Camera Practice

So, we have a new camera.  I have actually been reading up on different camera settings, and how to manipulate the camera to do what you would like.  For the most part, I think I achieved my main goals using low ISO once I figured out how to take the camera off of it's "automatic" setting.

And this is what I came up with.

 Tulips outside the house.

 Daffodils.  Focus on the front bloom.

Focus on the back bloom

 The Confederate Cemetery.  This place is kind of cool.  It's also kind of creepy that it's across the street from our house.  Apparently the original cemetery for the Confederate POWs  of the Civil War was in such a state of disrepair, the Daughters of the American Confederacy raised money and created a new, honorable place for these soldiers.  

 The tops of the headstones are pointed.  The tops of other veteran headstones are rounded.  According the legend, the Confederate stones are pointed because they didn't want Yankees sitting on their heads.

 I'm not sure why this stone is "fresher" than the rest.  But it stands out.

I thought this looked cool.  It would have been cooler if the wind was cooperating enough to position the flag more visibly...but alas, it was not to be.

 People still come to pay tribute.

John is very into ancestral history and he is kept busy tracking down his ancestors in various parts of the Midwest.  He also found an online board where you can request that people find your ancestor's headstones and take a picture so you know where they were buried.  He has since received TONS of requests for the Confederate Cemetery.  He is not finding them all, but simply taking pictures of ALL the headstones.

As for my skills, I still have a long ways to go.  Mostly on the technical side I think, but also in composition.  I've never been "a natural" with good compositions, but sometimes I get lucky.