This year we stayed close to home for Spring Break. My husband wasn’t able to take time off, so I tasked myself to fill our week with short daily outings that would convince the boys that they didn’t need to be on electronics all day long ;) One day we took a quick drive over to […]
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Continuing with the theme of the ‘behind the scenes’ peek into my editing process, here is a 6.5 minute video of 1 image, start to finish in Lightroom. The video includes a pullback, the SOOC image and my full editing steps. Scroll down below the video if you’d prefer to pick up some quick tips via reading.
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Walking around the Tidal Basin with a 10 lb kit of Mamiya RB67 +80mm is somewhat akin to walking through a supermarket in your prom dress, I’d say. Some people were genuinely confused about what I was carrying, I’m sure, while a few DSLR toting folks did a double take of appreciation. Or so I
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After the little guy helped me with a self portrait session I pulled the camera off of the tripod and chased him around for 5 minutes. He rolled around on the floor, got stuck under my bed and hid in the tub. Typical 3 year old antics. I recently shared tips on how to inspire
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I love peeking behind the curtain at other photographers’ processes. From watching them shoot, to creeping on their SOOCs (straight out of camera images) I can never get enough of watching others work. This video will give you a quick overview of my export process in Lightroom. Fellow pseudo-snoopy types, enjoy ;) Summary of
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Sometimes the pictures say enough and lots of additional words are unnecessary. Please enjoy this tour of the Washington DC cherry blossoms on the Tidal Basin. 9am on a Sunday in late March… Pin It
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Visiting Rome with kids is a fantastic idea. The sites are memorable, the culture is friendly to kids and the variety of food available will appeal to every palate. However, it is best to plan carefully when traveling to Rome with little children. Consider our experience: The scene: early June amongst the baking, heat-radiating cobblestoned
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I’ve been photographing my kids, frequently, since my oldest was about 1 and 1/2 years old. That means he has been a constant subject for 8 years, now. His brothers have known no other life besides one with Mom’s face frequently covered with a camera. Over the years I’ve figured out that there are certain
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Sometimes I wish that all of the important moments of life happened in beautiful light. Lovely, warm, light afternoon light, or moody deep inside light on an overcast day would be fantastic, but more often, memorable events take place when the light is less than wonderful. There is always the option to add light deliberately
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March was a fun month for self portraits. #portraitsofme is going strong on Instagram and my 3 little co-subjects are still happy to pose with me from time to time. Below are the images that I posted for the project, as well as a few extras. I’ve included settings information and will include a bit
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I’m not someone who likes to draw a lot of attention to myself. Blending in, being part of the crowd, keeping my behavior and the presentation of myself as neutral and unobtrusive as possible is the way that I typically prefer to function. Thus, making public self portraits runs counter to my natural tendencies. However,
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It is Spring, but I know some parts of the Northern Hemisphere are still dealing with snow! Here are a few tips to make shooting outside in snowy conditions as productive as possible: 1- Meter Carefully When Shooting Outside in Snowy Conditions Any scene that includes a large amount of information that has a tonal
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I recently shot a roll of HP5 film photos through my Nikon F100. I shot the roll at ISO 320, which is my normal approach to shooting ISO 400 film. However, I also requested a push of one stop from the lab (Photovision) because I tend to like a lot of contrast in my imagery. HP5
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Using leading lines is one very effective method of harnessing compositional technique to create more impactful imagery. Leading lines can either be very bold and easy to follow, or they can be quite subtle and almost subconsciously guide a viewer through the frame. The goal of using leading lines is to create a path through
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Light is almost everything in photography. Literally, photography means “light writing,” but more applicable to the act of creating imagery is the fact that studying and understanding light will immediately increase your skill as a photographer. One easy to grasp distinction to understand is the difference between directional and flat light. Purposefully choosing which type to
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One of my favorite little indulgences in life is to purchase a $5-6 bouquet of flowers at Trader Joes. I feel particularly blissful when it is Ranunculus season, but full Roses, pale tulips and delicate Hydrangea is satisfying, as well. My goal when bringing these bouquets home is two fold; I want to both 1-
Pin ItCreating Variety in Macro Photography| Roses Read More »
It is actually quite uncommon for me to deem a given scene “badly” lit. However, it does sometimes happen that I have deal with what I have and end up photographing in bad light. Generally, the light is bad because I do not have the option to modify it. If I can move subjects, add
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I spend about 99% of my editing time in Adobe Lightroom. Clean, simple editing tends to be the type that produces imagery closest to my vision, and I find the interface of Lightroom to be easy, and time efficient, to use. Today, I am sharing a video that walks through a basic Lightroom edit. The video
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I’m currently working through a weekly self portrait project over on Instagram, called #portraitsofme. My good friend Courtney, of clickitupanotch.com, and I would love to have you join in with us. Today, to go along with the images that I created in February, I’m going to share tips for 3 types of Self Portraits that you
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Arlington Cemetery is one of the most important tourist sites in the greater Washington DC area. It is beautifully maintained, integral to our national identity and worthy of a few hours of time if a visit to DC is in your plans. Here are five photo prompts to help you most fully capture the experience
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The Rule of Thirds is one of the most used compositional approaches in photography. According to MoMA.org, composition is: The arrangement of the individual elements within a work of art so as to form a unified whole; also used to refer to a work of art, music, or literature, or its structure or organization. The
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I want to shoot enough film in 2017 that I feel as comfortable with film as I do with digital. That is going to require some purposeful shooting. However, I do think that the scarcity of film, the need to make every frame count, speeds up the process a little bit. As think very carefully
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I brought along my 35mm film camera for the session that I shot of Bethany’s family, last month. For me, film is imperfect, still, but so easy to connect with emotionally. Nikon F100 | Portra 400 Pin It
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