The Techno Maid

A Huge Change

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 05:32:00 +0000

For the past few weeks, I've been working on something big: Moving my blog from Blogger to Wordpress!

A friend of my mum's recently suggested that I sell my photos to other bloggers to use in their posts. This sounded like a great idea, but to do it, I needed a Wordpress site.

So I started researching how to sell photos through Wordpress and how to set up my own self-hosted website.

I'm really excited about this change! I've just finished setting the site up and moving all my posts and comments over. I've already got a few photos ready to sell and hopefully more will be up soon.

I'd love it if you'd go visit my new blog and say hi! I've already written a new post over there (click here to read it).

How I Changed my Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 23:32:00 +0000

Do you like writing? Every year I compete in Camp NaNoWriMo, a challenge where you write a novel in one month.

I wasn't actually going to do Camp NaNo this year. I didn't have any novel ideas and I have a lot of other projects I'm working on at the moment.

But then, the day before Camp NaNo began, I had an idea for a plot. I was excited. The plot felt like it would be so much fun to write. I just knew I had to compete in Camp NaNo after all.

The next day, I started my novel. I didn't know any of the important detail like the main character's name or what was going to happen. That didn't bother me, though.

I'll work out what's happening in the middle of the story when I get there, I told myself, unconcernedly.

We're now almost twos weeks into Camp NaNo. I'm still very excited about the plot of my novel. It's one of the most fun novels I've ever written. I rather like the characters and how the story is developing. I can see myself wanting to come back and edit this story in the future.

I hope that the next two weeks of writing will be just as fun as the first two were. I also hope that I discover the middle of my plot soon. But that's not important!

But what about you? Do you like writing? Have you ever done Camp NaNo before? Are you doing it this time? How is your novel going? Please tell me in a comment!

My First Attempt at Food Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Sat, 26 Mar 2016 06:43:00 +0000

I've wanted to try food photography for a long time. A few days ago I finally got around to doing it.

I baked some blueberry muffins, made some coffee, found some props in the cupboard, and set up the shot on a board which I placed on the floor.

Our cat Jenny kept coming over and trying to drink the coffee. I had to keep pushing her away. Do most cats like coffee?

The photos were worth the fight. I'm very proud of them. I don't know why it took me so long to get around to trying food photography. It was a lot of fun to plan and shoot.

Would you like to learn how to make my blueberry muffins? I invented the recipe myself!

Ingredients

3 cups of self-raising flour

100 grams butter

1/4 cups of rice malt syrup (or honey if you prefer)

1 cup of blueberries

1 egg

1 tbs of vanilla essence

2 1/2 cups of milk

Instructions

Step One: Preheat your oven to 200c and grease the muffin tin.

Step Two: Pour the flour into a bowl. Cut the butter into small chunks and rub it into the flour.

Step Three: Add the rice malt syrup, blueberries, the egg, and vanilla essence. Mix together.

Step Four: Pour in the milk and stir until smooth.

Step Five: Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin and put in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Step Six: When the muffins are golden brown, take them out of the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes.

Step Seven: Eat your muffins and enjoy!

Have you ever done food photography? What are your tips? Also, what is your favourite kind of muffin? Would you like me to share more recipes? Tell me in a comment!

If you'd like to see more of my photos, follow me on Instagram @thetechnomaid. I'm currently working on my first 365 project and I upload all my photos to Instagram.

I Work for a Musician

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 09:21:00 +0000

photo credit: sue elvis

I have a job where I get paid in spoons. I’ll explain.

Last week after we filmed Imogen's latest music video (Hallelujah), we went second-hand shopping. We hoped to find some clothes or jewellery we could use in one of Imogen's videos.

While everyone else looked at the clothes, I got distracted. Sitting in a corner of the shop was a rack of spoons. Little silver old-looking spoons.

"They'd be an amazing prop for photography," I commented.

Imogen looked over at me and then down the spoons, but she didn't say anything.

Soon, we finished looking around the shop. As we were heading over to the counter to buy our treasures, Imogen turned to me. "Would you like three of those spoons?" she asked.

My mouth dropped open.

"Think of it as payment for filming my videos," Imogen told me. We walked back to the rack.

I ran my eyes over the unique spoons. It was hard to pick, but I finally selected my three favourites and passed them to Imogen to buy. "Thank you so much!" I cried, wrapping my arms around her.

Imogen smiled at my excitement. Even though she doesn't do photography, she understands my love of it.

So yes, I do have a job. I film music videos for my sister Imogen. And I did get paid in spoons. I can't think of a better payment!

I've just uploaded a video to my YouTube channel. It’s about Imogen's music. I hope you'd like to watch!

Do you have a job? If so, what is it? Also, what is the best present you've ever been given? Tell me in a comment.

My Instagram Surprise and Other Happenings

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Sat, 19 Mar 2016 06:06:00 +0000

How was your week? Mine was very busy. I've been working on a lot of projects. Today I wanted to share some of the things that I've been doing with you.

Earlier this week I wrote a blog post on what I've learnt from Beth Descamp (Bethadilly). Once I'd written the post I shared the link on Instagram.

I didn't think about the blog post again until later when I checked my Instagram. Waiting for me there was a comment.

"MUM!" I cried.

"What's the matter?" Mum asked.

"Bethadilly left a comment on my photo. And guess what? She says she liked my blog post! She read my blog!" I couldn't believe it. Beth is one of my favourite photographers. I never imagined she'd see the post I wrote about her. It was a dream come true!

Speaking of Instagram, I finally got the courage up to take my first 'real' self-portrait. I planned the shot, turned my camera onto self-timer and then took the photo.

It was a very simple photo, just me sitting behind my weights. I'm very proud of it.

After I took the photo of me and my weights, I decided to do some actual exercise. Half way through my routine, I fell over and rolled my ankle. The same ankle I sprained a few months ago.

Turns out I resprained my ankle. I've been limping around ever since.

I didn't let my ankle stop me from filming a video for my sister Imogen's youtube channel. Luckily for me, my minions (sisters) were willing to help me.

I had everyone (including Imogen the star) carrying tripods around for me, reading out camera settings, helping me limp around and doing all sorts of other odd jobs.

It was worth all the work. The video will be beautiful. If you'd like to see it, Imogen will be uploading it on Wednesday. Look out for it!

Well, that's what I've been doing recently, but what about you? What have you been doing? Please tell me in a comment.

Also, do you take self-portraits? If you do, what are your tips? I need all the help I can get.

If you'd like to see more of my photos, please follow me on Instagram @thetechnomaid

Articles on Composition

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 02:50:00 +0000

There are many things to think about when composing a photo. You have so many options to consider. You could use the rules of thirds or maybe a centre composition. You could take the photo from above or even below your subject. The list is endless.

Today I’d like to share some articles I’ve read recently to do with composition. I hope they help you. All these articles talk about a different aspect of composition.

How Leading Lines Will Improve your Photos

by Renata Plaice

What are leading lines? They are visual lines in a photo that lead the eye from one point in the image to another. The most successful lines lead from the bottom corner(s) or the bottom edge of the frame but there are many possibilities as photography is not an exact science! click to read more

10 Tips for Creative Overhead Shooting

by Sarah Wilkerson

Approaching a subject from all sides, far, near, overhead, and beneath is a wonderful way to explore light, angles, composition, and qualities of your subject you might otherwise have missed. This month, however, we are going to focus strictly on overhead shooting, from the extreme birds-eye view to a simple standing position with the camera pointed downward. Here are ten technical and creative tips to strengthen and diversify your overhead shooting. click to read more

Tips on How to take a Picture with Negative Space

by Erin

What exactly is negative space? Anything that is not part of your subject. Yet compliments it.
Most images with negative space are very simple images. I think that’s one reason I love them is their unique simplicity! Even when I am photographing a family session or senior session there is something intriguing to me, to create an image with alot of negative space. Why? I feel it draws my eye strongly into the subject. At the same time giving me a sense of wonder. click to read more

4 Easy Ways to Frame Your Subject in a Home

by Kelly Marleau

Some people walk into a room and see decor, art or colour.
Not me.
I see light and framing. If my camera is in hand, as soon as I enter a room my eyes instantly dart around to find what I can use to help me compose my image – windows, doorways, walls, shadows, furniture. Part of the reason I love shooting indoors is the way a home can infuse itself into an image. I don’t believe in allowing a home to simply serve as a background; I force it to be a silent participant in the photo session. There are so many options when it comes to framing within an image, but here are a few of my favourite ways to frame your subject indoors. click to read more

Do you like exprimenting with composition? I sure do! What subject would you like me to share articles on next time? Tell me in the comments.

What I've Learnt from Bethadilly

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 05:41:00 +0000

Who are your favourite photographers? One of mine is Beth Deschamp (otherwise known as Bethadilly). I’ve been admiring her photography for a long time. Today I want to share what I’ve learnt from her photos with you.

Beth is a natural light family photographer. She also writes a blog, Bethadilly, where she shares her photography tips.

golden hour. ✌🏼️ #TheStyledPhotographer

A photo posted by {beth} a-dilly ✌🏼️ (@bethadilly) on Mar 9, 2016 at 1:03pm PST

Take Photos Regularly

Beth is a big encourager of 365 projects. A few years ago, she created her own version of the 365 project called the Bethadilly challenge.(Learn more about that here.)

Inspired by Beth, I've been taking a photo every day since January this year. It’s amazing how my photography is improving. Doing a 365 project requires dedication, but it's worth it.

Even if you don’t have the time or dedication to do a 365 project, try to pick up your camera as often as possible. It doesn't have to be for long. Just take a few photos.

a little lensbaby love from my kitchen. 💛 #lensbaby

A photo posted by {beth} a-dilly ✌🏼️ (@bethadilly) on Feb 11, 2016 at 1:10pm PST

Less is Sometimes More

Beth’s photos are simply composed; the backgrounds are clean and the colours compliment each other. With so little in the photo, your eyes are immediately drawn to the subject.

Unlike Beth, my photos used to be very busy. Recently, I started to pay more attention to this problem. I've started simplifying my shots and my photos are much more pleasing to look at.

puppy cuddles portrait. ✌️ 210 | 365 #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by {beth} a-dilly ✌🏼️ (@bethadilly) on Jul 30, 2015 at 6:28am PDT

Don’t Hide Behind Your Camera

Some of my favourite photos of Beth’s are self-portraits. Because photographers are always taking photos, they don’t often get to be in them. Beth solves this problem by taking her own portraits.

I love how Beth’s self-portraits aren’t traditional. She will purposefully make her photos blurry, experiment with angles and sometimes not even include her face in the photos. You can have a lot of fun with self-portraiture.

Those are some of the lessons I’ve learnt from Beth Descamp. What’s something you’ve learnt recently? Have you heard of Beth before?

Simple, But Beautiful

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 03:16:00 +0000

While we’re filming my sister Imogen’s music video, she spots the location where she wants to sing her next song.

"It's a big tree, close to where we filmed the first verse of Long, Long Ago," Imogen tells us. "It would be the perfect place to record Scarborough Fair."

So a couple of weeks later, we head back down to the nature reserve before breakfast. I set up the cameras and we start recording Imogen's third music video.

Then we move the cameras to get some different angles and I hit the 'record' button again.

By the time we've finished filming, we're all tired but happy with what clips we have.

"It's amazing that you can make a video with only a tree as your setting," Mum comments later. She's right. The location was very simple, but early in the morning everything looked beautiful.

Would you like to see the music video for Scarborough Fair? I hope so! It's the best video we've recorded yet.

What's your favourite folk song? Do you have anything you'd like Imogen to cover? She'd love suggestions.

Another Hair Braider in the Family

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 07:43:00 +0000

I finish braiding my sister Charlotte's hair and step back to inspect my work. Two dutch braids stick out behind her head. They look really cute.

"You suit that hairstyle," Gemma-Rose comments.

Mum nods. "You should wear your hair like that more often."

I have an idea. "I could teach you to braid your own hair," I offer.

Charlotte hesitates. She's never braided hair before.

"It's really easy," I assure her.

Slowly she nods. "OK."

Gemma-Rose agrees to let me demonstrate in her hair. I select three strands of hair and I show Charlotte what to do.

"Can I try?" Charlotte asks after a minute of watching me.

I nod and pass the strands to her. Charlotte takes a deep breath and starts to braid.

Every so often I give Charlotte a piece of advice. She doesn't need much. She's picking up dutch braiding very quickly.

"Done!" Charlotte says.

The dutch braids look amazing, much better than my first braids.

"I'm going to try braiding my own hair," Charlotte says. She takes out the braids I did on her and starts redoing them.

It's not long before she's finished.

"They look amazing," I cry. "Good job. You picked that up really quickly."

Charlotte grins proudly.

Now there are two hair braiders in my family. Can you braid hair? What is your favourite hairstyle? Mine's a side braid.

Also, last week I uploaded a new video to my YouTube channel. It's about how I bought my DSLR using loose change.

How to Use Pinterest to Improve Your Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 23:44:00 +0000

Do you use Pinterest? I do. Pinterest is a great tool for photographers. There are endless ways you can use Pinterest to improve your photography. Today I want to show you how I use it and some of my boards.

To save my favourite photos

I have a special board I use to save my favourite photos. I love collecting all my favourite photos by other photographers in one place. Saving them together makes it easy to find photos I like again.

Looking at all the photos together has taught me a lot about the style of photography I like. Since creating the board I've realised that I prefer certain types of lighting. I've also noticed that most of the photos on my board have been edited very similarly.

To collect photography articles

I read a lot of photography articles and I love saving all the helpful ones onto a board so that I can read them again later.

To be honest, I actually have two photography article boards. I have one for articles about taking photos and another for ones on photo editing. You don't have to have two, but I like keeping the topics separate.

To keep pose ideas

I always struggle for pose ideas when taking portraits. Recently, I came up with a plan to help this problem. I created a board for pose ideas.

Whenever I see a photo with poses I like, I pin it onto my pose board. So now when I'm going on a photo shoot, I can draw inspiration from my board.

I hope these ideas help you. If you'd like to see a part two, please tell me in a comment. How do you use Pinterest?

Filming Long, Long Ago

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 05:08:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, we got up early to film a music video for my sister Imogen's YouTube channel. It was a folk song called Long, Long Ago.

Imogen chose a local nature reserve as the setting for her video. We arrived at this location before the sun had risen. Because we were so early, we were able to capture the sun rising in the video.

This music video was a huge project for the whole family. Imogen sang the music, Mum and I worked the cameras, Charlotte recorded behind-the-scenes footage, and Gemma-Rose played the music track Imogen sang with on an iPod.

It was beautiful recording at that time of morning. The light was soft and golden, which made the video magical.

We all enjoyed ourselves, despite the early start. Charlotte ended up recording a lot of hilarious film clips of us being silly.

We finished filming just around 7.15 am. We were all hungry by that point. None us had eaten breakfast yet. But that was ok because we'd packed a picnic.

While we ate, Mum filmed an interview with us about the music video.

"How do you think the video went?" she asked.

"Really well," Imogen replied, which I thought was an understatement.

Mum asked us a lot of other questions about the video. We discussed the difficulties we had while filming. We even retold a few funny things that had happened. It was quite the interview.

Once we'd finished breakfast (and the interview), we headed home and started work on the editing.

Only a few days later, the video was finished, and Imogen uploaded it to her YouTube channel! Would you like to watch?

If you'd like to see more of the behind-the-scenes things, you could also watch the interview Mum had with us.

Or/and you could watch the behind-the-scenes video Imogen made!

All the photos in this post were taken by my mum. I didn't have time to take any photos, but she said that I could use hers. Thank you so much Mum!

Favourite Articles on Instagram

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 22:24:00 +0000

I've been using Instagram a lot recently. Every day I've been sharing my photos.

I only joined Instagram a couple of months ago. When I signed up, I didn’t know much about it. All I knew was that it's a great social media for photographers. I had a lot to learn.

While learning how to use Instagram is easy, there are a lot of other things (like how to improve posts, followings and make friends) to learn.

Today, I want to share with you a few articles I've read recently to do with Instagram. I hope these help you!

How to Hide Instagram Hashtags
by Amy and Jordan
Do you use a lot of hashtags? Does the look of them annoy you? Well, this article will fix that problem for you. It tells you how you can very simply hide them from view.

8 Tips to Grow your Instagram Following
by Beth Deschamp
Want to share your photos with more people? This article will help you. It has a lot of advice on how you improve your chances of people following you.

8 Way to Successfully Grow your Instagram
April Nienhuis

This article is also about growing your Instagram following, but they've got a lot of different advice from the last article. With these two should have everything you need!

Those are the articles I've read recently, but what about you? What have you been reading about?

Also, I need some help! I need some more inspiration. Who are your favourite photographers? I'd love to hear about them!

Hide and Seek and Other Instagram Stories

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 04:49:00 +0000

Last week, I shared some of my recent Instagram posts. Today I'd love to share some more!

The past few days have been really good for photography. Several times this week Mum and I went on walks after dinner with our cameras. One day Charlotte and Gemma-Rose let me take their photos. But the highlight of the week was definitely filming Imogen's soon-to-be-released music video!

If you'd like to stay up-to-date with my photos, please follow me on Instagram! And if you missed last week’s post, feel free to catch up here.

But onto this week's photos!

This is the photo Gemma-Rose thought I should upload today. Which do you prefer, her choice or mine (see last post)? #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 13, 2016 at 11:47pm PST

45 | 366 I love talking and laughing with Gemma-Rose. She's always full of fun and willing to cheer me up when I feel down. Best younger sister ever! {makes me happy} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 13, 2016 at 11:43pm PST

45 | 366 I found these flowers yesterday evening. I never knew yellow was such a hard colour to photograph before. {free choice} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 13, 2016 at 3:59pm PST

44 | 366 There is a wreath in the bush, far down one of the side trails. We don't know why it's there or who left it. But every so often someone comes along and replaces it when it gets old. I wonder what the story behind it is. I hope it's not sad. {red} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 12, 2016 at 3:33pm PST

43 | 365 Cooking some scones for afternoon tea. The metal pans above the bench frame this photo perfectly! {metal} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 11, 2016 at 12:06am PST

We got up at 5:15 am this morning so that we could film a music video for Imogen as the sun rose. It was beautiful!

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 10, 2016 at 5:39pm PST

42 | 365 I was playing with the Olympus OM-D-E-M10 today instead of my Nikon. Even though we only own a kit lens for the Olympus, I got a fairly shallow depth of field. {depth of field} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 9, 2016 at 10:53pm PST

41 | 365 My shoes on the square tiled floor. I was just about to go out to choir practise. {square} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 9, 2016 at 7:20pm PST

Another of the photos I took the other night. How do Charlotte and Gemma-Rose pose so naturally?

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 7, 2016 at 11:27pm PST

40 | 365 We got up early to get our run in before it got hot. {early} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 7, 2016 at 9:27pm PST

38 | 365 Mum and I brought our cameras with us while we walked our dog today. We spent a long time photographing this car. Our photo session had a soundtrack of bush noises. {what i’m listening to} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 7, 2016 at 12:46am PST

Another of the photos I took yesterday with my sisters.

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 6, 2016 at 10:53pm PST

The sisters on either side of me. We went down to the park to take some photos this evening. There is no end of funny photos you can get when you have two sisters to model for you.

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 5, 2016 at 11:58pm PST

37 | 365 Gemma-Rose is always next to me. She always comes along on my plans, supports my ideas and gives me a laugh when I need it most. Also she's the next sister in line! {next to me} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 5, 2016 at 11:56pm PST

If you are interested in how I embeded my photos into this posts, please watch the video I made about it.

How to Embed Instagram Images into Blog Posts

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 02:59:00 +0000

Are you on Instagram? I recently joined! Instagram is a great tool for photographers. You can share your photos, get feedback and be inspired by other people's photos.

In today's video, I want to show you how to embed photos from Instagram into blog posts. It's very easy, but also extremely useful. I've been using this trick a lot lately.

This tutorial shows how you'd embed the image into a Blogger post, but I'm sure Wordpress (or whatever site you're using) would be similar.

What's your username? I'd love to take a look at your photos.

Favourite Articles on Self-Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 02:24:00 +0000

Do you take self-portraits? I don't often. I like the idea of taking them, but the process daunts me. It takes more work to get a nice photo of yourself than of other people. I'm also not comfortable in front of the camera.

Nevertheless, self-portraits are a great way to improve your photography. That is why I hope I can get over my fear of the camera and start taking more self-portraits in the future.

This week, I'm going to be sharing some articles I've read on the art of self-portraiture.

How to Take a Self Portrait with Your DSLR
Beth Deschamp
This article has lots of photo ideas, tips on getting perfect focus and advice on settings. It's a good starting point.

5 Simple Ways to Take a Better Selfie
Beth Deschamp
This article has some ideas on how you can get more creative with your self-portraits. It's a great guide on how to pose yourself.

5 Steps to Loving Yourself
Alise Kowalski
This article goes over the process of taking self-portraits. It talks about lighting, what gear you need and has some advice on how to relax and enjoy yourself.

5 Tips for Taking Outdoor Self Portraits
Alice Che
This article tells you how to pick a location, pick the time of day to take the photo at and what lenses to use.

I hope these links help you! What's your advice for self-portraits? I could do with all the help I can get! Do you like taking 'selfies'?

Eating Sharks and Other Instagram Stories

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 05:43:00 +0000

Are you on Instagram? A couple of months ago I joined. I had no idea what it was about, but I'd heard that it was a great place to share photos. So of course, I wanted to sign up.

It didn't take me long to decide that I liked Instagram. It's great to have somewhere to share my photos to instead of keeping them to myself on my computer.

Something else I've joined recently is the Bethadilly challenge. For this challenge, I have to take one photo a day. Each photo has to be associated with a prompt.

The challenge is great for my photography skills. The prompts make me get creative with my photos, which is awesome. I'd really recommend doing something like this, even if just for a month.

Today, I wanted to share some of the photos I've been taking and sharing on Instagram lately. Please enjoy!

36 | 365 I love Gemma-Rose's expression in this photo. I'm pretty sure I make this face everytime my photos don't turn out how I expected. {eyes} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 4, 2016 at 7:49pm PST

We went on a walk this morning. This photo was just one of many fun shots I got!

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 4, 2016 at 6:51pm PST

35 | 365 I spent this morning with my sister. She played the piano and I listened. {calm} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 3, 2016 at 10:30pm PST

Another nature photos. I took this while walking our dog yesterday and I think it's my new favourite nature shot. Also I've just uplpaded a new video. Link in bio!

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 3, 2016 at 6:02pm PST

Finally I've taken a good photo of our bush tracks!

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 3, 2016 at 2:19pm PST

34 | 365 When I took this photo I completely forgot to check for dust. Oops! Still I'm rating pleased with this photo. {self portrait} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 2, 2016 at 11:38pm PST

33 | 365 I Yesterday's photo. A bowl of rice pudding for dessert. {sweet} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Feb 2, 2016 at 11:27pm PST

32 | 365 Look who is hanging out with the Girl With The Pearl Earring? {a reflection} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Jan 31, 2016 at 11:58pm PST

31 | 365 Wide open eyes while eating ice cream! {open} #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Jan 30, 2016 at 4:42pm PST

I wonder what Gemma-Rose has just read! {yellow} #thebethadillychallenge #theangelsofabbeycreek

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Jan 29, 2016 at 11:40pm PST

It took this photo last year when my sister Felicity came home and took us to the aquarium. I promise Gemma-Rose isn't really eating the fish!

photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Jan 29, 2016 at 10:03pm PST

Breakfast in at the lake after exercising! Doesn't Nora (our dog) look happy? #thebethadillychallenge P.S new blog post is live. Today I'm talking about what I've learnt from @amy_demos and @jordan_demos . Link in bio.

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Jan 28, 2016 at 9:11pm PST

School holidays are over. Which means Dad is back at work and we're returning to music practises. #thebethadillychallenge

A photo posted by Sophie Elvis (@thetechnomaid) on Jan 26, 2016 at 9:37pm PST

Are you on Instagram? What's your username? I'd love to look at your photos! Also, would you be interested if I shared more of my Instagram posts in the future? I might make this a regular feature.

Taking Down Our Christmas Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 01:57:00 +0000

We took down our Christmas tree early in January. I filmed the whole process. I planned to edit the video and upload it to my YouTube channel. But I never did edit it. The video clips just sat on my computer waiting for me to do something with them.

The other day, I was browsing through my files, looking for some photos, when I came across the video. I remembered my plans.

I have to finish this project, I decided.

Before I knew it, my video clips were open in Premiere Pro and I was editing them.

For the next few days, I hardly came out of my computer as I worked on my video. This morning, I finished and uploaded it to my channel so everyone can watch it.

Soon after uploading my video, I had a thought: Will anyone be interested in watching us take down our tree? Christmas has been over for a long time now.

I shrugged. It doesn't really matter if people don't want to watch it. I enjoyed making the video, and I've learnt so much from it.

But, if you want to watch, please do!

Favourite Articles on Portrait Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 23:08:00 +0000

Do you have a favourite area of photography? I do! I love taking portraits. There's something special about capturing a person's personality in a photo, don't you think?

Portrait photography isn't easy. It takes more than just knowing your settings and how to compose a shot. You need to be able to make your subjects feel relaxed, direct their poses and know what angles will flatter them.

Today, I wanted to share my favourite articles on photographing people.

5 Tips to Achieve Natural Looking Poses from Seniors
by Jodi Arego
This article tells you how to make your subjects feel relaxed. It also tells you how to pose whoever you're photographing to avoid awkward looking photos.

4 Tips for Sharp Eyes in Portraits
by Audrey Ann
This article talks about the most important detail in portraits, the eyes. With the help of these tips, you'll never have to worry about out of focus eyes again.

10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits
by Darren Rowse
This article talks about how to take portraits which will stand out. It tells you how to break all posing and composition rules to add interest to your photos.

5 Places to Photograph Portraits in your Home
by Molly Wantland
This article tells you the best places in your house to take portraits. Next time you can't go outside to take your photos you'll have lots of backup locations.

Did these articles help you? Do you an area of photography you'd like me to share links about next?

What I've Learnt From Amy and Jordan Demos

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 01:47:00 +0000

Isn't it amazing what you can learn from other photographers' work? Today I'm sharing what I've learnt from two of my favourite photographers, Amy and Jordan Demos.

Amy and Jordan are husband and wife wedding photographers. Not only do they take beautiful photos, but they're also very inspiring. If you'd like to learn more about them, click here to visit their blog.

Develop your own style

Ooooh guys. I can't wait to share this one next week!! We don't have a wedding today, but we've been busy little bees all the same! Started our day with a great coaching session for an awesome almost-husband & wife team, then met with one of our new sweet couples! Now we're off to an engagement and will spend the rest of the weekend prepping for our next #ajworkshop that's just around the corner! Can't wait to meet our attendees tomorrow night! Phew! Running on coffee and prayer (not necessarily in that order!) but feeling so thankful for such a busy and productive start to 2016! And okay! Can we just talk about this beautiful #ajbride for a minute?! Calyn, you're straight or of a magazine!!

A photo posted by Amy Demos (@amy_demos) on Jan 23, 2016 at 2:31pm PST

If you scroll through their Instagram feeds you'll notice that all their photos match. Even the ones taken on their phones.

All their photos are taken and edited similarly. Whenever I see one of their photos, I know at once it's theirs because of their style.

Capture the details

How about a little Sunday sparkle courtesy of Kate Spade? :) Final preparations are underway for our first #ajworkshop of 2016, and we're so excited to meet our new group of attendees tonight and kick off the new year with a fun surprise tomorrow!

A photo posted by Amy Demos (@amy_demos) on Jan 24, 2016 at 12:59pm PST

Am I the only one who gets so caught up in trying to tell the whole story that I forget about the details? Amy and Jordan don't seem to have this problem.

Along with taking photos of the ceremony, wedding party and reception, they also make time to photograph the smaller details like shoes, rings and flowers.

Never give up

So fun seeing these beautiful ladies featured on @theperfectpalette this week! #ajbride #ajpress

A photo posted by Jordan Demos (@jordan_demos) on Nov 25, 2015 at 12:46pm PST

As I said earlier in this post, Amy and Jordan are very inspiring! The story of how their business began can teach you so much.

Originally they were school teachers. Both of them taught in the same school. Neither of them had even held a DSLRcamera.

The bridesmaids and I had a little fun when @amy_demos stepped out of the room at last weekend's wedding! Needless to say, she was pretty proud what we accomplished while she was gone! More of these beautiful ladies and this historic estate wedding on the blog! #ajbride #futureajbrides

A photo posted by Jordan Demos (@jordan_demos) on Nov 12, 2015 at 10:59am PST

But then Amy started to become interested in photography. Before long, she knew she must become a wedding photographer.

For a long time, Amy and Jordan had to teach by day and work on their photography business by night. They were determined to start their business without debt.

Sneak peek!! Only ONE HOUR ’til we’re officially LIVE!! Ah! SO excited!! We’re putting the finishing touches on everything right now, but we couldn’t resist sharing a little glimpse of what’s to come! Introducing our brand new headshots taken by the amazing @annamarie_akins! So pumped!! See you at 10AM PST (1PM EST!) #linkinprofile #abrandnewAJ #amyandjordan

A photo posted by Jordan Demos (@jordan_demos) on Nov 10, 2015 at 9:04am PST

And they did! It took them a long time, but at last, they gave up their teaching jobs and settled into photography full time.

This story shows that if you want something enough and work towards it, you'll get there in the end. Never give up!

And there you have it: three things I've learnt recently from Amy and Jordan. I hope that these things help you in your photography.

Who are your favourite photographers? I'd love to check them out, and who knows, maybe they'll end up being featured here in the future.

A Day in the Life of Sophie Elvis

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 05:22:00 +0000

What does a day in my life look like? A few days ago, I took the 'Day in my Life' photography challenge where I photographed everything I did in a day. Today I'm going to be sharing my photos.

At 7.00 am, Mum decided to go for a run before breakfast. My ankle still isn't up to running, but I decided to come with her for a walk. I brought my camera with me to take some photos.

There were a lot of puddles because it had rained the night before. I spent a lot of time trying to get the perfect reflection photo.

When Mum had finished running, we headed home for some breakfast. I cooked a pan full of porridge for Mum and Dad's breakfast. Then I made myself a slice of peanut butter toast. (I don't like porridge.)

After breakfast, I helped clean up the house. I didn't end up take a photo of me cleaning. It didn't seem interesting enough.

Then I settled down to make a plan of action for my day. I listed out everything I wanted to do in my diary.

I then turned on my computer. I wanted to answer some blog comments, write an email and (most importantly) edit the photos from my brother Callum's wedding. I had been putting off doing this job off for a long time. Recently I saw the photos sitting on my hard drive and I decided that I had to edit them.

At 10.00 am, I took a break from editing photos to have some morning tea. Gemma-Rose had made some chocolate banana bread for us to eat.

Once I had finished eating, I went back to editing. I was getting close to finishing all the photos.

By midmorning, I had edited all the photos! It was such a relief to have finished them. All I had to do now was transfer the photos onto some DVDs so that we can send them to family members.

By the time that I'd finished that, I was ready for lunch.

After lunch, Mum and I walked down to the hairdressers to get our fringes trimmed. We're lucky to have a hairdresser in our village!

When we got home, I went into my bedroom to do a Fitness Blender workout. It was a very long pilates routine. The workout was hard, but by the end of it, I felt pleased with myself for doing it.

Once I'd had a shower, I settled down with a cup of tea, a mince pie (yes we're still eating Christmas food) and a book.

I had only one last thing I wanted to achieve that day. I opened my computer again and started to write a new blog post. You can read the post I wrote here. It's about another photography challenge I've done recently.

By the time I'd finished my post, I’d decided to end my photo challenge even though it was only 4:30 pm.

Does your day look anything like this? What other photo challenges should I attempt?

What to Do While You're Off Your Feet

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 04:03:00 +0000

A long time ago, I read an amazing story about a photographer. Sadly, I don't remember all the details of the story, or even who the photographer was. But I'd like to share with you what I do remember.

The photographer was ill. She spent most of her days in bed. After a while, she started to get bored, but no hobby which she could do in bed sparked her interest.

Then one day, someone suggested that she take up photography. At first, she thought this was a stupid idea. What could she photograph from her bed?

But eventually, she did pick up her camera. She looked around her room and snapped a few photos. Then she took a few more photos.

Before she knew it, photography was her favourite hobby. Every day while she lay in bed she took photos.

At first, she was worried that she'd run out of things to photograph. But as she took more photos, she started to get more and more creative with her shots. She never did run out of inspiration because she kept finding new ways to look at the world around her.

Last week while I was off my feet due to a sprained ankle, I remembered this story and it inspired me. I decided to challenge myself. My challenge was to take one hundred photos without leaving the sofa I was sitting on.

The photos in this post are the photos I took. I don't know if they're very interesting, but this challenge has taught me a lot. I've learnt that anything makes a beautiful photo, you just have to photograph it right.

Have you done any photography challenges? Are there any I should attempt?

How to Remove Noise from a Photo Using Lightroom

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 01:04:00 +0000

I hardly ever make huge changes to my photos. Most of the edits I do are just small tweaks. But I've found that these tiny edits can make a huge difference to my final photo.

One of the edits that I find useful is noise reductions. Noise is the grain that appears in your photos when you're using high ISOs. I don't have an external flash, so when I shoot inside, I have to rely on higher ISOs. This means that I generally end up with a fair amount of noise in my photos.

Luckily for me, Lightroom has a great noise reduction tool that I can use to minimize the noise in my photos. In today's video, I'm showing you just how I use this tool on my photos.

What are your favourite tools in Lightroom? Is there something that I should be using?

Favourite Articles on Natural Lighting

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 03:58:00 +0000

I collect photography articles. Most of what I read on the internet ends up saved in my Evernote notebook. This is useful when I want to look back and refresh my memory with some of the things I've learned.

Mum and I were talking (as we always seem to be doing) and we came up with an idea for a new blog series. In each post, I'll share my favourite articles on certain (photography) topics such as full frame cameras, composition, flat lays etc. Today I'm starting this series off with some articles about natural light.

Not owning an external flash means that I completely rely on natural light in my photography. This can be more than a little frustrating at times. Natural light is unpredictable and always changing. You never know quite what to expect before you take the photo.

I hope these articles help you as much as they've helped me!

6 Simple Ways to Light Your Subject Around the House at Night
by Bethney Backhaus

This article shares six things you can use to light your subjects. They're items that aren't usually used in photography and will add a story to your photos.

13 Tips for Doing Action Photography in Bad Light
by Jim Hamel

This article tells you everything you'll need to take amazing action photos in low light. It covers everything from composing your shot, planning your settings and editing the finished product.

5 Ways to Make the Most of the Natural Light in Your House
by Dana Lauder

This article has some great advice on how to get stunning photos when you can't leave the house. It also has some tips on how to stop all your photos from looking identical.

Are You Practicing These 5 Natural Lighting Tips?
by Mitchell Kanashkevich

This article tells you what you can do to understand light better. They're (mostly) easy practices that don't take much effort to perform.

6 Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Golden Hour
by Megan Squires

This article tells you SIX things that you most likely don't know about the golden hour. They're things that you wouldn't normally think about, but could really help your photos.

Those were my favourite articles on lighting. Would you be interested in me writing more of these posts? What subject would you like me to share links on next? Also, what are your favourite photography websites? I'm always looking for new ones so that I can add more articles to my ever-growing notebook.

Unexpected Happenings

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Sun, 17 Jan 2016 08:32:00 +0000

You won't believe what's been going on recently! A lot of very unexpected things have been happening, most of them involving my photography.

Today I wanted to share some of these experiences with you.

credit: Sue Elvis

Mum and I have a new 'toy'. It's a mirrorless camera. An Olympus OM-D-E-M10 to be precise! It was really unexpected. One evening out of the blue, Mum asked me what the benefits of a mirrorless camera are and what they cost. After a lot of research, Mum decided that it was worth buying us one. So she did.

credit: Sue Elvis

Since it arrived, I've been teaching myself how to use it. Mum and I have discovered that it's a great camera for video. It has inbuilt image stabilisation so we can do handheld clips and its continuous auto-focus is nearly silent. I think I'm going to be filming most of my videos on this camera from now on.

While I've been playing with the Olympus, I haven't been ignoring my Nikon D3100. I took it on a photo shoot with my younger sister, Gemma-Rose. When Mum first published her novel, The Angels of Abbey Creek, I took some photos of Gemma-Rose and the book for Mum to use on her blog. Since then Mum has updated the cover of the book, so I decided I'd take some new photos for her.

I was really pleased with how the photos turned out. It's surprising to see how much my photography has improved since the original shoot. That was an unexpected discovery.

Earlier this week we had a heat wave. The temperature was constantly above 30c. But I didn't let that stop me from doing a Fitness Blender workout.

"Be careful!" Mum called as I entered my room to exercise. I didn’t think I needed to heed her warning, but something unexpected happened.

Half an hour later, I hobbled out of my room again. "I need a seat," I groaned.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?" my sister Charlotte asked, thinking I'd overdone it in the heat. But I hadn't.

"My ankle!" I explained. "I tripped on a dumbbell and twisted my ankle."

My ankle was swollen and bruised. I had to walk around on crutches for several days. Luckily I’m off the crutches now, but my ankle is still sore.

credit: Sue Elvis

I haven't been bored while I've been off my feet, though because something else unexpected happened. Mum surprised me with a present that is keeping me entertained. Well, to be honest, she bought me TWO presents. They're Tony Northrup's photo editing books, Lightroom Video Book and Photoshop Essentials

The Photoshop one hasn’t been published yet, but as soon as it is, we will have it because we pre-ordered it.

credit: Sue Elvis

The books come with hours and hours of video training. Once I've read a chapter, I can watch the videos that go with it. The videos help me understand everything more clearly.

So that's what has been happening in my life. What's been going on in yours? Has anything unexpected happened to you recently? Also, would you be interested in me making a review of our camera?

One Lovely Blog Tag

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 08:16:00 +0000

Over Christmas, I decided to take a break from making YouTube videos. I wanted to give myself time to come up with some new video ideas and also learn how to use my video editing software better. (I’m using Photoshop Premiere Pro.)

Now I'm back and much refreshed from my break. I'm ready to jump into video making again. And how better to do so than with an updated 'About Me' video?

My friend Clare @ Clare's Spot, tagged me for the One Lovely Blog Tag (thank you Clare) and I thought it was the perfect oppotunity to tell you all a little bit more about me.

Once again, I didn't do things the normal way. Instead of writing a post for this tag, I decided to make a whole video on the topic.

The rules for this tag are:

List seven facts about yourself.

Tag fifteen other bloggers.

Please watch my video to find out what my facts are.

Sadly, I don't know fifteen other bloggers to tag, so I'm cheating and only tagging six. They are:

Charlie @ She Writes
Julia @ The Barefoot Gal
Eve @ Eve of Womanhood
Sarah @ Trusting in the Lord
Paige @ The Joys of Being Paige
Emily @ Lynde Avenue

Once again, thank you, Clare for tagging me! I had a great time thinking up these facts and telling everyone about them.

And thank you to anyone who watches this video. Do you have any more ideas on what you'd like to hear me talk about? Please tell me in the comments.