DSLR Love

Anyone else find themselves completely neglecting their beloved digital cameras? 9 times out of 10 10 times out of 10 I will reach for the closest thing (my iPhone) to snap random photos throughout the day. Sometimes it helps me catch that perfect image, at just the right moment.. sometimes they aren't quite right. Not as crisp as I'd like, not zoomed in quite right... 

I decided I want to try to use Niko (yes, I named my Nikon camera. go ahead and judge.) more often. Why am I only using this fabulous piece of technology to photograph layouts? Just seems silly. So I've been using my little built in model here and there to practice shooting in RAW whenever I remember. It's clear to me from the images below that I still need a lot of work. But, I love taking photos, so why not stalk my kids with my nicest camera?

For as lacking in quality as these snapshots are, there is one thing that stands out. These are so him. They capture our daily lives perfectly. Take the one below for instance... dude sees me get down on my belly to shoot him playing, and so he gets down on his too and smiles for attention.. toys scattered in the background.. toy story 3 playing on the tv... crumbs from breakfast littering the floor...

Here he is modeling his sisters book that he sneaks while she's at school...

static cling on the pants (always static with my laundress skills)... mismatched socks (does he own a single pair? nope. the dog ate them.) This is so totally us, every day.

Hey, you can even take some selfies this way. Just turn the camera around, point, and hope for the best.. (we spend a lot of time on the floor.)

Looking at these inspires me to put Niko out on the counter where I will see him (it's a him, I just know it) and will use him more and more. I need a lot of practice, but let's face it, I'm not becoming a better photographer by constantly using my iPhone (it doesn't have a name.. see, I don't even love it as much). Have you used your digital camera lately, or is it all about the Instagram edits? ;)