New Lens

On the advice of my photography instructor, I purchased a new lens that would help with indoor photos. It lets in 8 times more light than our current lens so with the dark floors and dark walls, we have a chance of taking a decent photo inside. In addition to letting in more light, it also has a smaller "depth of field" - essentially it can only focus on a small aspect at a time (i.e. Koda's eyes (above) are in focus but the tip of her nose is not). This can be a plus or a minus depending on what you are wanting.

For example, when you are photographing two dogs at once, only one will be in focus unless they are the exact same distance from you.

It will also blur out the background so that your subject "pops" and really draws your eye.