The 365 Project: Week 39

This week on Picaboo, the theme was all about Fall.  I know I recently posted a week of fall already in lieu of a theme I didn't want to do.  But you can never have enough pictures of fall!  I do wish they would have waited another week or two however since peak season hasn't quite hit here yet, only some trees were beginning to turn when I started week 39.  My photo above made it into Picaboo's blog of the best of the week!

From last year

One of the problems with taking photos in the fall is that haze you may have seen when taking landscape photos.  It makes the colors appear dull or even blue-ish in your photos.  You can avoid this by using a polarizing filter on your lens or taking your photos in the morning or after a rainfall when the air is clear.

Taken in the late evening, see how warm the color is?

Taking photos during the golden hour will really show off those vibrant hues!  The golden hour is the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset when the light is "golden" and shows off the best color.Also make sure your white balance isn't on auto.  Your white balance is the sunny, cloudy, fluorescent, etc settings.  Cloudy will give you a warmer photo and enhance those colors!  That's my go to setting on my own camera.

I underexposed this a touch to deepen the red of the leaf

Underexposing your photos can help you capture truer colors and make them richer.  This is the +/- button on your camera.  Dial it down a tick or two to underexpose just a touch without making it look overly dark.  You can enhance the contrast and brightness after uploading onto the computer. 

Nice contrast of red with a touch of green

More contrast

Look for contrast.  Things like a yellow tree against a bright blue sky or a person wearing red against green grass really make a photo pop.

Yay macro!

And my favorite, macro!  This is the little tulip or flower button on your point and shoot, or use a macro lens if you have on for your dSLR.  This is a great time to get those up close detailed pictures of leaves and fading flowers!

The 365 Project: Week 33

This week on Picaboo the theme/challenge was taking photos in the midday sun.  I forgot to submit my pictures for this week, so I lost my chance to get featured, oops!

My lil diva!  And check out my re-blooming lilacs ;)

Not every great photo opportunity comes with the ideal setting or lighting conditions but that doesn't mean you can't have great photos!  There are a few tips you can follow to make the most of what is available to you at the moment even though, I admit, not all of my own photos this week follow those tips! 

Bubble fun!

First, try to put the sun behind your subject if possible.  This eliminates squinting and still creates a nicely lit photo.  Find some shade preferably.

Momma and her twins raiding the birdfeeders

Check your white balance.  This is your cloudy, sunny, etc settings.  Use a custom setting if you can to balance out your colors better but if you can't my own go to setting is cloudy regardless of weather conditions.  It makes for a warmer photo if that makes any sense to you.  My photo subject is typically my daughter if not something nature related so I don't always have time to tweak my settings.

Can you tell she's been playing in the dirt?

Watch for color casting on your subject's face.  This is that color cast of from brightly colored clothing or items that can leave a tinge of unwanted color on their skin.  Try turning them different angles from the sun, find some shade, or put something white in front of them (but out of the photo) to help reflect more light on their face.  Color casting can be fixed somewhat in post processing but it can be tricky.  It's best to avoid it altogether.

Yeah I know, another photo of a bumblebee, but they're perfect little subjects!

Of course my personal preference for time of day is evening because of the golden lighting conditions but some of my favorite photos have been taken in the midday sun!

The 365 Project: Week 31 and 32

Rainbow Cove at the Pictured Rocks Natl Lakeshore in Munising, Mi

This week was all about taking photos of landscapes.  The photo above was featured in Picaboo's blog with the best of the week! I admit, some of these photos weren't actually taken this week, but they lend great examples of the theme along with the ones I did take this week!

Red rock outcrop in Marquette, MI

Slag beach at the mining ghost town in Fayette, MI

It should seem easy enough, but taking a quick shot of some pretty scenery doesn't always lead to a pretty photo.  You'll want to keep an eye on a few key items to get a great shot.  Watch your horizon; nothing ruins a great photo like a slanted horizon.  This can be fixed in post-processing depending on your software but it's so much easier to get it right the first time.  Turn on your camera display's grid lines (usually an option in the menu) to help you line up your shot.  Consult your manual if you don't know how.

Limestone cliff and old pilings at Fayette, MI

A hike in the woods, Hunter Point Park in Copper Harbor, MI

Pick a focal point.  Look for something interesting to focus your camera on.  Use leading lines, a tree, rock outcrop or other interesting feature to draw your viewer's attention and make them feel like they are there with you.  Try capturing a sense of movement if you can: waves on the beach, wind in the trees etc.  You can also create an interesting focal point by using creative angles.  Take a photo looking straight up a cliff face, from a high vantage point, or from the side.  Be creative!

Golden light at sunset on top of Brockway Mtn in Copper Harbor, MI

Trail to the beach in Escanaba, MI

This isn't listed in the Picaboo tutorial but keep in mind your time of day.  Early morning and evening give softer lighting and create a more "dreamy" look.  Bright, direct sunlight gives crisp angles and dramatic shadowing.  The best midday lighting is on a partly cloudy day, when the clouds act as a natural light diffuser.

Drop of dew on water lettuce

For week 32, Picaboo had a tutorial on resizing your photos to look better on Facebook and also had a challenge of showing size in your photos.  My photo above was featured in Picaboo's Blog featuring the best of the week!

We went to Mackinac Island and I loved taking photos of all the horses!

An exotic Red Postman butterfly at Mackinac Island's Butterfly House.

I don't really have a tutorial to go over with you since resizing your photos specifically for Facebook has nothing to do with photography in my opinion.  As for showing size, you really can interpret that however you wish and I know not all my photos this week show it. My favorite way is through macro photography.  I love making tiny details larger than life (such as the tiny drop of dew). If your camera has a macro setting, it will be a flower icon on a button.  If you have a dSLR, you need a macro lens depending on how close you want to get.

Busy bee on a purple cone flower

I needed a lot of patience and good timing for this flitting dragonfly!

You can also show size using dramatic perspective.  Make a tree or other tall object look gigantic by taking a photo close to the trunk and look up or there's your classic "look I'm holding up a mountain" pose that you see in family vacation photos.  Have fun with it!

Another busy bee this time on my sedum flowers

I have no idea what this flower is but it's gorgeous!

Take A Tour of My Garden

A pretty Monarch visiting my lilacs, taken on Instagram

As you may already know, I love flowers and naturally I love gardening.  Well, I should say I like the end result of gardening; if I could skip the getting covered in dirt from head to toe while burning my skin to freshly boiled lobster crisp part, that would be dandy!  That being said, I wanted to share with you some pictures I've taken now that the flowers and plants are really taking off!  I excluded photos of my tulips since I'm sure you've seen enough of them in past 365 Project posts!

One of my hens and chicks early in spring

Dragon's Blood Sedum covering up an old ugly stump

Just got my water garden all set up with two goldfish too!

A flower garden staple: petunias!

The pretties in my flower ring minus the lavender, which hasn't bloomed yet.

You cannot beat the smell of lilacs!  I'm glad I invested in re-blooming plants!

A busy visitor

Pink thrift

Getting all artsy, I love the sun flair!  Pink thrift from an ant's perspective

One of my favorite garden flowers: Daisies in all sorts and colors!

Arizona Sun.  This one just opened today

Gerbera Daisy

Classic daisy rescued from my yard

Pretty orange daisy with a wisp of violet

Dianthus is another favorite

Purple dianthus with morning dew

This shot turned out great!  Just watered them

A mix of dainty pink and white dianthus

Now for a few others around the garden!

Blood red snapdragons

I can't remember the name of these but it's a flowering vine

More sun flair!  Impatiens in a hanging basket

Peach impatiens

Purple lupine, these puppies are taking over now!

Soft peach and white geranium

midnight blue torneia, the hummingbirds are crazy for these!

Well I hope you enjoyed a little virtual stroll through my garden!  As summer progresses and new flowers bloom, I'll be posting more pictures!