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Photography Resources from Bloggography

Lolli — Tue, 11 May 2010 05:00:55 +0000

With the summer fast approaching (and kids home from school!) and also the birth of Manic Mother’s newest little baby coming up pretty soon, we have decided to take a break from Bloggography for a while. But we didn’t want to leave you high and dry, so Manic Mother and I are sharing some of our favorite photography resources with you.

Great Photography-related Websites:

Digital Photography School

Flickr (check out the groups – there are great discussions and advice in them)

Pioneer Woman Photography

Coffee Shop

I Heart Faces

I Love Photography

Texas Chicks Blogs and Pics

Great Photography Books:

Understanding Exposure

Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Series

The Photoshop Books by Scott Kelby

The Lightroom Book by Scott Kelby

How to Photograph Absolutely Everything

David Busch’s Quick Snap Guide To Lighting

You guys know that I love sharing photography tips and hints. I promise that this is not the end. We are also throwing around the idea of putting together a Bloggography e-book that would include many more new tutorials. Before we put a lot of time into writing this, though, we are wondering how many of you would be interested? If you would be interested in purchasing a Bloggography e-book please take the poll in Manic Mother’s sidebar. Or just let me know your thoughts here. Thanks!

PS–links to books are affiliate links to Amazon. Please don’t feel pressured to buy them…unless, of course, you can’t resist!

Bloggography Challenge – Focus

Lolli — Tue, 04 May 2010 11:00:46 +0000

Two weeks ago, we featured photos from users who took the challenge to use their current lenses to do what they do best, whether that was macro or landscape or action. I loved the variety that we had from last week’s participants. Here is one of the photos that stood out to me, from The Grammie Diaries:

I totally want to go there. This week, I keep talking about Happy Places and Mental Health days. THIS is a place that would make me feel happy, I guarantee.

Did Manic Mother feature your picture? Stop by her blog to see!

And now on to this week’s challenge. Last week, we talked about focus and how to make sure that your images are focused on your subject (versus some other random point in the picture). How did you do? Did this tip help at all this week? I’d love to see your pictures! (PS–this week I will be around to come and visit each and every link, I promise!!)

These are not my best pictures, but they were some fun shots I caught during last week’s cub scout activity (we painted rock pets!)

That last shot is of AJ, who joined us at Scouts this week, and the rock pet he painted himself.

By the way, I am giggling over the fact that I showcased pictures of CUB SCOUTS in a post about FOCUS. Is that silly or what?!

PS–Have you entered my Photo Book giveaway yet? It’s my easiest giveaway ever!

Photography Tip: How to Achieve Perfect Focus – A Bloggography Tutorial

Lolli — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:00:02 +0000

Last week, I received a question from a friend and fellow blogger who was wondering why her daughter was not in focus in some of her photos (but the stroller was!). I am asked this diagnostic question quite a bit, and the majority of the time the solution is the same.

Focus on your subject!

I know–sounds kind of silly, doesn’t it? Of course you’re going to TRY to focus on your subject! So why do so many photos turn out like this?

Nice, focused fence, horrible blurry kid. Doesn’t do me much good.

The camera automatically focused on whatever was in the center and completely missed the real subject. The fact is that cameras will typically chose one of two spots to automatically focus on: either the center of the frame or whatever is closest to the lens.

But sometimes your subject is not in the center of the frame or closest to your lens. (Sometimes the camera does NOT know best!)

Here are a few tips to help you achieve perfect focus. The best part? You can do this with any camera!

How to lock the focus on your subject:

Frame your shot so that the object or person that you want in sharp focus is in the center of the viewfinder.
Press the shutter button down half-way and hold it (keep holding it!)
Move your camera until you have the composition that suits your fancy (remember when I talked about composition? Try moving your subject off-center every once in a while).
Press the shutter release button down the rest of the way to take the picture.

Ahhh–now that’s better! I locked the focus on Twizzler, and now the fence is blurry. Wait! Why is he glaring at me?

One more thing to keep in mind: The eyes are the most important feature to be in focus. Who wants to frame a cute photo of their son, whose nose or shirt is in focus, but whose eyes are blurry? Focus on the eyes!

Note: My camera also allows me to select which spot to focus on (by choosing a spot in my viewfinder before taking a picture). Not all cameras have this feature.

Challenge:

Use the steps above to lock the focus on your subject and show us your shots! For an added challenge, pay particular attention to the eyes. You are welcome and encouraged to add your photos to our Bloggography flickr group. And be sure to visit my co-host, Manic Mother, too!

Bloggography Challenge – Lenses

Lolli — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:00:44 +0000

The last Bloggography Rule of Thirds Photo Challenge was one of my favorites to date. I am apparently naturally drawn to photos that follow the rule of thirds. Here’s one from two weeks ago that particularly stood out to me. Isn’t this a stunning photo from Jacki at Ravensspell.blogspot.com? Did Manic Mother feature your shot?

Last week’s tutorial was all about lenses. The challenge was to use whatever lens(es) you’ve got to do what they do best. If you have a wide angle lens, try a landscape shot. If you have a fixed lens with a large aperture, try a shallow depth of field picture. If you have a telephoto zoom lens, see what you can get a picture of in the wild.

I’ve got the Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8, and the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L. Here are two pictures I took with my 28-75mm lens at last week’s Arts Night at school (the school is set up like a museum, with art work from everyone in the school). I love my Tamron because it’s good for both wide angle shots like this one:

The cute boy, third from the right on top, is Twizzler’s self-portrait.

(edited in Lightroom with Pretty Presets Golden Light)

As well as shallow depth of field shots like this one:

None of my kids made penguins this year, but I just loved this table full of penguins!

(edited in Lightroom with Pretty Presets Deep Blue)

—–> And now I’d love to see what you captured for this week’s challenge. Let us know what lens or camera you used!

Before you go, though, be sure to stop by my brand new Photography-related giveaway!! I am giving away TWO full sets of Pretty Presets. Lucky you!

How to Choose the Best Lenses for Your DSLR

Lolli — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:00:10 +0000

Manic Mother and I get asked quite frequently what lenses we use, or what are the best lenses to buy, so we thought we would do a post on what we have learned so far about DSLR lenses. And believe me, we’ve spent lots of time drooling over researching the best DSLR lenses!

This post was written by Manic Mother, and customized by me to fit within the Canon family of lenses (since that is what I use). Visit Manic Mother’s blog for tips on recommended Nikon lenses.

I know when I first started looking into buying lenses I was so overwhelmed! There are so many choices and so many brands.

Things to take into consideration when buying a lens:

Focal Length

Lenses come in different focal lengths. You can see this written on the the lens in terms of “mm” (millimeters). The “mm” number represents the length or distance from the front of the lens to the camera’s sensor.

This also means that depending on the focal length of the lens, your subject is going to need to be a certain distance from your lens in order for the lens to focus. The smaller the “mm” number (for instance, 28mm) the closer your subject can be to your lens. If there is a larger mm number your subject will have to be farther away in order for the lens to focus.

Low mm numbers (ie: 18mm or 24mm) = “WIDE” angle = less magnification of the object and a wider field of view

Middle mm numbers (ie: 50mm) = “NORMAL” angle = produces about the same image as the human eye would see with no magnification

High mm numbers (ie: 100mm or 300mm) = “TELEPHOTO” = longer focal length than normal, which produces greater magnification of the object and creates a narrower field of view

Aperture

The aperture of the lens will also be written on the outside of the lens. If the lens is a zoom lens you will see something like this 1: 4 – 5.6. This number refers to the widest aperture available for that lens. The lens in the example above can be opened up to f/4 at the widest end but only f/5.6 at the longest end.

Generally speaking, you want to purchase a lens with the largest aperture (smallest number) possible. This will allow you to take pictures in low light situations without the use of a flash.

However you should be prepared, larger aperture lenses mean more glass in the lens, which means more dollars you will spend! They also tend to be heavier.

Other things to consider:

Does the lens have image stabilization?
Do you want a fixed focal length or a zoom lens?
How much are you willing to invest?
Does the lens have auto-focus?

Wide Angle Lenses

Most DSLR cameras come with what is called a “kit lens” (generally a 18-55mm lens). The kit lens tends to be of cheaper quality and comes with a cheaper price, but it can yield decent pictures, especially for the beginner. While I wouldn’t recommend buying this lens by itself, it’s definitely worth keeping it around once you’ve purchased the kit.

My 18-55mm is also known as a wide angle (zoom) lens. Wide angle lenses are great for capturing a whole landscape scene.

These 2 pictures were taken with my kit lens, at a focal length of 18mm.

This is the Canon kit lens (Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS) that I have:

I also have Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8:

I bought this lens as a general use lens. It is the easiest lens for me to keep on my camera because it works with the majority of my photo needs. With this lens I don’t have to be really far away from my subject in order to get it to focus, nor do I need a lot of light.

* TIP: You do have to be careful with wide angle lenses, especially when doing portraits. They can distort peoples faces if not shot properly.

Fixed Length Lenses

Otherwise known as “prime” lenses. This means that the lens has one focal length, and there is no “zoom” to it. You are the zoom! (ie–you get to move closer or farther away from your subject).

I have a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 (I’ve actually got the metal mount, which is no longer available new). It is one of the cheapest and tried-and-true lenses you can own. I love the shallow depth of field I am able to obtain with it, as well as the bokeh.

This picture was taken with that lens:

I have found and read that usually prime lenses deliver crisper images than zoom lenses. Beware: it is a lot more work to be the zoom, especially when photographing young kids!

You can get a plastic mount Canon 50mm f1.8 lens for around $100. Other fixed lenses that I have read good things about (and are on my wish list): Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 and Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro.

Telephoto Lenses

Telephoto lenses are great for when you want to to take pictures and not be seen! They are great for catching wildlife, weddings, sports, or when you don’t want your kids to know you are taking their picture.

I have the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L.

I took this picture with it on Sunday (one of my new favorites!):

I would love to upgrade to the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS but its just a tad expensive! It’s also heavy!

We could go on and on about lenses, but we just wanted to cover the basics in this post.

The Challenge:

This weeks challenge is to make the most of a lens that you own. So if you have a wide angle lens, try a landscape shot. If you have a fixed lens with a large aperture, try a shallow depth of field picture. If you have a telephoto zoom lens, see what you can get a picture of in the wild. And then come back next Tuesday to show us what you’ve captured!

* Disclosure: Some of the links included in this post lead to affiliate Amazon listings. In other words, if you decide to buy something form Amazon through my links, you would be helping to feed my kids!

Bloggography Challenge – The Rule of Thirds

Lolli — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Before we get to this week’s challenge, here’s one of the photos from our last challenge that stood out to me:

Exposure compensation, by Grammie Diaries. I just love this shot! Check out Manic Mother’s post to see who she is featuring today. In two weeks, we’ll be featuring a photo from today’s Challenge. Could it be you?

For this week’s Challenge on the Rule of Thirds, I put the Rule to good use while taking my family’s yearly Spring pictures. Yes, I stick my kids in a big basket filled with eggs and make them smile. Every. Single. Year. You’d think I was torturing them, making them do this year after year.

Amazingly, because Cousin Chick was staying over this weekend, I was able to pull off the Easter basket pictures with minimal whining (although I do fully admit to whining myself while picking up and putting back together about 300 eggs, 5 times).

See how I applied the Rule of Thirds to these photos (remember to picture the tic-tac-toe board over the picture). In each of these images, the face is at the crossing of two lines.

I’d love to see the pictures that you have captured this week. How did you do with the Rule of Thirds? Post a picture or two, link your post to the MckLinky below, and be sure to add a button or link back here so that we can get more participants. Click here to grab my button! And don’t forget that you can add your picture to the Flickr group as well. You don’t even need a blog to participate; you can just leave the link to your picture in the Flickr group.

Visit my co-host, Manic Mother!

The Rule of Thirds – A Bloggography Tutorial

Lolli — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:00:28 +0000

What is the Rule of Thirds?

The Rule of Thirds is a basic composition guideline in photography. It plays on the natural tendency for our eyes to be drawn towards certain parts of an image.

Imagine a tic tac toe board. Now imagine that tic tac toe board sitting on top of your picture. The four lines of a tic tac toe game break the image up into nine equal parts. The four points where the lines intersect are the strongest focal points.

How and when do I use the Rule of Thirds?

The rule of thirds can be applied to any photograph. It is not a set-in-stone, you MUST DO THIS type of rule, but a general guideline that will enhance the aesthetic quality of your pictures. The fact is that the average person tends to center all their subjects in photos, but that is rarely the most interesting way to compose a shot. See the following example of me and CandyMan:

Here’s the way most people would frame a shot of a couple (special thanks to my sister for taking this picture of us–centered–just because my husband insisted on it)…..

My sister and I convinced my husband that an off-center photo of us would look even better. He didn’t believe us until he saw the image later. Now he wants it framed.

It doesn’t matter which line or intersection you use, but some lines/points will have a stronger effect than others. Where you place your subject also adds to the “story” that it tells or the mood that it conveys. Placing your subject on the opposite line of the direction he or she is facing or moving towards is usually preferred, as illustrated in this photo. The boys are moving towards the left side of the frame, so I placed them on the right grid line.

Where do I find it?

Unlike most Bloggography tutorials, there is no simple guide to finding this on your camera. And I don’t recommend drawing the tic tac toe grid on your viewfinder to help you remember. This is one of those things that you simply have to internalize. Simply image that grid on all of your images as you compose each shot through your viewfinder.

Here are a few examples of recent pictures I’ve taken using the rule of thirds:

The Challenge:

This week, we challenge you to imagine the tic tac toe grid and take some pictures using the rule of thirds. Think about where you position your subject and how that positioning effects the mood, message, or aesthetic value of the image.

Be sure to check out the Flickr group and add your photos to the group pool. Visit my co-host, Manic Mother, too!

Here are 10 Flickr groups to see more inspiration for doll photography.

Bloggography Challenge – Exposure Compensation

Lolli — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:00:13 +0000

It’s time for another Bloggography photo challenge! Last week, we talked about Exposure Compensation. This is one of those areas where I could really stand to improve, so this lesson was as much for me as it was for you.

Before we get on with this week’s challenge, I have a favorite to share from our last challenge (Exposure Triangle):

I loved this simple picture of crayons, taken by Amy of Snap To It!

Here are my attempts at using Exposure compensation (shown with virtually no editing. Yeah!)

Because Saturday was very sunny at the park, I used negative exposure compensation to subtract light. And I was very happy with the results!

Visit my co-host, Manic Mother!

I’d love to see the pictures that you have captured this week. How did you do with exposure compensation? Post a picture or two, link your post to the MckLinky below, and be sure to add a button or link back here so that we can get more participants. Click here to grab my button!

Exposure Compensation – A Bloggography Tutorial

Lolli — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:00:54 +0000

For this week’s Bloggography photography tutorial, we are going to explore exposure compensation. This post was written by my co-host, Manic Mother.

What is exposure compensation?

Exposure compensation is a feature that dSLR cameras (and some point and shoots) have that allows you to manually adjust the exposure levels of your picture.

When your camera takes a picture, the light meter inside of your camera reads the available light and automatically adjusts the exposure for you. However, the light meter does not always read the available light correctly. The ability to adjust your exposure manually can save many a picture.

Exposure compensation is measured in values ranging anywhere from +5 to –5 (varies by camera). A positive exposure value will allow more light in, and a negative exposure value will allow less light in.

The way I remember this is:

+ (positive) value = add light

– (negative) value = subtract light

Choosing a correct exposure value helps preserve detail in both dark and bright areas of an image.

Which exposure value should I use?

There is no easy answer to that question — it differs in every picture you take! So I will give you some examples instead.

Lets say you are outside on a sunny day, but you want to use a large aperture to create a shallow depth of field in your picture. You take the shot and you notice it seems blown out, so to fix this you would need to subtract light by adjusting the exposure value to a negative number.

f/1.8, ISO 200, 1/1250 sec, exposure 0 ———– f/1.8, ISO 200, 1/2000 sec, exposure -0.7

Now lets say you are taking a picture in a shaded area, and your image seems too dark, and lacks detail. Then you would want to add light to your image by adjusting the exposure to a positive value.

f/1.8, ISO 800, 1/13sec, exposure 0 ————- f/1.8, ISO 800, 1/8 sec, exposure +0.7

The best way to learn exposure compensation is by experimenting.

Where is my exposure compensation button?

Note: Exposure compensation only works in M, Av, Tv, or P modes.

On a Canon Rebel (pictured above) press and hold the AV (+/-) button and rotate the front dial to the right (+) or the left (-). Exposure compensation is slightly more simple on my Canon 40D. I just move the mail dial on the back to adjust exposure compensation.

Check out Manic Mother’s blog to see how it’s done on a Nikon.

The challenge:

Experiment with your camera’s exposure compensation. Take an example of a correctly exposed picture and an incorrectly exposed picture.

For an added challenge, find a sign of Spring to take a picture of. Spring is in the air!

*Remember* + (positive) value = add light, and – (negative) value = subtract light.

Don’t forget to come back next Tuesday to link up and show us what you have learned!

Bloggography Challenge – Exposure Triangle

Lolli — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:00:51 +0000

Visit my co-host, Manic Mother!

I think that our Aperture challenge two weeks ago was my favorite challenge so far. There were SO MANY wonderful examples of what adjusting the aperture can do. Here is one picture that really stood out to me, by Amy:

Since last week was a “bring it all together” week (Exposure Triangle) and somewhat of a review of the last 3 tutorials, we wanted to make this week’s challenge a review as well. We challenged you to take your camera out and practice with ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture again. Was one of the 3 elements of the exposure triangle your favorite to work with….or is there an element that you still need some practice with? We’ll leave this one up to you! Next week, come back and share your results. And let us all know how you adjusted your picture to get your desired results so we can all continue to learn!

Here’s just one of the hundreds of pictures I took this last week:

In my post about my trip to New York City to speak at a small press conference about Fishful Thinking last week, I talked about how much I loved the rose-and-goldfish centerpieces. Of course, I went a little crazy taking pictures of the decor….and this picture is just one that I liked. I used a large aperture (f2/8) to blur the Goldfish in the vase beyond the flowers in the forefront.

Now how did you challenge yourself this week? Remember, we’re easy on the rules. We just love to see what you guys are learning. Your photos inspire us!! Share and visit your fellow Bloggography participants. Feel the love. :)

Don’t forget to grab a button or link back to Manic Mother and me on your post. And make sure you add your picture to the Flickr group as well. You don’t even need a blog to participate, you can just leave the link to your picture in the Flickr group.

The MckLinky will be up for one week, so you still have plenty of time to take a picture!