A Passion for Stamps

DAY 6: TIPS 6-10 TO TAKING BETTER PICTURES

NOTE: I apologize for not posting the rest of these tips on a daily basis as originally planned. Sometimes life throws  us curves which interfere with the best intentioned plans. To catch up on time, all remaining tips will be published in this post. Thanks for understanding! 

Do you scrapbook your photographs? Or do you feel your photos aren't scrapbook worthy because they never come out as well as you would like? Are you somewhat intimidated by taking photos, because you really don't know how to take good pictures?

Over the next week and a half, I am going to share Ten Tips that I learned from our friends at KODAK-the picture experts!  Once you've learned these tips and apply this knowledge to your photo shoots, you will see the quality of your pictures improve, and you'll feel much more confident about picture-taking! Be sure to check back here for a photo-taking tip each day, that will help you take better photographs with your digital camera!

The next step after taking good pictures, is knowing how to make great scrapbook pages with them! I teach rubber stamping and Scrapbooking 101 classes every month at my in-home studio in Hardyston NJ using Stampin' Up! stamps, Simply Scrappin'™ products and accessories, Designer Series Papers and much more, so make sure you check out my CLASS CALENDAR too! If you attend these classes in person each month, you will receive hands-on experience creating eye-appealing layouts, with attractive colors, titles and journaling-all necessary components to putting together a great scrapbook page! When you combine your newly found knowledge of good picture-taking, with the steps to creating fantastic scrapbook pages, you will be so excited to make some beautiful pages you and your family will cherish for years to come!

Tip#6: LOCK THE FOCUS!

Following up on subject placement, most cameras will lock the focus on the center of the picture. As we just discussed in Tip #5, the best photo is not always with the subject in the center, but off-center. So if you want a clear, non-blurry photo of your subject off-center, here's a trick to use with your camera: with the subject in the middle of the photo, lock the focus pressing and holding the shutter button halfway, then move your camera to position  the subject out of the center. Now you can press the shutter button down the rest of the way and take your picture!  

Tip#7: TO FLASH OR NOT TO FLASH!

Do you know the flash range of your camera? If you take photos beyond the maximum flash range of your camera, your photos may turn out too dark. The usual maximum flash range is up to fifteen feet (approximately five steps from the camera).

If you don't know the maximum flash range of your camera, it's better to take the photos from ten feet away from your subject. If using film cameras, check into a higher speed film  for extended distances. 

Most cameras include a fill-flash setting, but it's advisable to know when and how to use flash settings on your camera for situations when the lighting isn't quite right. 

When to use FILL FLASH FEATURE of your camera:

• on bright sunny days or beach/snow photos which cause facial shadows to appear; also darker complexions and brimmed hats cause shadows or dark areas
• When lighting is coming from the side or back of the subject (this causes the subject to appear much darker)

When to avoid using FLASH FEATURE of your camera (turn flash off):

• when taking photo at a great distance
• when shiny backgrounds (mirrors, sun, other bright reflections) reflect bright light
• a background sunset scene with your subject as a silhouette in the foreground
• when desired effect is light being reflected onto subject (glow in evening, light accent)
• when flash is not permitted

Other tips for optimum performance:

• Make sure your batteries are not running low, or you won't have full flash power
• To avoid red eye, brighten up the room with lighting to shrink pupils, and ask subjects not to look directly into the lens. Avoid use of the "red eye reduction" flash setting—to many people it's distracting and confusing.

Tip#8: Be Aware of Light Source!

Lighting is critical and makes all the difference in photos.  Photos can be taken in any kind of weather, but it's important to know how to use the weather conditions for different affects. Surprisingly, the best time to take a photo isn't in the middle of a bright sunny day. On an overcast or cloudy day, portrait photos turn out great because there are no shadows to deal with. Flowers, more specifically pastel florals photograph best in this lighting. Landscapes photos are best taken earlier in the day or in the evening.  Bright sunshine with side lighting can enhance wrinkles of an older person, but take the photo on a cloudy day and these wrinkles with be softened.

If the lighting is less than ideal, move your subject or the camera for a better shot.

In light rainy weather, you can capture the light reflecting off of the surrounding area for unusual photos.

Tip#9: SWITCH FROM LANDSCAPE TO PORTRAIT VIEWS!

If you look at photos you've taken, are most of them taken horizontally (landscape view)? This is typical because we tend to hold the camera this way.  Group pictures are usually better taken horizontally. 

Try changing it up now and then for portraits by turning your camera in the vertical (portrait) position.  Full length or close-up pictures turn out great like this, as the emphasis is on your subject. Spotlighting historical sites or landscape markings are ideal for the vertical view. Give it a try!

Tip#10: YOU'RE IN CONTROL!

When you are in charge of taking the pictures, you become the picture director!  It's up to you to decide where everyone will stand in a group photo, or where the best lighting for the picture is. It's up to you to guide a person in the proper way to stand, tip the head or hold a prop for a portrait photo. Here are a few tips for group and single portrait picture-taking:

TAKING A GROUP PHOTO

• Outdoor photos are best! Make sure the sun is lighting the faces of the group in sunny weather. Have the group set up by an object that portrays the event. Direct each person as to how to stand, what to hold, where to look. Try splitting a larger group into two smaller arrangements-several in each group. Remember the focus is on the group, so be sure there are no background distractions that may take away from the group. 
• Indoor photos are fun too! Remember all the other tips you've learned here. Use your camera's flash feature, and stay within your camera's maximum flash range. Try to position a larger group in no more than two rows.

TAKING PORTRAITS

• Take a Self-portrait! Learn how to use the Self-Timer feature of your camera, or you can use the zoom feature and hold the camera at arm's length to take a photo of yourself! Use a wide-angle if your camera has a zoom lens. Try experimenting with photos of yourself in different settings, doing different tasks, or just being you!  Try different facial expressions to portray various aspects of your own unique personality. 
• Semi-formal portraits: cloudy day lighting is best to capture a soft, flattering look of your subject. Pay attention to distractions from your focal point such as busy backgrounds. Take full figure view or zoom in for a closer photo. Your camera should be at your subject's eye level. Guide the person as to which way to stand, turn the head or where to place the hands.

I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED THESE TIPS AND HAVE LEARNED A FEW THINGS ABOUT BETTER  PICTURE-TAKING!  GREAT PHOTOS ARE AN ESSENTIAL FIRST STEP WHEN CREATING BEAUTIFUL SCRAPBOOKS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY WILL CHERISH FOR YEARS TO COME!

THE NEXT STEP,  IS LEARNING HOW TO TAKE THESE BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS AND CREATE PAGES USING STAMPS, SIMPLY SCRAPPING KITS, ACCESSORIES AND DESIGNER SERIES PAPERS!  I TEACH SCRAPBOOKING 101 CLASSES WHERE YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT LAYOUTS, TITLES, JOURNALING AND ACCENTS, AND PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER!  

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SCRAPBOOKING 101 CLASSES I OFFER, CLICK ON THE CALENDAR ON THE RIGHT SIDEBAR OF THIS BLOG. 

TO ENJOY SAMPLES OF SCRAPBOOK PAGES, STAMPED CARDS, AND MANY OTHER STAMPING TIPS EACH MONTH, ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE BOX ON THE TOP LEFT SIDEBAR TO JOIN MY MAILING LIST, AND RECEIVE MY MONTHLY PASSION FOR STAMPS NEWSLETTER!

Note to demonstrators: My CUSTOMER newsletter is meant for my customers, and prospective customers.  If you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, please respect this is my customer list and do not sign up for my customer mailing list. Thank you.

Thanks for visiting! Come back soon...

Passionately Scrapping,

Day 1: Ten Tips to taking better pictures!

Do you scrapbook your photographs? Or do you feel your photos aren't scrapbook worthy because they never come out as well as you would like? Are you somewhat intimidated by taking photos, because you really don't know how to take good pictures?

Over the next week and a half, I am going to share Ten Tips that I learned from our friends at KODAK-the picture experts!  Once you've learned these tips and apply this knowledge to your photo shoots, you will see the quality of your pictures improve, and you'll feel much more confident about picture-taking! Be sure to check back here for a photo-taking tip each day, that will help you take better photographs with your digital camera!

The next step after taking good pictures, is knowing how to make great scrapbook pages with them! I teach rubber stamping and Scrapbooking 101 classes every month at my in-home studio in Hardyston NJ using Stampin' Up! stamps, Simply Scrappin'™ products and accessories, Designer Series Papers and much more, so make sure you check out my CLASS CALENDAR too! If you attend these classes in person each month, you will receive hands-on experience creating eye-appealing layouts, with attractive colors, titles and journaling-all necessary components to putting together a great scrapbook page! When you combine your newly found knowledge of good picture-taking, with the steps to creating fantastic scrapbook pages, you will be so excited to make some beautiful pages you and your family will cherish for years to come! Are you ready to learn your first tip?

TIP #1: MEET YOUR SUBJECT ON THEIR LEVEL!

Instead of taking a photo of your pet, your child or another subject while standing up, try getting down on the level of your subject with your camera, and meeting them eye-to-eye!  Direct eye contact will capture the true essence of the shot and will give the effect of actually being there with that subject at that precise moment! Simply kneel down so your camera is at eye-level, focus on your subject up-close, then wait for that captivating smile, laugh or other facial pose you want to capture and take the picture.

Other tips for photographing children come from Michael Crouser, who has produced two books about black and white photography. Young children will be much more cooperative when you allow them to be photographed in a natural setting for them, or in their favorite hero outfit! Always take photos of the older child first, and the younger one will want the attention as well, which means a better photo-with cooperation! Keep things as natural as possible-and that includes NOT having the subject say "cheese" which only produces a phony or exaggerated smile. Also try to take outdoor photos in the shade rather the sun, so the subject doesn't have to squint. For indoor photos, try to find alternatives for the direct flash. Wedding photographers avoid using it!

Pets can do funny things that we want to capture in a photo forever...I wish I could find the photo of my cat when she winks at me, but I'm not sure where that one is so here is one of Snickers, our four-year old Silky Terrier that I captured of bath time:

 

Had I taken this photo taken higher up it just would not have captured the look on his adorable little face! Don't you feel as if you can just reach out and touch Snickers? His expression is-priceless-and that's what I wanted to capture! This is a great photo to scrapbook...

Let's see what you can do with this tip-give it a try! I'd love to see some of your pictures so email them to me if you like...and I may feature some of them! Keep practicing taking eye-level pictures, focusing in on your subject-and keep the background simple (but more on that topic-tomorrow!).

Passionately scrapping,

DEALS OF THE WEEK-4TH AND FINAL WEEK!

A day late...sorry about that! (Guess I messed up my post a day challenge!)

This is the fourth and final week for Stampin' Up!'s Deals of the Week Promotion. Here are this week's deals being offered at a special price from Monday October 26 through Saturday October 31, 2009:

Week 4 Deals of the Week

Item	Description	Special Price
116214	Princess Party Kit	$9.99
116213	Pirate Party Kit	$9.99

   These kid's party kits are WONDERFUL & fun and will make party planning for your little princess or pirate a snap!  For only $9.99 each kit includes:

• die cut pieces to create 8 party invitations and envelopes!
• 8 purse or treasure chest boxes!
• 8 crowns or eye patches!
• 24 food toppers with picks!
• 20 paper pennants!
• ribbon or cord!

 

These kits are regularly $15.95! To order these or any other products online click HERE

What's really cool is you can have Personalized Name Stamps made up with "Captain" or "Princess" followed by your child's name! Wouldn't they love that? 

There are also coordinating stamp sets called Pirate Time and Princess Time that would make great gifts for your child! These are located on pages 74 & 75 of the Idea Book & Catalog.

I SO wish they had these when I did these parties for my son and daughter years ago!

But remember, special pricing of $9.95 for the kits lasts ONLINE only till 1:50 AM EST on October 31! Then the magical price reverts back to its regular price! To order online now, click HERE then click on the SHOP NOW button under my contact information! If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Happy Shopping,

SUMMER DAYS-6X6 SCRAPBOOK PAGE

Is scrapbooking something you would love to try, but you are intimidated and get lost when you look at all the myriads of scrapbooking papers, embellishments, gizmos and gadgets available out there and it appears you need it all to complete the task?

It may surprise you, but you can make beautiful pages that are quick and easy to produce without alot of fuss-with Stampin' Up!'s Simply Scrappin'® kits! Each kit provides 12x12 cardstock and pages of images which are self-adhesive die-cuts-many of which coordinate with matching stamp sets! Each kit also comes with several terrific layout ideas, so to create the scrapbook pages, just cut, copy and add your own photos! You can finish complete albums using these kits, in just a few hours!

Here's a cute 6x6 scrapbook page (compliments of Stampin' Up!) This page is made with the Simply Scrappin' Summer Days Kit on page 175 of the current Stampin' Up! Spring-Summer 2008 Collection, SNAIL Adhesive, Paper Cutter and Stampin' Dimensionals:

ARTWORK © Stampin' Up! 1990-2008

Isn't this a bright and cheerful page? So-how do you make it? (remember-all papers are included in the kit!)

Instructions

1. Adhere dotted Summer Days Designer Series paper (2" x 6") to Bashful Blue textured page.
2. Adhere photo to Real Red textured card stock (4-1/2" x 4-1/2"). Adhere self-adhesive die cut border from Summer Days Simply Scrappin’ to textured card stock. Adhere to page.
3. Adhere “Lazy summer days” self-adhesive die cut to page using Stampin’ Dimensionals.
4. Layer Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, and Bashful Blue die cuts using Stampin’ Dimensionals. Adhere to page.
That's it! You are done! Now wasn't that FUN? Simply Scrappin' Kits will save you time and enable you to get those precious photos into memory books that will be treasured for years to come...

Now that you are feeling much more confident, when you are ready to be more creative and spruce up your pages, you can add other little products and embellishments such as colored or Rhinestone Brads or Eyelets (page 189), Buttons or Beads (page 192), Flowers & Pearls (Pretties Kit) or Hodgepodge Hardware (page 188) or Ribbon and bows (190-191). If you want to make a complete album, these can be found in Linen or Leather on page 176, along with page protectors.
 
If you would like more information about any of these products, or would like to place an order from our online catalog, please email me at [email protected]

Please let me know in the comment section after this post, if you want me to provide more scrapbooking ideas and posts in the future. Would you be interested in purchasing ready made kits with pages, instructions, supplies and photos to make a complete scrapbook-by mail?

There are many techniques and ways to embellish not only scrapbook pages, but cards, and other items to make your own home decor, garden decor, fashion statements and so on. But-I don't want you to feel overwhelmed again...so we'll save those teachings for other posts!  If you live in the northern New Jersey area consider hosting a party OR I can bring a class to you and your friends-if interested, please e-mail me!

Have a great stampin' day!

passionstamper