Ash n' Meg's Photography

Nevada Trip!

noreply@blogger.com (Meg Good) — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 21:00:00 +0000

Hello All!

Though it has almost been a year since we last posted, I am finally posting again in honor of a trip Ash and I took! My grandparents live in Eureka NV, and their church hosts/runs a VBS every year that we got to help out with. From an unique flying experience and 4-wheeling in the mountains, to leading an inspiring VBS week and meeting so many awesome and interesting people, this trip was truly unforgettable. Thank you friends both new and old for the amazing memories!

Our Group: Meg far left, Ash 3rd to right.

Photo Credit: Alana Weaver

Almost each photo on here has a unique story behind it that I could write a paragraph, if not an essay on. Because of this, I decided to let the photos tell their own story with only brief captions.

So enjoy, and feel free to ask questions in the comments!

Indian Petroglyphs

The Gym Set up for VBS

Photo Credits: Ash

Photo Credit: Ash

ATV Riding on the Salt Flats

Photo Credit: Ash

Photo Credit: Leanna

^ Photo Credit: Ash ^

Star Gazing/Astrophotography

Ash's photos of Eureka's 4th of July parade.

Set-up vs Clean-up of VBS

Photo Credits: Charity Pence

Fireworks from the Reno Airport on July 4th and a Nevada sunset by Ash

Hope you're having a wonderful Summer!

- Meg

Macro Tips and Stories.

noreply@blogger.com (Meg Good) — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 16:03:00 +0000

Hey guys, This post is all on macro! Why I love it and some of the tips I am learning for you guys to try out as well!

To start off, I did take most of these on my Macro lens, but two or more of them were taken on a standard kit lens and cropped slightly in, so you don't need anything special to start taking great macro photos. Many cameras have a macro setting as well, that can help to focus closer in and have settings better suited for macro.

My favorite thing about macro is all the new things you start to notice, and the tiny details you can bring to life for your viewers. This spider web was almost invisible, but when I started looking I noticed the zigzag down the center of the web and the beautiful green spider moving across the web.

That brings me to my first tip which is:

1. Look for interesting designs, textures, and colors etc. to capture in you photos. The zig zag in the web above, the the almost skeleton like leaf below both have a very unique design that makes a great subject.

Tip # 2 is experiment with aperture (or f-stop). Blurry backgrounds (a low f-stop) make the subject pop like in the one below and are used a lot in macro, but aren't always the best for every photo.

Customize your aperture for each photo. In the photo above I wanted the whole subject in focus and the background slightly blurry but still very interesting, while in the one below I wanted the head to pop, but not the distracting grass background or necessarily the rest of the mantis.

I am still not great at this, and often when reviewing my photos I see that I should have done it differently, but the more you practice the better you will get!

As you can tell I love insect photography. ^_^

This little bug landed on me while I was sitting under a tree. I brushed him off my arm, and almost didn't notice the amazing colors and interest he carried.

3. Look and photograph at different angles. You've probably heard this before, but it's really what makes macro interesting. Get down on the ground and look around at things, or look up through the tree's. I have found many subjects by getting down on my knees and looking around at things I would have totally missed If you just walked or stood nearby.

You can also tell the difference between the photo above and below, and how the originality of the angle really changed how well the photo came out.

I was taking the trash out one morning when I noticed the sun glinting off tiny spider webs dotting our yard. They were super hard to get, but made a great photo.

4. My fourth tip is make sure what you want in focus is in focus completely. This makes a much better photo and allows you to crop in, without diminishing the quality of the photo. Lighting, color, and arrangement, can be changed some with editing but your focus cannot. (most of these photos are cropped and edited very lightly.)

I challenge you no matter how good or bad you think you are at photography to get closer to objects and explore the world of miniature.

I hope you enjoyed this post!

- Meg

Sunflowers

noreply@blogger.com (Ash Tice) — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 20:25:00 +0000

Hello all, I got some pictures with my new phone camera to see how well the camera quality is... tell me what u think!!

Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Meg Good) — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 15:36:00 +0000

Okay! It's time for another blog post! This post is just kinda some of the photos I have been taking with my new Camera and the stories behind them!

As you can see from the last 4 pictures, I have really been getting into insect photography with my new camera. They are just so interesting and a cool challenge to get! To get the blurry backgrounds I took my aperture all the way down and I edited just a bit for lighting/arrangement.

These next three landscape photos are actually from near the same lake. I love hiking around it, and I always find something amazing!

Take a good look at this one! I love the element in the middle best, but the 4-wheeler tracks, sun glare, and gorgeous grass all make this an interesting picture.

My favorite part of photography is finding the little unimportant and unnoticed things. I love capturing their uniqueness and beauty! These little mushrooms were only about an inch high!

Walking around the lake I mentioned above, me and a few of my friends found this little guy curled up in the grass after seeing his mommy in the distance. This finding literally made my week! Isn't he cute? (Yes it is a He, due to the straight line of spots and the place where antlers will grow in on the head.) You never know what you will find in nature when you take the time to look!

Thanks for reading guys, and like always if you have any suggestions, comments or questions on things you would like to see on here, we would love to know about them! I hope to hear from you!

- Meg

My New Camera!

noreply@blogger.com (Meg Good) — Thu, 14 May 2020 16:24:00 +0000

Yay! I am so excited for this blog post! This is a dream come true! Two weeks ago my new mirrorless camera arrived in the mail for my birthday with me covering some of the cost. I literally couldn't wait to open it up and try it out. But without further ado, here is a list of some of the new and exciting features you guys will be seeing plus some sample pictures.

- The best thing by far about my camera is just the image quality and color. Everything just looks 10x better than our previous Nikon Coolpix.

You see what I mean?

The other thing I love is that it uses detachable lenses which allowed me to buy a specialized macro lens!!!!

These two photos are of a dandelion head. One thing to notice is that these images are very grainy. That is because, though I didn't realize it, the exposure compensation was turned all the way down so images were too dark. Because of that I bumped my ISO up to it's max of 25600!! (my old camera only went up to 1600). So that brings me to a couple of new points. So these are grain because of my mistake but I love that the camera still got the beautiful color and good lighting.

The lighting and bokeh is so amazing and customizable!!

Yep I love it too!

Some other things I love about my camera is the Slo-Mo and Time-Lapse, Creative Filters, Fully rotating touch screen, Amazing Viewfinder, and just all around awesomeness. If you have ideas for me to test my camera out feel free to comment! I hope you could share in a little of my excitement.

Spring Flowers.

noreply@blogger.com (Ash Tice) — Sat, 02 May 2020 16:04:00 +0000

Spring Flowers

Hey ya'll.

Here I am again.. So sorry I haven't been posting in a while. But I've got some pictures for ya'll.

Let me know which ones are your favorite.

Enjoy!!

Ash

Editing and Spring Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Meg Good) — Sat, 18 Apr 2020 19:16:00 +0000

Spring is here with it's full splendor and I am enjoying photographing it! I am also going to show y'all some before and after shots of some pics I edited. Editing can be very useful in making your shots better, though I don't use it often. Any photographer should try to take the best original photo but editing is definitely something a photographer needs to know how to do right, and I am trying to learn how to get better at. Hopefully you can learn something too! Any photos not marked with (edited) are completely original, so enjoy!

Sunset!!

(original)

(lightly edited to crop and lower highlights)

(original)

(Edited to put on 3rds and increase highlights)

(Original)

(edited to align better, and increase lighting, I don't like how it turned yellow though)

(Original)

(Cropped to cut out upper left corner and align with 3rds, Edited to increase color and lighten slightly)

Comment below on what could be done to make this one better, and next post I will include it with a little editing! If you have advice on any other photo here too, I might also try to edit it.

P.S. Next time I will probably be posting on a couple of photo shoots I have been doing recently and what settings I changed to get different results. How I adjusted the lighting, and arrangement of photos ect... So you can look forward to that! - Meg

Spring is here!

noreply@blogger.com (Ash Tice) — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 13:57:00 +0000

Hello all, this is a post Meg and I did together. Both of us took these pictures. Guess which ones were taken by Meg or Ash!! leave a comment below with your guess.
Hope you like the pictures of spring
A&M

Its so green!

Nesting Bluebirds!

Nature Journaling

noreply@blogger.com (Meg Good) — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 02:37:00 +0000

Hey guys! Today I want to share some photos of my nature journal, and challenge you all to start your own.

The basics of nature journaling is enjoying and observing the natural world around you with just a piece of paper and pen. Its what I love about photography, except it's almost more special and fascinating. To get started all you need is a blank notebook and a pen and pencil. Then write the date and time, place, and temperature + weather and whatever else you want in the upper left or right hand corner. After that, you are free to use your creativity. Look for interesting things and try to draw them the best you can. You can also write a description, write poetry, color it, or whatever you desire! Don't worry if they turn out horribly, I have many brown splotches, and black streaks that are unidentifiable throughout my journal. I like to sit down at a quiet spot and just observe, and draw whatever I see. I look for what is unusual, gorgeous, a seasonal marker, and everything from tiny seeds to full page landscapes.

In this picture you can see how I added the heading in the right corner and then added small observations beside that.

I add color to things with watercolor, and sometimes markers or colored pencils.

My field notes and sketch of a mint plant. I love keeping things black and white too.

You don't have to go outside to observe nature! This is my mom's orchid I drew.

Silver Maples opening their buds with many perspectives. (pictures coming soon!)

This is my sketch of our daffodils, you can see what it really looks like below!

This is a sketch of all the sprouting flowers in our yard. Spring is on it's way!!

You can see how the irises look in real life below.

I love nature journaling because of the silent moments and observations I record. I would highly recomend anyone to try, even if you don't think your good at drawing. So grab that pen, and notebook. The world is waiting for you.

Note: If you are interested in learning how to do this more in depth I would recommend reading any of Clare Walker's books. They are super informative, and just plain amazing! The internet also has many websites and sources where you can learn more.

And Another Note! : If you guys would like another post about nature journaling, I would love to do this again!

Thanks for reading!

Photographer Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Meg Good) — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 14:18:00 +0000

Brick With a Touch of Yellow - Sophia Morris

Sophia Morris, a photographer, was born on Feb. 14, 2002 in Santa Barbara, CA. Their family moved to the East Coast the day after Christmas in 2008. She loves to travel and has been to 45 states, but not out of the US. Currently Sophia is 17 years old and a senior in high school. She has 8 siblings, 1 sister (her best friend), and 7 brothers. She is an ice skating instructor with her sister Bella and LOVES it. Their family has a business of raising Labs and Labradoodles. She says "I love sunflowers...a lot, Jeeps and coffee are pretty good too."

We asked her some question and her are her answers!

Sophia

1. How did you get started in photography? I started photography in 2012 and I saved up for over a year to purchase my first camera.

2. Why do you enjoy photography? I love photography for three main reasons that I can think of. 1- You get a chance to capture the little things. Little things most of us would miss if it wasn't for photographers. 2- Photography makes you look for the beauty in the world. It can also challenge you to make something ugly into a pleasant photo. 3- It's fascinating! There's always something new to learn.

3. What type of things do you like to capture in you photos? Mostly people! Nature is also one of my favorite challenges.

4. What are some of your other hobbies? Well, other than photography I enjoy ice skating, lettering, hiking, interior designing, and horseback riding.

5. What are some tips you can share with our readers? One of the most helpful tips I can give you that really helped me is; place all your settings on your camera on the most accurate settings possible. When you go to edit there will be little to no editing needed. One other tip is don't over edit. If you over edit your photos they will appear unrealistic and it takes away the beauty of the photo.

6. What equipment do you use when photographing? My favorite equipment to use is Canon and Nikon. I currently use:

Camera body- Canon EOS T5 Rebel
Lens 1- Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 18-55mm
Lens 2- Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm
Tripod- Bonfoto aluminum B-671A

7. Anything else you would like to say? Don't compare yourself to other photographers! Whether that would be their equipment, photos, or opportunities. It takes the fun out of doing what you love. Once you stop comparing yourself to others you will start enjoying everything you DO have. If you were wondering, yes! I'm talking from experience.

Here is a few of her photos she shared with us, Enjoy!

Stunning Eyes

Sun and Rain

Man's Best Friend

Ruffled Feathers

Along The Fence

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Ash Tice) — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 18:45:00 +0000

So..... This year was one of a kind. Here are a few highlights . Hope you enjoy!!
Ash

Some of my many cousins. The first 5 Pictures is a family gathering .

The next ones is a trip I took up to Ohio.

These are just some randoms I got.

A youth trip.

Hope you enjoyed!!

Nature Wanderings

noreply@blogger.com (Meg Good) — Thu, 26 Dec 2019 23:10:00 +0000

Whether taking a hour long walk, a day trip, or just stepping out side your door, there is amazing things to observe no matter where you live. Take a moment to see the amazing things I observed when I stopped to look, and I encourage you to do the same!

I went birding with Darrell and took these two pictures of

an old corn field and a briar sunset.

The next four pictures are of different dirt roads we went exploring on Labor Day.

The next few pictures are from a walk me and my brother took on Christmas Day

Sunset streaming through the tree's ^ _^ I love this one

An amazing moss covered logging road

Just the simple view of my brother and the brown woods

A branch filled sky

Little mosses covering the ground, so unnoticed but elegant.

A gorgeous sunset at our doorstep!

Above is a bear, our dog (A Border Collie!) treed in the small woods in front of our house. I didn't get very close for obvious reasons so the picture is very blurry.

Fall colors. Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Meg Good) — Fri, 22 Nov 2019 21:31:00 +0000

Here is the second part! Comment on your favorite fall photo from either part 1 or 2.

Fall Leaves

noreply@blogger.com (Ash Tice) — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 19:06:00 +0000

I am surprised at the focus of my camera! It seems to work

off and on. I got these a couple days ago when it was warm.

It's freezing today.

Btw I edited some of these.

Hope you enjoy!

Ash

Fall Colors.

noreply@blogger.com (Meg Good) — Sun, 03 Nov 2019 20:36:00 +0000

Here is some of the amazing colors we have been having around our place, I have enough to make two posts of this, so do you guys want part two in a couple of weeks? Or would you want to wait till the middle of winter and you want some bright colors instead of white and gray? Enjoy!

This and That

noreply@blogger.com (Ash Tice) — Sat, 26 Oct 2019 17:46:00 +0000

So these last few weeks have been very filled.I am SORRY we have not posted. But here is a few pics from the last couple weeks.
I hope you enjoy!!
Ash

I went up to Redish knob with some of my cousins

POP QUIZ. How many cousins do I have on my MOM'S side?

It's finally FALL!!!!

He soooo cute

I love photoshoots!

I edited this pictures to make it look more fallish

She is a week and a day old today!!

Adorable

I edited this too

And this one.

Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Meg Good) — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 12:25:00 +0000

Hello! Here is a few pics Meg took while baking cupcakes! Also included is a shadow pic of us.

We now have a email address so you can go check our contact page!

Books

noreply@blogger.com (Ash Tice) — Sat, 14 Sep 2019 18:23:00 +0000

Books

I LOVE to read!! How about you? If you do here are a few suggestions. I have a few series. I hope you like them.

This is not the first one of the series but I love Dork Diaries.

Author: Renee Russell

I know I'm a girl but the Hardy Boys are one of my many fav's

Author: Franklin W. Dixon

Adventures of the Northwoods are mystery and full of suspense.

Author: Lois Walfrid Johnson.

This girl was heartbroken when her mom died of cancer

But she got through it with the help of her church and friends.

Author: Ginny Williams

I have only read one of these but I want to get the rest.

They are sooo good and hold you in suspense.

Author: Elaine Schulte

This is really good series for teen girls. I have read the whole series.

Author: Melody Carlson

I love this series. Its is about 6 girls who are trying to find their way in life

Author: Melody Carlson

This is about a boy Living at the foot of the Blue ridge Mountains.

Author: Pablo Yoder

This book is amazing!!!

Author: Angie Thomas

If you like amish books this is a good one

Author: Carrie Bender

Remembering 9.11

noreply@blogger.com (Ash Tice) — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 16:39:00 +0000

The 9.11

I was not alive when this happened nor did I have any friend's or relatives involved. But I felt like I should post.

Hope you enjoy.

Ash

Bright Morning Stars Are Rising - Trans. Ruth Crawford Seeger

noreply@blogger.com (Ash Tice) — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 21:17:00 +0000

I am posting tonight because I am leaving for Ohio tomorrow. Sorry this is the only thing I can come up with to post. My aunt died this morning so we are going out. Please pray for her 3 children,and
husband.

This is the last of the choir.
I am the one singing the solo.
ENJOY!!!

Ash

Contest winner!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Meg Good) — Sat, 24 Aug 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Our contest winner is Tazia Byler with her gorgeous sunset picture!

Here is what she said about it.

"This is a picture I took one night when I was mowing. (Yes, at times I take my camera with me when mowing because I never know when I will have a good picture opportunity) I really like this picture because of the vibrant colors and the gorgeous clouds!"

This contest was lots of fun, but unfortunately, we did not get many submissions and almost all were late. We hope to do this again in the future, but will need some more response. Thank you for the pictures you sent in, and be watching for a contest page sometime soon!

Sunset

noreply@blogger.com (Ash Tice) — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 14:16:00 +0000

Sunsets

We have been having really pretty sunsets lately. I got some pics that I want to show you guys.

Enjoy!!

Ash

Rockingham County Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Ash Tice) — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 14:08:00 +0000

Fair

Welcome to the fair!!! This year we had a lot of cool stuff at the fair. I got pictures to enter next year. I entered 3 pictures this year and I got second place on one of them. I am told this fair is number one in the state.So...... are you ready?????

Its blurry but I loved the trick riding at the rodeo!

One of the rides. I did not go on it.

Hope you like it!!

Ash

Things we are learning

noreply@blogger.com (Meg Good) — Sun, 11 Aug 2019 00:16:00 +0000

Tips and Tricks we are learning

1. Always mess with settings
- The P setting on many cameras is called program auto and is a step
between full auto and completely manual. I find this is helpful when I feel like
messing around, but manual is too complicated, or will take too long
- The menu button on many cameras has many features that you can choose
to match what you are taking pictures of. These can quickly and easily
improve your shots. Some include close up, sunset, snow, among many
others.
- Explore! And experiment with your camera. Even if you miss that sunset this
time, by messing with settings, next time you will know what to do!
2. Try to frame your shots interestingly
- If you see a flower try taking a picture from looking up the stem, down on top
of it, or so you have it silhouetted on the horizon. Be creative!
- You can look for tiny details like the bark on a dead tree and make them
come alive!
- Try putting your camera on ground level, as high as you can reach, or
pointing straight up!
3. Arrange your photos
- Almost all cameras have some sort of guide that shows the middle or thirds
that can help you rearrange your shots interestingly. Try to line your object of
focus on one of the lines of thirds. You can also line something out of focus
like a background vine, on one of the thirds, but put your main focus in the
middle.
- You can also frame things like using tree branches to frame a photo of the
sky.
4. Get good lighting
- If you are out of doors and it is sunny generally always put the sun to your
back, to keep from getting unwanted sunspots, damaging your eyes, and
having your shots turn out too bright. If you are trying to take pictures of the
sun I try to put my camera where a tree or building is blocking out most of
the light, but lets in sun beams.
- When it is cloudy outside, you can use flash, or there are many settings on
the camera that compensate for the low light.
- Indoors you can add light where it is needed and take away where it is not,
by adjusting curtains, and adding lights. Don’t forget to be adjusting camera
settings too! On some cameras there are even a specific setting for taking
pictures in doors.
5.Photographing people
- Make sure to get all angels
- When taking a picture of somebody, make sure the picture really expresses who they are.
- Be creative in the locations in which you shoot. Make sure it expresses them. For example, if they are really country, do the shoot in the woods or a field.
6. Odds and Ends.
- Use Macro if you want to especially point out a certain thing.

Enjoy!
A&M

Hot summer days!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ash Tice) — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 22:13:00 +0000

Summer

It is hot and humid!!!! Like around 100 degrees today!! So I was chilling and TRYING to stay cool but it did not work! So I got in the pool and lots of other things I'll show you guys.

Hope you like it!

Ash

I love how my flowers are doing!

I had sweet tea!!

My lunch was amazing!!

This pool is sooooo amazing!!!!