 2 units. We are using Moving Beyond the Page and she is in their 8-10 curriculum. In the first concept we were studying Interdependence. There are 3 units per concept, in this concept she read The Little House in the Big Woods while studying dirt and plants, The Sign of the Beaver while learning about Native Americans, and Native American Animal Stories while studying ecosystems and ecology. I'm pretty sure these were done during our time reading The Sign of the Beaver but it is possible that some were done while we were reading Native American Animal Stories. With better late than never, here are some of the crafty things she got to do during this unit.

Cricut Christmas Thank You Card

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If your like me and still need to send out a few thank you notes from Christmas, here are the cards I made this year as well as how to make them. 

The finished product - see below for the how to

Break Musings

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As I write this it's 12:15 and we just finished breakfast. Yep, we are definitely on a break and enjoying every minute of it. Of course I have this thought in my mind that keeps telling me how hard next week is going to be. Then I look over at our 'school area' and I get kind of excited to get back to our work.


I am excited because Snowflake will begin a new book and study in her Moving Beyond the Page curriculum. She is using the 8-10 curriculum and will begin reading the book The BFG.

What we are up to...

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I wanted to post about what we are up to today.

We homeschool and we have chosen to homeschool year round as it just seems to fit for us. We school the same number of days that kids do that are in school but we don't follow the school calendar. I know many of my homeschool friends follow the school calendar. Apparently, I am not quite disciplined enough for that or something because I just can't imagine keeping up with the school schedule for 9 months....blech! Instead, I am using one of the great privileges of homeschooling and making a schedule that works for us. All that said, we are on a 3 week break right now! It is bliss. I have tried to take an extended Christmas break for the last 2 years and it has never quite worked out for one reason or another. I am really enjoying this break! Next Monday is going to be so hard - to actually get up and get back into our school schedule/routine. I will have to go back to getting to bed earlier...blech! Anyway, I digress.