This past weekend, even though we had other plans and I didn’t think we would make it, we were able to visit the Kansas-famous Sunflower Field – aka Grinter Farms. I have wanted to visit for a few years, but this is the first time we have been able to. The sunflowers peak around Labor Day, so I was afraid that being a week late we would have missed them all, but we did not!
Our visit also marked the beginning of my attempt at using my camera in its manual mode. I came across Moose’s Camera Tips via Pinterest and I was so excited that he has what he calls “cheat cards” for many different camera types, including my Nikon D3300. Each of the cheat cards tell you what settings and modes to use for a variety of subjects and scenes, including Portrait (both indoors and outdoors, for babies, children, and groups), Concerts and Performances, Sports Events, Animals, Food, Products, Landscapes, and more. These cards are available in many of the popular camera and lens combinations you may have. You can save the cards on both your computer and your phone, as well as print them out for quick reference.
Moose himself is extremely helpful. We emailed back and forth a few times and he recommended the type of lens I should plan to purchase for the types of photos that I take. He also helped me edit a few of the photos that I took at the Sunflower Field, as well as making suggestions for how to improve my technique next time. He has several helpful YouTube videos as well – visit him here! (He is not at all bad to look at…!)
On to my pictures!
I feel like I have plenty more to learn, but I am pretty happy with how I did this time around! I hope to enter one of these photos in this month’s challenge at Moose’s beginners only community on Instagram! What do you think?