NEK Photography Blog

Photo of the Day - Seventy Three

2012-01-22T08:41:00.002-05:00

This photo is a spot that I have always wanted to stop and photograph. It just screams to be explored. However, I have no idea who owns it and whether or not that person would appreciate a photographer traipsing around their barns. So, this photo I snapped roadside.

I'd love to get closer, to hold a photo shoot here, and just experiment with my camera. Perhaps one day I'll figure out who owns these, because I don't want to risk boldly wandering around and making someone angry by trespassing. Until then, a roadside photo will have to do!

Christmas Cards

2011-12-11T21:39:00.001-05:00

Last year, shortly after Christmas, I took a photo with the distinct purpose of it becoming the subject of my Christmas cards the following holiday season. Well, almost an entire year later I didn't forget about that photo and finally have been able to create the Christmas card I envisioned.

I edited this photo and added a couple of textures and, of course, the text. It is a village home in the town of North Stratford, Vermont. Many power lines had to be gingerly cropped out, but now you can't even tell. I am beyond excited to see the end result when they arrive!

In fact, these cards are going to be the first thing I have ever ordered through my Smugmug gallery. I was amazed at how I could customize the card and even type in a personal message inside! Creating the card was simple and the best part is that if you like it you can purchase it, too! It can be found in the Greeting Cards gallery. Disregard the other images for Christmas cards, because they say 2010. At some point I will get around to removing them!

Before and After - Twelve

2011-11-13T11:00:00.000-05:00

This photo I edited isn't my photo. It was actually entered in last month's Autumn photo assignment on my other blog. When I saw it I immediately liked the photo and wished that the location wasn't halfway across the country. I also recognized it as a photo with a lot of editing potential.

Here is the original, found on FLICKR by RuralTN...

With a little time in Photoshop I was able to play around and tweak the photo all in good fun. A little texture was applied, some contrast added, and the curves adjusted all with a layer mask dab here and there. The result is a pretty darned nice photo, too.

Sometimes it amazes me how drastically a photo can be changed, tweaked, and transformed in any digital darkroom software! Also, thanks to RuralTN for allowing photo sharing in FLICKR so I could have some fun with this!

Things Don't Always Have to be Level

2011-10-18T16:49:00.000-04:00

Sometimes inadvertently the photos we take end up a little off kilter. We squat down or lean over in weird positions to get 'the perfect shot', but with our own vision at a weird angle, sometimes almost sideways, its difficult to ensure that the photo you are taking is level. While leveling it out may be your goal and produce a great photo leaving it a little off kilter can sometimes be more dramatic and just as nice.

Here is an example:

These are both good photos. Actually, its the same photo. I took the unlevel one with my camera and then cropped it so it was level. But, you can see from the unlevel photo that it looks a little more dramatic rather than just a static old fire truck sitting there. This technique works best when you are focusing on a particular subject rather than a large landscape. Also, usually the closer you are to a subject the more this technique is successful. Being far away, as in if I were 100 yards farther from this firetruck, would allow more visual cues into the photo that indicate a proper horizon and perspective.

While off-kilter photos don't always work it can be a break from dead level scenes and subjects. Try it out the next time you are out taking photos or doing a photo shoot!

Photo of the Day-Seventy Two

2011-10-10T21:47:00.000-04:00

This is my absolute FAVORITE time of year to be out with my camera. Not only are the leaves vibrant and beautiful, but being outside as the season wanes from summer to fall has a certain feeling to it. The crunching of the leaves in the woods and crispiness of the browning grass in the fields is a sound that soothes my soul. I live to capture those feelings with my camera. While sometimes I don't succeed there are others where I come close, like this photo:

I was walking through the woods near our hunting camp. The baby was in a carrier on my chest. When I saw this tree I knew that I had to photograph it. To get this shot I actually had to almost lay down on the ground at a slightly sideways angle. Before the baby such a move would be easy, but with an infant in a carrier on one's chest it is almost impossible. Somehow I succeeded in successfully taking a photo and capturing the 'tallness' of this magnificent tree.

I've Been a Little Distracted...

2011-09-16T18:51:00.001-04:00

Some of you may know, but not quite two weeks ago I gave birth to my first child, Emily. She's amazing, perfect, and causing me to be exceedingly exhausted (in a happy way). She's also caused me to have zero time to devote to photography, obviously. I have taken a couple photos of her that are of 'professional' quality and of course wanted to share a couple of my favorites...

In the mean time I will probably be sparse in my posting and my photography... but I am trying to figure out how to fit in a newborn and fall foliage season! Don't pop my bubble. I am determined that I can juggle both simultaneously.

Fix it Friday-112

2011-09-02T08:53:00.000-04:00

With a mound of my own photos to edit from a senior photo session I still decided to tackle a Fix-it-Friday photo since I haven't in a while. Every time I do they claim the photo needs some serious work, but I always think the straight out of the camera version isn't that bad at all!

Here is the original:

Most anyone would be happy with snapping such a photo that editing wouldn't even cross their mind. It would be slapped up on Facebook and inundated with "likes" in the matter of minutes. But, of course there is always room for some fun tweaking and playing around.

After a little bit of time here is the same photo after I got a hold of it...

Here is how I edited this photo:

Increase the brightness and contrast significantly
Increased the saturation slightly
Upped the curve for the shadows, left the curve for the highlights alone
Increased the exposure almost +1
Adjusted the color balance so there was less blue
Sharpened it
Increased the Brightness on the background and the girl's hair only
Dodged the eyes, slightly.

Now you have a professional looking portrait photo! Its entirely possible to do this to about any photo, even if it was just something you snapped at the playground. And of course, I did a couple more edits, because I always do and can't resist looking at a photo just one way.

Here is a black and white version:

And here is a "grungy version" where I added a little text. You know, jut for fun.

So which one do you like best? I am honestly partial to the last one. I think the texture and text fits the girls' style and attitudes in the photo, but as always I love hearing about your favorite and critiques of my edits!

Check out the other entries at IHeartFaces!

Photo of the Day-Seventy One

2011-08-29T11:54:00.000-04:00

Vermont has seen unspeakable flooding and destruction in the wake of Irene. Many across the country have seen the videos and photos from my town and surrounding towns. Fortunately my home and all my close friends were spared any damage, but not all were so lucky. Numerous covered bridges have been washed away or mostly destroyed, like this one.

Since I am hugely pregnant I did not venture out in the storm for photos, but rather waited until the next morning when the sun was shining and the waters had begun receding to capture a few images.

This is what is left of the Quechee covered bridge this morning. It's been grossly washed away and not much more than a shell remains. While the photo is quite pretty, with the sun rays and mist giving the bridge a slight glow, it still saddens me to look at this photo. The destruction is amazing, in the horrible sense of the word, but capturing a photo of such a negative event can be so important. It will stand as a memory of what was.

Before and After - Eleven

2011-08-13T11:16:00.000-04:00

Scouting out a place for a photo shoot is the perfect excuse to take a couple photos of myself. Not only do I get to fool around with the camera settings for that particular area and test out potential backdrops, but I get to see how the photos there are best or easily edited.

Yesterday I headed out to an area that I found the better part of eight months ago in the beginning of winter when snow was falling. I knew when I found it I would keep it in mind for photo sessions. With an upcoming senior and family photo session next week planned at this location I wanted to come back and scout out the scenery while the leaves are green and in evening light.

Below I took a self portrait of myself. They are exceedingly difficult without a tripod. In this instance I rested the camera on the rock wall that lined the trail and specifically focus on the camera on where I anticipated sitting. After about 30 practice shots I finally had one I thought I could work with. ...there is nothing more difficult than setting up the camera, pressing the shutter, and running to where I was to sit in the ten seconds the timer allots. Phew.

This is straight out of the camera. Under exposed, uneven light, and shadows across half of my face... but I still saw potential and knew I could work with it. So, to Photoshop I went with this photo!

And this is the end result...

How I edited this photo:

1. Adjusted the exposure.

2. Added a layer mask to adjust the exposure over parts of my face to reduce the shadows.

3. Adjusted the color balance to make is less blue.

4. Sharpened it slightly

5. Dodged my eyes to take out a little more shadow

6. Burned parts of the tree branches, rocks, and slightly along my pants and belly.

7. Added a texture with 100% overlay.

This one, from Shadow House Creations

And there you have it!

How to Create a Black and White Photo - In Photoshop

2011-08-09T10:52:00.000-04:00

Sometimes its very easy to have the eye trained on capturing color. Sunsets, flowers, and the world we see in general is in vibrant color, but sometimes its easy to get stuck in that world and forget about what it would look like if everything was in black and white.

Here I will show you easily how to desaturate a photo in Photoshop... Not just ONE way, but TWO.

To start, open your original photo you'd like to turn into a black and white image. It doesn't have to be straight out of the camera. This one is not. I've already applied a few textures and tweaked it a little.

The Black and White Layer Version:

1. Select the "create adjustment layer icon.

2. In the menu choose "Black and White"

3. When the box opens up tweak the levels to any degree you desire! Experiment away.

Gradient Map Layer Version

1. Select the "create adjustment layer icon.

2. Select Gradient Map in the menu

3. Select the Black and White Gradient from the selections

How to erase what you just did - IE: Selective Coloring!

Select the paint brush and make sure your brush color is black. Black will conceal (get rid of) whatever changes you just made. In this instance the black and white you applied will be concealed and the original color beneath will appear. If your brush color is white you will then allow the changes to just made to be visible again. You can literally paint in the changes you'd wish to make to the black and white layer you just applied!

And there you have it! A quick and easy way to turn your photos black and white. Now go experiment!

Photo of the Day -Seventy

2011-07-27T09:09:00.003-04:00

I took this photo a week ago when I was down in Maryland. While walking the streets of Georgetown near Washington DC I stopped periodically to take several photos and practice my "urban photography". I am not used to taking photos of buildings and such in close quarters or dealing with a ton of people in the area where I am trying to photograph...

It was actually a challenge to take this photo and required me to wait a good ten minutes to get a window where there was no one walking along the cobblestone road. Since this is an HDR image (about four images of varying photos fused together to make one image) I had to have an even greater expanse of time where no one was walking into the photo.

What I liked the most about shooting in the city streets was how you have to look at things completely different. Instead of looking at the big picture, as one does with landscapes, it is important to look at the details and how everything comes together. Lines and intricacies become very important. I actually hope to test myself at more urban photography again soon.

It's always good to branch outside of your normal subjects!

Choosing a Photo Shoot Site

2011-07-25T12:49:00.000-04:00

Every once and a while when I get requests for a photo shoot the person knows they want photos taken, but they have no clue where and as the photographer it is up to me to suggest sites off the top of my head that would be perfect for their occassion. Let me tell you... its not easy and requires a little bit of work, but you can build up a repertoire of locations to ramble off to potential clients at the drop of a dime. Here is how:

1. Scout. Start my simply driving around and knowing the area. What sort of buildings/architecture are in the area. Is it a public or private/posted location?

2. Get out of the car and walk the location. When you do the photo shoot your client will expect you to know what you are doing and where you are going. If you've never visited an area before you'll have to spend time imaging shots and determining good photo shoot positions rather than quickly moving from one photo to the next. This can detract from the experience and ruin the mood.

3. What is the location suitable for? If it looks romantic and whimsical then it would be a great couples location or little girl, while a rocky coast or old barn may be better suited for a boy. Think of your clients personality or interests and be prepared to offer spots that reflect them.

4. How is the lighting given the time of day? Knowing where shadows are or direct sunlight depending on the time of day you visit the location greatly affects the outcome of the photos. Remember low light is much more flattering than mid-day sun. Try and visit locations during those hours rather than the middle of the day.

5. How many people are around? The less crowds the more relaxed your client(s) will be. There will be less distractions, more natural smiles, and less chances of some other person walking into the background of your photos.

6. Note how you got to your desired location. You'll need to be able to explain to your clients how to get to that location easily.

7. Be sure and visit spots you choose during different seasons. Sometimes a beautiful spot in the spring looks even better in the fall, or maybe a sweet summer spot looks awful in the winter. Don't recommend a site if you saw it in one season and haven't visited in the current season your client will be photographed in, especially if trees and flowers are a large part of the scene.

8. Take a couple practice shots of the area. You can always email them to your prospective clients to demonstrate how lovely the area you are suggesting really is.

9. Make a list if you need to of prospective spots so you can refer to it easily!

Following these ideas can help you land a client who is undecided in selecting a photographer and help you look more professional/put together. Also, it will make your job on the day of the shoot so much better. If you know the area you are shooting and have been there before then you'll be relaxed. In return your client will be relaxed and then you'll end up with beautiful, natural photos!

Photography Assignments!

2011-07-20T19:32:00.000-04:00

Over at my other blog that deals less with photography and more with my everyday life I do host photography assignments and a chance to win a prize every single month. You can view the assignment page and selections in the running for the grand prize HERE. I've been doing this for a long time, over a year! That's like a century in internet time, and each month I am amazed at the entries. This month is no exception...

This is a photo I took this spring of a stream in Cornish, NH.

The current assignment is "Water" and there is still over a week to enter your photos on FLICKR to the contest pool. Its free, by the way, to enter these assignments! Just set up a Flickr account if you haven't already.

Also, I am looking for anyone who'd like to sponsor an assignment or two while I am on maternity leave! If you are interested send me an email... my address is right over on the side bar.

Before and After -Ten

2011-07-10T19:06:00.000-04:00

There is nothing I love more than daisies. They are not only my favorite flower in general, but they are great to photograph and even better to play around with in editing programs. This is the time of year where daisies and black-eyed-susans, a cousin to the daisy, are blooming across fields and shrubby areas free from the wrath of lawn mowers.

Here is a photo of a little line of daisies amidst some purplish grass I took the other day...

This is straight out of the camera before I started editing and flinging textures at it to see what came out. Pleasing enough, but I liked an edited version much better...

The darkness, the lines, the crop... it all seems to fit much better and make the colors pop even more so. Literally it took 2 minutes to edit this in Photoshop. I used a texture labeled "Square-4" from Shadow House Creations New Square Texture set. I overlayed it at 90% and then cropped the photo as you see it. Ta-da. Literally. That's all it took. Sometimes creating a drastically different, yet wonderful edit can be so simple while other times can take upwards of an hour. This was one of the simple times.

And its now my desktop background. For now, until I take and or edit a new photo!

Photo of the Day - Sixty Nine

2011-06-20T14:17:00.000-04:00

I didn't forget about this blog! I swear. I've just been wrapped up in life and passing my NCLEX exam. Yes, I am officially an RN and now, besides my pregnancy, I have all the time in the world to focus on my photography once again. Just because I haven't been posting anything in the last few weeks doesn't mean I haven't been taking photos, either...

Here is a farm that is about as picturesque as they come in central Vermont. I've driven past it many times, but hadn't taken a photo until the other evening when the lighting was just right. The sun had just set behind the hills and cows were grazing in the far back field as I insisted Shawn pull over so I could snap a photo, or several.

Sunny Brook Farm - Click to view larger

This is an HDR image of five different exposures with a high aperture setting, I think around 16-18.

And have no fear. I hope to continue regular postings and resume my "How To's" among other things from here on out! Thanks for hanging in there with me through the past few busy months!

Before and After -Nine

2011-05-28T23:00:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I forget to get down in the dirt and get close to plants. I had to stop myself short as I hiked down a trial, to take this photo of a clump of dandelions already gone to seed...

With a wide open aperture and focus priority on the second dandelion I really liked this photo and new that I could have a lot of fun playing with it using textures! After a few minutes torking around some new textures I downloaded from Shadowhouse Creations I came up with the result below...

Simple, light, and flowery, a fun little project that took a few minutes. While this photo is just a few simple dandelions it is still the perfect to play around with... even if I didn't have my macro lens or a nice wind to whisk away some of the seeds for a more dynamic shot. Always remember to focus on the positives.

Finally... Spring Photos to Share!

2011-05-22T13:15:00.002-04:00

After weeks of taking photos and letting them pile up on my memory card I finally had some time to sort through them all and tweak them. While not all of them are ready to share I finally have posted a large amount on my NEK Photography Facebook Page and will soon add them to my online gallery and ETSY store for prints if you're interested. Some of these are definite favorites, like this one;

I hope you enjoy the photos and I will add more as I have time to take them and sort through them!

AI Servo - Its Importance

2011-05-13T16:45:00.002-04:00

If you have a Canon DSLR, like I do, then you may know what AI Servo is, but if you don't or if you don't know anything more about it besides its one of a dozens of options on your camera than this will definitely interest you.

Almost all of us have tried to get nice and crisp action shots and every single one of us who have tried have ended up with blurry photos and missed moments. We all know we can't recreate the shot, especially an action shot. Once the moment is over, its over. So its very important to be prepared with your camera before you have a chance to take and miss those shots!

No one wants a photo like this...

(A photo of my dog running trying to utilize auto-focus to capture her fast movement - and failing)

This is where AI Servo comes in.

AI Servo is a auto focus mode on Canon cameras that allows the camera to intelligently predict a moving object's speed and distance so you have the best chance of catching a crisp and focused photo of your subject. To best utilize AI Servo take the following steps:

Set you camera in either manual mode, aperture priority, or shutter priority.
Choose AI Servo for the focus option. (depending on your particular Canon your menu may be in a different place than my camera.
Select High Speed Continuous shutter speed if you have the option. (this allows you to simply hold your shutter button and take many many consecutive photos)
Adjust your shutter speed/aperture for your given lightning conditions and movement speed.
Test out your settings by snapping a photo to make sure they're what you'd like.
Adjust accordingly.
Practice some action shots before going to an important event where you will not want to miss a shot!

If you utilize these steps, and get comfortable with AI Servo then you will have much better action shots and a lot less blur and frustration. Just be sure to practice any new technique and settings before you fully rely on them delivering the shot you envision!

And if you have a Nikon:

Nikon’s equivalent of AI Serve is “continuous servo AF.” Since I do not have a Nikon I am not familiar with the settings, but the same logic applies. Adjust your light (aperture) and speed (shutter) accordingly and utilize that mode to allow you camera to judge the objects speed and distance to provide a nice and sharp focus.

Recognition

2011-05-02T23:42:00.000-04:00

I never even considered being lumped in as a travel blog, however Deep Dish Creations did just that! Reasoning that my photography inspires one to want to visit the incredibly beautiful state of Vermont my blogs, this one and my "daily life" blog Cabin Fever in Vermont, were added to a very short list of "Vermont's Best Travel Blogs".

I am humbled and happy. Recognition as a photographer, especially in this age where everyone and anyone has a digital camera, and an internet connection, is very hard to come by. While I still consider myself mostly a hobbyist I still secretly hold aspirations to one day have my own gallery and be a well respected photographer. Whether that happens or not is unknown and certainly a distance dream, but a dream none the less.

Until then I thank all of you who email me, leave comments, and appreciate my work. When it eventually filters back to me I am beyond happy and even more inspired to venture out with my camera.

So of course, here is another photo to share with you, just because.

A farm in along Ely's Crossing (Fairlee, Vermont) along route 5 as viewed from the Interstate.

Would you guess this was taken with my phone? I quickly snapped this on my way to work. Sheer luck, right through my passenger window (hence the tiny streaks you might be able to see), but I still love this photo. I only wish I was able to actually stop and pull out my real camera and capture it more appropriately.

Have no fear, though... I have been out with my camera recently and have quite a few photos to share! Keep you eye out for them on my NEKPhotography Facebook Page and here on this blog in the next few days!

Also, don't forget to check out this month's photo assignment! It just began!

My First Newborn Shoot

2011-05-01T14:57:00.000-04:00

With so many friends pregnant like I am not only am I getting some early practice handling newborns I also have some willing parents who donate their babe to me for camera-related practice. I am by no means a newborn photography expert, but I will share with you what I learned in my first "session" and how I edited my photo.

Yes, I said photo, not photos.

The poor little fella was crankier beyond cranky and I actually ended up with really only ONE good photo out of ten. Compound that with the lengthy time it takes for me to edit the photo and I settled on choosing just one to share.

This guy was a whopping three days old when I visited his momma. She eagerly handed him over to me in order to take a couple photos. Without any props and a cranky, constant feeder on my hands I resorted to what I could before a massive cranky fit broke out.

This is the original photo straight out of the camera:

How I took this photo and tips

Feed the baby. VERY important! A fed baby is a happy and posable baby, unless your baby happens to like to feed every five minutes. If so, then its very difficult to get in good shots in such little time!
Keep the baby warm! Babies are very ineffective at regulating their own temperatures so they get cold quite quickly. Once a baby gets cold they become uncomfortable, squirm, and cry.
Bring props and a diaper cover! Which I didn't and don't have. Some prop examples include a diaper cover (nothing looks more unflattering than a white huggies on a newborn), hats, and blankets. I was hoping that a cute bucket or wagon would be on hand to put the little guy in, but instead we settled for laying him on a white blanket on the couch.
Newborns don't often open their eyes. Sometimes they do if they hear a mothers voice or loud sound. If you happen to have an awake moment with the newborn take advantage of it! Also, be prepared for the awake newborn to quickly realize that he is not hear his mom and to soon begin wailing.

Editing the photo was a completely different challenge that took me a while to sort out. The end result, however, was amazing and worth the time.

How I Edited this Photo:

I started with the obvious, adjusting the exposure, brightness, and contrast in Lightroom before going to work on this photo in my old standby, Photoshop.
The hardest part about newborns is the skin! People have a perception that newborn skin is so white, smooth, and unblemished. In reality it is the opposite, quite red and blotchy. I discovered a relatively easy way to fix it... Create a layer mask of a white rectangle that covers the entire photo (it works especially well for me because the blanket is white - if you background is anything else you can erase the white shape over parts that are undesirable). Once you create the layer mast change it to "Overlay" over the main image. It will transform the blotchiness in an instant.
I added a couple other light yellow textures that brought out the colors/contrast of the baby, particularly the eyes.
Lastly, I "burned" a little but of the baby's lips and eyes to make them more crisp.

Ultimately there is a lot to keep in mind when doing a newborn shoot and a lot of editing that takes place to get to angelic and pure professional looking photos. If you would like to try out editing a newborn photo yourself right click on the original image and download it. And now I can't wait to go back and take a second try and photographing this little guy. I should get more than just one great photo next time!

Before and After - Eight

2011-04-27T10:37:00.000-04:00

I've always loved this farm, the Bona Farm in Lyndonville, VT. Its quite picturesque, particularly in early morning hours where the light is just right. The problem with the farm, though, is its location on a busy and curvy road with no room to pull off and park safely. So, this photo, like all my others, are taken from the road side as I precariously come to a stop and hope traffic won't appear behind me.

Of course a beautiful farm like this is something fun to play around with in photoshop. I couldn't resist tweaking it and adding a few textures. In the end I feel like it looks like an older photo out of a book.

Here is how I edited the photo:

Cropped the photo more squarely
Reduced the brightness slightly and upped the contrast.
Adjusted the curves
Increased the saturation, especially focusing on the redness of the barn
Burned the puddle reflection, mountainside, and clouds slightly - midtones and shadows.
Added two textures from Shadowhouse Creations, one as an overlay and the other a soft overlay.
Erased the textures 50% over the clouds, sky, barn, and reflection.

Photo of the Day - Sixty Eight

2011-04-17T12:42:00.000-04:00

38mm f/16 1/10 ISO:125

A raging brook during the spring thaw in Cornish NH near an old covered bridge. It is a site I found that I am going to explore again and again. In fact, I am planning on trying to hold a mini-photo shoot session there sometime in May!

Honestly, this photo turned out better than I expected since I was perched oddly on a couple of wet rocks, bent at an angle, and using a really slow shutter speed without a tripod. The image stablizer on my lens really helps. Don't have a lens with an image stablizer built in? Hold you breath and brace yourself against something solid if you can.

The Ten Minute Photo Shoot

2011-04-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

I am a fan of most anything spontaneous, but when it came to doing a photo shoot in my friends living room I was a little nervous. With little time to prep, no props, no lightning but natural light, and a bouncing three year old I wasn't sure I would be able to pull off decent photos, but let me tell you, it is possible and worked out better than any planned session ever could.

Here's some advice to pull off an impromptu ten minute photo shoot. Keep in mind, these are the type of sessions I love to do for friends and usually don't even charge a thing. Its fun, quick, and great practice for the "real" sessions you spend days planning.

1. Make sure your camera batter is charged and your memory card isn't full.

2. Scout out sources of natural light (if you are inside).

3. Look around for any "props" that are nearby that would add to the photo. This is an added benefit from being in the person's home. You can use things that actually mean something to them.

4. Find a comfortable spot for your subjects to stand based on the best available light. Ask them where they feel most comfortable. Suggest somewhere without a busy background. A wall or plain patterned curtain works great.

5. Take some practice shots to adjust your camera settings according to the light. If you are indoors you'll want a low aperture to let in the most amount of light possible. Testing photos also allows you to determine if parts of the photo are over/under exposed due to the lighting in the room.

6. You're ready to begin your session! All the above steps take about two minutes or less.

7. Remember to snap some full length photos and to take ones zoomed in on little details such as hands, faces, or any variation. Using different perspectives will allow you a wider variety of photos to choose from in the end after such a short session.

8. Keep to your time limit, that's the key. That's the point of this session. Its impromptu and real.

9. In the end you should aim to end up with around 5-10 keeper photos.

These photos were the result of ten minutes in my friends living room. Her adorable daughter quickly changed her clothes into a new outfit (as she loves to do anyway) while mom picked out a couple of shirts. In the mean time I checked over my camera settings based on the lighting and then directed them into a couple of poses. Of course her daughter just let her natural personality shine and I did my best to snap the shutter with her smiles.

You don't have to be a pro to whip out your camera and capture incredible little moments without preparation. You just have to be brave enough to try it! Ten Minute Sessions like this one are great confidence builders for budding photographers (including me!) Find a willing friend or family member and give it a go.

Leading Lines - A Photography Technique.

2011-04-01T11:04:00.001-04:00

A photography term you may have heard before is "Leading Lines". Its a basic rule for photography composition and one I use very frequently. Whether you are taking landscapes or portraits it is extremely important to understand and utilize this technique.

What does "Leading Lines" mean?

Put simply leading lines are literally lines in the photograph that draw your eyes to the subject. Lines can be formed by anything from tree branches and mountains to architecture. The options are limitless. These lines pleasingly make your subject the center of attention of the photo.

How do I utilize "Leading Lines" in my photo?

First, you have to pick your subject. WHAT exactly are you trying to photograph? Once you have a subject picked out then take in what is surrounding the subject. Utilize the scenery and position yourself and your camera in a way so that the surroundings point at your subject.

Still unsure? Here are some examples of photos and leading lines!

And a portrait example:

PS. Please don't use my photos without my permission. Thanks!

Before and After - Seven

2011-03-30T13:42:00.000-04:00

I absolutely adore this photo, however I must admit I think I adore it mostly because the scene that I took in this morning looked a million times better than what I captured with my camera. Yes, my camera settings given the condition and lighting were not ideal. However, I will take what I can get and like it.

Actually, this photo of the single horse is a cropped portion from another photo entirely....

Alas, the settings were a bit off and the scene turned out underexposed and a bit noisy. Perhaps much of it has to do with the fact that I took this photo whilst sitting in my drivers seat parked in the middle of a windy road with no shoulders. Had there been a place to part and had I not been cutting it close to being late for work I would have found a way to sit here and make the photo perfect. Although, one can still create plenty of perfection through a digital darkroom...

With several texture layers and some other small adjustments I created an antique feel of this lonely golden horse in silhouette. It reminds me of an old western. And part of me is content even if the photo is not what I imagined in my mind. Sometimes that's all we can hope for with photography.

The Perigee Moon and I

2011-03-22T11:02:00.001-04:00

Being the nerd that I am I heard about the larger than normal full moon a few days before it happened. By some grace of God New England was not inundated with clouds and I headed out that evening with my camera and tripod in search of the moon.

You'd think a giant full moon wouldn't be hard to find, but the thing about Vermont is that its full of hills, deep valleys, and poor views of the horizon, unless you own a million dollar house on top of a hill top. I do not own such a house so I drove around searching for high roads and clearings. When I finally found one the moon had been in the sky for an hour and was already shrinking.

I hurried to set up my camera and tripod in the mediocre site I chose. Basically, it was the first and only spot I could find a view of the moon near the horizon. Note to self... must scout out better sunrise locations for next time... twenty years from now.

Another issue I ran into was my complete and utter lack of experience in taking photos of the moon. Actually, I have never taken photos of the moon. My night photography is very limited. So I ran into a huge problem when it came to taking photos of the perigee moon... I had no idea what I was doing and no idea what settings to use.

I tried to zoom in on the moon, but rather than capturing a photo of craters and shadows on the moon's surface I only managed to photograph a blazing white ball in an utterly back black drop. The correct settings and technique eluded me as the moon rose higher in the sky. In the end I just snapped a landscape photo.

To my surprise the moon illuminated the landscape almost as well as the sun with just a short four second exposure. While this photo doesn't illustrate the size and beauty of the moon I am pleased that I captured an interesting and decently composed landscape photo in the dark of night!

The lesson here...

Even if you don't know how to optimize your subject or how to capture what you are envisioning exactly if you stick with what you know you can still take great photos.

MIA

2011-03-19T22:21:00.001-04:00

I realize the last few months I have been slacking with my photography posts! The stress of finishing my final semester of nursing school, a growing pregnancy, and grueling work schedule all winter has proved challenging for finding time with my camera. So, in case you were wondering, I haven't disappeared or put my camera aside. I've just been inundated with very adult responsibilities that take away from my hobby.

However, I had a chance today to take a few photos and have a backlog of photos from much earlier in the winter that I am dying to have time to sort through. With the melting snow and soon to green up landscape comes the urge to be productive and, more importantly, outdoors.

I look forward to sharing a ton of new photos with you as soon as I can!

You can view this image larger if you click on it!

Before and After -Six

2011-03-05T16:57:00.000-05:00

This photo edit was inspired by the Pioneer Woman's recent assignment "Sisters". While I am fortunate enough to have two sisters I rarely have great photos of them, especially with myself in the picture. Usually, if any photos are taken, I am the one behind the camera. So I didn't have a lot of photos to work with considering how blessed I am with estrogen in my life. I ended up choosing a recent photo of my youngest sister and I taken just a couple of months ago when she came for a visit.

This is the original photo, straight out of the camera. I set the timer and carefully rested my camera on the snow covered railing of the covered bridge. The whole time I prayed it wouldn't tip over the side and fall to the river below. Thankfully it didn't and I snapped this lovely, simple little photo. Actually, when it came to editing I thought this photo was so simple I wasn't sure what could really be done to enhance it greatly, but I gave it a try to see what I could come up with.

Here is the edited version:

Simple processing, an off centered crop that allows the bridge to draw your eyes to my sister and I, and a few light textured overlays that were erased from our faces and there you have it. The texture of the wood on the bridge is so much richer and golden now and cropped at the waist there is more focus on my sister and I's faces. I kind of want to frame this photo now.

I did submit this to the assignment and it was chosen for group 4! Every time a photo of mine is chosen I am amazed, especially this time. I really thought, even after editing, this photo was too simple to be noticed. It goes to show that sometimes sticking to simplicity isn't a bad thing when editing and will still allow your photo to stand out!

March Photo Assignment

2011-03-02T10:32:00.000-05:00

Over on my other blog "Cabin Fever in Vermont" is where I host my monthly photography assignments. This month marks ONE YEAR since I began the assignments. Its grown from twenty or thirty photos a month in submissions to over a hundred. That's amazing!

All month long I love checking what new photos have been uploaded to the FlickR page and then making selections to post on the contest page. It always amazes me at the wide interpretation of each month's assignment and the creativity put into these photographs.

Since my topic last year was "spring" and yet again, buried under three feet of snow, I am deeply longing for winter to end so I decided to choose a topic this month that heralds the beginning of spring; birds. While I am no expert at photographing birds and have no attempted to seriously pursue that aspect of photography it is something that I know many of you enjoy! When this snow begins to melt, if it ever melts, I hope to attempt to seek out birds to photograph myself.

In the mean time, I look forward to your submissions! Please check out the Photo Assignment page for complete details about the contest and remember, there are three prizes totalling $150 up for grabs every month for the winner and runner up photos!

Fix it Friday #88

2011-02-25T11:07:00.002-05:00

I haven't been able to participate in a Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces in a while, but thanks to a snow storm my calendar has cleared and I've spent some much needed time relaxing with my photo editing software! Today's fix it Friday is a simple photo that at first I didn't think I would be able to do much too, but it turns out once the creative juices began flowing I developed a couple different edits of this photo.

Here is the original:

What a cute little girl, seemingly unaware that her photo was snapped. I love photos like these, because they could be taken by anyone at a backyard BBQ. At first glance one might not even keep this photo, but a little touching up can turn it into a professional grade keeper.

First I touched up the original to create one photo to use as the base for all my other edits:

How I edited this:

Cropped the photo to eliminate dead space
Adjusted the curves
Increased the brightness/contrast
'Burned' parts of the hair, eye lashes, and lips
Then the fun began with several more edits applied to this photo!

Soft Selective Color

Contrasting Black and White

Faded Black and White with Texture

Layers of Light Textures.

Which is your favorite?!

I honestly think I love the whispy faded black and white photo the most, but the contrasting black and white or the layers of light textures photo are close seconds. It never ceases to amaze me how different one photo can be made to look!

Check out the other I Heart Faces entries at the I Heart Faces website

The Difference a Season Can Make

2011-02-18T18:12:00.000-05:00

Below are two photos taken from the same exact spot at roughly the same during the day in Danville, Vermont on Tampico Road. One was this fall and the other was just a couple days ago.

It amazes me the difference between seasons and the details you notice depending on the seasons. A rusting roof one season and fence posts leading the eye to the barn in another. The same subject can be perceived completely different in a different climate. Utilize those differences to your advantage, when taking photographs!

Photography as a Juxtaposition

2011-02-15T19:24:00.001-05:00

I haven't featured other photographer's work on this blog before, mostly because the purpose of it has been to educate readers and depict my own photography, however that doesn't mean I don't often admire and follow other photographer's work. Today I stumbled across a very interesting project by Mark Laita titled "Created Equal"

His works with this project depict two photos side by side of utterly opposite lifestyles or people that are beyond creative and intensely thought provoking. Seeing his images make you laugh, smile, and contemplate our differences in a way that is uniquely different.

An individual photo itself is not necessarily exceptional, but compared to its equally well composed opposite the message behind it is what captured me. A photo may not be anything more than a simple portrait, but the message it conveys is far more profound.

You can visit Mark's Website and see a collection of photos from this project here. All his photos in this project are available in his book "Created Equal", which you can find on his website or Amazon.com.

Enjoy exploring others' work!

*all photos in this post are property of and credited to Mark Laita*

Photo of the Day - Sixty Seven

2011-02-09T17:10:00.000-05:00

This is a photo that I love. I've had it cooped up on my hard drive for a while, along with dozens of other great photos, that have all been pushed aside for my 365 project that, rest its soul. This is an HDR photo of Jenne Road in Reading, Vermont. The snow was blowing off the trees and through the air in the sunshine, creating a soft haze. I stood there for a good half an hour watching this scene repeat itself over and over each time the wind blew. Its photos like these that make me love my camera :)

Before and After - Five

2011-02-05T03:19:00.000-05:00

I took this photo through my front windshield sitting in a parking lot. It was cold, below zero, and that seems to cause all the birds to huddle together. Whether its for warmth or sheer company in their frozen misery I am not sure.

Either way, this plain looking, not so good photo, ended up being fun and easy to work with. As always, the end result is not too much like the original...

Honestly, not much was done to adjust the exposure and other settings, (ie: levels/brightness/conrast) rather I added a couple textures and cropped the nuisance trees out of the photo. It almost looks like a good flier for an invitation or open house, perhaps.

Photo of the Day - Sixty Six

2011-01-22T05:41:00.000-05:00

I am not sure what this vehicle is or what it's purpose is, but I genuinely like it. It was parked in the back of a snow covered field on a dirt road with no one around. Thankfully I have a 135mm zoom lens and was still have to get a decent enough photo with a high aperture setting and low ISO to reduce noise.

Before and After - Four

2011-01-18T01:30:00.000-05:00

I liked this photo the second I saw it. It was taken by my friend Misty over at Misty's Musings. She was gracious enough to send me a copy of this photo so I could play around with it a bit in photoshop. Here is the original photo from her blog. Be sure to check out her other wild life/nature photos, too!

I'm a fan of thick frost, its so photogenic. Add in a well placed bird and you've got a well composed photo that is a perfect candidate for some editing fun. Here is my edit of the original:

Not much was changed. Mostly I lightened the photo up and adjusted some of the yellows in the frost to make them more white. I also sharpened the image a little. Then came the fun part, adding textures. I did two different edits with different textures. This photo was harder to play around with textures because of the busy and light background, but the results were still nice.

A slight 'burned edge' and 'grunge' texture added

A couple different textures to this one and a little text added.

This one, even without the text, is my favorite.

Every once and a while I love to edit photos I come across and add textures. If you have a photo that you think could be tweaked or would like to see edited you can always email it to me if you'd like me to play around with it! I'll eventually post it on here in a 'Before and After' post once I finish it!

Photo of the Day - Sixty Five

2011-01-12T21:55:00.000-05:00

For some reason it always seems to me the sky is most interesting while driving down the road unable to properly photograph it. This is just a view through the passenger side window of the hills leading into New Hampshire bathed in sunlight. Even though this isn't a perfect photo the faintness of the sun rays is so appealing.

Reading Maps. The Lost Art.

2011-01-07T08:56:00.001-05:00

Whether you're a landscape photographer, amateur, or simply like stumbling across scenic places that would make a great photo to share with your friends then understanding maps is very important. I'm not talking about GPS systems, but rather good old-fashioned paper maps.

I am a huge fan of paper maps. While GPS systems are great you can't get as much out of them as looking at an actual map you hold in your hands. When you already know where you'd like to go a GPS is perfect, but you need a paper map to see what is beyond the road you are one and in a different direction than you're heading.

This is my map. A simple $30 map of the state that I bought at a gas station several years ago. I use it every single time I go out taking photos and I will show you why.

1. It shows towns , even the little tiny villages that aren't labeled by the big green signs along the road. Its these little towns where I find the quaint churches and empty roads where I can wander around at my leisure and not feel like I am a spectacle or bothering someone.

2. It shows covered bridges and other interesting places of note. There are hundreds of 'hidden' covered bridges on various back roads all across this state and I would never find them if it wasn't for this map.

3. You can see which areas are tree covered or open land. In Vermont that is huge. Much of what makes a great landscape photo is nice, open land and you can see this on my map.

4. Elevation and Mountain Peaks. Elevation equals views, especially if its on open, cleared land. I can easily pick out spots where I am likely to have a nice view by looking at the map.

5. I can plot out loops and look where roads connect based on where towns, interesting places, open land, and elevation are. If I come to a cross roads and am unsure of which way to go I can see what lies ahead in both directions by looking at the paper map.

Now, don't get me wrong, I do utilize a GPS occasionally. It helps me pin point where I am when I end up lost, which does happen. Anytime you are on backroads where roads either aren't signed, the intersections are two hundred years old and mis-marked, or not marked at all you are bound to end up taking a wrong turn or two. When that happens I look at my GPS to get myself oriented again and then go back to the map to see what lies ahead on my new path of travel.

Tips for Reading a Paper Map

1. Don't turn the map!

This is a hard concept for some. I suggest when you are at an intersection and are sure of your location to look at the map and then orient your current location to what the map says. If you are traveling south your left on the map will be a right in real life. That may not make sense so look at the example below.

2. Don't read and drive!

If your eyes are on the map then they aren't on the road.

3. Don't worry if you don't know where you are.

If you are lost keep your eye out for a landmark, a road sign, or a town. Pull over and look for that location on your map. Then you'll be 'found'!

4. Don't be afraid to use a map!

You'll find so much more than you ever imagined when your route isn't confined to a little screen on your dashboard. There is much more to the world than that.

Now go forth and navigate for yourself! You'll be amazed what you stumble upon.

Photo of the Day - Sixty Four

2011-01-04T06:06:00.000-05:00

Rummaging through one of my memory cards I found this little fella, a miniature pony in a snowy and icy field. For this photo I chose a crop more unusual than I normally do, placing the horse to the left and putting where the horse and fence meet in the center. I think it works. Some texture has also been added, too.

Below is the original to show you just how its been changed...

A lot of difference, huh? The original is under exposed with slightly bad composition,and too small an aperture setting. You can't even see the pony's face initially. I actually was going to toss this photo, but decided to see what could be done with it instead.

Understanding White Balance

2010-12-31T15:12:00.000-05:00

White balance may not be something that is thought of when calibrating your camera for a photo, but it is a very important and often not well understood topic in digital photography. I find myself taking well composed winter photos only to look at the end result and wonder "Why is my snow so blue?" The answer to that and other color anomalies in photos lies in proper white balance calibration. Understanding white balance can be incredibly tricky, because it delves into the realm of physics and science, but I will keep it condensed.

In simple terms white balance deals with color temperature. A low color temperature shifts color towards reds and a high color temperature will shift colors towards blues. Different light sources emit light at different temperatures, hence different hues cast in different photo situations.

Manually Setting White Balance:

This can be done every single time you take a photo or are taking several with a given light source. There are a couple ways to do this. First, you could purchase white balance cards, or even use paper of a particular color, focus your camera on that, and adjust the white balance accordingly so the paper appears white in those lighting conditions. Second, you can use something present in your scene to calibrate the white balance. This could be snow, a wall, a piece of sky without detail or color. To do this you need to have your ISO setting as low as possible (to reduce noise), and calibrate your white balance according to that particular part of the scene your are focusing on.

Auto White Balance:

Taking advantage of the AutoWhite Balance (AWB) setting is by far the easiest way to take account for the white balance of your scene. It works by evaluating the scene through the lens and averaging the light temperature it takes in. Then with the average light temperature it chooses a white balance settings accordingly. Most often this works fine, however there are several instances where it may not.

When what you are photographing has a large amount of warm colors, such as reds, yellows, and oranges, the AWB setting may falsely detect the colors as a warm light temperature instead and choose a white balance setting with more blues to offset the warm colors. However, when this happens the photo will appear with an unattractive bluish/cool tint. The same applies to excessive cool colors, except the camera will choose a white balance settings with more yellows and the photo will have a warmer tint.

(AWB) (Shade)

Same scenes. Two different white balances.

The other White Balance Settings:

Image Credit: CambridgeinColour

Every digital SLR today, and most other digital cameras, come with several white balance settings that you can choose from given the varying light of your scene. Take advantage of these. Basically each setting is a preset based on the color temperature of a given light source. Auto white balance and custom (or manual) are discussed above. The Kelvin setting takes into consideration a a greater temperature scale when evaluating the light. I have not had a lot of success using this setting. True with all presets, there may be instances where using a preset in a given situation still does not produce the best result.

If All Else Fails:

Shoot in RAW format. RAW format, if you aren't familiar, is a very large file that contains complete color spectrum for the photo. It saves all the data and allows you to edit it later. With a RAW file you can easily load it into an editing program, aka digital darkroom, (Lightroom for example) and tweak every little color setting. Castings of unwanted yellows and blues can be finely tuned into whites with a few mouse clicks. If you have the software and ability shooting in RAW is a great fail safe for multiple minor miscalculations in camera settings.

Photo of the Day - Sixty Three

2010-12-30T05:06:00.000-05:00

This is one of the oldest rural cemeteries I have stumbled upon in my photographing travels so far (I am sure there are older in Vermont...) Maybe I am weird, but I try and read the headstones when I traipse across the hallowed ground with my camera. In this one the older marker I found was that of a 4 year old buried there in 1794. Some of the graves were far too worn to be read, especially the slate ones. I looked at them, blank of any name or identification, and wondered who was beneath me. For me, contemplating anonymity in death is one of the loneliest things imaginable.

Maybe that is why I like cemeteries? The mystery of those who lie there and the connectedness knowing that each of us will share the same fate one day. It's what we all have in common.

Photo of the Day - Sixty Two

2010-12-27T01:02:00.002-05:00

Almost nothing depicts country life more than a row of mailboxes at the end of a road...

Taken in Pomfret, Vermont.

Photo of the Day - Sixty One

2010-12-19T12:13:00.000-05:00

For once I parked my car and actually took a stroll through town. I had to. Driving through the little town of Strafford, Vermont there were just too many photogenic things for me to pass up. Rather than parking and stopping and parking and stopping I decided to brave the ten degree temperatures and freshly fallen snow to explore the little town. I could really feel the nineteenth century as I walked along the side streets. In the half an hour I spent strolling the roads maybe two cars drove by. That kind of solitude is something you don't want to take for granted.

This house caught my eye. So perfectly decorated and caught in time. I stood in the middle of the town green to capture this photo and of course added a little texture to give it an antique-like feel. I'm thinking ahead for Christmas cards next year, despite not having mailed my yet this year (this week I promise).

Looking back at the original I am amazed at how it's been transformed...

Lots of editing, erasing, lightening, and fun!

Are you in the Christmas spirit yet?

Fix it Friday - 81

2010-12-17T10:13:00.000-05:00

Another challenge to creatively edit a photo at I Heart Faces! I dare say I love this challenge and out of all the challenges I have done so far this one is probably one of my favorites. Not only is the photo adorable, but I dare say that my edits are some of my favorites yet. That may be because I spent a little more time and played with textures this week.

Here is the original

When I started editing this initially I thought I wanted something softer, which I did do, but I spent the most time and think I like thuis darker, more vibrant edit the best.

How I edited this photo:

Increased the Gamma
Increased the contrast
Increased the levels towards the right
Adjusted the curves
Cropped the photo slightly
Reduced the saturation
Added a gray texture from Shadow House Creations and overlayed it at 100%
Added a lighter texture from Shadow House Creations and color burned it at 50%
Erased the textures from both faces

It was relatively simple. Much of the transformation was done by adding the textures! Of course I did a couple of other edits just to look at the photo in a different perspective.

The lighter, more whimsical, version I initially envision.

A cropped black and white version. I love the close crop of the faces, those eye lashes, and that hand so firmly on his collar. The dead space on the left is left to create a image of closeness between the man and woman, in case you were wondering.

So which one do you like? I always love hearing your feedback. And of course, be sure to check out I Heart Faces to see the challenge and all the other edits!

Before and After - Three

2010-12-16T04:09:00.000-05:00

This photo today isn't one that I took, however it is a great photo that caught my eye on an evening when I was filled with the urge to play with various textures and photoshop settings. MarieElizabeth of the blog "The Places I Go." took this photo

When I saw it, a straight out of the camera image, I knew that I wanted tweak it in photoshop. So I contacted MarieElizabeth and she graciously gave me permission to do so! First I just tweaked things here and there in photoshop, mostly lightening the image as a whole, and ended up with this...

Then the fun part came where I played with textures, actions, and gradients coming up with three different variations of this photo. You can click on each image to view it larger

The differences with the first and the third are subtle, but the actions/textures are completely different. In all its forms I still really like this photo and think that it would make a great water color painting or Victorian era post-card. What do you think?

And if you have a photo that you think could use some tweaking or would like to see it edited let me know! I love playing around with photos and will gladly do it just for fun.

Pondering a 365 Project

2010-12-14T08:02:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of last year I noticed several photographers try and attempt a 365 project. While I have yet to see one continue throughout the whole year, I am intrigued by the idea and thinking of trying it out myself. Hopefully doing so will spur my creativity and force me to get behind the camera more, both of which I'd like!

If you have never heard of a 365 project it is just like it sounds. Pertaining to photography, you post a photo every single day that deals with your theme. Every day. For an entire year. Its quite a feat. The hard part for me is coming up with an idea for a theme.

I've thought of several, but I can't decide.

The sky/clouds
Myself (not really liking that idea. Im too self conscious)
Cell phone photos
My dogs/cat
Colors, alternating each day of the week. (ie: red = Monday. orange = Tuesday. Etc)
A daily texturized photo
No topic/theme. Just any photo taken that day.

Do you like any of those ideas or have another idea of your own?

Please share your thoughts with me! The idea has to be easy to do (for days when I am cramped on time), but fun enough to hold interest for an entire year. I am definitely going to try and start this January 1st!

I Heart Faces Weekly Contest - Pet Faces

2010-12-13T01:01:00.000-05:00

This is my first ever entry for any of I Heart Faces weekly contest, mostly because I am never on the ball enough to submit something or because I rarely take photos of people. Since this week's assignment is not focused on people, but pets, which I have plenty of, I decided to submit a photo!

Meet Bonnie, my beagle, in about two feet of extremely fluffy snow. It was her first experience ever in such deep snow. She is utterly terrified and not sure what to do about the situation. Like any good pet owner I grabbed my camera and photographed her plight. There is something about the look in her eyes that make me giggle., especially knowing that now she loves snow drifts. This photo was taken almost three years ago, before I paid too much attention to what setting my camera was on. Unfortunately, it appears to be the ISO in this photo that I ignored, judging by the grainy texture. Live and learn!

When Buyign a New Camera...

2010-12-12T02:56:00.000-05:00

One of the most frequently emailed questions I receive deal with choosing a new camera. Its a serious decision I rank up there with purchasing a car. Since wonderment about camera purchases is so pervasive I decided to answer a couple common questions, especially since its the Holidays' and a lot of camera buying is going on!

There are a few important questions when you are considering buying a camera...

What are you going to take photos of?

If the answer is your family, kids, pets, and generally document your life then a lower end model would be perfect. The more you spend won't make your family any more photogenic.

How often do you use a camera?

If you are like me and carry it around with you everywhere then a solid investment in a well researched camera, but if you only use it for special occasions or routinely lose it then consider a less expensive model.

How do you research a camera?

I am a fan of B&H Photo reviews, or Amazon.com reviews that feature actual customer reviews with their products. When it comes to make a big purchase I find that people who have used the same product in real life situations provide more valuable insight than any company review could do.

Also,

One you think you have settled on a camera, or are stuck between a two or three different ones, look up the owners manuals online and do some comparisons of the features and functionality to see which one would be the best fit for you.

Canon or Nikon?

Honestly, it doesn't matter! Both are equally great cameras. My only advice is if you start with one brand then stick with it.

How much money should you look to spend?

SLR cameras aren't cheap, even when they are on sale. The lower end models start around $500 and prices can escalate as high as several thousands of dollars. Unless you are a professional photographer or well educated in the intricate differences in each model I suggest starting with the lower end models. An expensive camera doesn't make your photos any better or you a better photographer. Sometimes people forget that.

Where should you purchase a camera?

I've bought cameras on many sites, including eBay, commercial stores, and strictly camera companies. I recommend using a reputable retailer or doing significant research on a buyer, especially if using a site like eBay or Craig's List. On those sites you may find exceedingly good deals, but you also run the risk of getting damaged, counterfeit, or incorrect products, if you even get them at all.

Websites to purchase a SLR camera:
***** B&H Photo -- Specializes in cameras/photography. Peer Reviewed Products.
**** Amazon.com -- Competitive prices. Peer reviewed products.
**** Best Buy -- Offers kits. Easy ordering and shipping.

*** Google Shopping Search -- Scours entire web for stores, but may yield unreliable sites.

Remember when purchasing a camera that you need a lens! (sounds obvious, right?) Often times you will find places that sell the camera body only and because these are cheaper it is easy to purchase just a body. You'll discover when it arrives that you have a brand new camera, but no lens to go with it!


Me and my camera when it was brand new... after several weeks of research. I know its not the highest end model, but I absolutely love it! Hopefully you'll be just as happy with your camera purchase.

Happy Shopping!

Photo of the Day - Sixty

2010-12-09T17:01:00.000-05:00

I was cutting it close to being late for work, but out of the corner of my eye noticed this scene. Of course I turned around, parked, and snapped a series of photos to create this HDR image. They just painted this carriage shed/barn this past summer, too.

Photo of the Day - Fifty Nine

2010-12-03T07:44:00.000-05:00

I pass this barn almost every single day. Its on a really bad corner and I never have gotten a photo of it for that reason. Since I am moving away from this town (bittersweet) I decided to heck with the dangerous corner and stopped right in the road with my camera ready to quickly take a photo of it. So, this was taken from my drivers seat. Maybe one day I will be able to get out and set up a couple shots, but for now this will have to do. And yes, we do have snow in Island Pond!

...Oh, and of course I added a couple textures in photoshop afterward.

Its The First of the Month!

2010-12-01T12:02:00.000-05:00

November has passed and a new month has rolled around. You know what that means? Nothing to do with EBT cards or unemployment... A new photo assignment has been announced!

This month's assignment is "The Little Things" referring to all the small things that equal the sum of what is great about the holiday season. I am hoping that all of us can spend some time taking a step back from the whirlwind of holiday planning, family, and celebrating to notice the small, mundane, and forgotten things that are integral for making the season so enjoyable.

To see more details about the assignment, enter your photos, and view the selections throughout the month please check out the Assignment Page!

Hand Stitched Digital Panorama

2010-11-29T09:12:00.002-05:00

This is my second attempt at a panorama. Its definitely one of the most time consuming tasks I can think of with a camera. Not only do you have to get photos that 'work' to create a panorama, but it takes an incredible amount of time and attention to detail to stitch together so many photos. Matching not only features, but also exposure, are so incredibly important. Matching exposure seems to be the most difficult thing.

So how do I get photos with relatively the same exposure?

Honestly I haven't figured it out. I'll always admit when I don't know the answer... yet. I've used Tv mode (or S mode for you Nikon users) with both the panoramas I've created and tweaked the minor exposure differences. I've found that using manual mode creates metering problems in the extremes of bright or low lights. I have no tried Aperture priority mode yet, which if you think about what the aperture is and how it works, is probably the best setting to try a panorama on. When I attempt my next one I will use aperture mode and let you know how it goes!

But either way...

Here is my second panorama of 10 photos stitched together. I call it "Snow Squall over Island Pond"

Click on the photo to view it much larger!

The cloud in the distance is a large, almost thunderstorm-like, cloud that produced an intense bout of snow for the better part of half an hour. This time of year such weather is normal in Vermont. We call then snow squalls. They rush in furiously, creating almost white out conditions, disappear just as quickly, and you're left with sunshine wondering what just happened. This last snow squall retreated just before sunset so it was a glow with the last rays of sunshine from the day.

Oh, and because it was brought up the last time I talked about panorama photos...

I know there are programs that "create" panoramas for you just by loading your photos into them, but frankly I don't think the results are the same as ones hand created in Photoshop. Its akin to the difference of a hand made quilt and a comforter your purchase at Wal-Mart that looks like a quilt, but falls apart in your washing machine the first time you try and clean it.

Photo of the Day - Fifty Eight

2010-11-27T03:44:00.000-05:00

An HDR image from four exposures of the Clyde River in Island Pond.

The landscape may be brown and dreary, but when the plants are full of leaves and flowers you can't see the bends in the river, or the reflection of the sky. Each season has its benefits.

Photo of the Day - Fifty Seven

2010-11-24T13:57:00.001-05:00

Just some birch bark with a little texture thrown on it. I dream of days when I have time to do crafty things with birch bark. Until then... I'll just photograph it!

The thing I like about taking my camera out into my yard with my macro lens is that it forces me to look at the mundane and simple with a different eye. Suddenly, when you do that, the world is tiny curly cues and textures.

Before and After - Two

2010-11-23T04:21:00.001-05:00

Since November is a not-so-lustrous photo month, with the ground dead and brown and the snow yet to arrive, I've taken to editing photos more than I have been taking them. Fortunately, the Pioneer Woman is hosting yet another "Edit This" contest, which I am eagerly participating in. One of my photos was already chosen for Group One (its a 'funny' edit!), but that isn't stopping me from continuing to play with the same photo and doing even cooler, less silly, things to it.

Here is the original photo the Pioneer Woman has chosen for the challenge. Its simple, beautiful, and full of creative possibilities. Even without editing it is a great photo...

There are a couple of things I look for in a photo that I'd like to edit and play with in photoshop.

Simplicity. Its best if it is simple with few complex/competing details
Interesting subject. This can be the main subject of the photo or a small part of the photo you'd crop and focus on for editing.
Anything that can be made to look old/rustic
Heck, almost anything can be edited with patience and the right know how.

For this photo I wanted to do something dramatic. If you noticed, there is no "sky" in the photo. Actually, there is of course a sky, but it is blue. Completely blue, and nothing else. How boring. I wanted to spruce it up and went Google Searching for "clouds", "Storms", "Storm Clouds", "Sky", "Stormy Sky", "Sunset Sky" and so on until I found an image I thought I could work with.

This is the image, credit to this website. Remember, to be careful when using Google images because they are someone else's images! Always try and obtain permission first and cite where you obtained your images from if they are not your own.

This photo was exactly what I was looking for.

I loaded both images into photoshop and began a good two hours straight of editing. Its not piece of cake when it comes to digital photo processing, but it can be fun! I'd post a step by step tutorial except you'd all run away screaming in agony from the eight bajillion steps it took me to get to the final result so I simplified it for you.


You can click on this to view the full sized version!

Ok. If you are SERIOUSLY interested in knowing how I edited these photos and merged them into the final image I've condensed a list into a few steps below.

Opened the lightning photo as the background
Created the horse photo as a layer
Inverted the horse layer so the horses in the forefront were on the right of the photo where the lightning bolt is. (as if they are running from it)
Painstakingly erased the sky from the horse layer, even around all the little hairs on every pony's head. (this was the longest part of the entire process.)
Sharpened the horse layer.
Adjusted the contrast/brightness, layers, curves, and saturation of the background layer.
Adjusted the contrast/brightness, layers, curves, saturation, exposure, and color balance of the horse layer.
"Burned" around the cloud producing the big lightning bold
"Dodged" around the couple of horses leading the pack
Merged the horse and lightning layer into one
Adjusted the contrast/brightness, levels, and curves of the total image
Added a texture, overlay at 100%

Just twelve steps really doesn't seem so bad. Its not, really, when the end result is so cool. It makes you forget about all the individual hairs you were editing and all the blue sky that you were erasing. It never ceases to amaze me the transformation you can make with photos and makes me question whether some photos you see are even real at all, because as cool as this edit is there was never a stampede of wild mustangs running from thunderous lightning bolts. Too bad, because that's pretty epic.

Fix it Friday - 78

2010-11-19T10:33:00.001-05:00

A great challenge that I love to do when I get the chance! This week's photo was full of color and an interesting point of view of a little boy and the challenge is to "fix it" and make it even better with some post processing. Oh, how I love post processing!

Here is the original

I immediately knew what I liked about the photo, so many things! The bokeh, the colors, and the angelic little face with perfect focus. Just look at those lashes? Editing it was great fun! After some tweaking here is my end result.

Here are the steps I took when editing this photo in Photoshop

Adjusted the levels
Created a duplicate background layer and sharpened it, twice.
Upped that saturation in a layer mask, but decreased it on the skin.
Created two separate contrast layer masks, one for the face and the other for the rest of the photo
Warmed the photo
Adjusted the curves
And finally, cropped it closer to the face

And of course, a couple more edits of the same exact photo done a couple different ways.

Simple Black and White Contrast

Porcelain.

Reduced saturation, channel mixer, and a white texture overlay

Which photo do you like best? As always, I love to hear your feedback!

To see other entries and read all about "Fix it Friday" be sure to visit the I Heart Faces website!

The Importance of Organizing abd Storing your Photos

2010-11-18T07:33:00.002-05:00

I am slightly obsessive about the order of things, which is a good trait when it comes to digital photography. You'll discover that, overtime, the more you take photos the more important it is to be conscious about how and where you store them.

For me, I label my photos by year and by season. That works extremely easy for me. I know that if I am looking for a snowy scene or a fall foliage photo finding it is rather easy. Also, I can look through the years and see how my photography has changed and where my focus stays.

There are other ways to organize photos. Sometimes, throwing a photo into a generic folder of the year it was taken just doesn't work. Usually that happens with the photos I use for my website or utilize a specific photo technique or post processing. All my HDR files are in one folder, Macro in another, and textured processed photos in a third.

But, as you can see, my photos go back for years and eventually all those photos fill up a hard drive. It happens sooner or later, especially with the newer cameras that produce the larger photos. Now photos straight out of the camera can be over 15MB and larger! Not just because photos will clog your hard drive, but also because you don't want to lose your photos when the inevitable blue screen of death infects your computer you need to back up all your photos and files. I don't need to stress the importance of that, do I?

Personally, I back my files up two separate ways, by external hard drive, and by CD. The two ways ensure me that if one fails I still have a fallback method, because I can't imagine where I'd be without my photos. They are irreplaceable and you have to treat them as that way.

Two ideal and easy ways to back up your files are either by an external hard drive or online. If you would like to learn more about either one of these methods follow the links below to a review site that compares various reviews for these products.

External Hard Drive Reviews

Online File Storage Reviews

Now go forth and be organized! Your sanity will thank you later on when you don't have to spend hours looking for what your trying to find or don't have to worry about losing your very important photos!

So, how do you stay organized, or unorganized, when it comes to your photos?

Photo of the Day - Fifty Six

2010-11-16T15:58:00.002-05:00

A simple photo of a few cattails at the edge of the lake after a dusting of morning snow.

It was initially underexposed and boring.

Here is the original.

After some playing around in photoshop and adding a few textures here is the end result.

This is one of the things about post-processing that I love. You can 'salvage' a photo that didn't turn out as planned. Not only does it give you some leeway when it comes to perfecting your camera setting, but also it affords you more creativity when 'developing' your photo! Photography has officially moved from the darkroom to the desktop.

Photo of the Day - Fifty Five

2010-11-14T05:01:00.002-05:00

I adore this photo. It is pretty much straight out of the camera, that's how perfect it was just by the right light, condition, and composition. Sometimes you get lucky like that, not often, but when you do its awesome and boosts your confidence as a photographer.

This photo is of a firefighter on my department. I was busy fighting fire along side him and my other department members most of the time, but paused a moment, grabbed my camera, and caught this moment. He was retreating from the edge of a completely burned and smoldering house with the hose line. The sun was getting low in the sky, illuminating the smoke perfectly through the scraggly, leafless trees. If there was ever a photo that captures the feel of the hard work that is fighting a fire this is it.

I've also added this photo to my Etsy Store if you happen to like it as much as I do!

Inspired Photos of the Day - Veterans Day

2010-11-11T06:21:00.000-05:00

In honor of Veterans day a couple of photos that provoke deep thoughts of patriotism, to me anyway.

"Brothers" Calias, Vermont.

ISO: 500 f/5.6 1/1250 112mm

"Fallen Leaves and Soldier" Pomfret, Vermont

f/4 1/800 ISO: 125 44mm

How to Make Your Photos More Interesting

2010-11-09T02:16:00.003-05:00

There is something very simple you can do to make your photographs more outstanding. In fact, its so simple if you haven't thought of it before you're going to laugh. The trick is, its all about perspective.

Your perspective, as in vantage point of what you are photographing, makes all the difference in whether your photo is dramatic or drab. So, before you snap your shutter make sure walk left, walk right, stoop down, and reach high, all while looking through your lens.

Here is an example of how perspective makes a different in what your photograph:

Two photos of the same barn taken only seconds apart, but at two different angles.

Which one looks more dramatic and of better perspective?

The second one does.

Why is that?

The first photo of the barn is a direct, "head on" shot of the barn. There is no dimension to it since only one side, the broad side of the barn, is visible. On the other hand, for the second photo I stepped about twenty feet to my left. The barn transforms before my lens from 2D to 3D, a more pleasing view that ads dimension and depth.

So, if you want to make your photos more interesting and dramatic all you have to do is remember to move around and change your vantage point. Your camera and your body is very mobile!

NEK Photography on Etsy

2010-11-06T22:35:00.000-04:00

One of the most difficult aspects of being a photographer is figuring out the format to present your photos to the world, particularly over the world wide web. When running a bussiness, whether its a small hobby-type bussiness, or a big company, one needs to find the right way to present the product to the people. In short, I need to figure out how to best present my photos to all of you! That's the part I am continually experimenting with.

So in continuation with my endless experimentation (mostly because I can't afford a fancy-smancy professional website and pay someone to design it exactly as I'd like) I've added another facet to my photography online, an Etsy store!

I know many photographers and crafters a like have been using Etsy to show and sell their work for a long time. Finally, I decided to jump on the band wagon and discovered that the site really fairly simple! One of my hangups about using it was the thought of its added complexity to what I already use, but I dare say, it may be better than my smugmug website when it comes to ease/simplicity.

Please check it out and let me know what you think of the interface. Would you be more likely to purchase something from the new Etsy store? Or my smugmug gallery? I'd be really interested in hearing your input!

Photo of the Day - Fifty Five

2010-11-04T09:43:00.000-04:00

Those aren't flowers... that's frost! (with a little texture added). Coming home from work the other day there was an incredibly hard frost. I stopped to take several photos. To my dismay I forgot to bring my macro lens along with me so I only had my 24-115mm standard lens for my Canon with me. I still hope to capture a good hard frost up close.

Give Thanks and a Photo

2010-11-01T12:53:00.000-04:00

Taken with my macro lens

f/5 1/200 ISO: 200 50mm

A texturized photo of an apple on the tree covered in light snow.

November's photo assignment is "Giving Thanks". Please take some time with your camera to share with all of us the fruits of your life! It will feed your soul.

Fall Photo Assignment

2010-10-31T06:54:00.000-04:00

The two month long September and October Fall/Harvest photo assignment comes to an end today! The entries this month have been amazing. Its going to be quite difficult to choose the winners. Check them out to see for yourself. Tomorrow a new assignment for the month of November will be announced, but a topic has not yet been decided. If you have any suggestions for November's assignment theme please share them!

Until then...

Photo of the Day - Fifty Four

2010-10-27T16:05:00.000-04:00

This is an HDR image of five images of varying exposure merged together.

We were suppose to be house hunting when we stumbled across this location. I came back with my camera and traveled down the railroad tracks off a small back road to capture this photo. The light was perfect and the time of day, late afternoon, couldn't have been better. The foliage is still barely hanging on in that area which made the scene that much more perfect.

Photo of the Day - Fifty Three

2010-10-25T03:32:00.000-04:00

f/8 1/60 ISO 640 41mm

This is a simple point and shoot photo. In fact, I just stopped my car right in the road and snapped the shutter. Its a scene I see every time I drive to work and this was the first time I made the effort to photograph it. I'm not sure why it took me so long.

I love this house. My husband refers to this place as "Nelson Wade's". It used to belong to a man by that name, but he has long since passed on. The name still seems more than fitting enough to stick, though. For some reason I always think that this house looks prettier in the fall after the leaves are gone, the grass has turned brown and dead, and frost and snow flies.

Why the Weather is so Important for Photographers

2010-10-21T14:51:00.003-04:00

The weather governs my camera and it should govern yours too, if you're serious about any sort of photography outdoors. Weather and photography literally go hand and hand. It determines your camera settings, the type of lightning for your shots, and scene you'll be photographing.

The Subject

Weather as a subject means it is the focus of your photo. The reason for snapping the shutter. For example, when I set out to take lightning photos I pay close attention to the weather (obviously) even days in advance. The chance of storms, development, and movement of storms are what governs my success or failure of my photography. Another great example we see this time of year is frost. Frost is a great subject for photography, but doesn't happen every morning. Conditions need to be in the low thirties or colder and there has to be some moisture present to get a good hard frost. Without knowing what causes frost to form or the expected weather conditions you may just sleep through a beautiful, photogenic frosty morning and not even know it!

The Background

When weather is the background it is not necessarily the primary reason you are taking a photo, but it creates the mood or emotion in your photo. Fog or snow is a great example. A fresh coat of snow on the ground creates a pristine and clean feeling in a photo while a swampy morning fog can evoke spookiness and mystery. Taking advantage of each weather condition can change how a scene is perceived and what you are saying in your photo.

Time of Day

What time of day or night it is greatly impacts what type of weather you will see. Frost or steam and mist rising from a lake you'll see in the very early morning. Lightning is best shot at night. Usually thunderstorms are an evening phenomenon. Clear, sunny days can prove challenging for photos because of harsh direct sunlight. When I plan photo shoots I like to lean towards later in the afternoon and hope for partly cloudy skies, or even cloudy skies.

Natural Lightning (Understanding Cloud Cover)

Everyone with a camera knows just how important the right light is in a photo. Knowing how much natural light expected during the day makes the difference in a washed out, over lit scene in bright sunlight, or an evenly exposed landscape under overcast skies. Sunrises and sunsets depend totally on the available light versus cloud cover. No clouds at dawn or dusk can equal a quick and fairly simple sunrise or sunset, but if there are a few scattered low clouds after a passing cold front, or perhaps a sheet of high, thin, translucent clouds capable of reflecting the sunlight back in glorious reds and oranges.

Understanding Forecasts

Its not easy in the least to understand weather forecasts. I happened to have been a meteorology major for a year of college, dated a meteorologist years ago, and have been interested in weather since I was a young child so I'm an exception to the rule when it comes to the general public's knowledge of the weather. However, that being said, if you desire to become good at your photography you must educate yourself on basic forecast understanding and where to find that information. Its not a simple task and it means more than just watching the weather channel. My suggestion is familiarize yourself with the NOAA website. That website is no-BS, as I like to put it. Its not about commercialism, ads, or starry looking meteorologists. Browse around your zipcode area and look at the additional weather information found at the bottom of the page. Another great website is Weather Underground. It blows The Weather Channel out of the water and seems to be far more accurate and detailed for small, rural areas.

So the next time you are tuning out the weatherman stop and think of your camera and the opportunities he is trying to clue you in on! You'll be a better photographer for it.

Photo of the Day - Fifty Two

2010-10-20T13:40:00.000-04:00

Its always fun trying to look at things through a different perspective, like this old Maple. One of the best things about fall are the colors. Photographers, including myself, clamor over themselves to capture to best and most vibrant color of the season. With a flash drive full of colorful and wonderful images I decided to change my perspective and remove the spectacular color.

What do you think?

I kind of like it even more with the stark contrast and simplicity of blacks and whites.

Photo of the Day - Fifty One

2010-10-18T07:38:00.000-04:00

Day

Night

Photo of the Day - Fifty

2010-10-17T00:53:00.001-04:00

Textured photo of a very famous and often photographed shed on the coast in Harpswell Maine. There is just something about the coast of Maine. Everything looks great when textured.

Photo of the Day - Forty Nine

2010-10-11T00:59:00.002-04:00

(you can click the photo to view it larger)

F/22 1/320 ISO800 109mm

This photo is the reason I take my camera with me everywhere. I was on my way from job one to job two early in the morning when I was captivated by the low fog clinging in the valley. Just before I reached work I took a detour down near the river and saw this scene. The fog was rising off the river and shrouding the village in a misty cloak that left only but a few buildings visible. I paused for a moment with my camera and took in the scene before heading off to work. This photo has to be one of my most favorite photos I've ever taken. The fog, the lens flare, the barn cupola barely visible. Its so New England. Its so perfect.

Panorama of the Kingdom

2010-10-06T16:42:00.001-04:00

I wanted to share this photo with you because it is something I painstakingly spent hours creating it. This is an eleven photo panorama of the top of a field filled with cows near our hunting camp. I call it "Panorama of the Kingdom."

If you click on this photo you can view it MUCH larger!

Panorama's are just another facet of photography that I am beginning to experiment with. That's what I love about photography... there is ALWAYS something new to discover and experiment with. I don't think I could ever find an end to this hobby.

How I made this panorama (in Photoshop).

Facing away from the sun (for even exposure in the photos) I stood still and panned my surroundings snapping photos at roughly the same level.
When snapping photos make sure you overlap a little in each photo. This is key when it comes to piecing the images together. You don't want any gaps in your scene!
Load all your images into photoshop.
Create a new, blank image (file-new) that is very large. You'll want the dimensions to be about 2x higher than your individual photo size and as wide as your individual photo multiplied by the number of photos you have (for example... If you have 5 photos and each photo is 4000 pixels wide you'll create the new image 20,000 pixels wide)
Copy and paste each individual photo onto your new blank image you just created. It helps to sort of line them up when you paste them into the big image together. You'll also notice when you past them into the big image that each piece of the panorama is an individual layer. Hint - paste your images in left to right (or right to left) so that your layers will be numbered in the order as they appear. It makes lining things up and editing so much easier!
Go through the painstaking process of lining up every individual photo. You'll probably notice it is virtually impossible to make every aspect line up perfectly. I usually use the horizon as my guide point. The rest can be fixed later.
If you notice an image in the panorama is darker/lighter than the others create a layer mask and adjust that layer individually.
Crop the entire panorama so its nice and rectangular. This is where if some photos are lower/higher than others you just even the edges out. This panorama was at a diagonal looking down a hill, but I just cropped it at an angle to make it appear flat.
For blending and lining up the parts that just don't match there is probably a better way to fix it than this, but what I did was carefully (and painstakingly) use the clone tool to blend the photos together.
Flatten the entire image -- right click on the background layer and select flatten.
Edit the panorama just like any other photo now.
Don't forget... this photo will be HUGE.

Now doesn't that seem like quite a process? I can't wait to try and tackle some more scenes that my camera can't seem to capture in just one single photo. The possibilities are virtually endless. Oh, and my husband is actually in this photo! Did you spot him?

If you'd like to purchase the above panorama send an email to jenhannux(at)hotmail(dot)com

It is available in a large printed/mounted size.

Photo of the Day - Forty Eight

2010-10-05T22:20:00.000-04:00

This is a textured macro photo. Believe it or not this lady-bug posed perfectly still for me as I took it's photo. I placed it on the end of a piece of goldenrod and it did not move. Its wonderful when my subjects are so cooperative!

Photo of the Day - Forty Seven

2010-10-03T09:36:00.000-04:00

There is still beauty to find despite days of rain.

It was pouring as I photographed this. Despite my raincoat and best efforts I was still soaked while taking this and other photos of raindrops and leaves in the giant puddles that had formed in my yard. This one is by far my favorite. So simple and so bold.

Fix-It Friday

2010-10-01T12:37:00.000-04:00

Every once and a while over at "I Heart Faces" they have a Fix-It Friday I adore and must participate in! This week was one of those weeks. The photo for the challenge is a darling little girl who I just want to sit right down and draw with. Here is the straight out of the camera photo...

I only chose to edit this photo one way rather than three or four different ways like I normally do because it was so perfect as it was I didn't need to edit it that much at all. Here is the finished result after a little tweaking.

See? It really is just a couple simple little edits!

Upped the exposure slightly
Adjusted the levels to the left slightly
Changed the color balance so there were less blues and slightly more reds
Dodged the eyes
Burned the shadow and the top part of the photo
Increased the contrast slightly and reduced the brightness a good bit

Be sure to let me know what you think! Is simplicity how you'd like to go with editing this photo?

Be sure to check out other Friday-Fix-Its or try it yourself! Head on Over to "I Heart Faces"

Photo of the Day - Forty Six

2010-09-30T10:53:00.000-04:00

When I think of Vermont this is what I imagine....

I've photographed this cabin before, last year after peak foliage. Honestly I "lost" the photo when I did some editing to it in photoshop where I resized it smaller and accidentally saved over the original. (Don't you hate it when that happens?) So, I made it a priority to make it back to the cabin and take a new photo. I'm glad I did.

Photo of the Day - Forty Five

2010-09-27T02:51:00.000-04:00

I pass this scene every single day. Its actually kind of hidden, but if you are going slow and turn your head just enough you'll be rewarded with this view! The other day I had to turn my car off the main road and venture down in the hollow to take a photo or two. The leaves were almost peak at this point. Just two days later they are in full colorful glory. Unfortunately the rain may hinder the big photography expedition I had been planning since last fall... some years you just can't win. At least if I don't get any other good photos I have this one and a handful of others!

What I Learned on My Second Portrait Session

2010-09-23T03:34:00.005-04:00

I just did another session of senior portraits. Just like the last time it was a lot of fun and went really well, but the two sessions were entirely opposite of one another, especially with one defining variable...the mother.

I've learned there are two kinds of mothers when is comes to taking portraits. Laze-fair mothers and domineering mothers. Neither is right or wrong, but depending on which type you have will dictate how you handle your client and compose the photos.

Laze-fair Mom: (my first portrait session)

Easy to please. Laid back. Watches from afar, if they watch at all. Trusts the photographer's judgements and is open to new ideas, settings, props, and poses. The session goes easy and a great relationship develops between the client, photographer, and mom.

Domineering mom: (my second portrait session)

Has a detailed plan of how things will go ahead of time. Hovers during the shoot. Thinks she knows best... about everything. Often gives directions on how and where to pose the client despite your directions and encouragement. Constantly telling the client to change looks or smile more. Creates an awkward environment for the client where he/she is unable to feel natural and relaxed.

The type of mother involved in the session does not change the outcome of the photographs unless you let it. You just have to tailor your session and options to the specific type of mother. Here are the samples from my last session to prove it...

(You can click the photo to view it larger)
What a beautiful girl. Can you believe she is only seventeen? I can't wait for my next session

Before and After - One

2010-09-19T11:24:00.002-04:00

Sometimes my friends post their photos and I "steal" them to play with in Photoshop. "Hello, my name is Jen, and I am a Photoshop addict." It may not be an exciting hobby, but it keeps me out of trouble...

One of my friends posted a darling photo of her daughter and a couple older girls at daycare as they began a walk down the driveway together (so I was not the one that took this photo). It was such an adorable photo I immediately downloaded it and began tinkering. Here is the original...

Isn't it just darling?! I had so much fun cropping, adjusting, adding textures, and applying actions. The end result is even more smile provoking...

It makes me miss being a little girl.

Photo of the Day - Forty Four

2010-09-16T05:24:00.000-04:00

28mm ISO 320 f/9 16 second exposure using a tripod and shutter release cord

I finally did it. Well, I've gotten lightning photos before, but I never before have gotten them overlooking my home town. Earlier I shared these photos on facebook so some of you have seen this series, but I still am very proud of capturing lightning like this! Moments after snapping this photo the storm was far too close to photograph. Lightning and thunder were right overhead and then I was poured on. As the temperatures begin to grow cold I believe the storm season for 2010 has come to a close, but I am happy with my photographic results. Now bring on the foliage.

Photo of the Day - Forty Three

2010-09-12T21:59:00.001-04:00

The Apple Tree Series

I took a photo of an old apple tree growing along an even older stone wall. The day was overcast and gray with not much contrasting light to work with, but that didn't afford me any less photographic opportunities.

This is the original photo. Straight out of the camera.

Of course I had to play around with it in Photoshop. I absolutely love how you can transform one single photo into countless different ones. Here are the results of my tinkering....

You can click on each photo to view it larger if you'd like!

Color/Contrast Adjusted

"Blue Filter" applied

Select Color

The apples are a slight red in this photo!

(My favorite)

High Contrast Black and White

About Photoshop Actions and Getting them for Free

2010-09-07T13:51:00.000-04:00

If you have never heard of an action then you are missing out! I am going to explain to you not only what they are, but how to use them, and, most importantly, where to get them for free.

What is an "action"?
An action is a preset of a specific task or alteration to your photo that you can easily perform just by clicking play.

Why would I need one?
Actions serve several means. First of all actions can simplify editing numerous photos. Anyone that has edited multiple photos at once knows how tiring it is to tweaking the contrast, exposure, and saturation of every single one. Using an action allows you to edit each photo a desirable way in a few simple clicks. Secondly, actions are great because they allow you to do things you may not necessarily know how to do otherwise in Photoshop. Photoshop is hard to understand as it is and actions are basically a shortcut to figuring out a complex software. You don't just change the appearance of a photo using an action you can change how its presented, such as creating a story board, scrapbook page, or preset logo page. The options are literally limitless.

How do I use them?
It is easy to load an action, don't let Photoshop fool you. (The instructions to follow are for Photoshop not PS Elements. Sorry, I'm not familiar with the software.)

To Load an Action:

Download the action set. You may need to unzip the file.
Open your computer program files. You'll want to locate the "Actions" folder in your Adobe Photoshop program files. The path on my computer is Adobe > Adobe Photoshop > Presets > Actions.
Place the Action file (.atn file extension name) directly into the action folder. You may need administrator permission to do this.
Open photoshop.
Open the "Windows" Menu and then select "Actions". A tab will pop up.
In the top right of the tab click on the little tiny downward facing arrow and select "Load Actions"
Choose which action you would like to load. You'll now see your action in the list!

To Play an Action:

In the Actions tab select the action you'd like to apply to your photo
Press the play button (sideways triangle) at the bottom of the Actions tab.
Follow the instructions, if there are any with your specific action, and just let the action work it's magic!

Ok, so where can I get Photoshop Actions for Free?!

There are several actions that I have grown to love. Check them out.

MCP Actions (some are free)

Coffee Shop Actions (Does have PSE actions too!)

The Pioneer Woman's Free Actions (She does have PSE actions too!)

Photo of the Day - Forty Two

2010-09-06T12:58:00.000-04:00

This is an old building that looks very out of place in a commercialized part of Williston. Its a beautiful building that is virtually fallen down beyond repair. Its such a shame... I'd much rather see buildings like these than the Best Buy's and Dick Sporting Goods that are just around the corner. This photo was taken as I sat at a stop light next to the building.

Photo of the Day - Forty Two

2010-09-04T05:04:00.001-04:00

An HDR image of a golf course in Bradford, Vermont. Heavy valley fog was lifting and a hazy sunrise on an unseasonably hot morning created a weird glow across the golf course. If I didn't have to be to work I would have stayed and taken countless more photos.... 'tis life.

Photo of the Day - Forty One

2010-08-30T01:29:00.000-04:00

I will always stop or take a detour on the way to work to capture a spectacular sunset....

This is an HDR photo using 5 exposures.

Cropping to Change Perspective

2010-08-25T15:55:00.003-04:00

When you take a photo you inevitably thing "What do I want in it?" and then frame your photo accordingly. But sometimes there are instances when you can change the entire aspect and subject of a photo just by cropping.

This photo, while pretty, is fairly boring and utilizes poor photo technique. There is no real subject. Your eye has a difficult time being drawn to either one flower or the other. While it makes a cool background and is aestetically pleasing there is a way to make this photo better. Crop it.

This is a cropped image from the first one. I zeroed in on one of the flowers and cropped it closer, giving the photo a clear subject. This photo was brought from good to better.

So how do you go about choosing exactly where and what to crop in a photo?

As in... why did I choose this flower versus the other and compose it how I did?

Look for a subject. I had an obvious choice of one of the two flowers with this example. The one I choose had to do little with how the flower looks, but with what was around the flower. The lily pads surrounding the first flower are clumped together with little water appearing between them making for a less dynamic background than around the flower I chose.
Utilize the rule of thirds. Divide the photo in thirds vertically and horizontally. Place the subject at one of points where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect.

Still confused about the Rule of Thirds? More on that in another post...
Look for leading lines (such as the water pointing towards the flower between the lily pads above) that help draw your eye to the subject in the photo.

Try both a horizontal and vertical crop. Note that my flower is wider than it is tall and so are the lily pads, because of that a horizontal crop is a better choice.

Don't rely on cropping to "fix a photo" where you did not have a long enough zoom! If your photo is very large you can get away with it a little bit, but remember, the more you crop the smaller your photo dimensions will be.

Don't forget, when you crop a photo it may lose some of its quality. There is a way in Photoshop to remedy this problem... Before you crop the photo go to the image menu, select image size, and in the box for resolution you'll see "pixels per inch". Usually its 72 pixels per inch as a standard setting. You'll want to adjust the resolution higher, as in more pixels per inch. The higher the number you choose the larger the file size will be. Once you change the resolution then you can crop and not worry about quality loss!

Photo of the Day - Forty

2010-08-22T20:31:00.001-04:00

This photo represents how I feel about the season that is almost upon us. I walked through our woods, collecting every reddish leaf I could find, and made this heart in a bed of pine needles. The leaves are starting to change, already, and I am excited. Autumn is my favorite time of year and I am hoping to spend as much time as I can, even if its driving to and from work, with my camera. Hopefully I will have lots of photos to share...

Things I Learned During my First Portrait Session

2010-08-19T16:41:00.000-04:00

So, with any time I take my camera out I try and learn something and there was a lot of learning that took place since this was my first time photographing something that can smile back at me! Here's a couple things I picked up yesterday...

Teenagers aren't as difficult as I once thought. Actually, I think senior photos may be my favorite think to shoot. Then again.. I haven't done anything else (yet)
Make sure you wear the proper footwear. I am perpetually wearing the wrong shoes in the wrong places. Flip-flops are not ideal for old abandoned buildings.
Scouting the place you where you are shooting ahead of time is very important! I went back three times to where the shoot was going to be held to make note of the light during different times of day and know the lay of the area. What a good decision that was!
High contrast lightning can be pretty difficult to photograph, but taking advantage of unusual natural spot lightning can create a really cool effect.
I can take an HDR of a person, too, not just inanimate objects.
Somehow I can be creative and snap shots that look professional and not overly posed, but I dare not say its "instinctual"... how can you if you've only done it once anyway?
Slow shutter speeds are not friendly at all. (duh...)
I need to multiple photographs of the same exact pose/scene so that I'll get at least one where the person is not blinking. There were a couple really good photos I couldn't use because of this!
It is possible to quickly adjust manual settings on my camera and tailor it to the scene without screwing it up. My entire shoot was done with manual settings I selected rather than choose any auto or semi-auto setting on my camera.
Looking at other people's work in advance is really helpful. Not just to use ideas from what they do, but to also figure out what not to do, too!

It is incredibly fun to tackle something new, despite the nerves, and looking back at the list it looks like I learned a lot through taking these photos. That's the important thing about becoming and being a good photographer... never stop learning. never stop trying something new. never be afraid of what you can accomplish!

I can't wait for what comes next and am so happy those of you who have supported me from when my camera was just a small hobby to where I am now. If you are in/around Vermont let me know. I would love to do this again soon!

Photo of the Day - Thirty Nine (Double Feature)

2010-08-18T07:23:00.001-04:00

Original.

A purple flower from my front yard.

It had just rained and big drops still pooled on the petals.

Texturized and softened

I lightened, added a texture, and painted a floral border.
Giving new looks to "ordinary" photos is becoming my new hobby

I decided to share both images today

Because everyone's tastes are different

I still can't decide which one I like better....

Photo of the Day - Thirty Eight

2010-08-16T17:10:00.003-04:00

Shawn laughed at me when I put this flower into our grocery cart. Yes, I bought a sunflower at the grocery store. He doesn't understand my reasoning. Maybe he will after he sees this photo. Sometimes, inspiration takes a little planning. I also don't have the time to plant and maintain fresh flowers. Next year, I always say I will attempt to grow flowers next year.

Are you a fan of my photography on face book?
If not, you may want to be! I've got a special offer there for my friends/fans!

Reminder... August Photo Assignment - "Sunshine"

2010-08-14T22:06:00.000-04:00

Have you forgotten about August's Photo assignment?! I hope not!

This month's photo assignment over at my "Cabin Fever" blog has had some incredible entries already. Have you seen them? Better yet, have you added your photo to the assignment? Out of the selections made and displayed on the assignment page one photo will be chosen and the photographer receive a $100 B&H gift card. There will also be a runner-up prize for one other selected photo!

For complete details and to enter your photos check out the assignment page!

Be sure to comment on which photo(s) you particularly like. They help me narrow down the selections and pick a winner at the end of the month.

If you need some help or instruction with shooting into the sun be sure to check this entry out.

Before you know it September will be here and so will a new photo assignment. So if you have any ideas be sure to shout them out! I'm always looking for new topics. If you'd like to sponsor an assignment I will feature your business/product all month long!

Photo of the Day - Thirty Seven

2010-08-13T00:31:00.001-04:00

More of the Chincoteague ponies on Assateague Island.

A mare and her foal.

I am having fun playing around with different textures and these photographs!

Photo of the Day - Thirty Six

2010-08-11T23:11:00.000-04:00

Wild Ponies on Assateague Island. One has a passenger resting on his (her?) back. This photo was given a warm glow and a soft blur because in reality the sun was incredibly harsh and bright and temperatures were approaching 100 degrees.

How to Take Photos of Lightning

2010-08-08T08:41:00.000-04:00

It took me a very long time to be successful at even capturing a single lightning strike, but with a lot of patience and a little bit of knowledge you can capture some of the most incredible sights that nature affords us. Lightning can be captured both during the day and at night. I will discuss how to do it in both lighting conditions. What is most important to know about photographing lightning is that it is dangerous under any circumstance. Follow all possible safety precautions.

Lightning at Night

This is obviously the easier time to photograph lightning. Darkness allows you to capture the entire strike and as well as in cloud lightning that illuminates the storm. Its also the safer time to photograph lightning because you can be further away while still being able to see strikes both in the cloud and from the cloud to the ground.

Get AHEAD of the storm. The best lightning is viewed from in front of the storm before it begins raining. You can't shoot lightning in the rain.
Find a large open spot with a clear view of the storm. Ponds/bodies of water are exceptionally great for this.
Use a tripod and a shutter release cable/remote. You must be able to keep your camera perfectly still for a very long period of time.
Manually focus your camera. Auto focus will not work in the dark! To ensure your lightning is in focus either use a far off point of light near where the lightning is that you can clearly see and focus it in or simply set your lens to infinity (where the total field of vision is in focus).
Put your camera in manual mode.
Set your ISO setting for as low as possible. You don't want noise in your photo!
Set your shutter speed for a very long time. Consider even using the bulb setting! Finding a shutter speed that works is difficult and depends on the amount of ambient light in your scene. You may have to do some trial and error to get it correct.
I haven't found a preference for aperture at night yet.... But I am leaning towards a moderate to higher setting so if the landscape lights up it is also more in focus with the lightning.
Keep track of the storm! Don't let it sneak up on you. Know where it is going and what to expect from it.
Don't risk your safety!

Lightning During the Day

It is much trickier to try and capture lightning during the day! Not only do you have to be close to a storm because its much more difficult to see lightning, but you can't leave you shutter open for more than a fraction of a second! Lightning photos during a daytime storm are all about fast reactions.

Get AHEAD of the storm, but out of the rain. You will have to be closer to visual the lightning, usually uncomfortably close... within a couple of miles or less. To get this close and not get rained on you may have to find cover.
Use a tripod and a shutter release cable/remote. Even though you won't be using the extremely long shutter speeds you would at night the shutter will be long enough to require a tripod.
Manually focus your camera on the point where you are intending to shoot. This is easily done because its light outside and you can easily see everything.
Put your camera in manual mode.
Make your ISO setting as low as possible. This will allow for the longest possible shutter speeds and increase your likelihood of catching a lightning bolt.
Increase your aperture setting so its as high as possible. This will not only allow for the entire landscape to be in focus, but also for the longest shutter speeds possible without over exposing your photo.
Set your shutter speed for as long as possible where the image won't be over exposed.
Take a couple of test photos to make sure the exposure is desirable.
This is the most important part... Hold the shutter release cable/remote in your hand and have the button ready.
Push the shutter button on your cable/remote as soon as you see lightning. You need quick reflexes for this! Or you could continually take photos, but at 1/10th of a second it won't take long to fill up your memory card.
Again... DON'T RISK YOUR SAFETY!

Don't be discouraged if you are unsuccessful the first several times you try this technique. It is not an easy one, but a very intense and fulfilling one once you achieve it! If you have the ability to track a storm on a mobile device I suggest doing so. I use a radar application on my iPhone that pinpoints my location and shows me continuous up to the minute radar so I constantly know not only where I am, but what the storm is doing.

Best of Luck for a safe and happy storm shooting!

If you are successful in capturing a lightning shot please share the link below! And if you have any other questions on how I take lightning photos or what else you could/should do when trying to photograph lightning please don't hesitate to ask.

Photo fo the Day - Thirty Five

2010-08-06T08:12:00.000-04:00

I never ever get tired of this view, especially when there is a storm cloud like this one in the sky. Standing here always makes my heart swell, looking at my town so pretty and nestled below the Green Mountains. Someday I will catch a lightning strike from this vantage point, but this day was not the day.

Speaking of lightning...

If you've been waiting for that post I promised about how to photograph it you'll be happy to know it'll be up this weekend! Be sure to check it out if you'd like to know how to go about photographing lighting either during the night or day.

Photo of the Day - Thirty Four

2010-08-04T12:09:00.001-04:00

'55 Ford

HDR photograph.

I took over 300 photographs at a local car show we competed in with our mustang. There were so many impressive automotive accomplishments that I couldn't help using up so much space on my memory. This truck was one of my favorites and the way the photograph came out reminds me of those old calendars my grandfather used to have in his garage. This truck was red, beyond red, and shinier than I ever thought it was possible to get a clear coat of paint to shine. It placed a well deserved first in its class.

...there will be more photos from this day to follow!

Shooting Into the Sun

2010-08-01T07:56:00.000-04:00

The sun is an amazing tool in photography, but it can be a tricky tool to use especially when you camera is facing it. Discussed below are some techniques you can use to capture wonderful scenes with the sun not only illuminating, but also in it!

Safety First

First and foremost keep safety in mind when photographing the sun. Looking through a camera lens provides no protection from the sun's rays. Be sure to wear proper eye protection and take frequent breaks. Remember, looking directly into the sun can cause damage to your eyes.

You Camera Settings

When photographing sunlight make sure your ISO is set to the lowest setting possible for the lightning conditions, which may be the lowest setting on your camera. Adjust your aperture according to your scene. The shutter speed will need to be adjusted according to how much you would like to expose your photograph. Faster (larger number) for an underexposure or focus on the sun/sky and slower (smaller number) for an over exposure or focus on the foreground.

What is Metering and How to Do It

This is a big topic and I am only going to touch on it briefly. Metering refers to adjusting the camera's exposure of your image. On your SLR you can see the metering bar telling you how under/over exposed the scene through your lens is according to your camera settings.

Unless you are in Manual mode you won't see the exposure meter change with your camera settings. In all the other camera modes your SLR will adjust the exposure meter automatically according to the aperture and shutter speed.

The Golden Hour(s)

The absolute best time to photograph the sun, and my favorite times to photograph in general, is roughly an hour or two before sunset and after sunrise. That time of day is called the Golden Hour, not only because it is the best time, but also because that is when the Earth is illuminated with the golden, longer wavelengths of sunshine. The light is less intense to the naked eye, shadows are less harsh, and its much more photogenic in general. If you are going to take photos at any point during the day try and include the golden hour in your time frame.

How to take Silhouettes

A silhouette is the foreground very underexposed, so underexposed that all details are lost and the subjects appear black against the sky. Often times a camera's automatic settings will generate silhouettes as camera's tend to meter towards the brightest objects. If you are using manual mode you will want your scene over exposed or at a level exposure, depending on how bright and direct the sun is, to create a silhouette. You do not have to have the sun directly in your image to create a silhouette, but the subject does have to be back lit (meaning the light is behind it).

Taking advantage of the Foreground.

One of my favorite techniques when photographing the sun is to utilize objects in the foreground to slightly block the sun. The object could be anything, such as a cloud or tree branches. This technique often produces a great back lit image, tones down the intensity of the sun, and reduces unwanted sun flares from direct sunlight. A similar technique is having the sun just barely out of the photograph rather than in it, but doing that you are more likely to have sun flares (those round reddish/orange circles) appear in your image.

Exposing the Foreground

If you want to expose the foreground you are essential taking the opposite of the silhouette and metering based on the ground rather than the brightness of the sky. You will want to have more light in your photograph so that the foreground is illuminated, meaning a longer shutter time. This requires a fine balance of lighting and an understanding that you may have to sacrifice details in the sky to expose darkened areas of the foreground. Often times the sky will end up very over exposed and washed out. Without doing an HDR image you cannot have a totally exposed image in direct light and have both the sky and foreground in true contrast.

Sometimes it can be very frustrating seeing a beautiful scene with the sun right in front of you and wondering why you can't quite capture it with your camera! Remember to experiment with your settings, not just shutter speeds and aperture, but your exposure and placement of the sun. There are countless ways to include sunlight in your photo and you'll find a way that works for you and your scene!

If you have any other questions or are stumped by my explanations please don't hesitate to ask me to help you or to clarify something. I'd be happy to!

Photo of the Day - Thirty Three

2010-07-29T12:02:00.000-04:00

ISO: 160 f/9 1/500 135mm

Straight out of the camera.

The sunset was gorgeous. I barely noticed the kayaker at first, but when I did I took advantage of the split second chance he was in the reflection of the sun. This reminds me of that scene at the beginning of the movie The Notebook for some reason. As gorgeous as the sight was from my vantage point I was envious of this person's view.

Photo of the Day - Thirty Two

2010-07-27T09:18:00.000-04:00

A little green frog I found in my yard. I put him on a rock and he posed there for me to take a couple of close up shots with my macro lens. My favorite part are the eyes with their bright golden colors.. The green just makes them stand out even more I also added a texture from Shadow House Creations with a dark light blend to give the photo more of a "kermit green" look.