are we having fun yet?

 wheee!!

1/200 sec @ f/2.8, Nikon D700, 28mm

Thought I'd post some new work for a change. All this talk on technique, gear, and technology is pointless if you're not having fun. Yep, having fun is a requirement, 'cause if you're not having fun, why bother?

Last week we went for a walk in the neighborhood after dinner. Yes, I brought my big camera with me. (I also had it while doing a 5k run recently, but that's a story for another time.) There are always things to work on: panning, auto focus on moving subjects, crazy angles, no look shots...  The light at this time of the day was magical, and if I could get a couple of keeper shots, all the sweeter.

The kids of course managed to bring us to the neighborhood park, and I'm cool with that. Those "on the swing" shots are always challenging. As I watched my daughter on the swing, I thought, "hey, wouldn't it be cool if I could get a shot of her above the trees?" I quickly picked an angle so that when she's at the end of the upswing, she'd appear to be above these towering Douglas Firs in our neighborhood. Next was focusing. It would be difficult to try to track focus, so I had the shot framed and pre-focused the camera at the peak of her swing. Then I waited. And waited. Until the moment was right, and... click. The shot turned out as I had envisioned, and that brought a huge smile to my face. "Sah-weet!!"

Of course, there's always time for a mini-session. Not the best background, I know.

1/200 sec @ f/2.8, Nikon D700, 70mm

This is what draws me back to do more photography. Pure joy. Do you remember the time when you tried some new technique, crazy experiment or understood some concept, and the joy it brought you? When you caught a moment that made your heart skip a beat? Sure, there will be struggles and frustration. That's the nature of this craft. You've got to work at it. Things don't always turn out as you expect, but sometimes, when serendipity strikes, you might get something better than you expect. In some ways, it is getting a little easier to get the shots I want. I'm not fussing over technical details as much, but getting a bit more intuitive with them which allows me to pay attention to capturing the moment. And yes, still having tons of fun.