Mutt's

When Daddy texts to say he can't make it home for dinner we head to Mutt's for food, coloring, and dancing.  

Thanksgiving 2016

We had a lovely time hosting family for Thanksgiving this year.  There was lots of yummy food, football, and fun!  Now it's full steam ahead to Christmas!

I tried my hand at taking our own family portrait for our Christmas card this year.  Unfortunately, while the plan would have worked wonderfully had the sun cooperated, things did not go as planned and I had to try to work with super cloudy weather.  There is more shadow than I would like, but it was neat to experiment with my camera's wifi feature to remote trigger the camera with my cell phone.  It allowed me to see how everyone looked before taking the shot so that we had all eyes on the camera with great smiles.  Next year I'll have to try to get ahead of the game and take this picture before the time change so we can be outside in the golden hour.

Canon 80D

Lately I have really been trying to continue growing my knowledge of photography, which much like I did with sewing made me realize I am outgrowing some of my equipment.  Now...I know the equipment is just a tool.  But, with more experience you realize what your tools can and can't achieve for you.  I did a ton of research before purchasing a new camera.  I REALLY wanted to upgrade to a full frame.  But, when it came down to it, I don't have the money right now to spend on a bunch of pro glass (aka lenses), and frankly the weight of pro glass just isn't realistic for someone like me who likes to take their DSLR on vacation with them.  I considered adding a mirrorless for travel, but then I considered all of the money I'd have to spend on additional glass.  When it came down to it I decided to just upgrade what I was using so I made the move from a Canon 70D to an 80D.

Yes, it's a poorly named camera body, but it has slightly better low light performance than my 70D which is really what I was looking for.  Would full frame have done an even better job?  Yes.  But, that's just not in the cards right now.  Yesterday my new body showed up and I took it for a test run in low light situations and I must say I'm pleased and notice a difference.  The noise is still there but it's more consistent and less distracting for the most part.  In some situations I'm just going to have to learn to accept that it's there and there isn't anything I can do about that.

Other things I'm enjoying is that this camera has a higher megapixel count, the body is lighter which will be great for vacations and just out and about photography, the dynamic range is improved, the new menu system is amazing, and frankly...it's just fun to have a new toy.  Something familiar but improved.

Someday I'll get that full frame, but for now I'm enjoying my improved low light performance around the house.

Kids in a Candy Store

As a little treat for all of their hard work in school I treated the kids to some candy at our local candy store, Rocket Fizz.  It was our first time to visit and I now a full appreciation for the phrase, "...like kids in a candy store."

A day off...

Originally we had planned to head to Houston for Labor Day weekend, but forces beyond our control caused us to, once again, cancel that trip.  I wasn't really disappointed as a quiet weekend at home after a few busy weeks of school sounds really nice.  Brian had already planned to take Friday off so we decided to use that as a day out for the two of us.  We hit up the OKC Museum of Art viewing the temporary Matisse exhibit and the permanent Chihuly exhibit followed up with some yummy lunch at The Mule and dessert at Pie Junkie.

Summer Fun & Rabbit Hunters

I'm going to be completely honest here and say that we are having a super lazy summer.  We're sitting and iPadding...watching movies and TV...reading...and then we take the occasional splash in the hot tub or swing on the swings.  It's been really nice.  

Our evenings as of late are spent either outside, or finding amusement in our guard dogs, protecting us from the evil rabbit that makes it's way into the backyard some evenings.  Every day, around 6:30 p.m. the dogs each take up their stations preparing for battle, and they stay there until it's bedtime. Our heroes! 

Photographically...I'm attempting to embrace shadow more.  I tend to like light and bright images.  But, there is something about the moodiness of shadow and the classic feel of black and white images that is really appealing to me as well right now.  (I also find it helps to cut down on the messy cluttery look my house has right now with the kids home all day. )