Spring Fever

It was 70 degrees on Sunday. 70, I tell you!  

Actually the entire weekend was gorgeous.  Sunshine, warm temperatures, birds chirping, windows open.  So, I took a study break (or maybe a couple).  How could I not?  I mean, I have been sunshine-deprived since November now.  On Sunday afternoon, Kyle and I took a stroll around the neighborhood and got an ice cream.  When we got back to the house I just couldn't resist grabbing my camera and snapping a few pictures.  They say learning to to take pictures in 'manual mode' takes time (especially the what/why/how of adjusting each setting and when to use it) and tons of practice, and I know….Practice makes perfect. 
So, I decided I was ready to turn off the "assistant" function on my camera (which allows me to control 2 settings, while it automatically adjusts the others).  Go big or go home, right?  It was an epic defeat and made me want to just use "AUTO" a few hundred times!  I would take 20 pictures of the same thing (adjusting the iso, aperture, white balance, or shutter) and would only have one photo turn out the way I expected/wanted.
Let me tell ya, if I would have been taking pictures of a person they would stayed in one pose a minimum of 10 minutes and said, "cheese" at least 20 times -- as I fumbled through changing the different settings.  I think its safe to say that it'll be a while before I'm able to capture the "kiddo crying on Santa's lap" picture.  :)