Photos by Bridget

Scrapbooking with layout a day

Bridget — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:53:46 +0000

Scrapbooking and photography go hand in hand. When you take a lot of photos you want to be able to show them and enjoy them and scrapbooking is the best way to give your photos and your story the attention they deserve. I have never been that involved in the scrapbook world and have just kind of done my own thing, but then I had the pleasure of meeting Lain Ehmann of Layout a Day.

She is such an honest and fun person so I thought I would try my 1st LOAD challenge that she hosts. Basically the point is to create 1 scrapbook page a day for a month using prompts that you receive. I am not a very dedicated scrapper (I do a bit now and then) so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do this or not, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how much easier I found it, I did miss a few days (life just gets in the way sometimes) but I completed a lot of pages I am very happy with.

Here are a few of my favs

I also realized I enjoy making digital scrapbook pages even more than paper sometimes, I think I am more creative using the computer plus I have the availability of more embellishments then I have in the paper world.

I really enjoy the LOAD challenge and the community, I have already signed up for the next LOAD coming up in May, spots are limited so if you are interested in joining me in the fun sign up now.

I look forward to hearing how you enjoy your LOAD experience

Bridget

How do you define happiness?

Bridget — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 23:37:20 +0000

This weeks iheart faces photo challenge was Happiness and as I was looking at photos I was thinking about what Happiness meant to me. I have a lot of cute photos of the grandkids with big smiles on their faces but this is the one that felt like Happiness to me. This is my grandson with his new sister and he was so happy and excited when she was born. Normally he looks at the camera and cheeses but he was so infatuated with his sister that he didn’t even look up when I took the picture.

What says Happiness to you?

Bridget

Taking better nature photos

Bridget — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:37:54 +0000

Nature is my 2nd favorite subject (after cute kids) and I live in the country so I am surrounded by nature’s beauty but I love going on nature walks in other places. I recently went to Burgess Falls and took some nature photos. If you are going on a photo walk I recommend going by yourself or with other photographers because in order to take good photos you need to walk slowly and look around and notice things and as fun as kids are they tend to be a bit of a distraction (unless of course you want to take photos of the kids in nature but that is another subject)
It is usually recommended that you take your tripod with you when you go out and take nature photos but I don’t like to hike with a lot of gear so I usually just take my camera and my favorite everyday lens (don’t forget your water).

Burgess Falls is a state park here in Tn. that is famous for its waterfalls so of course I took lots of photos of them. The light was really bright that day so I didn’t use a slower shutter speed to capture the water (the longer the shutter is open the more light on the image) When taking waterfall photos try different angles and do close ups and distance shots. Look for interesting light and sparkle on the water.

Here are a few of the waterfall images I took, the 1st image is just a standard distance shot of the waterfall and the 2nd image is a close up of the light and the rainbow at the edge of the water.

When you are at a place like Burgess Falls it is easy to think that the waterfall is the most important thing to take a photo of but so does everyone else so look around you for other interesting things to photograph.

These are a few other shots I took, I noticed some unique photo subjects just by looking around me and taking my time. In the 1st shot I turned around and looked at the area opposite the waterfall, it was a very sunny day and windy which was causing a lot of water mist. The 2nd image is a little stream waterfall along the path to the big waterfall and most people missed it in their rush to get to the big falls.

Here are a few more, this 1st one is from the stream at the top of the waterfall. The 2nd one isn’t nature but I liked the way it looked, it is a beam left from an old bridge hanging over the water.

The secret to taking better nature photos is to take your time and learn how to look around you.

Get outside and enjoy nature.

Bridget

Black and White Photography

Bridget — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:42:38 +0000

Black and White Photography gives your photos a classic look. I normally love color photos but I am trying to experiment more with Black and White images. Digital photography has allowed us to be able to enjoy both types without having to choose to shot in just one or the other. You can take your photos in color and then convert them to Black and White with software.

This weeks iHeart Faces photo challenge is about beautiful Black and White. I took this picture of my granddaughter in her mother’s wedding dress and even though I loved it in color (she has beautiful green eyes), I knew this image would look very classic in Black and White.

Bridget

p.s. I use photoshop elements
to convert my images to Black and White

Completed 365 photo project

Bridget — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:00:05 +0000

I have finally reached the end of my 365 photo project. It has been a very long project but I have learned a lot. I realized I am not a very creative person and I have a hard time taking photos if I don’t know what to take or am not in the mood, there is also not a lot of variety in the type of images I take. I am not very disciplined, out of 365 days I only have 256 images, but sometimes life just gets in the way and at least I finished and didn’t quit when I missed days. All in all it was a great project and it really forces you to think of getting out your camera and trying to see the world around you more.

Check out my 365 photos . I would love to hear your comments

Bridget

How to use pinterest

Bridget — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:13:05 +0000

I am sure by now most of you have heard of Pinterest. For those of you who haven’t, Pinterest is a site where you Pin your Interests. This description is from the Pinterest site “Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes”

I have been having loads of fun on Pinterest and it is a great place to find photo inspiration, as well as great recipes and craft ideas. This is the link to my photo inspiration board

I created a short video on how to use Pinterest

If you have any questions or need an invite, leave a comment and let me know

Bridget

Do you suffer from Information overload?

Bridget — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:43:44 +0000

The internet has made information easily available and you can find information on everything you ever needed to know and more. The problem now is becoming so overloaded with information and spending so much time learning and never doing. I have this problem with all kinds of things I am trying to learn but it also affects my photography. There is always some new way of doing things, some awesome new product etc., and you can spend all your time absorbing this info but not improving your photography skills. Education is very helpful and important but practice will make the biggest improvement in your images.

Try not to learn more than you need at this moment, if you are not using studio lighting don’t learn how to do it now wait until you are ready for it. If you spend most of your time taking photos of the kids, learn the best ways to take photos of them at the age they are, there is no point in looking at cute pose ideas for weddings if your child is only 3. Whenever you find new information ask yourself if this is something you have to know right now or if it can wait. Practice what you learn and then move on when you need too.

I have to tell myself this all the time not just with learning but with purchasing programs, there is always going to be some program that can do this cool new thing etc. but do I really need to change from what I am using, is it worth the time I will take on learning it and the money it will cost. Do you need a full editing program if all you do is crop and straighten your photos? Maybe right now the best solution would be to use a free program that is fast and easy and spend more of your time learning how to take better photos and you won’t have to spend so much time editing.

Too much information can clutter your brain just like too much stuff clutters your home. Spend time on the things you really need to know and let the rest go.

I would love to hear your tips on how you get thru the mountains of information and decide what is important to know, (photography related or not) Do you keep a list of things you want to learn or do you just wing it? (I am a winger, but it really doesn’t work well because I am easily distracted)

Bridget

Choosing Posed or Candid Images?

Bridget — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:02:59 +0000

Candid looks are becoming much more popular than the posed more formal images, even wedding photographers and portrait studios are doing more of a candid style. People are much more relaxed when they are not being posed so you get more natural expressions. Many people like posed images because they can have more of an artistic creative feel.

Most of the images I take are candid shots, kids playing and enjoying themselves. Candid images tell more of a story and capture the emotion which is not as easy to do with a posed image. It is much easier to get a relaxed smile on a child and not the “cheese” face if you capture their natural smiles while they play.

There are times when I see a cute shot that I want to try to copy or I have an idea of a posed shot that I want to do so then comes the fun part of getting the child to try to follow directions and pose the way you want them. These are some posed shots that I did of my grandsons doing some valentine’s day photos and they both decided to pose so nicely and let me get the image I wanted (which is rare)

So what do you like, posed or candid images? or a mix of both?

Bridget

Taking better birthday pictures

Bridget — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:00:56 +0000

Yesterday one of my Grandson’s had a birthday and we had a party for him at Chuck E Cheese. Trying to get good birthday pictures there is not an easy task. Too much stimulation has junior running crazy which doesn’t help get a good shot, and then add cake and pizza to the mix and there is no way he will sit still for a photo.

Times like this is when it is really important to know how to use your camera, this is not the time to be experimenting with settings or you will miss the shot. If you are unsure how to use any other setting comfortably, put the camera on automatic and let it do it’s thing. It is fairly well lit there but with the constant movement of the kids the images were blurry unless the flash was on. I have an external flash for my camera so I am able to still get some good lighting. Use the on camera flash and if the light is too harsh and concentrated in just one spot you can add some fill flash when you process the photos to add a little more even light.

This party was all about the kids playing and having fun at Chuck E Cheese, there wasn’t much focus on a cake or presents. The cake was cupcakes and presents were opened at home. The pictures I took were of the kids having fun and the only way I could do this was follow them around and watch them play, I zoomed in on them as much as possible to get rid of the very busy room around us and got some great shots by getting down on their level (which my knees did not thank me for) I took a ton of pics (remember this is digital and you can delete) so I could capture the expressions on their face.

Don’t forget to notice the reactions of the adults and others at the party, like newborn baby sister who is asleep in spite of all the noise, just clinging to her mom’s necklace for dear life.

There was no way I was going to be able to pose him for any special shots, I tried to get him to sit and pose for me but even when I got him to sit still for a minute he was looking away. If there are special shots that you want to have the best way is to do it is to stage them before the party and all the craziness starts. If you want a picture of him standing beside Chuck E Cheese (if he isn’t scared to death of him) you should probably try to do that before all his friends arrive. A staged shot at home is usually the best way to get that perfect cake photo you want as well. The staged shots are great for getting the look you want but the reality in the moment shots are usually far from perfect (sigh!) but they are fun. I had to give up with my vision for a cute shot of him sitting in this huge monster truck because he didn’t want to cooperate. I don’t usually expect an award winning shot out of birthday pictures just ones the kids enjoy looking at.

Relax and enjoy the fun.

Bridget

Taking images of newborn babies

Bridget — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:54:22 +0000

I love babies and this year we have had 2 new babies come into our extended family, my youngest sister and my daughter both had a baby. I now have 6 grandchildren. It is so strange how a baby can make you feel old and young at the same time.

I love to take images of newborns and even though they don’t move around like older children it can be just as difficult to get a good shot. Here are a few tips to get some great images of your newborn (or borrow one, most new mom’s are exhausted but would love some photos of their babies in return for letting you practice on them) Newborn babies spend most of their time sleeping so most of your images will probably be of sleeping baby

If you want to get some images of baby with their eyes open you will need to be there for awhile and be patient and wait for baby to wake up or enlist the help of older siblings to wake up baby (they are good at that).

When taking photos of baby don’t be rushed, take lots of shots and be calm and don’t expect the perfect pose. Just to get my granddaughter to hold her feet together in her mom’s hand in the shot below took quite a few shots, her feet were cold and she kept kicking and trying to move.

Use natural light whenever possible by placing baby near a large window, on camera flash is harsh and not very flattering to the newborn wrinkly skin and blemishes. When using lights keep them soft and bounce flash if possible.

Use simple props like a pretty bow or blanket or a beanbag chair to prop them up but keep it simple, the image is about the baby not the object. Get down low and take photos close up, don’t forget to take closeups of their tiny hands and feet.

Take images that capture emotion and tell a story, tiny feet in mom’s hand, a tiny hand clutching dad’s finger, etc. Big brother meeting baby for the 1st time. These are the images that will be the most treasured, not the perfect posed shot with a prop that takes center stage.

This photo of my grandson with his new sister is one of my favorites and yet the composition is bad, the lighting is bad not a technically good image at all but the emotion is shown on his face and that is what makes it perfect.

Remember the most important part of photography is telling a story with images. Flawless images and perfect poses are something we can practice and work toward, but capturing emotion and freezing time is the reason we want to capture images in the first place.

Bridget