Changing the White Balance

Have you ever thought about how different lighting can change the color you see? Yeah I didn't think about it either. At least not until I took my photography class. Now I know, light sources make a huge difference.

I guess I had thought about it a little because in my house, I use CFLs which produce a different color than incandescent bulbs. I decided to play with the white balance (which is normally just on auto) in my camera. Look at the difference.
This first photo was taken under the incandescent setting. Notice the blue look it had to it? That was not what I was looking for.

This next photo was taken under the fluorescent setting. This looks way closer to what I was seeing when I was taking the picture.

This was taken under the shade setting. This is my favorite out of the three. I also happen to be holding the camera a little more straight in the picture, which is always helpful. (I really want that dang tripod!)

I still have a long way to go before my pictures look professional, but I'm definitely learning!

Money Doesn't Grow on Trees

I recently went to a photography workshop in Houston. I learned some pretty awesome things about photography and I definitely love my hobby even more now because of it. Unfortunately I couldn't help think: why the heck did I chose one of the most expensive hobbies ever?

If you know me, you know I'm tight with my money. I guess I'm just going to have to compromise.

Anyways, in addition to the new information, I also learned that I "need" so much more stuff. Here are a few of the things that I want over the next year or so.

5. A new camera. This may just be a case of the go big or go home mentality, but I really want a new camera even though I don't really need one. Here's the one I want:

(photo courtesy of Nikon, obviously)

4. A speed light system. I haven't researched enough to know a lot about it, but I want one nonetheless.

3. A wide angle lens.

2. A tripod so I can take more pictures without them being blurry. This isn't the one I want, but it looks cool.
(photo courtesy of GorillaPod)

1. A telephoto lens. I LOVE photos with blurred backgrounds, so I'm really wanting a nice telephoto lens. This one only goes to 85mm, but gets f/3.5-5.6. This is what I plan on getting for Christmas. I'll have to sell my old film camera in order to get it, but hopefully it will be worth it!

(photo courtesy of Nikon)

As I'm sure you can see, I will need a second job to support my hobby. Anyone hiring?