38/52: A Weekly Photo Series

I started this weekly photo challenge to learn how to use our Canon 7D DSLR camera. It's been nine months since I began, and I think I've successfully achieved my goal to at least learn the basics of photography. I still have a long way to go, but am more interested than ever to continue onward.

In the fall, I usually hire a professional photographer to take pictures of Tory and Aden around their birthdays, and to capture a family portrait for our holiday cards. But in the last few years, I haven't been overly pleased with the photographs we've received. That, and taking staged family photographs is a stressful task! All that effort put into outfit coordination and location identification with the smallest glimmer of hope that at least one photo will turn out. I started to think Andi and I could take equally good (if not better photos!) of the kids by ourselves. Taking our own family photographs also gives us the flexibility to snap as many photos as we like in the relaxed environment of our family's own time. Since we already own all the camera equipment, the only cost is my personal effort in taking and editing photos.

With that in mind, I typically carry my DSLR camera everywhere I go. See what I mean about me being an amateur photographer? I don't wait until the light is just right or for the perfect scene -- I simply capture the moment at hand.

Tory, Aden and I had a free morning today, so I decided to take them to a local park just down the road from our house. We don't usually visit this park because it's playground equipment is too advanced for toddlers, but it contains beautiful wooded trails and a lake / beach. Tory looked so cute today in her pink tutu dress today and Aden, too, in his new khaki overalls. The air just felt like 'fall' today, so I thought it'd be a good time to take some fall season photos. At the last minute, I tossed the FarmAll tractor that was my grandpa's into the back of the SUV ... just in case I spotted a good place to take pictures.  

I think we had the entire park to ourselves on this chilly, partly cloudy morning. I found a grassy spot by the lake and let Tory and Aden loose to run free. And while they did, I stood back and snapped away with my camera.

Together, they watched flocks of geese fly over head ...

And, Tory demonstrated her best ballerina twirls ... 

Seriously, could they be any more adorable?

We had a really fun, relaxing morning taking photographs -- just the three of us.