the evolution of Leni

The Rising Supermoon

Here are my photos from Saturday night's Supermoon.

 

And one photo of the stars:

 

3

3 days and counting! It's definitely bittersweet. I'm excited to move forward onto my next student teaching position but, at the same time, I have grown to love each and every one of those 30 students in my current first grade class. It will be hard to say goodbye and transition to a third grade class with 30 students that I don't know.

 

I uploaded some of the photos that I took on Sunday. I had a little bit of time to wander around before the engagement shoot and took these beautiful shots. I just love the nature photos! Before going on, let it be said that NONE OF THESE PHOTOS HAVE BEEN PHOTOSHOPPED! They are very raw.

 

Next, are a few photos of the newly engaged couple. I didn't want to put any photos up with their faces since I don't know them well. They were so sweet and photographing them was so much fun! I learned so much and can't wait to bring out my cameras again! [The first and last photos are some of my top favorites.]

 

Camera Comparison

M spent the past weekend with me even though I was gone for more than half of it. I had to get up at 6:30am the last three days to babysit. I also tutored on Saturday afternoon and Monday afternoon.

M and I did find some time on Sunday to walk around Newport Beach for an hour or so. [We took some pictures in a photo booth and I lost two games of ski ball to M!] M and I also walked around and took some photos together outside. I had my little point-and-shoot camera, as usual, but also brought along my old Sony DSC-F828.

I've had the Sony F828 since 2003. It's only 8 mega-pixels and somehow manages to take better photos than my 12 MP Nikon S630 (bought in 2009) point-and-shoot.

Here is a good example of what I'm talking about. The first two photos were taken with the Nikon S630 with two different settings to try and get the background to show up.

 

Notice how the background is overexposed in both of those first two photos? Below is the Sony F828 photo. The colors are better and you can see the background. Clearly a big difference!

 

I didn't actually plan to compare the cameras, it just ended up happening when the first photos with the point-and-shoot didn't come out well. Otherwise, I would have brought my other Nikon to compare. I just so happened to have those two on my because I use them to take photos and video in the first grade classroom.

It's crazy that a camera that is 6 years OLDER with fewer mega-pixels would take better photos than one with newer technology! What I love about the Sony F828 is that I can always rely on it to take good photos. Because of it's age, it is the camera that I can take everywhere (including on vacations) and don't have to worry about. It's never failed me; night time, day time, low light, bright light ... this camera does an awesome job.

Learning Photography From The Professionals

[I really love that man standing next to me!]

The photo above was taken at an engagement shoot that a friend, Christy, and her husband did for us. I remember feeling so awkward in front of the camera. Can you tell by looking at the picture? Probably not at all, because Christy did such a great job at making me feel comfortable. I haven't pressured her for the photos since I know she has more pressing matters in her life. She has been really good about sending me photos every once and awhile with images from the shoot. She said that the next time I see her she'll give me a CD with all the photos. I'm so excited. I can't even remember what we wore or where we went, so it will be a nice surprise!

Christy and her husband are so cute when they shooting together. She's great at making people feel comfortable and getting their personality to shine. Her husband is the genius behind the camera. Christy also takes great photos with her own camera. She and her husband offered to let me join them on their next engagement shoot to practice taking photos with my camera. Christy knows that I really love photography and that I want to learn to be a better photographer. They're going to give me tips and pointers throught the shoot. I'm BEYOND EXCITED! It will definitely help me to cross off #16 from my list!

Excited and nervous. I think I will need to read my camera manual to brush up on all the features and buttons. (In all honesty, I only know what about 1/3 of them do!)

 

Orchids

I love orchids. I think they are so beautiful and unique. I must admit that I have never owned an orchid plant of my own. One day, I will so I can enjoy them daily. In the meantime, I will enjoy them whenever I come across them. You can see these orchids for yourself by visiting the Botanical Gardens in Balboa Park.