Lighting

I am getting back to basics with my photography.  The number one basic to me is lighting.  I would rather not take pictures in bright sunlight.  It is way too harsh.  Here I did take the photo in bright sunlight.  But, I was trying to get the light to diffuse through this ruby colored vase. I didn't get it like I envisioned but, I still liked the photo.

This is how I usually set a photo shoot up.  In a south facing window on a cloudy day.  This is the most flattering light.  

Here I tempted the light with white and a mirror.  They both reflect light a lot and can be a challenge to photograph.  

The most striking natural light will be at sunrise or sunset.  I am always caring for children at sunrise but at sunset I can manage to get my camera out.

I have had comments wondering if I am a photographer.  My father took wedding photography freelance and I was in the darkroom some growing up so, I guess it was osmosis.  I haven't had any classes on photography.

 I have found that even in areas of my house that are hard to photograph, that if I work with the natural light I have I can still get a pretty decent photo.  

Another way to use natural light is to get back lighting.  I have taken this picture with the sun shining on the back of these leaves to make the color even brighter.  When you use this light you will have to get the camera's focus point to focus on the yellow color of the leaves.  This is going to give you the right settings to get the color you want with the lighting you love without the photo turning out too dark by being focused on something other than that great fall color.

That is my only trick with lighting.  I never use a flash and I use natural light as much as I possibly can.  Someday I will experiment more with lighting and all the photography tricks that I have seen used in studio lighting.  Right now I haven't got time so, the sure thing is natural light. 

I will try to get more post on this blog about how I photograph my pictures.  It is always a work in progress. 

Sherry

Photography Now On Sale

Photography now on sale at  Fine Art America.  Click link to view.

A Work in Progress

I have been working on these photos of ferns.  I want to create art out of them.  It took a bit of time to get the images similar.  It is a work in progress.  Love tinkering with this.  Will post the final product soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sherry

Textures and Their Effect

I have been using textures a lot.  I have been noticing how they can take a normal photo and give it a whole different look.  Here I have added a texture and given this fern a whited out effect. I am seeing this a lot on blogs. 

In this photo the texture gives it a dream like quality.

In this black and white photo a texture added enhances the emphasis of aging the photo.

Here, I also added a texture and it gives the quality of sand or the beach to the subject.

I enjoy playing around with the editing and hope I can learn more along the way.  

All textures from Kim Klassen.

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Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Editing

I have been working in baby steps to learn some editing in Photoshop.  There is so much to do to a photo in Photoshop.  I know photographers that say they will never learn it all.  So dive in and get your feet wet, with a small bit of skill you can create some amazing results.   This photo was given a final edit by adjusting the levels in Photoshop and applying a layer of texture under multiply at 100%.

This was the before edit that I created in Picasa.  I am more comfortable working in Picasa so, I start with my photo there and then move over to Photoshop if I want to do more editing.

This photo with the final edit in Photoshop.  I applied a layer of texture under multiply at 40%, and before that I adjusted the levels to white it out a bit.

Here the photo before edited in Picasa.

And, last this photo also had a final edit in Photoshop.  I adjusted the levels and then applied a layer of texture at 100%.

Here the photo was before, edited in Picasa.  The texture used was Silence by Kim Klassen.

I am trying to get more skilled at the editing to create art with my photography.  It is a lot of fun, even learning in baby steps.

Creating a Collage Banner

If you are wanting to create a banner out of your photography, I know where you can get a great tutorial on doing that.  Brenda over at Cozy Little House made a great tutorial on how to do this and I use it to make my banners.   Just follow the link to get started.

Sherry

Tea Cup Love

I have been enjoying photographing tea cups.  They are so charming.

This post is from my photography blog.  I am on a creative journey and this is where it is taking me.  I will post here with very little words, I want this blog to be more visual.  The top photos are my newest and the bottom are the oldest.  Learning Photoshop, it is new to me. 

Thanks for coming by.

I will link to Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Photography

Welcome to my photography blog.  I strive to make all my photos beautiful images and I wanted to create this blog for the more artistic edits of my photography.  More to come stay tuned...

Sherry