Brooke Sarah and Lea

My husband's aunt asked me to take some pictures of the girls with their friend from Germany. I had never taken pictures of teenagers before, and I was really nervous about coming up with quality images that really brought out the personality of the people in them. We decided to visit the Minnetrista to see if we could get some pretty fall photos, but unfortunately  while we still got decent pictures, the Minnetrista had little to offer beyond what we could get in our own back yard.
 A couple things after this shoot that improved
myphoto quality in portrait photography. The first is that I bought a new lens. I use a Nikon d5000 which is most compatible with AFS lenses, so i bought an afs lens, 50 mm f1.8. I looked at different blogs and tutorials and found that because of the larger aperature and lower depth of field, this lens is ideal for portrait photography! The second is that I learned how to properly hold a camera. I

know it seems minute, but that little bit of camera shake can really throw off the quality of an image. I never realised this until I started taking a deep look into my photography just by taking random photos and trying different things to improve the quality including holding the camera correctly. 

Anyway here are a few sample photos from our shoot!

amateur photography

I am learning so much these days. My interest in photography has grown. I can't say that I am truly a photographer, because I still don't understand half of the hard work that goes into a pro's pictures. I am constantly searching for new info, learning and teaching myself new things about photography. I am working really hard at making myself  better a little bit at a time.

I was glancing over some of the earlier pictures that I have taken, and while I was so proud of them at the moment, in just a few short months they look subpar and have some horrible lighting. I now regret not getting proper newborn pictures of my daughter, but I was stubborn and determined to make my own for free. Since then my knowledge of lighting and editing has grown, and I can make a much more aesthetically pleasing image.

 It's probably pretty obvious which picture is earlier and which is more recent, but I am happy to say that I think my photography is improving tremendously, and at the moment I am working hard at creating a portfolio worth sharing.

I am creating this blog as kind of a learning link to some of the things I pick up along the way, possible tips for other amateurs, and a way to get my name/photography/ and story out there. I hope you enjoy my photography, and hopefully I continue to grow as an amateur photographer.