Camera Fun: Playing with the ISO setting

Since I run in the mornings, now, I technically have more time to go see my horse.  Ideally, I would go see her every afternoon after school, since I no longer use that time for running.  Unfortunately, I often collapse on the couch after school and don't make it back out the door.  Yesterday however, I did go see her.  She enjoyed over half an hour of grazing on dead grass, while I played with my camera.

I recently discovered that adjusting the ISO setting on my camera is very useful for taking pictures in different light settings.  I had been adjusting the shutter speed, but in low-light settings, that is not always enough.  And I dislike using the flash, it usually ends up washing out everything, in addition to being distracting when I'm taking pictures at school.  Obviously, I could read my camera's manual or watch tutorials online to learn how to use all of my camera's features.  But I don't possess the patience nor the inclination to do such a thing.  I prefer discovering things on my own.  I figure out something new every month or two, and it gives me something new to experiment with for awhile.

the cows found my picture-taking to be very intriguing

 the cows also enjoy watching pony graze

 the mud is sparkling!

 pony needs a shave...

inquisitive cuteness

before I started playing with the ISO, I had a hard time getting good pics inside the barn!

there was a great/colorful reflection in the pond...but I don't have a zoom lens so this is the best I could do

love this tree against the sky...it's especially gorgeous when the sun sets behind it

When I left the barn, I brought pony's best blanket with me, because she decided to rip a hole in it.  She is generally very good to her blankets, I haven't had to do any repairs in the 4+ years that I've had her.  However, she did a very good job on this rip.  It was a small area, but in a part of the blanket with several layers and a patch of leather, which she pretty much ripped off completely.  It took me about 2 hours to fix!

I think after all that work...I did a pretty good job.  

Today, it got up to about 60 degrees in the afternoon, so I spent an hour and a half with this cute pony when I went to drop off her newly-repaired blanket.

And of course I had some more fun with my camera.

I love how playing with the ISO setting can really bring out the blueness of the sky!

There's an old abandoned barn across the field where I take pony to graze. 

I left her to her grass and went exploring today.

yikes.  I'm not entirely sure what this used to be...

some unwanted visitors while I was sitting on a blanket reading a book

All in all, a great weekend so far and lots of fun playing outside with the camera.  And even better, I got to run in shorts and short sleeves today!  It's so nice to be able to leave some of the layers at home!  Hopefully it will be gorgeous and warm again tomorrow so I can have some more fun.