Purdy Things
3/27/12
Photo by Daniel
Stylish:
This outfit. | This girl’s style. | “Femme Fatale” |Ruche | eShakti | “Mint Milkshake” on Modcloth | French Connections | “Vast Wrap” skirt on Anthro |
Hairstyles:
“Quinn Fabray” Tieback | Pincurls | Loose Waves | Lovely Braid | Waterfall Braid | Jennifer Lawrence | Fishtail Bun Tutorial | How to Curl Your Hair with a Flat Iron |
What sorts of pretty things have you been discovering lately?
xoxo
Erica
Friday Night Adventure
3/19/12
This last Friday, we decided to try our hand at “rustic” camping.
We constructed our shelter from scratch. First, we built the frame for our lean-to.
We held the support sticks in place with young, lithe saplings.
Next, we Reuben gathered spruce boughs and we layered them on our frame.
The finished shelter. I placed pine boughs on the floor to keep it soft and dry.
As the day grew just a bit chillier, we started a fire with the wood we had sawed by hand and batoned (batonned?).
When the fire burned down to coals, it was time to toast some cheese & pepperoni sandwiches.
They were delicious.
Soon it was time to turn in. I won’t say it was the most comfortable night’s rest I ever had. Reuben had to wake up several times during the night to attend to the fire, so we didn’t get quality sleep. But it was amazing to sleep in a shelter we had built completely by hand.
The morning dawned breathtakingly gorgeous.
We grilled the remaining sandwiches for breakfast, packed up and headed home, very tired but satisfied with the knowledge we had survived the elements.
Then we took a shower, put on clean clothes (I wore flats and a knee-length skirt) and went to town (I went to the mall, Reuben to Gander Mountain). The end.
It’s Still (Technically) Winter
3/17/12
Please watch in HD.
Here in northern Minnesota, even though the temperatures have consistently been hitting the 60’s the past week or so, the snow is still holding on, refusing to melt completely. So, even though we’ve switched to light jackets, there’s still bits of winter hanging around, reminding us of the cold, making us grateful for spring.
Are you glad to see winter go?
3 Responses to It’s Still (Technically) Winter
- Sara
March 18th, 2012 at 11:15 am ModerateThis is beautiful! - Melanie
March 18th, 2012 at 6:41 pm ModerateEnjoyed that. - Kathryn Grace
March 19th, 2012 at 2:50 pm ModerateLovely! Oh yes, I am so glad to say goodbye to winter. Especially because we had such a weird winter with hardly any snow!
How to Improve Your Portrait Photography with a Point-and-Shoot
3/16/12
I read once that Ansel Adams could probably take better photos with a camera phone than most of us could with an expensive camera.
You may think because the only camera you can afford is a point-and-shoot that you can never take professional-looking portraits. Wrong! With a little knowledge & practice you can make your camera perform. Here are a few tips.
#1: Turn Off Your Flash!
Instead of relying on your flash to provide adequate light, move closer to a window. The lighting is much more natural and soft. Most point-and-shoot cameras should have an option to turn the flash completely off.
Probably the best thing you can do to improve your photography is to ensure that you have great lighting. Even with a very expensive camera, it can be quite hard to get a good shot in horrible lighting. Experiment with different light sources. Natural light from a window is usually the most flattering, as is the light outside just after sunrise and just before sunset.
#2: Be Aware of Your Focal Length
Did you know your focal length changes the appearance of your photos? At the wide end (zoomed all the way out) your photos are distorted; zoomed in, they’re compressed.
Say you want to take a closely cropped portrait. Instead of just moving in close, back off a ways and zoom in. Notice how distorted John’s face is in the first photo. His nose is disproportionately large. This is fine if you’re going for the wide-angle look, but it’s not the most flattering composition. Now notice how much more even the second photo is and how the background is blurred. All I had to do was back up and zoom in. That simple.
#3: Shoot at Eye Level or Slightly Above
This is the most flattering position, especially for models that are overweight. Also, have your model tilt their chin up slightly. This will ensure that you get no double chins!
#4: Shoot at an Angle
Instead of just shooting your model strait on (the mug shot), angle yourself so that the face and body are 3/4 in view. This is much more flattering.
#5: Decide Whether to Crop Close or Tell a Story
There is no right or wrong here. Just make sure that you decide whether or not to tell the story or crop close.
#6: Edit Your Photos
Most photos can be improved with a bit of editing. Adding contrast, fixing color casts, and softening facial imperfections can really boost your photo. Brighten the eyes a bit (if needed) and sharpen. There are many good free photo editing tutorials online, and even some free photo editing software.
Then again, you don’t want to go overboard on the post processing. Heavily altered images just look unrealistic.
And there you have – my six tips for improving your portrait photography with a point-and-shoot.
All photos were taken with a Sony DSC-H3 and edited in Paint Shop Pro Photo.
Do you have any tips for point-and-shoot users?
P.S. Yes, a good camera can really make taking good photos easier, but don’t let your cheap camera stop you from practicing!
3 Responses to How to Improve Your Portrait Photography with a Point-and-Shoot
- Gabby
March 16th, 2012 at 10:30 am ModerateThank you so much for this one! Great post!
Have a nice weekend! =) - May 13, 2012: Capturing Special Moments | Gifts by Genius: Unique Gifts & Products
May 13th, 2012 at 12:45 pm Moderate[...] How to Improve Your Portrait Photography with a Point-and-Shoot [...] - Abigail
December 28th, 2012 at 7:31 pm ModerateThanks! I needed this! :)
Beautiful Black & White
3/7/12
Beth applies makeup before her wedding, making sure she’s beautiful for her husband-to-be.
For the I Heart Faces Photo Challenge. Make sure to stop by to see other entries for “Beautiful Black and White.”
1 Responses to Beautiful Black & White
- Kathryn Grace
March 9th, 2012 at 5:16 pm ModerateI love this kind of mirror shot for bridal room prep!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
March 31st, 2012 at 11:18 am Moderate