A few weeks ago, I shared my fab news: I’m a Nikon MOMents Blogger! Over the next 12 months, I’ll be documenting my life (nothing new) with my Nikon D3300 camera (very new – and exciting). After taking in an informative training session last month, I felt ready to unleash my inner shutterbug.
Now if there’s one thing I learned from the Nikon D3300 training, it’s this: purchasing an expensive DSLR camera, and then proceeding to shoot in Auto, is likely one of the most costly mistakes you’ll ever make. It’s kind of like buying a car and not using the air conditioning, radio or power moonroof! Because if you don’t take the time to understand your new DSLR and its features, then you’re better off using your camera phone. Seriously, I mean that.
I’m guilty, of course. Last year, I purchased a DSLR camera and thought I was so-o cool. Sure, the quality of my pictures improved, but I was shooting still objects. And using the flash. And pretending like I knew what I was doing. That is, of course, until my son ran across the lawn, yelling “take a picture of me!” and as I held down the shutter in Auto (Flash Off) Mode… it returned a gloriously, über high quality, BLURRY photo.
But I spent hundreds of dollars on my camera! How rude!
And that’s why it’s great to have a kick-ass camera, but it’s equally important to know how to use it. After training, playing around, learning and being curious about the functions of my Nikon D3300 camera, I’m really starting to feel comfortable behind the lens. Today, I’m actually kind of giddy to show you how far I’ve come!
Now y’all probably know that my husband and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary two weeks ago. We trekked up to the JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa, where we spent a few wonderful days celebrating our marriage and family. Camera in tow, I dared myself to move away from Auto to my new favourite mode, Aperture.
Ah, Aperture. Where have you been all my life?
Aperture refers to the opening of a lens’s diaphragm through which light passes. It is calibrated in f/stops, where the lower f/stops give more exposure because they represent the larger apertures, and the higher f/stops give less exposure because they represent smaller apertures. I *could* go into detail, but honestly, that’s what Google is for. All you have to know is this: Aperture mode gives you MUCH more control over the brightness, creative blur and sharpness of your photos. …
So, what’s my new machinery? It’s the 
With the arrival of June comes the unofficial start of summer. And what better way to preserve this year’s memories than a photo-a-day challenge? Sponsored by 
Join us on Tuesday, May 27th at 9pm EST. We’ll tweet up a storm with suggestions and tips on how to capture the best memories by honing your vacation photography skills.
But hey, a chat wouldn’t be nearly as fun without prizes! This month, please say thank you to