Ready, set, shoot!

Today I'm headed to my home town of Fargo, ND (technically I'll be staying in Casselton, but it's close enough) for my nephew's birthday party! I'm really looking forward to practicing my photography skills at their party and taking some nice shots of the day.  My main goal is to get some quality pictures of my brother's family, as my new lens is living up to it's reviews and my skills continue to improve.  The last visit with the family, I struggled with lighting and my lack of an external flash was frustrating.  But I've definitely improved my skills, and while I still don't have an external flash (those suckers are expensive!), I do have a better understanding of how to use natural light sources and better adjust the settings on my camera to compensate.

Regardless of how this batch of pictures turns out, there will be fun times and good food in the making!  Here are my two favorites from my last visit...