Beach Trip: Brain Teasers

In the beach house where we stayed there was a mirror which stood parallel to the front door that led to the balcony overlooking the beach. On our first morning there we decided to eat breakfast on the balcony. The wind was very strong so we chose to leave the door open so we could come in and out more easily. Standing in the doorway I was telling my mother how I loved having such a large mirror when I suddenly had an idea. It is a well known fact among photographers that the photographer is the least photographed for obvious reasons. So, we photographers will result to all sorts of creative ways to say "we were there". I've tried taking a self-portrait in the mirror before but it never has seemed to work very well. I typically have to use the flash which messes up the whole picture when it bounces off the mirror obscuring my face. But this time it worked. With the open door facing the sunrise there was enough light to not use the flash and if I lowered the exposure it was even better because I got a silhouette.

 This was my set-up:

 Zoomed in and exposure reduced to bring in the waves.

This one is my favorite:

 and...here are some other interesting shots

 Who is where? Are they walking towards the mirror or the doorway?  

Beach Trip: In the Waves

Beach photographers make it look easy. Their pictures present a calm, peaceful, and serene atmosphere that makes you wish you could've been there...naturally, I thought that beach photography would be easy...but there were a few things that I didn't take into consideration-like wind. What do you think causes those big waves that are so great for boogie-boarding? And what exactly do you expect to build a sandcastle with? That's right-sand. Oh, and let me remind you that there is no escaping from these natural elements. There is scarcely any trees to speak of to block the wind and...nowhere to wash your hands. *sigh* So much for my peaceful and serene beach picture. Most of my pictures are covered with a salty, sandy film mixed with a bit of sunscreen. :( But...I got better as the days wore on. I learned to take pictures before I got into the water, to bring my cleaning cloth, to point my camera down away from the wind when I was not taking a picture, and not to lather on sunscreen too heavily on my forearms. :) With that said here are some of the pictures I took that didn't turn out too badly.

Day Two:

Notice how I used the rule of thirds to frame many of these photos.

Notice how my two brothers form a line from one corner to the next.

Hmm mm mmm...love those thirds...:)

I love the simplicity of these photographs below, with, again the rule of thirds calling the shots. :)

Looking for Shells Near the San Luis Pass:

(Above and Below enhanced with Photoshop sliding color controls)

Guess what? The thirds are at work again!

Day Four:

Simplicity is not a bad thing. 

Simplicity of composition, color, and subject all bring the viewer's focus right where you want it.

Looking for Shells Again by the San Luis Pass:

Day Five: 
In Galveston 

 

"Little Prairie On the House"

Yesterday, Daddy took Kathlena and I to see the Little House on the Prairie Play at the Hobby Center starring Melissa Gilbert as 'Ma'. To read more about our outing see my post on my family's blog. We went out to the Cheesecake factory (in the Woodlands) for dinner with three other Father/Daughter Couples. We had dressed up for the occasion and had our pictures taken outside when we had eaten our fill. The timing could not have been better, the lighting was just perfect, and for those of you who have been to Market Street the place is very beautifully built and lends itself to portrait photography.

 I love how the picture below turned out, it was taken just far enough away to capture the sign...but nothing else. This is definitely my new favorite group shot...too bad I didn't take it. Thanks to the unnamed lady who took this picture for us. :)

Then we took some Father/Daughter(s) shots:

I like the tight shot on this one...

...and the wide angle on this one. 

I love how the pole on the right formed such an appealing composition.

Thank you Daddy, Kathlena and friends for a wonderful evening together!

Pretty Girls

Yesterday, several girls from church wore matching dresses and I simply couldn't resist taking their picture and they were all too happy to model for me. :) Thank you Parker and Hood girls!!! And thank you Shelbie for being my assistant (you'll see her in the last two photos).

In searching for a good background I had a few specific things in mind I was looking for:

1. A place where the girls wouldn't be squinting into the sun

2. A place that complimented the colors of the girls dresses such as the green trees

3. A place that had a pretty but not distracting background

In the picture below I layered a duplicate of the photo and applied a simple black frame to it then added the flower graphics, coloring them black. Can you tell that it's actually two photos on top of each other?

I like this one because it's a candid shot.

Such a classic...

It's a Classic

Before:

After:

The First Photo shown is a charming shot, the colors are good, the composition is interesting, the people beautiful. :) BUT the background is not particularly attractive, it's a little crooked, the shot was too wide, and takes in a lot of distracting objects, such as purses, bags, and a plug. So here's what I did to remedy the situation:

1. First I used the straightening tool in Photoshop, then cropped the photo.

Again, this is a nice photo BUT I thought I could get more out of it. So I...

2.Turned it Black and White

Very professional looking...BUT I still found the purses and plug distracting.

3. Taking the paintbrush in Photoshop I selected the color "Black" and less than 50% opacity. I went first over the purses and plug then, liking the effect chose to go all the way around the photo.

 So that's it. Three easy steps to turn a "nice" photo into a classic.

*Thanks Vaughn Family for allowing me to share these photos!

*Be Sure to Check out my Digital Scrapbooking Blog to see the page I made with these photos!

Perspectives-Zoo Trip Part Two

Many people assume pictures must be taken right-side up and using straight lines. Is this true? Is straight up and down the only way you can take a picture? Just because that's how we naturally see the world doesn't mean that's the way we always have to see it. Sometimes by simply changing the angle, getting on your knees or standing on a chair you can "make or break" your picture. Sometimes you need to change your perspective and see things in a new way. That is the mission of the photographer, to capture the things others miss.

Take, for example, this picture of my sister. I could have taken it "normal" and it might have been a nice picture but by tilting my camera to the left it makes for a more interesting photo:

Using the "Aperture Priority" setting I experimented with an "indirect" method to photographing my family looking at an exhibit.

Using lines to draw your eye into the photograph this makes for an interesting shot.

Now, what would happen if I increased the depth of field?

Look for unusual angles and objects that you might not even consider photographing.

I really like the composition of the photo below even though my sister, Kathlena caught a patch of sunshine.

Houston Zoo Trip-Part One

Utilizing the "Aperture Priority" setting:

In the picture below I used two popular methods 1. the rule of thirds & 2. "storytelling".
What is "storytelling"? Beginning, middle, and end, the structure of any good story and oftentimes of a good picture. In this picture (below) the water is the "beginning", the duck is the "middle", and the grass is the "end".