Meaningful Monday: Self-Portrait

So I recently came across an intriguing Photography Challenge that was just about to start at a blog called A Step in the Journey. I'm with her, I could use some decent practice with my camera. I have a Cannon Rebel XT and have had for 2 1/2 years, but I'm still using auto mode most all the time! Just before I came across the Challenge I had spent our weekend road trip to and from Hazelton flipping through the owner's manual!

Anyhow, so I thought I'd jump in on this challenge. I'm really interested in getting better at taking photos, not just editing them in Photoshop afterwards.

So this first week the assignment was to take a self-portrait.

Ugg... I dislike self-portraits. A photo of just me is, well,

just NOT me.

But I wanted to do it just so I didn't flake out from the start...

Not too hard to get it that setting the timer just wasn't gonna work... not too sad about that either. Again, I'm more me with them anyways :)

Watching them play as I sit on the back steps holding the camera out. This is my real smile :). Them hollering out for me to come swing them and me giving in (after setting the timer with camera on the picnic table).

One thing I'd really like to learn is taking photos in the

awesome soft light of summer dusk,

that sliver of time before it's too late for photos at all...

So just as we walked in the back door, I held the camera out again.

Yep, I'm looking at them. And they're looking at me.

Motherhood Rocks.

Self-Portraits? Not so much :)

But I'd say these one are as me as a self-portrait might get.

Thanks for a good learning opportunity, Laura Beth!

And Happy August all!