It’s summertime in HOTlanta… not my idea of a good time.
Today was a little more to my liking though… cool enough that I ventured outside to capture some of the beautiful, bold, blue flowers in full bloom.
Image Specs: Shot with Nikon D50, 50 mm lens, natural light, 1/100 @ f/3.2, ISO 200. Processed in Lightroom with Gavin Seim Dark Vignette and Criss Cross presets.
Technical Knowledge and Images: Camera Manual page 10, Basic Setup. Viewed Twitter Tuesday photog images.
In your home.
In your schedule.
In your workspace.
Without it, you’ll miss the abundance, creativity, and life that surrounds you each and every day.
Image specs: Nikon D50, 50 mm lens, 1/125 sec at f/1.8, ISO 200. One video light. Processed in Adobe Lightroom with Matt’s Summer Haze 2 preset (Gavin Seim) and Old is New Again (Kubota), plus some local adjustments.
Technical Knowledge and images: Camera manual page 72, mirror lock up. Images in tasra365 Flickr gallery.
There’s nothing like finding a good excuse to break out the Christmas lights in March. Today’s Theme Thursday of Blur or Bokeh was just such an opportunity.
I got a few ideas for doing some studio photography shots from Chris Gatcum’s book, Camera Creative. Then I did what I always do and started something entirely different, but kept the Christmas lights. In fact, the lights became the focus of all my shots today… and what a blast!
Here’s a quick and easy tutorial on how I got the combination of blur and bokeh in these shots:
What a fun theme for this week! I loved seeing all the other tasra365 tweeps taking on the challenge and producing amazing images!
Manual: Page 112
Images: Camera Creative
Maybe “everything” is a bit of hyperbole. I’m willing to give you that.
Simplicity and personality are important as well when it comes to connecting with guests, clients, customers… even friends. But after reading Chris Brogan’s post about the importance of customization, you can imagine my pure delight when I opened up a package with my new custom Teen Identity iPhone cases.
We ordered black and pink to maintain our current branding, but I imagine as we begin offering these as gifts and incentives for our teen audience, that we’ll let them customize their own case. What teen girl wouldn’t want a custom case for her phone with a picture of her when she is at her best? Or even a group shot of her with her best friends? I’m imagining multiple cases in different colors to coordinate with each of her favorite images. She can change her iPhone, iPod, or Blackberry case to match her outfit and mood, just as easily as she changes her purse or jewelry. Now that’s custom fun!
What other products do you think make for great customization? How can you customize more than just products, but your service and experience as well? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Image Specs: Shot two images with Nikon D50, 50 mm lens on white seamless background with Westcott softbox lighting (same lighting I use on all my studio and product shots). Added contrast and sharpness in Lightroom, then took the front and back photos into Keynote to use the alpha and reflection tools. Then quickly took back in Photoshop to add the MCP Finish It Actions thin round border.
Manual:Read page 105—Lenses. Have you been reading a camera manual page every day? Why not get started now!
Images: Fellow 365-er Kevin Voth tweeted a link to the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony images, so I took a look at those stunning shots today.
… or is your former self a shadow of you?
Pause. Think about it.
The normal way we hear this phrase is a negative. You’re a shadow of your former self, your glory days, your “thin” days or days in the skinny jeans.
What if we turn the saying on it’s head… is your former self a shadow of you?
For me, it’s the latter. When I think about myself just 10 years ago, I was in a remarkably different place physically, professionally, emotionally, and relationally. Who I was then is really just a shadow of who I am now… and that’s a really good thing. I’m stepping into more of who I really am, embracing that and praying for the courage to continue sharing it with the world.
What about you? Are living in the shadows or stepping out of them?
Image Setup: Today’s theme was shadow so I wanted to try something different. For this shot, I set up a green screen background and placed two lights without the soft box diffuser pointing directly at the subject. One light was about a foot below the the other. I positioned myself to the right of the subject so that I could capture both shadows. I wanted to demonstrate the idea of a person’s former self being a shadow of them… thus the lighter shadow behind.
Equipment & Specs: Nikon D50, 28-70 mm lens, 1/100 @ f/5, ISO 800
Image Processing: Processed in Lightroom with Matt’s Summer Haze and Seim Effects Dark Vignette (if you use Lightroom, Gavin Seim has a 2010 and 2009 gift pack of free presets for download). I wasn’t really sure what look I was going for, but as I scrolled through my presets, I really liked the hazy, gritty look of these two presets. Then I took the image into Photoshop and tried another MCP Finish It Action Set that I mentioned yesterday. Tried a new frame that automatically rounds the corners and adds a bottom heavy border for your logo or banner. Decided to go with something simpler today. Above is another version with a different border and a watermark that I used for the featured gallery image. I’m loving the ease of use and the options. 
Manual: Page 66—Printing Selected Photographs
Images: Since I was already on his site, I looked at Gavin Seim’s images.
From hearing of the suicide of a fellow blogger who was only 31 years old, to the devastation and tragedy in Haiti, there were only a few words and thoughts on my mind. This was one of them…
I had no energy or motivation to take a picture today and even thought of skipping it entirely, even if it meant breaking my tasra365 challenge. But, as I thought about it longer, I realized I could also use it to capture a moment, a collective emotion, a worldwide thought. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard the word “pray” in social media more than I have today. So that’s what I captured.
By trying my hand at light writing for the first time, I was pretty pleased with the results. Here are the specs: Nikon D50, 28 – 80 mm lens, 2.5 sec @ f/29, ISO 200. I just played with the settings until I got what I wanted, everything black except for the writing.
I had Ron hold a video light and write each letter individually. Then I took them in Photoshop to combine the four letters in one image. I didn’t add the flare, that happened with the light when we held it still. Just increased contrast. Easier than I expected.
How are you doing with all the media today? Okay? Please know that if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m just an email away. Seriously. I’ll leave the comments open today if anyone wants to share.
Manual: Page 13—Adjusting Viewfinder Focus.
Images: Looked at news images of the devastation in Haiti.
I needed to get out of the house. It was time for a change of scenery. My pictures were feeling ordinary. I needed to shoot something new, different, un-ordinary.
So I jumped in the car and followed the setting sun as it cast its warm glow across the trees and made even the traffic on a small country road seem mystical. It was the golden hour and I was determined to chase the light until I found something meaningful to shoot.
I pulled into a park and got out. Before I walked too far, I came upon the image above. I don’t even know what they’re called anymore, but I used to. They remind me of my grandmother who passed away earlier this year. She lived out in the hills of Arroyo Grande, California. As a young girl, I would go exploring in the hills and I always came upon these huge plants that looked like feathers to me. I would pick a few and keep them with me the entire trip.
Today’s image reminds me of my grandmother. I didn’t get to say goodbye. I miss her.
Specs: Nikon D50, 1/200 @ f/4, ISO 200, focal length: 34 mm. Process in Lightroom with Presets Heaven—Surreal Moment.
Manual: Page 112—Optional Speedlights
Images: Scott Critiques on Flickr
Ever feel that way?
Today’s wood figure is a classic case of this syndrome. He could run forever and will still never go anywhere. You can’t see it in the images, but he’s tied to a base that keeps him in one place forever.
I feel that way sometimes. Like no matter how fast or how hard I run, I’m just not gaining any ground. It’s frustrating. At times infuriating. Mostly confusing.
What do you do in times like that?
Today’s picture is a collage of 3 images put together in one canvas. Shot with my 50 mm f/1.8 lens, one light, 800 ISO, Nikon D50. Compiled in Photoshop and actionized with Kubota Daily Vitamin.
Tomorrow I head to Catalyst at the Gwinnett Arena in Georgia with 12,000 other people. You may see it trending on Twitter as #cat09. I’m thinking there just might be some sweet photo ops. We shall see.
Manual: Page 32—Image size. Learned something new. If I press the Qual button and Enter at the same time I can adjust the image size without going deep into the menus. Nice.
Images: Thanks to a recommendation from Dave, a fellow 365-er, I checked out images by Brooks Reynolds. A very interesting body of work on his portfolio. Check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks Dave!
Searching for something to capture with my camera today, I ventured into the garage and found this painted canvas. Our daughter, the ever-evolving artist had painted it earlier in the day and the paint wasn’t even dry yet. What a find! The brown paint bottle she used to craft her “Life Mission Statement” was still open and sitting on the canvas. Reading this mission statement from my daughter the day before she enters high school was inspiring and humbling. What an amazing gift I’ve been given with this child. What a perfect moment to capture with my camera.
MANUAL: Read page 17 in the Nikon D50 manual today on “Focus and Shoot.” Was reminded that I need to slow down in my photography sometimes and remember to check the focus. So often I look through the viewfinder and see what I want to capture. But I don’t wait for that nanosecond before pushing the shutter-release button to ensure I have a crystal clear image. Note to self: slow down and focus. Good point to remember in photography and life!
IMAGES: Browsed through the most recent issue of Rangefinder looking at images for senior and child photography. Always interesting to see what other photographers are doing. Sometimes I love what I see and am inspired. Other times I think I could do something similar. And then there are those times I compare and let it kill my creativity. Those are the moments I dread.
How about you? What moments inspire you? What moments do you dread?
Can you remember the last time you got out from behind the camera and had your picture taken? Do you have any current photos of yourself that you like? Or love?
If you answered no, then it’s time to plan a photo shoot!
Here’s how…
That’s really all there is to it and you’ll have lasting rewards: a little bit of pampering, fun with your photographer, and some photos you can be proud of!
I scheduled my photo shoot last week, including getting my hair, makeup and nails done. What a day of pampering that was! It was well worth it! I felt more confident in front of the camera…fun, playful, energetic. And it shows in the pictures.
Give it a try. You’re worth it!
technorati tags: photo shoot, pictures, Nikon D50, camera
