New Skills

Today as I was taking out some "studio equipment" from the office closet, Alegria found a small canister with two raquetballs inside. I wish I had filmed her when I first found her trying to take the balls out of the can...it was so funny! She reached in and grabbed the top ball, but with her balled-up fist, she couldn't take it back out! I taught her how to turn the canister over and she learned pretty quickly. In the following video, I was hoping she'd again try balling up her fist over the ball to try to take it out, but it only took me showing her once for her to learn how to get them out:

So...I've always been interested in photography. Recently I've been getting the itch to try to produce more studio-type and quality of pictures. I've seen lots of professional pictures that friends have had made and they seem pretty easy to do...all I need are backdrops and props, right? I've already learned a few tricks that my digital camera has and I've taken some pretty nice pictures previously, so why not try it?

Start out easy, I told myself. So...since I already have a white sheet, I decided to start out plain like that and went out and bought a white faux fur rug...

I set out the faux fur rug I bought to see where I would need to position the white sheet for the background in my "studio." Well, Alegria was faster than I was and sat right on the rug. Since she was quietly playing on the rug, I proceeded to take what pictures I could, trying to learn what more I could about my camera and the room's lighting and the angles and the quality of pictures that I could produce:

Aside from the fact that Alegria was so engrossed in continuing to better herself at the skill of taking the balls out of the canister that she never smiled, I wish I'd had the sheet up before! The pictures of Alegria in the blue she was wearing would have come out nice! Oh well, Big Bear and Alegria's soccer ball will have to do to see what impact the white sheet and white rug will have on my pictures!

Oh! You want to try again Alegria and be a good little model for Mommy?!

Alegria: "Ok, Mommy... Just kidding! I have better things to do...like finish brushing my teeth..."

Alegria: "...and help Daddy put together my dresser."

*sigh*

Maybe tomorrow she'll let me take pictures of her...

It's going to be fun learning this new skill!!!