Slowing Down

So, I have two wonderful friends who have turned me onto the world of Photography. Dickie is simply amazing as evidence by our engagement pictures. Thatch has since inspired me with his medium format camera to dust off my mothers old Nikkormat FT2 and try my hand at attempting to take good pictures. First, let me thank my mother for letting me hold on to her old camera that I have stolen from her since the 7th grade. It may not be a digital SLR camera but it is an old school 35mm with a 50mm lens that seems to work quite well. Thank you also to PW for a little advice (did I use that right choirpres?) on understanding the basics. I thought I would document my first attempt at photography here on the blog.

I have to say my first roll turned out better than anticipated. I wrote down every setting for every picture I took so I could look back and see what I did wrong. Mostly I think I have a good feeling now of how to use f-stops to my advantage. I won't bore you with the random pictures of trees, weather vains, buildings and water trucks. Instead I'll just share some fun pictures of random people I ran into with the camera around my neck.
Of course Mark decided to try and pose for me but I still like the sun and shadows on his face and shirt.
The camera seems to have a bit of grainyness to it no matter what speed or level I am shooting at. Gives it an analog feeling though. Mary was kind enough to let me snap a picture after I explained what I was up to.
This is just a fun shot and a clear depiction of my life as an MSM student at Luther Seminary. Somehow, I think I caught everyone but Beth in their element.
My buddy Joe has two cute kids and I had to snatch his youngest trying to drink the coffee. And my favorite. Not sure how I managed this picture but I am pretty proud. I think the composition was nice and I really caught her smile in this one. f-2.8 might be my new friend.

There you have it, my first attempt. Lets see what the next few weeks provides. I think this camera likes the outdoor and the sun. I think I will keep perfecting its use outside before I figure out what to do inside.

~soundguy