Another day in the life.

As my photography dry spell continues and my pursuits to secure an extra employment chugs along, there is no lack of excitement in our family.  Welcome to my UFC/Super Bowl weekend chaos.  Yes that is right folks not only is this Super Bowl weekend but it also brings with it another UFC fight.  I don't mind either one separately but with them both being this weekend I get to clean house today and turn around and clean up in the morning and make food for round 2 tomorrow evening.  All the while my husband with whom has invited all the people over sits down in his man cave playing Black Opps.  I somehow think I have gotten the shaft in this.  I am definitely feeling some retail therapy coming on. 

So as promised I am giving an update on my writing adventure.  I applied for a slot at www.suit101.com which is the first official time I have applied for any kind of writing gig.  Well let's just say it didn't take them long to tell me I was not good enough to write for them.  Now this didn't really surprise me too much but I thought it would at least take them a little while longer to tell me I suck.  So I will be continuing my efforts elsewhere for the time being and come back to them later when I have a little more experience and have refined those writing skills a tad. 

So that is my update for today I have to get back to cleaning so my husband can have his play dates.

Have a great weekend.

A day in the life

So it has been a while since my last blog and as we all have found out my teaching skills are far less than what I had envisioned.  Not that I don't know the content I do, but putting the mis mash from my brain down into something that resembles readable material is something else.  I would ramble and run on to the point I would lose you 5 lines in.  Yet the fact that I want to write and share thoughts has been continually plaguing me.  So in my attempts to supplement my families income where my photography has fallen short I have done 2 things. 1. Learn some marketing skills for my photography business. 2. Develop my writing skills as a freelance writer.

 I have done extensive research in both of these areas and am finding motivation to get up and get going in the morning more than I have in months.  The thrill of thinking that I could actually write and get paid for it is let's just say pretty awesome and learning to market myself as a experienced photographer just gives me little goose bumps.  I am still wondering outside of photography am I really worth reading and I think the answer is yes I have a lot of life skills to my name and I have been involved in many sales and marketing ventures.  Why wouldn't I have something to say on any number of these topics not to mention I do have 14 years of motherhood and 16 years as an adult babysitter (my husband of course).  So my venture into the world of freelance writing has begun and I am finding that there are a lot more places out there to find gigs than I had originally anticipated.  Not to mention there is an endless supply of web based information on being a great freelance writer as well as marketing knowledge for my business.  As always I will keep you updated on my newest ventures and any pertinent content for those who are like me and really desire to eventually get out of the rat race of life.

Have a happy day.

Beginning Digital Photography Lesson

I am not posting a lesson this week as I am still putting it together I do not want to put up a so-so lesson.  So keep studying the first 3 lessons and lesson 4 In A Flash: Using Flash in Your Photos will go up next Mon.
I didn't want to skip a week but, this weekend was super busy for me and for this first class I am still putting the lessons together as I go so be patient with me and return next Mon for lesson 4 In A Flash.

Have a Happy Week

Beginning Digital Photography Lesson 3 Framing it Up

Learning about composition.
One of the decisions that the photographer needs to make is where to stand and which way to point the camera.  Some guides that are used in helping the photographer determine this are as follows.
*Rule of Thirds
*Using Diagonals
*Circles
*Frames Within Frames
*Influencing a Composition

*Rule of Thirds:
A simple device for getting the balance of a composition right is to use the rule of thirds.  This breaks the frame up into a grid of 9 equal rectangles.  Key points of the shot are placed at one or more of the intersections, while key horizontal or vertical lines relate to the grid lines.

 

*Using Diagonals:

Diagonal lines generally work well to draw the eye of an image's viewer through the photograph.  They create points of interest as they intersect with other lines and often give images depth by suggesting perspective.  They can also add a sense of action to an image and add a dynamic look and feel.

Taken by Basic and Beyond Photography

*Circles:

Triangles and diagonal lines are known for their ability to create drama and tension within the frame.  Circles and curved lines tend to do the opposite, often creating harmony within a picture.  If you incorporate a dominant round shape within a photo, you will find not only that it attracts immediate attention but also that it is hard for the eye to draw away from it.

 Taken by Basic and Beyond Photography

*Frames Within Frames:

The most popular way of achieving this is to use a natural frame that is present in the scene, and shoot through this.  Archways, columns, trees, door frames, and window frames are commonly used in this way, providing an artistic means of limiting the useful image area of the shot.  Once you have started looking, you will find that these natural frames occur everywhere.

Frames within frames also serve other purposes.  For instance, the technique can be a way of hiding distracting details in the foreground.  It is also a way to help create a feeling of depth in photos, because frames add another layer to the image.

From scrapjazz.com

*Influencing Composition:

Great photos are often made rather than found.  Instead of photographing a scene as it is, the photographer usually moves around to find the best angle, often encouraging subjects to move to a good composition.  Inanimate objects can be moved or moved around until the desired composition is reached.  Just remember to be flexible.  As you arrange your shots you may need to adapt to your subject and/or your surroundings.  Incorporating props and taking suggestions and ideas from your subject/s.

Taken by Basic and Beyond Photography

Assignment:

Choose one of the 5 composition guides, using its description capture a photo that represents it best.

Please label the photo with the guide that you have chosen to use.

Assignment due Sun Oct. 17 6pm central.

Til next time happy shooting.

Another Day in the Life Oct 8 2010

So lets update from yesterday, today the contractor we'll call him Mr. M comes out to the house checks out the outlets hanging out of their boxes and the light switches in my dead bathroom.  Everything looks to be in tip top shape so he crawls under the house to check out the junction box under the bathroom.  Still everything looking to be in tip top shape.  But wait I remember we put this bathroom on its own circuit and we had to pull that from the breaker box in the basement did you check that one.  WTH do I look like a psychic I never in a million years would have guessed that the bathroom would have been wired into the basement box.  SO head to the basement well what do you know there is a tripped breaker.  Flip the switch we should be in business now lug my hobbling butt back up the stairs, REALLY still the GFCI outlet is tripped.  Get the little red box out to make sure there is juice to the bathroom yup sure is.  OK so now WTH start taking outlets apart til Mr. M says you know I think this outlet goes to an outside outlet.  Head outside sure enough that outlet feeds and outside outlet that is obviously no longer functioning properly.  So Mr. M says do you want the outside outlet still working or do you want me to bypass it for now.  Ok by this time I have been up and down the stairs too many times, I have had to use one of the other bathrooms in my house for 2 days, and I just want the power back to my bathroom.  Just bypass the damn thing and please give me my bathroom back.  So after 2 very long be it interesting hours and a very important discovery I now have back the use of my bathroom.  All the switches work, the outlets have juice, my lights and exhaust fan are working properly, and I am a happy momma.  Thank you Mr. M for fixing my electrical malfunction and not breaking my bank in the process.  Now I can't wait til it gets cold to find out what it is like to have an extra built in heater in the bathroom to keep it nice and toasty.
Remember Monday brings  lesson 3 of The Beginning Digital Photography Class and it will be all about composition. Have a great weekend.

Another Day in the Life Oct 7 2010

So yesterday was both a good day and a bad day.  Let me take you back to around 8:30 am mind you at this time I was still in a cast hobbling around the house on my wheeley walker.  So I take the tedious measures that it takes to get myself into the shower.  Finally get done with my shower still a good day I get my cast off.  Now I am onto the other tedious task of blow drying and flat ironing my hair this is when my day took a dramatic turn.  As I am blow drying my hair my head hung upside down for better lift it happens.  The whole bathroom goes dark the blow dryer is stopped and here I am head upside down hair not dry and I have no power in my bathroom.  Ok no biggie I will just go flip the breaker and be back in business. Ha ha ha I find that this is not my problem.  So back to the bathroom to reset the GFCI outlet WTF it won't reset and my bathroom is in total darkness.  OK so I gotta finish getting ready blow dryer still too hot won't come back on so I proceed to go ahead and flat iron my hair. WTF again the outlet in the boys bathroom not working either really is this karma trying to tell me something.  So just outside the boys bathroom I finally find an outlet that is working properly but now I have to use only the corner of the mirror while using flat iron.  So by this time I am sweaty my hair is still frizzy and now I have to try to put my make up on over my sweat and try to get the rest of the frizz out of my hair so I can get out of the house by 9:50 to make my appt to get my cast removed.  So I finish and proceed with the rest of my day.
Skip forward to 4:00pm hubby calls to ask if I need anything on the way home and I tell him no but proceed to tell him about my tragedy with the bathroom.  Ok he says in his I can't believe this is happening I don't want to deal with this tonight voice.  I tell him I already got a new outlet all he has to do is come home and change it should be good to go right??????????? Yeah right.......  Outlet changed breaker flipped back on and nothing not a single glimmer of hope that a light or outlet is working in the bathroom.  So he proceed to take the covers and remove each and every outlet in our bathroom and still no sign of a reason why we have no power in our bathroom no shorted wires no evidence what so ever.  So I call contractor who did the remodel on the bathroom no answer left message and went to league so could do my secretary thing.  (still no bowling for me for another 2 weeks) Contractor calls back today says should not take him too long to locate the problem but cannot get out here til tomorrow morning so have to use one of the other bathrooms while ours is Out Of Service.  This would not otherwise be so bad but my boys are disgusting little creatures and their bathroom smells like a boys locker room.  UGH Good thing there is option number 2 available cause man o man you need a clothes pin to go in the other one. 
So what have I learned in the past 36 hours that simply blow drying your hair can sometimes be anything but simple. 

Beginning Digital Photography Lesson 2 Learning about Light

Copyright Basic and Beyond Photography 2010

Today we will learn about light and what that means to a photographer. 
Light is the primary working tool of the photographer.  Light is the visible portion of the electro-magnetic spectrum.  The spectrum starts from red, the weakest of rays, all the way to violet which is the strongest of rays.
Light rays from the sun are considered white and they contain all the colors of the spectrum.  Black is the absence of any color.  When we place a prism in front of a white ray, the prism will diffract (separate) that light into all the colors of the spectrum.

About Light Rays
We have different labels for describing the rays we see.  Here are a few basic ones:
Transmitted Rays
 When you look at a stop light the top light is red, the middle is yellow, and the bottom light is green.  That light is transmitted by putting a light source behind a colored film
Direct Rays
When you look directly into the sun, a camera's flash unit, or a flashlight you are looking at direct light. The light you see is coming directly from the source.
Reflected Rays
When you look at anything, you can see that object because direct light is shining on it and being reflected back into your eyes.
Ambient Light 
Think of ambient light as stray light- light rays that are being bounced around from all sorts of sources.  If direct or reflected light on the subject is stronger your subject will appear clearer and less hazy.
Available Light
Available light simply means whatever light is present when not using a flash or other sources of light.

Now that you have learned the more technical side of light let's look at how it impacts you as a photographer and how you can use it to your advantage.
There are 2 types of light:

Natural/Available- This only comes from one source the sun.  Now this can be bounced, reflected, direct, transmitted, or ambient.  But, it still comes from only one place.  The SUN.

Artificial- This comes from any source other than the sun.  This can come from pop-up flash, speedlight, studio lights (strobes), street lights, or lights around your home (exp. lamps, Christmas lights, candles, flashlights, etc.)

Today's focus will be on using Natural/Available light.  This can be both the easiest and the toughest things a photographer has to do.  The reason being is you cannot control natural light you are at it's mercy.  You cannot move it or make it dimmer so you have to know how to use it to your advantage and find ways to harness it when there is not enough of it.  Let's talk about one of the most important settings on a camera.

ISO- International Standards Organization; A number rating indicating the relative sensitivity to light of an image sensor or photographic film.  Faster film (higher ISO) is more sensitive to light and requires less exposure than slower film. 
But as the number goes higher so does your risk for noise (misinterpreted pixels in an image) in the photo.  What you have to do is find the ISO that fits your needs without losing the quality of the photo.

So how do you harness and use available light to your advantage.  Well the easiest thing to do is to simply go outside.  All the light you could ever need is at your finger tips but wait, now the light is way to bright what to do now.  Find some trees shade is the best spot on a sunny day to take photos.  Oh no not enough light in the shade this is where you need an accessory and this accessory does not have to be expensive either.  You need a reflector so you can reflect some of that available light back up into your subject.  What is a reflector?  A reflector can be anything you want to use that will reflect light.  The cheapest and best example would be a white poster board it makes one of the best reflector and costs less than a dollar for a nice sized sheet. 
Working outside on a cloudy day is another great way to take advantage of available light you don't have the sun causing nasty shadows or bright spots in your photos and your subject can relax and have fun.  Want to take some photos indoors this is a bit trickier but can be done.  This is where you might have to start playing with some of those manual settings on your camera if you have them but even if you don't turn your flash off and force that camera to take the photo.  This may cause your camera to use a slower shutter speed in this case you would need a tripod so you don't have camera shake and end up with a blurry photo.  If you know that light comes pouring into that room at a certain time everyday that is the time of day you want to take photos indoors in that room it will provide you with the best results. Also remember your new friend the reflector you will get more light into the scene if you use it.

Now that we have talked about how to use available light let's talk about the direction of the light.  Why would you need to know what direction the light is coming from?  Well so you can use it even better to your advantage.  If the light is in your subjects face they are going to squint and distort their face and not look good.  Hence a bad photo.  If the light is behind the subject you probably just shot a very nice silhouette instead of a detailed photo.  If the sun is harsh to one side or the other of your subject you are likely to lose half of the face in a shadow.  These are very important things and all relate to what direction the light is coming from.

So what is the best time to take photos outside then?????????

The Golden Hour of course.
The Golden hour is a term that refers to the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset.  These have been deemed the best times to shoot photos outdoors. You still have enough light to net you great photos but you don't have the sun casting harsh shadows and distorting your subject. 

Now I like any other photographer will tell you rules are there for guidelines and in the world of photography where artistic interpretation is key rules are made to be broken.  Get out there and experiment use the rules and tips that you have received as guides on your journey.  Find what works for you and never stop learning.

This weeks assignment:
Photos using available light
Turn in 2 photos taken this week that you have used only available light in.
1 outside
1 indoors
If your out side shot has a person in it try to make sure you are mindful of shadows and hot spots on your subjects face.
The indoor photo should be in focus and well lit.
Assignment Due Sun Oct 10 at 6:00 pm central