NEW BOOK PUBLISHED!
Linda has a new book out and you can preview it by clicking on the thumbnail photo below. "God whispers" is your book; that is, you become the author because it is meant for you to record thoughts, reflections, stories, prayers and ideas. However, Linda has written a number of thoughts along with her photographs to help "kick-start" your own writing/journaling process. This is a self discovery book, not a self-help book. Use this book to peal away the cocoon you've become entrapped in your lifes journey. You will find it so helpful, you will want to buy a second copy to give to someone you know who needs that boost or "kick-start" in their own lifes journey.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Reported Sighting of the "Thought-to-be-Extinct" IPS
Many of my faithful readers know I have been working on a book for several years. The book will be photographs I’ve taken of squirrels over the years. The title of the book has already been decided, Squirrels: Adventures and Shenanigans of Wild Squirrels. I have already written and laid out over 18 pages of the book. I have an outline with the titles of each chapter and content. And, most importantly of all, the cover has been designed and put in place in the publishing software with the printers. But the most awesome thing of all about this book is that it is taking on a life of its own. What I mean is, as I have shared this project with others, they have shared their photographs of squirrels with me. As I have viewed another’s photos I’ve learned the character of that person. Anyone who watches squirrels going to and fro in their yard, picking up nuts, carrying them here and there and burying them not once or twice but as many as three times… IS AS NUTS AS I AM ABOUT SQUIRRELS!
“That is an amazing photo you attached. I need your help on a couple of things in your photo… The white squirrel is closest to the camera, is that correct? Is it a shadow or does it have a brown head?” That’s how the reply e-mail started with a friend who sent me an attached photo of a squirrel yesterday. She told me about the squirrel several weeks ago and invited me over to take a photograph of the white squirrel. Now if you know anything about squirrels, when you want them to do something, they won’t; and when you don’t want them to do something, they will. I could only imagine how it would appear to onlookers if they saw me trying to explain to the police that I was not a “Peeping Tom” but rather someone trying to take photos of a white squirrel at the request of a neighbor. And I would probably be caught crouched down on all fours under a bush of the “Neighborhood Watch” captain’s front yard…
The e-mail continued, “The second squirrel in the photo, does that also have some white on it, or does it appear white because the sun is shining through its tail? If you don’t mind, I would like to venture a guess of what you have in residence in your yard. It is quite rare and if the community or more specific, the National Wildlife Federation were aware of your squirrel in resident you would have news media all over the neighborhood. Sandy (name changed to protect the innocent), you have what is called the ‘Inverted Palomino Squirrel.’ Once thought to be extinct, you may have proof they are, in fact, still in existence! And the squirrel behind the IPS (Inverted Palomino Squirrel) would be the ‘Inverted Inverted Palomino Squirrel which has never been proven to be in existence. And I can assure you that if you call the National Wildlife Federation, local news media or any friends or neighbors and tell them about the IPS or IIPS you will be called “Nuts,” or known as the ‘squirrelly lady down the street’ for the rest of your life.”
Continuing to spread it on thick, “Sorry, Sandy, I just couldn’t resist this opportunity to give you a good laugh. And actually, this would make for a good story to put on my blog and squirrelly book, except the names would be changed. You are such a sweet person and I admire you (I just had to say that in hopes of salvaging our friendship). I hope you enjoyed this ‘funny’ e-mail… Now back to the serious part… “
‘Sandy’s’ photo is an amazing squirrel picture and you can see a snippet of it below. However, to see the fullsize photo you will just have to wait for the publishing of the book to see that. Another thing, Sandy will be given credit for photographing the IPS and IIPS if she is truly brave to do so… I have had other people send me amazing squirrel photos and have decided the focus of the book is not to display my photos but rather to reveal the amazing antics of squirrels; considering that as the focus of the book, if someone has an amazing picture of squirrels I should use their photo rather than try and duplicate it myself. Of course, if someone else’s photo is used, it would be with their permission and they would be given credit as the photographer.
“That is an amazing photo you attached. I need your help on a couple of things in your photo… The white squirrel is closest to the camera, is that correct? Is it a shadow or does it have a brown head?” That’s how the reply e-mail started with a friend who sent me an attached photo of a squirrel yesterday. She told me about the squirrel several weeks ago and invited me over to take a photograph of the white squirrel. Now if you know anything about squirrels, when you want them to do something, they won’t; and when you don’t want them to do something, they will. I could only imagine how it would appear to onlookers if they saw me trying to explain to the police that I was not a “Peeping Tom” but rather someone trying to take photos of a white squirrel at the request of a neighbor. And I would probably be caught crouched down on all fours under a bush of the “Neighborhood Watch” captain’s front yard…
The e-mail continued, “The second squirrel in the photo, does that also have some white on it, or does it appear white because the sun is shining through its tail? If you don’t mind, I would like to venture a guess of what you have in residence in your yard. It is quite rare and if the community or more specific, the National Wildlife Federation were aware of your squirrel in resident you would have news media all over the neighborhood. Sandy (name changed to protect the innocent), you have what is called the ‘Inverted Palomino Squirrel.’ Once thought to be extinct, you may have proof they are, in fact, still in existence! And the squirrel behind the IPS (Inverted Palomino Squirrel) would be the ‘Inverted Inverted Palomino Squirrel which has never been proven to be in existence. And I can assure you that if you call the National Wildlife Federation, local news media or any friends or neighbors and tell them about the IPS or IIPS you will be called “Nuts,” or known as the ‘squirrelly lady down the street’ for the rest of your life.”
Continuing to spread it on thick, “Sorry, Sandy, I just couldn’t resist this opportunity to give you a good laugh. And actually, this would make for a good story to put on my blog and squirrelly book, except the names would be changed. You are such a sweet person and I admire you (I just had to say that in hopes of salvaging our friendship). I hope you enjoyed this ‘funny’ e-mail… Now back to the serious part… “
‘Sandy’s’ photo is an amazing squirrel picture and you can see a snippet of it below. However, to see the fullsize photo you will just have to wait for the publishing of the book to see that. Another thing, Sandy will be given credit for photographing the IPS and IIPS if she is truly brave to do so… I have had other people send me amazing squirrel photos and have decided the focus of the book is not to display my photos but rather to reveal the amazing antics of squirrels; considering that as the focus of the book, if someone has an amazing picture of squirrels I should use their photo rather than try and duplicate it myself. Of course, if someone else’s photo is used, it would be with their permission and they would be given credit as the photographer.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Fill your plate, fill your glass, fill your gas tank, fill your suitcase, but not the Frame!
Fill the frame, fill the frame, fill the frame... another one of those articles on photography "How to" rules escaped from under the rug and was beaten over our heads again today.
I have seen some "near beautiful" photographs which missed the mark because the subject was so far away and the photographer had to point it out on the photo. But I can't tell you the number of photos I've taken up close and "filled the frame" with the subject only to be burned by following that rule. One time I spent a whole afternoon taking those family treasured photos of the children sitting on Santa's lap smiling and showing their dimples and the gap between their front teeth. The pictures were sharp and the colors were vivid, but when I went to crop them to fit into the little sleeves to give to the customer, part of the photo was going to be chopped off. I had gotten up close and personal to the point of spoiling the photos. I was able to salvage them with an old photographer's trick. But then, I did it again with another portrait assignment. Yup, I wanted to be a very good photographer and follow all the rules; but by stuffing my subject(s) between the four confining "walls" of a photo plane I almost pinched myself out of a job... Ouch!
Forget being up close and personal as much as the "expert" photographers are telling you, because they are not telling you the whole story. The "expert" may be able to have a custom matt and frame made for a unique size photo because they are generating income through writing those "How to" articles and publishing "How to" books that help support a very expensive hobby (someone told me it is a hobby because you just can't make a living off being a photographer, but you can make a living off being a writer writing "How to" books and articles on photography.) Unless the photograph I've taken is contest material specifically chosen for competition my pocketbook leads me to the standard 8" x 10" size.
Now I am not saying back off from your subject too much. You still want to see the whites of their eyes. The trick here is to learn what your camera's photo plane picture size is. When you look through the view finder or the LCD screen what will that photograph look like cropped for a picture size of 8 x 10 or 11 x 14. Even a 5 x 7 cropping of the picture will have a different appearance. Contents on the edges of an 8 x 10 may crop out of a 5 x 7 whereas the total photograph will be visible in a 4 x 6 cropping of the same image. But what I am saying is besides learning your camera's photo plane size also keep in mind when you are taking a photograph of your subject "full frame" to be careful about giving yourself a little extra room on all the sides of your subject as insurance so what you want to keep in the photo before you crop, stays in the photo, after you've cropped. Don't forget to take the lens cover off.
I have seen some "near beautiful" photographs which missed the mark because the subject was so far away and the photographer had to point it out on the photo. But I can't tell you the number of photos I've taken up close and "filled the frame" with the subject only to be burned by following that rule. One time I spent a whole afternoon taking those family treasured photos of the children sitting on Santa's lap smiling and showing their dimples and the gap between their front teeth. The pictures were sharp and the colors were vivid, but when I went to crop them to fit into the little sleeves to give to the customer, part of the photo was going to be chopped off. I had gotten up close and personal to the point of spoiling the photos. I was able to salvage them with an old photographer's trick. But then, I did it again with another portrait assignment. Yup, I wanted to be a very good photographer and follow all the rules; but by stuffing my subject(s) between the four confining "walls" of a photo plane I almost pinched myself out of a job... Ouch!
Forget being up close and personal as much as the "expert" photographers are telling you, because they are not telling you the whole story. The "expert" may be able to have a custom matt and frame made for a unique size photo because they are generating income through writing those "How to" articles and publishing "How to" books that help support a very expensive hobby (someone told me it is a hobby because you just can't make a living off being a photographer, but you can make a living off being a writer writing "How to" books and articles on photography.) Unless the photograph I've taken is contest material specifically chosen for competition my pocketbook leads me to the standard 8" x 10" size.
Now I am not saying back off from your subject too much. You still want to see the whites of their eyes. The trick here is to learn what your camera's photo plane picture size is. When you look through the view finder or the LCD screen what will that photograph look like cropped for a picture size of 8 x 10 or 11 x 14. Even a 5 x 7 cropping of the picture will have a different appearance. Contents on the edges of an 8 x 10 may crop out of a 5 x 7 whereas the total photograph will be visible in a 4 x 6 cropping of the same image. But what I am saying is besides learning your camera's photo plane size also keep in mind when you are taking a photograph of your subject "full frame" to be careful about giving yourself a little extra room on all the sides of your subject as insurance so what you want to keep in the photo before you crop, stays in the photo, after you've cropped. Don't forget to take the lens cover off.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Make Graduation Day A Memorable Day In Photos
The day is almost here. All those years of buried faces in a book squinting to see the fine print; all those times in class just before a test praying that you wish you knew how to pray; all that’s behind you now. You are graduating; you’ve picked up your gown, checked your list to make sure invitations went out. Grocery bags of party food are on the table and the fridge is packed with more food. Canned drinks are all iced up in a half dozen coolers. Everything’s ready in great anticipation of a grand celebration. But is everything ready… are you really prepared? What about the camera, have you given any thought to that? Has anyone been designated as the family photographer?
Graduation is a very special time in one’s life; and it is not just a historical event for the graduate, it’s a milestone in a family’s history. To make sure your photos turn out on such an eventful day, it wouldn’t hurt to have backup, that is, have a number of friends and family taking photographs of the event. That is just one tip of many; here are some more tips to consider while taking those memorable photos on such an important day…
Don’t “Stage” everything: Though the graduate will be up on the stage; get the family in pictures on this momentous day. There will be those very important photos with all family members who attended this special day’s event. It will be so important to record the historical moment for the photo albums and slideshows and also to post on Facebook. You want everyone to see Grandma and Grandpa’s smiling faces. But the candid shots are precious treasures and hilarious moments that can turn a photo album into a “Best Seller” and a slideshow into an “Oscar winner.” Best friend graduates hugging, the graduate running with their graduation robe wide open and flying high create special moments preceding and following a graduation ceremony. Big brother cramming his grad hat on little brother with everyone laughing brings back precious moments. Keep the camera clicking at these special moments. Don’t chimp at this point. You can look at the photos on the LCD screen later and then, only then, delete the “bad” photos. I can’t tell you how many great photos have been missed because someone was chimping when they should have been photographing the moment. And don’t forget to “turn the tables (camera)” on you; that is, make sure you include yourself in the photo shooting. There will be a time when someone will be looking at the beautiful pictures and say, “Well, where is ol’ what’s his name?” You don’t have to be the designated photographer… don’t get “drunk (obsessed)” on taking all the pictures. Make sure there are pictures to prove you were there; a finger blocking one side of a photo does not count.
Watch the light and dark: One hard part in taking photographs is light. But there will be no photograph if there is no light. With digital photography a new element of light has been introduced, “White Balance.” Besides worrying about having the right amount of light, not too much (so Aunt Matilda doesn’t look like a ghost) or too little (“where was Moses when the lights went out”) with the introduction of white balance the right “temperature” has to be set so the photo isn’t greenish-blue or orange-amber. Most cameras have white balance set to automatic eliminating the worry of “temperature” color unless your photo has a strange hue present that isn’t there “in the present.” And there is another element of the lighting source; what direction is the light/sun coming from. You don’t want light in everyone’s eyes (causing squinting); and worse yet, if the sun is behind everyone all you have is a silhouette “glob” of forms.
Graduation is a very special time in one’s life; and it is not just a historical event for the graduate, it’s a milestone in a family’s history. To make sure your photos turn out on such an eventful day, it wouldn’t hurt to have backup, that is, have a number of friends and family taking photographs of the event. That is just one tip of many; here are some more tips to consider while taking those memorable photos on such an important day…
Be Prepared: Well, if it worked for the scouts, why not let it work for you… be matriculate, I mean meticulous in making sure your camera is working. Here are some things for your check list: 1) Batteries-Have new ones in the chamber and spares in your pocket; if they are rechargeable, this is a good time to top them off in the charger and have at least another set all charged up; it wouldn’t hurt to purchase another new set and charge that up as well (this ceremony cannot be repeated.) Make sure your memory card is clear and formatted for the day. It might even be a good idea to have a second memory card on hand. The price of cards has dropped substantially and now is the time to get one or two extras. If there are any photos on the card, it would be wise to download them onto a computer and then format the card so it is clear and ready. If you have more than one camera that uses the same card type, don’t switch the same card between different cameras, that is when you may have error messages or a card “failure.” All that said about batteries, cards and oh, oh, one thing most everyone forgets and regrets later when grandma licks her finger and smears it on the lens (like when she would wipe dirt off your cheek)… clean the lens. If you can, take a lens cloth and cleaning liquid or the prepackaged lens cleaning paper. You will find this especially valuable if it is raining… “where did those freckles come from?” And the best time to do this is the day before so you don’t find yourself running around the morning of or worse yet, on your way to the ceremony. Nerves are frayed enough without adding fear about parking places and seat availability.
Get close up and personal… with the stage. It wouldn’t hurt to rehearse before the ceremony begins. When the moment comes where they are presenting the diploma/degree… you really want to be in the right place and not competing for a spot. I don’t know why people fight for a spot because their graduate gets the award once and then they are moved across the stage in a “hug and kiss” line with former professors and counselors. It should come natural to take your shot and step away from the “coveted” spot for the next excited parent to get their treasured photo. That is what worked quite smoothly at my friend’s graduation from Duke Divinity School. “Photographers” were so cooperative they helped one another move forward to the right spot when their child/student came up to the moment. In some situations you may be limited to where you can stand and how close you can get to the stage. Barriers may be present, but still go ahead and ask if you can get closer. The worst to happen would be told you are standing as close as allowed. Another thing to consider is look into getting another camera with a longer zoom range. There are good brand cameras with amazing super-zoom lenses at a price that will also amaze you. A Nikon Coolpix P510 compact camera has a built in zoom from 24mm to 1000mm with a price that will knock your socks off (around $400.) I’ll be glad to review the camera, Nikon just need send me a unit to test and I will review and report on it. But from the reviews I’ve already read, it’s a really nice piece of equipment and the 16.1 megapixels sweeten the deal for many, not to mention the built in GPS, 99 point autofocus, shoots 7 fps, slow-mo video and 3D shooting mode. That would be a beauty to carry and easily be approved by any stadium security including the Olympics in London this Summer.
Watch the light and dark: One hard part in taking photographs is light. But there will be no photograph if there is no light. With digital photography a new element of light has been introduced, “White Balance.” Besides worrying about having the right amount of light, not too much (so Aunt Matilda doesn’t look like a ghost) or too little (“where was Moses when the lights went out”) with the introduction of white balance the right “temperature” has to be set so the photo isn’t greenish-blue or orange-amber. Most cameras have white balance set to automatic eliminating the worry of “temperature” color unless your photo has a strange hue present that isn’t there “in the present.” And there is another element of the lighting source; what direction is the light/sun coming from. You don’t want light in everyone’s eyes (causing squinting); and worse yet, if the sun is behind everyone all you have is a silhouette “glob” of forms.
Sometimes using flash, even in bright sunlight, will save the day. If everyone is enjoying the great outdoors but the time is high-noon and unless you get in the shade of the “old oak tree” in the middle of campus, everyone is going to be squinting, then by all means go for the “old oak tree” and use flash under the tree. That should work just fine. And lastly,
You “auto” be in pictures: before the snowflakes fall; that is, make sure the graduation photos taken get circulated before summer is over. Don’t let the memories gather pixels in the camera even one week past the eventful day. Make sure you take possession of the camera and cards before the graduate leaves the party or the photos could get lost before seeing the light of day. To do this tactfully, fire up a family digital picture frame and put the card in it or slip it into the card reader and download the photos and copy onto CDs as a gift for family and friends to take home. There is a program called “Windows Movie Maker” that comes on all Windows PCs. You just point it to the subdirectory that has the graduation photos and it makes a video in minutes including music. Then you can play the video during the party. Once again don’t let the memories gather pixels in the camera, there is no excuse for that to happen in this day and age.
Have a good time and don’t forget to take the lens cover off!
This information provided courtesy of Linda Hoopes Photo-Art, http://lindahoopesphoto-art.smugmug.com
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