Category Archives: Photography

I shoot with a Nikon D3000, which I love, and I hope to make photography my business someday. My favorite subject is my little boy.

Decorating Your Home With Your Own Artwork

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It’s embarrassing how long I’ve waited to hang my own work in my house. Ever since we moved in, Eric has encouraged me to decorate our home with my own artwork, but I have not done it… until now!

Last week I decided I was going to put together a small photo shoot for Micah and I was determined to pick my favorites and have them printed for our walls. Here’s an example:

Once I was finished editing my favorites, I went to Old Time Pottery and picked out some frames in various sizes. I arranged them in my cart the way I wanted to hang them on the wall to make sure they all worked together. Then I brought them home and hung them above my fireplace in the same arrangement. I ordered the prints while looking at the collage for inspiration.

I finally got the prints in the mail yesterday and I put them in the frames last night. I love how it turned out. My only complaint is that I think I cropped in the main photo too much. I forgot how much of the photo is covered up by the edge of the frame. I may re-order that one the next time I put in a photo order….

The center photo is an 11×17 and it is surrounded by two 3x3s, one 5×7 and a 4×6.

So here are my suggestions for hanging up your own artwork in your house:

1. Go big! As you can see, the 11×17 isn’t really that large when it’s on the wall. I made a collage for this reason. If I had wanted to hang a single photo, I would have ordered a 16×20 or larger (probably larger). If you love it when it’s small… you will really love it when it’s big!

2. Don’t worry about how “good” it is. I waited too long to hang my own photos because I was worried they did not look “good enough.” That’s silly. No matter what, they are a reflection of you and your family and that is meaningful. If it is yours, it is more valuable that anything you can pick up at Target.

3. Pick a theme. Either match all of your frames or all of your prints for a cohesive display. Frames to not need to be identical (mine are clearly not) but they should correlate in style.

4. Plan ahead. Make something new for your walls. This will give you the ability to pick and execute a theme that is meaningful to you. For example, take a series of photos of you family at the beach and make a collage of those. Or, do a series of your family pet!

I Heart Faces Challenge – Winter Wonderland

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The theme for this week’s challenge is Winter Wonderland. Being that I am home today with my little dude, I decided to opt for a self portrait during nap time for this contest. I set up my tripod in my kitchen by the patio door, jumped outside and used my remote to take the picture, then jumped back in. You’d never even know from looking at the picture that my camera never left the warm, dry safety of my kitchen.

So, I bet you’re wondering how I took this photo all by myself and still got it in focus. It was a little bit of trial and error. You guys are always asking me to tell you how I do things, so here it goes…

First I set up my tripod near the patio window and pointed the camera exactly where I wanted it. I had to make sure I was not getting any of the patio door in the frame and I was also trying to avoid the fence and cable box in the backyard. I really had a narrow area to work with.I wanted to keep my camera inside because of the heavy snowfall and winds. My camera is not weather sealed!

Next I grabbed a Rubbermaid container lid to use as a place marker and stepped outside with my camera. I put the lid down and stood on it. I looked through my viewfinder and put my focus point on the top of  my tripod, focusing my camera on that spot.  I left the lid right where it was and stepped back inside to put my camera back on the tripod.

Then I had to get my exposure right. Now for a snowy shot, manual exposure is a must, otherwise you’ll end up with a very dark subject. I couldn’t meter off of anything, so for this I really had to guess based on my experience. I set it at an aperture of 4 to make sure I got my face in focus, even if I moved a tiny bit. I think I started off with an ISO of 100 and a shutter speed of about 400.  I went out with my remote, stood on the lid and took a few shots, then I came back in to check my exposure. I ended up lowering my shutter speed to 320. Pretty close guess, aye?

Once I had my settings right, all I had to do was go stand on my marker, pose and snap away with my wireless remote.

I shot in RAW format, so I was able to adjust the white balance and exposure as needed in ACR. I bumped up the exposure just a tad and ended up redarkening my coat in Photoshop. I often will lighten skin because it hides redness and has a smoothing effect. I made some very basic edits in Photoshop and then I applied a texture.

Tying Up Loose Ends

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One more week and my list is long! I’ve got a lot of things on my t0-do list; some of them having to do with Christmas (like shopping for the men in my life, so hard!) and some of them have to do with preparing for 2011, particularly with my business.  I’ve been rewriting contracts, designing my new logo and watermark, etc. I’m trying to create a unified brand that will be recognizable and consistent throughout my website, Facebook, packaging, etc.  I also need to wrap up my bookkeeping so it will be ready for taxes. That is not fun at all!

I’m pretty sure that the only thing I got done this morning so far has been changing that monumentally stinky diaper which conveniently overflowed into Micah’s pajamas.  What would babies do without their mothers? They are so helpless and cute (and stinky).

Here’s a cute photo from this past week. I also entered it into Pioneer Woman’s Photography Assignment this week. (You can see the new watermark I’ve been working on, too)

Here is a sneak preview of my new logo:

Busy Busy….

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I don’t know that I haven’t had the time to blog, but my priorities have shifted to other things over the past week, mainly photography and my social life. I always go through phases… everyone needs a break sometimes.

One thing I’ve really been working on are my editing skills in PS. I’ve been doing the same old thing for quite a while, so it was time to use my brain again and learn some new tricks. If you are into photography, you really need to join ILP if you haven’t already (ILovePhotography.com) There are tons of awesome tutorials on there and if you take the time to read through some of the threads, you will learn a lot.  I have picked up some new tricks for popping colors, eyes, etc.

Is it terrible of me to grab the camera when Micah’s has a little tantrum? You know what’s funny? It makes him stop. It’s as though he knows exactly what I’m doing and he doesn’t want the world to see him like this! Haha.

What’s new in my house? Well this weekend the little guy and I are sick with something. It’s probably just a cold but it is giving me a sore throat. I can only assume that Micah has a sore throat, too, and it’s not because he took a bite out of one of our Christmas ornaments this morning. Yes, that was one of the fun things I got to do this morning: pick pieces of red plastic or whatever it is out of Micah’s teeth. I tell you, this child has given me so much trouble this week. If you are friends with me on FB you know that the other morning I found poop on his bedroom floor. His diaper was still on, which means he pulled it outa there and who knows what else. That’s disgusting! I am super grossed out. I never dreamed I would deal with half the things I deal with on a daily basis with this little guy. He is sweet as can be, but boy is he mischievous!

Attitude

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I would say 95% of the pictures I take of Micah feature this expression. Should I be scared?

The story behind the “do”: Micah had just finished eating his peaches and promptly decided to lift the plate up and over his head, which dumped remaining peach juice all over his hair. Perfectly normal behavior for a one-year-old. So I did what any normal mother would do… I gave him a mohawk! And then when I walked over to the kitchen counter to pick up my camera and turned around, this was the look on his face. And he held this look for like 5 seconds. Do you think he knew I was going to blog about this?

I love that he has enough hair to play with.

Duck-eeee

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When Micah was born, my grandma (on my dad’s side) made him a little yellow sweater with a row of ducks on the front and a zipper up the back. He wore it a few times last year, but he was swimming in it. This year it fits him perfectly! I figured, why not put him in it and take some pictures? It’s only going to fit him for so long. He is growing like a weed!

(All images taken with a Nikon D3000 & a 50mm 1.4)

I was also getting buggy from staying inside all week (we were sick last week). Plus, it was 69 degrees outside! When it gets that warm in November, especially in the midwest, you have to take advantage of it. I know that it will only be a matter of weeks before the air becomes frigid and bitter. Autumn has got to be the shortest season around here. It always feels like there are two weeks of fall weather in between the sweltering heat and numbing cold.

We had fun. The only bad part was I had to keep blocking him from running into the road, and every time he would be running so fast that when I put my arm in front of him, it ended up knocking him clear to the ground. I felt so mean, but you know, he was giggling so I think he was falling on purpose. He does that  lot lately, actually. He is a little stuntman. Don’t be deceived by the ducky sweater. He is a tough guy.

I am loving my new 50mm lens. I have been making a point of practicing with it as much as I can. It is more difficult to focus because the depth of field is so shallow, but I am getting the hang of it. It helps that this is a fast focusing lens. I turned off the 3D tracking though, because I really don’t want my point of focus moving around with this lens. That was a great feature with my kit lens, but I am not a fan of it with this one. I want to have a set focus point, center it right on the eyes, focus, and then recompose my shot without the focus jumping to Micah’s hand or something.

I have been working so hard lately at my new photography business. There is so much to learn and I will be changing a lot at the new year in terms of pricing and policy. It is a little nerve-wracking, and yet, I am glad that I am doing this because by the time Micah (and any other kids we might have) are in school and I am ready to make this a 40 hour/week adventure, hopefully the kinks will already have been smoothed out and it will be an easy transition to “full time.” I always remind myself that the reason I am going into business (rather than remaining a serious hobbyist) is so I never have to work for someone else, ever again! That goal makes it all worth it.

Speaking of my photography business, I got my shiny new business cards today. What do you think?

On the other side there are three more pictures and my contact information in place of the logo. I ordered 1000, so if you want some to pass out to your friends, you can! (Shameless plug!)

Timeless Piece of Glass

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Last week I posted about how I had found this really sweet lens on eBay and I won it? This is the lens… well sort of. I need to get my eyes checked or something because I thought the description said 1.2…. but it actually said 1:2. That is a huge difference!!

Fortunately the 1:2, which should really be written as f/2 to lessen confusion, is still worth much more than $40, so I’ll likely still make a profit by selling it, but not as much as I wanted to. In the meantime I have gone ahead and ordered the lens I really want: a brand new 50mm f/1.4 af-s (auto focus). It’s supposed to arrive tomorrow, and I’m so excited that I can barely get through the day. I am really looking forward to using it at my upcoming sessions this month.

I had fun playing with this lens, too. It requires manual light metering and manual focus. (Unless you are shooting with a higher end dslr… then you will be able to meter through your camera.) Actually it wasn’t that hard, and it would have been a lot easier if this little man would sit still. But since I spend a lot of time photographing small kids, I’m investing in the fast auto focus!

What I love about this “vintage” lens is that it is still very fast compared to my kit lens, and it’s pretty sharp. I also love the bokeh. I’m pretty impressed that a 40-year-old lens that was originally created for a film camera can still be mounted on a modern day digital SLR and work like a charm! This lens is twice my age and it rocked my socks. That is why I love Nikon…. :)

Don’t you love how passionate Micah gets about eating his carrots?

Little Monster

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I’m fairly certain Micah’s Halloween costume is supposed to be a dragon. But aren’t dragons supposed to be scary… not cute, cuddly green monsters you want to pick up and snuggle? Hmmm….

I’m 95% certain Micah said, “I love you” today after I gave him a big smooch. Oh my heart…

Today was one of my most productive days in a long time. I cleaned and organized the whole kitchen. I created a ton of counter space by putting away cookbooks and appliances I don’t use very often. I can’t believe how much bigger it looks! They always have you do these things when you are trying to sell your house, but lately I’ve been doing them for myself. Why should I spoil the people who don’t even live here? I should enjoy this house as much as I can while we are still here. (Our house is not currently on the market, but we’ll likely list it in the future when the time is right.)

I also had the biggest adrenaline surge I’ve had in a long time. Okay, don’t laugh, but it was because I was bidding on this amazing lens on eBay and I won it! I think the seller either had no idea what they were selling or they low balled the starting price to gather attention, only there were just 3 people bidding on it and this $600 lens was $20 with 35 minutes remaining. I decided I wanted to pay no more than $50, so I opened up a second window to place my maximum bid at $50.14 (that’s a little ebay trick I learned) and waited to click “confirm.” Then in the first window I watched the auction like a hawk. It got down to 10 seconds and the bid was up to $30, but was climbing every few seconds which told me the two people were warring over it. They had no idea I was just about to end their little party. I had my trigger finger ready in the other window. I watched the clock…. 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… CLICK!! I clicked “confirm” with 5 seconds remaining and it took 2 seconds to load. When the page refreshed I had won the lens for $41!! I about died. DIED!! My heart was literally thudding in my chest like a drum. I thought I was on the verge of a heart attack. Is this a sign that I am a true photography nerd? OH man…

It’s a classic Nikkor in great condition. 50mm f/1.2 manual focus prime. It’s extremely fast and the bokeh is BEAUTIFUL. Aaah! Like I said… I died. Now I can’t wait to get this puppy in the mail and play with it. I still can’t believe I won… and for such a low price.