Flash!

Ah cameras. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and levels of difficulty. I'm definitely one to learn new things when I'm on google or bored or have someone to teach me, but for some reason when it came to our Nikon D80 DSLR camera I just did not have the touch. Blake could pick up the camera and flip some switches and turn some knobs and the pictures that I took that looked terrible would magically turn into these gorgeous pictures! Talk about frustrating! But that is about to change! Well at least a little bit. I'm still learning what ISO is and what kind of white balance to use and Lord knows I still haven't figured out how to change the shutter speed on that thing, but we got something that will make automatic mode look way better! YAY! We got this little bundle of joy:

It's an SB400 flash! It wasn't too expensive (at least in the world of DSLR camera accessories; it was $119.95 at B&H Photo) and man does it make a difference! Blake took a bunch of shots to depict what a difference it makes. The photos labeled D80 flash are the pics with the flash that comes on the camera and the ones labeled SB400 flash are the ones taken with our new flash! :)

Here is Blake's dad's super cool fretless bass!

D80 Flash:

SB400 Flash:

Apparently this is used to wrangle all the cords that go inside a computer that you build..learn something new every day! :)

D80 Flash:

SB400 Flash:

I feel like this doesn't need an explanation, but it feels weird and nonsymmetrical to not have something here, so this is our lens cap! Fancy huh? ;)

D80 Flash:

SB400 Flash:

Yeah this is a motherboard, and yes I married someone who is just as much a nerd as I am...scary huh? ;)

 D80 Flash:

SB400 Flash:

More deets on this soon!

D80 Flash:

SB400 Flash:

Her name is Precious and we pet-sat for Blake's parents and she was sooo cute! I was sad to see her go, but it was nice to be able to sit in peace without having to worry about someone tinkling everywhere :)

D80 Flash:

SB400 Flash:

Our rings! :)

D80 Flash:

SB400 Flash:

D80 Flash:

SB400 Flash:

I did a fun craft with these I'll show you guys soon!

D80 Flash:

SB400 Flash:

Amazing what a difference that semi-inexpensive flash makes! It bounces light off of the ceiling and so it takes away that harsh light and shadows from a direct flash like the stock one on the D80. I would venture to say that if you are a blogger that puts pictures up on a regular basis, a good camera and flash is one of the most important investments you can make. But that's just my opinion!! :) So what about you guys? Have you guys gotten any new techy items lately?