Last night I went to my first ever photography class to learn the basics of using my new Rebel T3i. I find myself wanting to figure out how to approximate the feeling I had when I took pictures with my AE-1 film camera, so I’ve been experimenting with disabling automatic, computer-generated options. It doesn’t always yield the best results, but I’m still learning. I don’t want everything lighted evenly, nor do I want everything in sharp focus. So, I’m learning how to tweak the white balance thingie and the depth of field. It’s interesting that the viewfinder will not show you what the picture will look like, and the instructors knew that there was some way to view it, but they discouraged that, saying that the Canon representative hadn’t showed them how. Well, I think I found something in Manual setting with Live View that approximates the final result. But, hey, no film wasted, right? Click and review. So I’ve been fiddling around with it, using some of my favorite subjects. Allow me to introduce them:

This guy was helpful with the monochrome, but he kept falling over on the bedspread. He was an experiment in Manual Focus.
Anyway, I’m having a great time with my new toy. The class was OK, but I didn’t appreciate the first 20 minutes where they tried to sell us on another truckload of accessories. There is still so much I have to learn about the gizmos on the main piece of equipment! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend following your own bliss! And honestly, don’t think you have to spend a nickel to do that. At the end of a photo session, I put down my camera and marvel at the eyes I got for free.