Sick, tired and stupid!

I seem to have acquired some kind of flu.  I felt well enough to go outside and attempt some pictures today with the idea of finally getting a post up.  In my brain boiled state, I failed to check my camera settings.  Scott Kelby calls it WHIMS - White balance, Highlight warning (must be a nikon thing), ISO, Mode and Size.  I had white balance and ISO set for the last thing I attempted to shoot - a woodpecker in a tree in late evening - and then forgot to move off manual mode after my first 10 pictures.  As a result I shot 100+ pictures of flowers in the sun that are blown out and grainy.  But at least I was shaky and unsteady so they are mostly blurry too....so I have that going for me.  But it was a good lesson and a cheap one.  You can buy the most expensive camera, best lens and coolest tripod but if you don't check the basics before you shoot, you will not get the results you want.  So from now on, I will start each shoot with some FUN'EM- Function button (ISO, White balance, Flash, Shooting mode) E (erase the memory card) M (Check the mode dial).  And when I am done, I need to remember to reset everything - Program AE, Auto White Balance, High Speed (Continuous shooting - how many times have I left it on 2 second delay and missed a shot!) and regular flash (as opposed to wireless mode).  

The shrinks tell us that it takes 21 days to form a habit.  So I am resolving to do my FUN'EM for the next 21 days.  What is your WHIMS?

Enough Talk

Time for some action.  Many of the things I will talk about are not original thoughts.  Are there any original thoughts left?  Probably not but I digress.  If you buy nothing else I recommend, please buy Scott Kelby's Digital Photography 1 and 2.  I hate most "instruction" books.  They make you read 20 pages to get one useful thing.  Not these.  Each page is a lesson.  One idea, one page.  Most stand completely alone.  A few are tied to a previous lesson.  I learned more in a day from these two books than I had in every other book, website or video I have ever used.  So if you only have $30 in your budget, buy these books.