1st day of school

We survived the first day of school! It was a little crazy having to go to two different schools but we made it!!




J.T. is in 1st grade....


And Abigail is in 5th grade...




I think the kids will have a great year!!

School clothes

We did our annual "let's do pictures in our first day of school outfits on the day before because it's too crazy in the morning" pictures today. It was kind of a challenge at first but we survived.... And here they are...

Abigail... can't believe she's a 5th grader now!!



And J.T. who always wants to dress like a cowboy. He's going into 1st grade this year...



And I actually was able to get them to stand near each other for one of them together....

Photography Q&A

Often, I am asked questions about photography. I thought I would post a few of the more frequent ones....

1. What kind of camera should I get? Honestly I have no idea. If you want something to throw in your purse or pocket, many of the point and shoot (P&S) cameras take amazingly good photos. If you want to be able to change lenses, then get a dSLR. However, if you shoot on the "auto" setting, it doesn't really make sense to spend the money on a dSLR. That's just my opinion of course.

2. Should I buy a big camera (a.k.a. dSLR)? It's really up to you. Sometimes I love to just throw my P&S into my purse and go! Other times I love having the ability to change lenses and control my settings. One thing that is really nice about a dSLR is that there is no shutter lag, like a P&S has.

3. Where should I buy a camera? I always like to buy my cameras from Costco because you have 90 days to return them if there is something wrong with them. I use Canon equipment but there are other brands that are just as good. I just don't know much about them.

4. What brand of camera should I buy? I use Canon equipment but there are other brands that are just as good. I just don't know much about them. One site that I always recommend people try out is dpreview. I use that site a lot to compare and research all kinds of camera equipment.

5. How do you get your camera to take such good pictures? I hate to tell you this but it isn't just about having a nice camera. The photographer determines a lot in how the photos turn out. If you let the camera do all the work (i.e. auto setting), many times the camera won't pick the best settings and will overexpose or underexpose an image. Anyone who is serious about photography and getting the best possible images, should read the manual for their camera and slowly learn how to pick the settings themselves.

6. Where should I get my pictures printed? The place I would recommend first is mpix. It is the best place online, in my opinion, to get professional quality that is available to consumers. It is owned by a company called Millers Lab, which produces products for professional photographers. Check out mpix.... you won't be sorry!

That's it for now...

The fair

We survived the fair! Both kids entered arts, crafts, flowers, baked goods, and photography. The big new thing this year was that Abigail took her first 4H lamb to the fair. What an experience! Abigail and Dollar had a bit of a tough time bonding at first, but by the time the fair rolled around, everything was good.

She showed Dollar in showmanship first. She didn't place but she did really good for her first year. We are very proud of her!


The judge gave her a few pointers on improving for next year....



Next she showed in the market class, which determines if they will be able to sell in the Junior Livestock Auction at the end of the fair. And we made it!


The last day of the fair was pretty tough for Abigail. She had many tears before she even sold him in the auction. She had a tough time understanding why we couldn't just take him home. I know she understood how the process was supposed to work, but it was breaking her heart to let him go.


She gave a big smile during the auction and received a really great price for her lamb.


Thanks to the Victorine family for buying Dollar....


It was pretty traumatic for Abigail when she finally had to let him go....


I wasn't sure if she would end up doing this again next year. She did say that she wants to take two lambs next year.... one to sell and one to bring home.

Photography stuff for sale

I am cleaning out my camera bag and closet. Need to get rid of a few things I just never use

3. PromaxSystem (flash diffuser) ~ used once, excellent condition ~ $40

5. Hoya HMC Super filter 77mm ~ used once, in original packaging ~ $50

6. Hoya HMC Super filter 58mm ~ used once, in original packaging ~ $25

8. Generic flash diffusers for Canon 430EX (may fit other flashes too) ~ both clear and cloudy with caps, plus an amber cap ~ $30

9. "Contemporary Wedding Photography" by Julie Oswin and Steve Walton ~ excellent condition ~ $15

Fall Mini-Sessions

It's time for Senior Portraits...

Contact me to schedule an appointment. Thanks.

Questions for Q&A

Often, I get questions about cameras or photography. I am going to do a photography Q&A post so send me your questions. Post them here in the comments section, send me an email, or post them on my Facebook page. I will try to answer them the best I can. Thanks!!

New product!

Sarah Albin Photography is offering a new product! It's called a "Beautiful Woman" session.
Every woman is beautiful . This is a specially designed session to make a woman feel good about herself and realize that she can emphasize the parts she loves. Location and attire will be chosen to reflect the woman's style, mood, and personality. This session includes a custom designed 6x6 book and 15-20 images on CD. Do this for yourself!

I am also offering a GNO (Girls Night Out) Beautiful Women Session ~ Grab a few of your girlfriends (4-6 is ideal) and have a fun night out with a 2-hour group "Beautiful Women" session. Each woman will get a 6x6 book and 10-15 images on CD.



These photos were taken in a recent "Beautiful Woman" session....

Montana

Ahhhh, it's been crazy! We were in Montana last Saturday through Wednesday.... well we were supposed to be home late Wednesday night. We ended up getting stuck at the Denver airport for about 6 hours because some thunderstorms and rain halted all incoming and outgoing planes for a couple of hours. We made it as far as Sacramento. Because we missed the last flight home, we got a room and caught the first flight on Thursday. The good news is that we made it home.... and so did our luggage!

Anyway about the trip, we went for a Ranch Management meeting. Usually our meetings are in Boise, ID but they decided to do a big meeting with all of the chapters in one place.... Great Falls, MT. We were able to take a tour on a large cattle ranch there. I didn't take a lot of pictures but here are a few that I took.


Tons and tons of deer and antelope...

It was great to catchup with all the people in our group. And now it's onto the busiest week of the year on the ranch!