Better Late Than Never

That has been my motto this entire Christmas Season.  Everything seems to be getting done at the very last minute...including making our annual Gingerbread House!  Usually it gets made the week before Christmas so it can be displayed during the holidays.  But this year, it was done on New Year's Eve and it will promptly be thrown away!  I was having fun playing with my new lens (a 50mm fixed 1.4) while the girls did their thing. 

These photos are all unedited, just cropped a bit.  The color is much brighter indoors with this lens and I get to play with the exposure which is fun.  I took most of these on the Av setting, lowering the f-stop to about 2.0 with the ISO at 200 or 400.  I still haven't learned how to shoot in total manual mode - one step at a time.   The combination of setting both exposure and shutter speed overwhelms me! 

Chloe, always the clown.  Gotta love this expression! Seems I focused on the hand, not the eyes:

Friends that see my photos but don't know my girls in person often ask if Sophie is the sweet one and Chloe is the handful.  Yes and Yes.  My sister and I are also two years apart and it is the same story with us (can you guess which one is me?!!!):

Chloe decorating the roof - she is a freak for sugar and candy (just like me too), so of course her side of the roof is completely loaded up with every thing that didn't go in her mouth!

Playing with depth of field on this one - liked the result although I ruined SO many photos by letting in too much light (so much to learn!):

Chloe's gingerbread men completed right before they got devoured!

Sophie's gingerbread man - under decorated and never to be eaten:

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!  Suzy   

Comments

[Christine Traversa]

Suzy, these are terrific! Love the bold color! And your girls are beautiful! This looks like a super fun memory!! tfs! :-)

[Janette]

Oh Suzy they are simply adorable!!! Love the GB house too! Looks like you are having a lot of fun with that new lens! Happy New Year!

[Pamela]

Happy New Year Suzy! These are great.

[melinda]

Great pictures. I am thinking about a new lens, but first a class for me. I really need to learn all about the camera to get the most out of it. Glad you had fun with your girls.

[Lynette]

Is that the 'Jones' lens? Janette? Is our 50mm 1.4 a fixed lens?

We also had a great time playing with ours too, Suzy. I love dull, indoor shots because they always come out brighter than it actually is!

[Kim Caldwell]

Well, our family is one step behind you -- we STILL have the houses in the boxes! Thinking about breaking them out for the kids today but I am so ccontent to sit here reading Blogs and enjoying the fact that 50% of Christmas is packed away! Happy 2008!

[Tawnya]

these are such fun photos!
happy new year suzy!!

[Kristi]

I remember when we used to be on our honeymoon . . . those were the days;).

Great photos. So excited to get my camera this week. I will be e-mailing you for tips . . . wonder if I will ever hear back (sigh).

I could have guessed which one was the sweet one and which one was the handful . . . and I have no question between your sister and you!!! Or is it "you and your sister"?

I am dying to learn how to take a photo like #5.

[jessi nagy]

came over from kims blog!!
your girls are darling!
love the house and men they made. to cute.
aahh girls, are'nt they all a handful?
have a great new years!
jessi

[Janette Zomer]

Hello again Suzy,

I got your card in the mail today! Thanks so much. It's so pretty and your kids are adorable!!! I will email you soon. HUGS to YOU!

[Janette]

To answer Lynette. Yes 1.4 is our 50mm fixed Jones lens!!! Suzy you and Kristi are now both Jones girls! :) And Kristi the picture will work with your new 50mm lens. It will focus on the subject in the front and blur out the back. It's so fun!

[suzy]

Kristi - did you get a new lens too? What is all this talk about the Jones lens? Who the heck are the Jones??? And how do you pluralize Jones anyway? It's a great lens for indoor use, but I almost get too much light - I need to learn a bit about using it. So crisp - I love crisp pictures.

Kristi, I love you. It hasn't been two years yet, so I believe we are still on our HM, right? When are you coming to visit me?

[Ally]

Omgosh - in our house, it's called the "sugardaddy" lens! LOL - it was the BEST anniversary present sweet beaux could have given me! I LOVE my 50/1.4!!! Uberwonderful lens - And Suzy, if you're having problems INdoors, don't try taking that darn thing outside yet! LOL Looks like you took some awesome shots though - good job! Have I told you I've gone to shooting fully manual? Love the results!

[Janette]

Suzy we call it the Jones lens b/c I had a 1.8 and dropped it and it was beyond repair. So then I ordered the 1.4 then Lynette ran out and got the 1.4 before mine came in. So she had to keep up with the Jones. Thus the name Jones lens. BUT I sure do love it. I use it 95% of the time. Even outside. 90% of my Cuba photos were taken with it out in the sunshine. Ally I agree with you it's the most awesome lens!

[Anne Lisle]

Hi Suzy,
I love your pictures! They're great. We just put together that very same gingerbread house tonight! Talk about late! The time goes by so fast. I hope you are having a relaxing break from school. See you around Malcom or maybe on the stairs?
Anne

[Michelle]

I was laughing when I saw the house before I read the post cause it looked alot like the house decorated by my 4 and 6 year old girls. Laughed even harder after reading the post...
are your two girls as opposite as my two?
enjoy your blog!