Practicing Manual Mode

On Monday I was fortunate enough to have two members of the ward, who are very talented photographers, give me a lesson on using the manual mode on the camera. I never use it because I can't think fast when I'm trying to take pictures of kids and I can never remember the settings and how to get the exposure right. They were able to, not only give me tips, but to show me that manual mode is not as scary as I thought it is. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of mistakes to become good at manual mode, just like anything else in this life. And so, in order for me to become a better photographer, I am stepping away from the automatic settings and reaching for manual mode. Here are two pictures I have taken in manual mode that I actually think are really cool!