Mini photo shoot

I received a nice camera for Christmas, but have been too busy to learn to use it.  So finally the last couple weeks I've been reading up on aperture, shutter speeds, and learning what an f stop is.  So this morning I decided to ditch the preset modes on my new camera and try out the manual modes. The kids were my guinea pigs and I decided to try the snowy back yard as my back drop. 

We went out in the morning to try and avoid the brightness of the noonday sun, but things were still pretty bright with the sun reflecting off the snow.   Rachel kept looking down and Tyler kept squinting, but I was able to get some pictures worth keeping.  Here are my favorite's of Rachel:

 

With Rachel I had some issues with over exposure and shadows on her face, but for my first try I think I got some cute pictures with a lot of character.

The real reason I did the photo shoot was I wanted a nice picture of Tyler as a 7 year old.  Here are the better ones of him.  I can't decide which one is best.  I'd love to hear your opinion! (Number 1, 2, or 3?)

 

 

Here are my cute kids together:

 

 

 

 

 

And the same picture close up at a different angle:

 

I'd say my first try was a success!