Dear Chris,
Since you’re the one who started this, and since my daughter wholeheartedly agrees with you, I think you ought to know… She’s been playing with the Rebel. Hoarse voice and itchy throat aside, she went out to the garden and managed to cajole two butterflies to pose for her.
Well, Chris, I guess you’re right. 
In just an hour, she learned about depth-of-field.
Within minutes of handling the Rebel, she switched from auto-focus to manual focus and… well, those are some of the photos she took a few hours ago.
And no manual — she insists the manual will limit her. Let’s see where this leads. 
Connie
P.S. Chris, I oughta kill you, really, because this might mean buying a second DSLR LOL… But, seriously, Sam makes me so proud. I just bet she’s never gonna forget you.
Dear Connie,
You will NOT regret this decision. =)
(Sam, don’t get me in trouble please, and NICE PICS!!!!!!!!! So proud of you girl!)
Con, start her a flicker account or a get her income on her photos here:
http://www.greatstockphoto.com/
or
http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php
Bookmark this too:
http://zuberphotographics.com/index.htm
For when Sam starts to dabble in Photoshop…and well, this:
http://www.worldinfocuscontest.com/
Because you never know.
I’ve got a Photography Magazine to give Sam, there are tips and tricks in there that might help her out, you want it(I brought this all the way from the US!)? I’ll be at The PB Dionisio and Sports Valley Shooting Range in antipolo Fri, Sat, and Sun, please try to drop by. I’ll have my 20D with me along with the 28-70L lens, you and Sam might want to check it out (I get to keep whatever pics Sam takes hehe). Email me for directions and hope to see you!
Chris
Ooh, a small P.S., I am loving that font you are using for Sam’s sig/watermark, I want I want!
Ah great, she can save for her own cam hehehe Will register. Thank you!
Friday, I teach. Saturday, they have make-up classes because of the bagyo. Sunday sounds good. Will e-mail you.
Font used on first two photos is called “Saginaw”. Font on the last photo is called “Scriptina.” Both free and widely available for download. Forgot where I got them though. I am soooo into script fonts.
Great shots! Hmmm… I wonder… has anyone tried macro photography at night using a ring flash? I’ve been searching forever for a ring flash for my Minolta but can’t seem to find one. It just gives a surreal feeling to photos.
Not me, I stick with my tripod and no flash if I can manage it.
Flashless photography is nice if I can afford the lens. I don’t have and can’t afford an f1.0 lens.
The only thing I can “afford” the lenses is to think of them as investments. Otherwise, nakaka-himatay ang prices.
Ang galing. She was indeed very lucky with the butterflies. I went to a butterfly park in Malaysia and had difficulty catching them for a good shot.
Good job Sam.
Saginaw and Scriptina are so cool, will be looking for that. Thanks, Connie.
Sam is really good. She is “lucky” to have you nurture her skills,
Have you considered the Camera Club of the Philippines?
They’ll be having a series of exhibits (SM malls ata). They just opened at the Ayala Museum last week. You might want to check it out
Em, insects and bugs are friendly to her. Even houseflies stay still.
Julie, re nurture. I spoil my kids in that sense.
Thanks, Kongkong. I will.
Very impressive Sam! Way to go girl. Ate Connie, I don’t think Sam has to go to photography school. Seriously, I have a friend who is a photographer and sells his photos for thousands of pesos but he has a BS Computer Science degree(that’s where I met him). His photography training is from just joining the photography club at the university and hanging out with artists. I believe that kids have to have a basic college degree to learn how to deal with life in general(Business Management 101, Philosophy 101, Algebra 101, Biology 101 etc). Unless of course Sam has the grit and the X-factor. Founder of Dell is a college drop out, so is Bill Gates but look at Google co-founder Sergey Brin- they went to college. I am proud to say the went to University of Maryland at College Part(20 minutes away from us)! http://www.google.com/corporate/execs.html#larry
I am a Rebel lover too. I have antique first DSLR. I still haven’t gotten into the manual yet! Bwahahaha.
But now I have to stop here because I got to pack for a trip.
Woooow! Really good pictures, Sam!
Is it in the genes?
A second DSLR would be a really good investment.
KK, we’re looking at all options. At any rate, she’s only in third year high school. Mahirap lang yung kung kelan 4th year na saka pa lang kami naghahanap.
And have a great trip! Lotsa pics, I hope.
bugsybee, her father’s genes. hehehe too many artsy types in his family.
Re “A second DSLR would be a really good investment.”
She’ll quote you forever on that hahahahaha
hello po ms connie. you featured GIMP in one of your blogs before and I followed your instruction in rounding the corners of pics. but my blog has black background and there were white edges in the corners of my pic. how do i fix this pls?
can i also add text using GIMP? thanks po.
Hannah Grace, click here for the background color for photos with rounded corners. Check the photo blog again in day or two for the GIMP tutorial on superimposing text on photos.