Birthday, Camera, and Pictures

Yesterday was my birthday...I'm not going to tell you how old I am, but let's just say that next year is going to be a big milestone :-) I'm so very blessed, and I thank the Lord for the life that he has given me!

Last year, my wonderful hubs allowed me to purchase my sewing machine as a combined birthday/mother's day gift, and this year he allowed me to pick out a new camera for another combined gift! Woohoo!!! I kinda miss the element of surprise a little as far as gifts go; however, these are things that he knew I REALLY wanted, but would not want him to pick out without me :-) I have been wanting a new camera for a while now, so I had already done my research.

I have been REALLY attracted to DSLR quality photos for a while now. I've even read up on photography stuff like ISO, Aperature, Shutter Speed, etc... Surprisingly, when the decision was final, that's not what we chose to get. I have lots of friends who have these cameras and (while their pictures are gorgeous), I just really do not think I want another big thing to lug around. I'm lugging enough already these days. I also decided that I needed to limit myself and not get something that I'm just going to be discontented with right away - wanting extra lenses, cases, etc... My sister has a really nice DSLR with really nice lenses, so I've put her in charge of taking "nice" pictures of Carter (and Miles) every few months, and I'm in charge of everyday life photography.

Kevin and I decided we needed a point-and-shoot. A good point-and-shoot. Our current camera took TERRIBLE pictures in low light, and the well-lit pictures were starting to look worse. I want to have quality pictures of our growing family - they just don't have to be professional level. Kevin's biggest opinion on the matter was that he wanted something that would fit in a pocket/diaper bag/etc that we could easily carry around and use all the time no matter where we are.

I started my research, I looked for point-and-shoot cameras with DSLR-like quality and features. I was not surprised to find that a lot of sites said, "That doesn't exist!" Well, I KNOW that it "technically" doesn't exist, but I wanted to know if there was anything that even came close....so I kept reading and researching. I found that there is a whole line of "High End Point and Shoot" cameras out there - they are about twice the price of other point-and-shoots, and about half the price of a good DSLR. I read lots of reviews, "what to look for in a point and shoot" articles, comments of users, etc... I found that many DSLR owners/professional photographers/photography enthusiasts agreed that the Canon Powershot S100 was a wonderful "little camera."

Many of these people left glowing comments about this camera's great DSLR-like quality pictures, fantastic manual controls/settings, pocketable size, etc... and some of them even went as far as to say that this little camera was so convenient and took such great pictures that they are now using it more than their big, bulky DSLR's (Wow, it must be worth checking out, huh?!?!). What makes it so good? Apparently, it has a bigger sensor than average point-and-shoots which allows it to let in more light - which is the main difference between point-and-shoots and DSLRs. It has manual controls which allow the user to set the ISO, Aperature, and Shutter Speed seperately just like you would on a DSLR, but it also has a great "Auto" mode (for Kevin). I was hooked. It seemed like the perfect camera for our family - one that would scratch my little photography itch, give us quality pictures of our family, and fit in Kevin's pocket.

We went to Best Buy the other day, and I got to play with the floor model. I was as impressed in person as I thought I would be, so we got it (I price matched and got it for about $40 off too!). Of course, the hubs wouldn't let me have it right away. He made me wait a few days to open it on my birthday :-) I finally got my hands on it yesterday, and I haven't stopped taking pictures since. I LOVE IT! It does a really good job in low-light settings (i.e. our entire home), but it takes AMAZING pictures outside! I really think it's outdoor pictures compare fairly well to the DSLRs out there. Plus, it's half the price (with no extra lenses required), and it's tiny!

I give the Canon Powershot S100 two big thumbs up!!!

Ironically...I got this camera for my birthday, but I don't have ANY pictures of me on my birthday - Haha! I was too busy behind the camera, I guess :-)

Here are some indoor pictures. Please note: our home is a CAVE as far as natural light goes, and almost all of these pictures were taken with no flash! Amazing.

Last night:

(This one was with a flash.)

This morning:

When you ask Carter to smile, you might get this face: 

OR this one...

You never know! 

Ok, now those were all fantastic compared to my old camera - I was pretty happy with it, but I wasn't sold yet...until I went outside with it!!!! Here's some of what I captured outside...

Watch the piece of bark in the bowl...

Where is it?

That's right...in the mouth - awesome! 

"Ride Sheesh"

Full Blown Motion Shots:

Bubbles!!!

Got some bubbles in the mouth...

EWWW!

YUCKY!!!

We had a fun day outside, and I could not be happier with my birthday present. I still have a lot to learn, and I'm still playing with the manual settings which is why some of these pictures are a little over-exposed. I figure, I'll only get better with time. I can't wait to take more pictures of this lil' man and his baby brother!!!