Focusing on the Find – Avoiding Auto

At the beginning of July, I started a Summer Photography Series on 5 Minutes for Mom, and I figured I would “play along” with the weekly challenges.

This week’s challenge was simple – get out and take some pictures in any mode EXCEPT AUTO. I’ve had a TON of picture-taking opportunities this week, so the only challenge for me was finding a favorite shot to feature…and then figuring out why this picture was a good example of utilizing the different modes on my camera’s dial.

Here’s the shot I picked:

For this shot, I put my camera in AV mode (aperture priority) so that I could focus specifically on the crystal and make everything else in the picture blurry.

Twizzler had a blast mining for fossils and gems at the mining station at Jellystone Park. His mining career got off to a good start when he walked up to the mining trough (is that what you call it??), reached in to the murky water, and pulled out a crystal bigger than his thumb.

I loved this picture because it focuses on his cool discovery, but you can see his happy face in the background. It’s just not the focus of the picture. I also love that his dirty camping fingers are so clear.

Have you taken any pictures this week in a mode OTHER than auto? You should totally link up to the challenge at 5 Minutes for Mom. We’ll have a new challenge coming up this Thursday, too!

© 2011, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.