For Christmas my in laws bought me a seat in a photography class. There is a photographer (Leigh Preuss) here in Southern Arizona who regularly teaches beginning DSLR classes. I have had my DSLR for almost two years and I really didn't know anything about it. I tried to read the manual and it seemed like a foreign language. I've actually stopped using my camera lately, because I could easily use my phone, which is super easy to use.

The class explored the basics: what is shutter speed, aperture, ISO ... etc. And then why all these things matter. The best part of the class was the explanation (and cheat sheet) that explained what setting where appropriate based on your circumstances -- inside no flash, outside and super sunny, outside and overcast, fast moving subject, portraits, etc. 

When I got home from the class, I was itching to practice. I took pictures of the kids, dinner, Mike ... anything and everything. Since Cooper moves so much, he was a harder subject. Shelby however was a very willing model. Can you see the freckles on her nose? They're my favorite.

Here's a photo of  Shelby practicing piano.Check out how her hands are in focus and everything else is fuzzy. I meant to do that. I have always wanted to get photos like this, where I have a focal point that's crisp and perfect, while the rest of the photo just fades away.

I had a lot of trouble getting a photo of Cooper. He won't sit still for me, so there was a lot of blur. I changed my shutter speed, but because we were inside the light just wasn't right. I did manage to get this one, which is in focus and has the nice, fuzzy background. 

I can't wait to practice some more. I am so glad I got to take an in-person class. It was great to have someone look at my photos; give me guidance; and show my how to adjust the settings on my camera rather than just telling me. I think if I take an online class now, I'll get a lot more out of it.