Manual Mode

I've had this really nice camera for several years...I know it takes much better pictures than a point and shoot but the camera can do so much more than I know. On Saturday I took a moms with cameras photography class. I don't want to be a professional I just want to take really awesome pictures of my kids. I feel like I take pretty great outside running around pictures but my biggest problem was indoor pictures and what angle to take pictures of Hunter from so that he looks just as cute in photos as he does in real life.
Today I opened the blinds in the bedroom and just went for it...

I should have taken pictures in the morning when the sun was brighter but we had friends over.  The afternoon was a little overcast but I think the pictures still look better then the ones I used to take inside.

One of my favorites!

So I didn't clean our bedroom or put a neutral blanket on the bed to stage the pictures a little better...there is a lot of color and pattern going on in these pictures but I still like them.  I especially love the pictures of my boys little hands.

yes...that is my i-phone...with a broken otter box (the otter box couldn't survive Zack and I) 

Zack made a loud noise and Hunters arms went out...Zack likes to make this happen on purpose 

love the face

I was standing over them so Zack had to stand on the bed...but I like Hunter in the background 

The up close pictures are great!  

 Hunter having a little tummy time

and obviously over the whole photo shoot thing...

or maybe just over Zack laying on him.

One thing I took from my class is to embrace the sillyness because you usually get a really great picture when it's over.

Me...I love the sillyness...Zack is doing something weird while looking out the window.

 I really wasn't sure what he was doing/trying to do...

 and there it is...

Obviously the light in our living room wasn't the best but I got a couple keepers.

Zack is obsessed with writing with a "be" on "bay" (pen on paper)

playing peek a boo...cute even with the boogers.

Then Zack decided to climb on the couch...he had a major wipe out and mother of the year over here took pictures rather than see if he was OK...

This was the face I got when he stood up.

We instantly had a new game...Zack fell...I said "oh no" and he stood up and laughed...20 min later it was dinner time.

The last three were done in automatic mode.  I wanted to see the difference and the flash made the background black...where as on manual without a flash I was able to make it blurry.