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Photo of the Week – God's Handiwork

Posted on January 31, 2010

I’ve decided to implement a Photo of the Week feature to highlight some of the images my readers have captured.

Our inaugural photo comes from my good friend Christa who, after playing more with her settings Saturday, took this wonderful photo of icicles dangling elegantly from an evergreen. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words and this one speaks of the beauty of unexpected snow days and the wonder of God’s creation.

Christa did a great job capturing the tones of the sunset, its reflection on the sparkly, icy snow and the ice on the evergreen in the bottom right corner. Art should have movement and this photo does; the snow looks as if it was poured onto the boughs and it is almost as if we’re watching as it slowly melts, forming the icicles. These evergreen boughs are not sturdy, they do not hold weight well, and yet they are able to hold the mixture of snow and ice without breaking.

Her focus is sharp, too, which is important when photographing icicles.

I read Christa’s blog entry, The Handiwork of God, just after she shot this and I know she was very pleased with herself. And she should be, because this photo is beautiful.

Here in the South, snow closes the roads, schools, businesses and churches. After having been cooped up in the house with her family all day, she stole a few minutes for a walk in the snow with her camera.

“When I shot it I was standing in at least 6 inches of snow wearing my husband’s clothes and shoes,” she says. “I was feeling particularly artsy and wanting to capture things the way I was seeing them.”

This shows it doesn’t take expensive equipment to capture great photos, either. Christa shot this with a point-and-shoot camera, not a dSLR.

“My camera is a Canon PowerShot, SD1200IS to be exact. I was playing around with the settings; I changed my exposure to -1.5 it also has this setting where you can change it to macro for up close so I changed it to that,” she said. “It was set on ISO 1600, too.”

For Christa, the photo is not just another memory from an ice and snow storm.

“This photo to me, is proof of not only God’s existence, but also His creativity,” says Christa. “I mean, I know that lots of places have snow all the time, but for this Cali girl, it is soooo beautiful.”

If you would like to submit a photo you’ve taken for the Photo of the Week feature, or nominate a photo you’ve seen, email me at edayphotographyATgmail.com.

Photographing sunset

Posted on January 30, 2010

When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator. – Mahatma Gandhi

Seeing the sun rise and fall over the fields made me fall in love with West Tennessee. It is so prevalent here, the sun, and when I lived with my parents I always had a wonderful view of its beauty. The balcony from the upstairs area is a wonderful place to enjoy the sun painting the sky with reds, oranges and yellows. In a word, it is breathtaking. And it is humbling.

I’m now surrounded by trees and leaving those sunrises saddens me. I never see them anymore. Sometimes I am lucky enough to be in the right spot for sunsets, though. A farm about a mile from our home is a great place to watch the sun become orange and the sky purple with closure.

Today I had the great fortune of visiting friends and as we were saying our goodbyes, the sun did as well.

I steadied my camera on the broken front end of our plastic sled, which was standing upright in the hard, icy snow, and shot the most beautiful sunset I have ever captured. I love the tones. I love the way the trees silhouette against the soothing purple and the fiery orange. I love the focus. And I love the memory of this day, a relaxed and wonderful afternoon spent with great friends.

It was a beautiful end to a wonderful day.

And also a great time to use negative exposure compensation. I dialed this one down to -2 and made sure to keep the camera still, which is important any time you are working in low light. The shutter, if set correctly, will stay open longer to absorb all available light; if the camera is not on a tripod of some sort, you will likely end up with a blurry photo.

I invite you to try it on your own tomorrow. If you have a dSLR, take it off of Auto mode and switch it to Aperture Priority, then experiment until you have a photo you love. If you’re using a point & shoot camera, you can experiment with different exposure settings as well. I invite you to share them with me, too! Leave me a comment with a link to your photos so I can check them out!

Compensating exposure on cloudy snow days

Posted on January 30, 2010

This morning I snuck out of the house before breakfast to take a few more photos in the snow and play with exposure. The ground is covered in the white stuff – plus a lot of ice! – and the sky went from sunny to cloudy while I was dressing.

I was hoping to get some sunny snow day shots, but apparently Mother Nature had other plans in mind. Instead, we’ll look more at setting your camera straight on overcast days.

To show you the difference compensation can make on a snow day, here are a few examples. These photos were taken within seconds of each other, in the same light.

I shot these with my Nikon D5000 and have the option of going to -/+5 at .3 intervals. Each camera is different, however; my Canon Digital Rebel XTi only goes to -/+2.

Remember that positive compensation allows more light in (overexposing) and negative compensation allows less light (underexposing). You would use negative compensation in dim light, such as a sunset. Read more

Quick Tips: Great Snow Pics

Posted on January 30, 2010

Tomorrow will likely be a snow day across much of the United States, which means those of us in the South (hello, Volunteer State!) and the Southeast (I’m looking at you, Virginia) who rarely see snow will be layering up and heading outside to play.

And many of you will tote a camera with you to capture the nostalgia that is this frozen precipitation.Before you go, check out a few tips for taking photos in the snow:

Charge your batteries
Nothing zaps a battery faster than cold weather! Make sure your batteries are fully charged before trudging out in the cooler temperatures, because once you get all bundled up you probably don’t want to go back in until you’re numb.

Protect your camera
Many photographers recommend protecting your camera from the sleet and snow by putting it inside a plastic zip-top bag. This will prevent your lens and camera body from getting wet; water droplets cause blurry photos and damaged cameras. If you’d like, cut a hole in the bottom of the bag large enough for your lens or lens hood so the plastic doesn’t affect your focus.

Use your camera strap – you’d hate to drop it, especially when it’s snowing.

To reduce condensation in your lens and viewfinder, your camera needs to acclimate. When you’re ready to come back inside, leave it in the garage or in your pocket for 30 minutes, then bring it inside. Unless you are using your camera’s internal memory, you can remove your memory card and download and edit your photos while you wait to bring the camera back inside.

Exposure
Ever notice that our cameras often translate white snow as gray or blue in color on an overcast day? This is because your camera is automatically preventing an overexposure, believing your subject to be an item on the gray scale being brightly lit.

To avoid this, simply adjust your camera’s exposure compensation. Start with +1, then experiment to see which setting (+1, +1.5, +2) works best for your conditions.

Consult your camera’s user manual for directions on making this adjustment, though this is usually labeled in the settings menu or like this: +/-.

Don’t worry if you don’t exactly nail it on the first try, you can always adjust the exposure using photo editing software.

When you’re shooting the requisite photo of your house covered in snow, try to do it as close to mid-morning possible because the colors are more subdued and true. The light can be too bright in full sun or can be too warm at sunset, casting a reddish hue over your subjects.

Use your camera’s built-in flash, even in bright sunlight, for fill flash to reduce shadows over faces.

Other tips
Vivid colors pop against snow. They can also be enhanced using a photo editor.

Use your camera’s action or sports setting when your subjects are sledding or making snow angels. If you don’t, they’ll likely be blurry.

Great creative with different perspectives.

Wear gloves to keep your hands warm; your best bet is thin or fingerless gloves as thick ones will reduce your dexterity and may be slippery on the shutter release button.

Most of all, have fun, stay warm and enjoy the snow! And don’t forget the hot cocoa.

21 Tips for Photographing Babies & Children

Posted on January 30, 2010

In my former life, I had a graphic design business and sold quite a few birth announcements and holiday cards. My customers always asked for photography tips and this is what I whipped up for them. I thought I would bring it out of it’s hiding place and share it again; it’s been five years – for the Internet, this is vintage!

Let’s face it, photographing babies and children is tough! Here are 21 tips to ensure you get the perfect snapshot of your child.

General Photography Tips

1. Use a tripod to steady the camera. This also helps in making sure your photos are in focus.

2. If you are using a digital camera, make sure it is on the highest resolution setting.

3. If you are using a 35mm camera, use 200 speed film. Film that is 400 or 800 speed tends to produce grainy photos.

4. Use natural light, if possible. If you can’t take your photos outside, try to photograph your baby near a window that lets in a lot of sunlight. You can use a mirror to reflect the light if you wish. If these things are not options for you, make sure you have a good flash so your pictures aren’t dark.

5. Get as close as you can, while still keeping the photo in focus.

6. Be as quick as possible. Keep your photo shoot short so you don’t exhaust your baby (or your nerves). Set things up before you put the baby in the photo.

7. Use solid-colored backgrounds or blankets when possible. Remember to keep things simple.

8. Take lots of photos! The perfect photo probably won’t happen immediately.

9. Start by photographing your baby at eye level, then try a few different angles to see what you like best.

10. Make sure your batteries are charged!

11. Keep your camera on you at all times. You never know when the right photo opportunity will arise! Read more

She sells sea shells …

Posted on January 30, 2010

Well, maybe not actual sea shells. Just the seashore. And other things.

This week I opened Echo Day Photography & Design, an Etsy shop for all of those pointless photos my family says I take. My favorite memories by the sea, delicate blooms, beacons and anything else still enough, grand enough to be captured through my lenses.

My grandmother painted, my dad draws, I take photos and write. This is my art. It’s what I do. It’s what I love to do.

I currently have ten items listed – my paperwhites, garden roses, the beach at Duck, Sausalito and the first photos in my lighthouse series (Corolla). In the coming weeks, I will add photos of the Bodie and Hatteras Island lighthouses. (Have I ever mentioned Darin and I want to see as many lighthouses as we possibly can?)

Today I bought my first showcase spot, which meant my works were at the top of the art/photography section all day. How exciting, even though it cost me! AND! I made my first sale! I was surprised that the first photo sold was one I didn’t think would sell at all. Amazing.

In the future I hope to offer my meal planning printables, canvas prints and other items for sale. All in due time, though.

So there ya go. Shop’s open. From here I open my windows, whip up wonderful things and let the scent waft … (aggravated assault with matte board has been threatened if I sell on my Twitter feed lol).