It just so much fun.

Here is what I do:

I set my ISO.
I set my aperture.
I make sure the camera is on continuous shooting.
I set my shutter speed/exposure by metering on the doggies head before I lower the camera.
I hang my camera down by my foot, aim in the direction of my puppy (Ginny) and shoot.

Of course you can put your camera on automatic and try this too. Why not!?

Sometimes the focus is off. I should say, lots of time the focus is off.

But it is endlessly entertaining to scroll thru your surprise pictures.

I find this especially fun with a moving target like a dog. But really, it is cool to see the world from a different angle and if you don’t want to lie on your tummy in a puddle of muck, try this.

“If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.”
~Dr. Seuss

Encourage one another,
Miz Booshay

I love morning anyway. It signals a new day, everything is quiet and crisp and cool, and everything seems possible.

But as a photography enthusiast, I have a whole other category of reasons to love this time of day.

It’s not the first time my cell phone has rescued me from missing a photo.

The sun was shining and the snow was reflecting and all this light was flooding my family room. I think Katie was actually standing near the door, watching the puppy, if I recall correctly.

I decided to try a profile shot with my iPhone.

It was not entirely bad.

But with the phone, you do not have control over aperture and shutter speed.
I did not like seeing the picnic table and the fence.
So I grabbed my big girl camera and tried again.
(Nikon D700)

 

Exposure 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 85 mm
ISO Speed 400

I have my camera set to spot metering.
This is what happens when I put the focal point right on Katie’s head,
Meter
Focus and shoot.

The camera read the light on Katie’s hair and ignored the light around her.
Which is something I actually like having control over.

However, when you want to make your person black,
then you need to point your camera toward the white.
Now, meter that white snow.

Exposure 1/4000 sec
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 85 mm
ISO Speed 400

See the difference in exposure?
That is shutter speed.

I have decided to expose the background and not the child.
After metering on the snow, I moved my focal point back to Katie’s eye area and focused there.

You wouldn’t have to do anything to this shot in Photoshop and it was be fine, but I wanted to make mine black and white so I clicked Image>Adjustments>Black and White and then I opened Levels and moved the black slider to make sure I had a nice sharp black.

As far as posing goes, I made Katie kneel so that I could not see the fence behind her since I only wanted to see the white background. I directed her where to look so I had a nice open eye and pretty profile.

We opened the sliding door so the wooden bars from the door wouldn’t show.

It was cold.

I really can’t decide on the crop I like best for this.

This sure reminds me of when I was a little girl in grade school, and we had our profiles made.
Do you remember that?
The artist shone a bright light on you and they traced your silhouette on black construction paper and then they cut that out and taped it on a piece of white or yellow or orange paper construction paper.
I remember feeling very special posing for my silhouette.

Here is a link to the Tutorial Ree called How I Shoot Silhouettes:

Ree Shoots Silhouettes

Hope this was clear as can be!

Give it a try.

(If you do not have snow, use the sky or sand or cement or anything else you can think of!)

Encourage one another,
Miz Boo

For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Instagram is an iPhone app that transforms otherwise drab and lifeless phone photos with fun, interesting filters and allows you to post them on Instagram (which is its own little social network), Twitter, and Facebook. I’ve used it for months and months to snap photos of random things when I’m out and about, and I love how mobile it is, how cool the photos look, and how easy it is to share them on social networking sites (not to be confused with “sights.”)

The photos will never compare to those taken with a good quality camera. I probably won’t ever rely solely on Instagram photos to fill my blog pages with content. But my phone is always with me, no matter where I go—whether I run to town or drive a few miles down our road. And there was a time when I wouldn’t bother taking photos with my phone because the shots were plain and boring and lacking in drama and interest. But the filters on Instagram really do the trick and actually make it fun to take phone photos. Now, even if I have my DSLR along with me, I’ll often double up and take an iPhone shot too, just so I can play with it in Instagram.

It might be my favorite app of all time.

Except Teux Deux. But that’s another story for another time.

 
This photo was taken five years ago, in January 2007, about seven months after I first started taking photos.

The metadata, however, shows that it was taken in January 2006. But since I know I started taking photos in May 2006, I know that January 2006 can’t be right. I also remember this icy winter, when Marlboro Man had to chop ice every single day, and I remember that furry coat that Santa brought my oldest daughter, and I remember that my girls were still short. I know that this was 2007, not 2006, because I remember taking photos of my daughter wearing this coat, and I know I wouldn’t have taken her photo in January 2006 because I didn’t have my camera then.

Never mind. Just check the date on your camera and make sure it’s set right.

Don’t make the same mistakes I did.

As I was thinking of a post this morning,

I thought I would give some pointers on taking family pictures.

First, I am going to share a hilarious website with really bad family pictures.

This is intended to give you a good chuckle and perhaps make you feel a little bit better about your own family photos.

Awkward Family Photos

In the spirit of fairness…

here are a few rather recent out takes from my own family!

There is just something about the yearly family picture that brings out the crazy in everybody.
I suppose if I sent the worst picture every year, they would all start to behave )

Have fun!
Do your best!
Make memories.

Encourage one another,
Miz Boo

 
 
Frontlight.

Neither photo is perfect: the first one could use some help with focus, the second one could use some help with composition. But they illustrate the difference between taking a photo when the sunlight is in front of you, behind the subject (Photo 1) and taking a photo when the sunlight is behind you, shining directly on the subject (Photo 2). I almost always prefer backlight (Photo 1) situations, because it usually creates nice contrast and mood and a lovely rim of light around the subject. However, in this case it was early enough in the morning that the direct sunlight in the frontlight example (Photo 2) was not so strong that it drowned out the color or make hot spots, as usually happens after about 9:30 am. Instead, it seemed to highlight the gorgeous colors of the sky…the grass…the horses.

Figuring out light is one of the most important aspects of photography. I’m getting much better at it in the kitchen, when the window and the food can stay where I tell it to.

But out in the pasture, when I have zero control over where the children and the horses go in relation to the sun, I have to stand on my toes to keep up with things.

But that’s part of why photography is so much fun.

While you certainly do not need to wait until the beginning of a year to make “resolutions,” it often just works out that way. If you enjoy photography, whether you use your iPhone, a point and shoot camera or an SLR, you may want to make some “photo related resolutions” for 2012.

Being the owner of MCP Actions, a company that designs Photoshop Actions and Lightroom Presets for photographers, I lead a sedentary life. I am often in front of my computer far more than with a camera. I also tend to shy away from getting in photos because I am not happy with my weight. Anyone else relate? So at the age of 40, I have decided to do something about it.

Here are my three resolutions for 2012 (the 1st of which is photo related):
1 – Get in more pictures with my kids (If I am always taking the photos, they will have no documented photographs to remember me by in the future)
2 – Less Computer
3 – Lose weight

Anytime you have a goal, you need at least a sketch, if not a plan on how to get there.

Here’s how I plan to accomplish them:
1 – Get in photos for my kids. Remember snapshots are just fine – my husband may not compose with the rules of thirds or nail focus, and that is ok. Stop worrying about extra pounds or not looking how I want. My kids don’t care what I look like, but they do care if I never end up in photos. In addition, I have a few local photographers who offered to take photos of me (I need a more updated image on my site and Facebook).

Here is a photo I “got in” as part of this new goal.

2 – I work 60-80+ hours a week running MCP Actions (almost all of it is on the computer or iPad). It is unreasonable to write off the computer, but I’d love to trim my computer time to 40 hours if possible. It may mean less blogging or less Facebook. I need to remember the big picture of life. IT IS SHORT! I love social networking but I need to manage my time better. I cannot keep this pace or my family, photography skills, and health will suffer. I also want to shoot more than in 2011 – I plan to participate in MCP Project 12.

3 – As most nutritionists will tell you, to lose weight you need to do two things, move more/eat less or better anyway. For me, it is more complex because of PCOS and no longer having a thyroid. But I need to stop making excuses and get off my ***. I also be eating low carb again as recommended by my endocrinologist and exercise 4-5x per week (Spinning for cardio and weight lifting when I am ready). I love carbs and have a sedentary life due to my job. But in the interest of living longer, for myself and my family, I need to make changes. Oh, and I will need to start cooking, which is so not my thing. If you have great low carb recipes, that are super easy, send them my way!

Do you have any resolutions or goals for 2012? Do you have a plan to accomplish them?

Here are some ideas of photography related goals, a brainstorm:

* Work on improving your photography. The best way get better photos is to get out and practice. While better equipment can help, it is not essential. Get to know the camera you have. And start using it. Get to know the editing software you have, and practice with it too. For those who need direction or theme ideas, we are running a photography project this year called MCP Project 12, where you work on images related to a specific theme each month. Skill level does not matter – what matters is that you challenge yourself and try new things with your camera.

Click on the banner here to learn more or join in:

* Get in photos with your family. If you are like me, you rarely get in pictures. Have someone else take photos of you with your relatives, friends and family. Become a part of the memories. It is so sad when my kids ask for photos with me and I have said “I am not in them since I am the one taking them.” Change that. You do not need to be in thousands, but jump in one or two every so often. If you hate getting in photos, due to something like appearance, remember your family and friends love you for you – not because of what you look like. And likely, you are beautiful with low self-confidence anyway.

* Stop and enjoy life. This seems contradictory to the “practice, practice, practice” in point one. But many times, hobbyist and professional photographers tend to miss “life” because they always view it from behind the camera and lens. Capturing memories is super important. In most cases, it is why those of us who love photography do it. Step back on occasion and let someone else record the memories with their camera. When I do this, I always am surprised how much I love it. I still take a multitude of pictures, but sometimes I just leave my camera behind or just grab shots with my iPhone, so I can be part of the action.

* Read, learn, study, and then practice. There are so many photography resources on the Internet. Many are free. Pick a photography topic, such as finding light, aperture, exposure, or post processing in Photoshop. Read as much as you can and then put it to use. You will be surprised at how much you can grow in one year.

Now share your goals or resolutions, photography or otherwise, in the comment section. Tell us what you have going on and how you intend to get there.

I hope this post inspired you to get out there and shoot, create some goals and figure out how you will accomplish them. And I hope you will consider joining me for MCP Project 12. Themes will be posted on the 1st of every month on the MCP Blog. And the 1st one is “resolution.”

Jodi Friedman is the woman behind the popular and time saving MCP Photoshop actions and Lightroom Presets. She also offers live online Photoshop training classes for professional and hobbyist photographers. You can interact with her on Facebook at LikeMCP.com.

Bit by bit….er…bite by bite…

We have a puppy!

I am determined that she will be my newest model.

Puppies are different than humans. Their faces are really long.

Exposure 1/2500 sec
Aperture f/3.2
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800

(3.2 seemed to work just right for this)

As I approach taking puppy pictures, I first think about aperture and depth of field.

If I want the whole face to be in focus I need to choose a higher number aperture and/or stand further away from
the puppy.

Exposure 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800

(This one is taken from a distance and so the face is in focus even tho the aperture is 1.8. I’m actually surprised by this. But you can see her chest is out of focus.)

Exposure 0.001 sec (1/1600)
Aperture f/3.2
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 2500

(Check out that ISO! It was dark!)

Exposure 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 1250

(Dark again, higher ISO)

Peek a boo.

Exposure 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture f/2.2
Focal Length 85 mm
ISO Speed 800

And sometimes you just love the picture even if things didn’t turn out just so….

****

Pointers

1. Assess the situation.
2. Longer faces call for larger f/stop numbers
3. experiment
4. get puppy used to the camera right away
5. be patient
6. take many pictures
7. notice what works best
8. try something new

Happy New Year dear Pioneer Woman readers!!!

Just remember…you can do it!

Encourage one another,
Miz Boo