Some Pictures

I've been getting really into the digital photography book that Michelle gave me for my birthday way back in November. I'm learning to use my camera better, and get good pictures despite it being just a simple point-and-shoot. Today it was snowing, and I was excited to look out the window at the snow-covered shrubs and see picture opportunities. So I bundled up a bit and took the camera out. Here's the best shots from my little excursion to the bushes beneath our window.

For this one I laid down in the snow on my back to get a shot of the underside of the branches. Everyone sees the snowy shrubs from the top, how many people actually look at the bottom?


These were some stark little branches by the entry wall. I like how the wall in the background acts as sort of a frame.


And this is my favorite picture. I wanted to try to get a focal point in this picture, so I chose a little leaf and, following the Rule of Thirds, positioned it in the left third of the picture.


For the above picture, I used a trick I learned from the book about auto-focus. When you want your subject to be off-center but still in focus, center the subject in the viewfinder (or LCD screen since my camera doesn't have a separate viewfinder) and hold the button down halfway. The auto-focus focuses on the subject because it's in the middle. Then, while continuing to hold the button halfway, shift the camera so the subject is where you want it. Then press the button the rest of the way to take the picture. The camera is still auto-focused on the subject, even though it's no longer in the center of the picture. Neat, huh?