Life happens in the details! Oh sure ... looking at the large picture is great and needed to even show up but seriously ... the details are where it's at! For Me, at least!
Just a few details of a not so little quilt I created for a dear friend using her fabrics!
A modern twist to a tried and true quilt pattern: Flying Geese!
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Hey Everyone! Photography 101 is coming to Old Town Orange! I'll be teaching at Dragonfy Shops and Gardens on Saturday, July 16th!
If you have ever wanted to come to Old Town Orange for a weekend, now is the time! There is so much going on in this town, aside from my photography class! There are great antique shops, including Country Roads Antiques and Gardens, fab restaurants Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen (Need reservations!) and super close to Disneyland!
So is this class for you? Well ... If you own a DSLR, which is a digital camera that allows you to change out the lenses, and you want to learn how to shoot in Manual mode ... the only creative mode there is, then YES, this class is for you!
Come check it out! Here's a link to the the calendar for all the classes offered at the Dragonfly Shops and Gardens in the month of July ... and you'll see there my class on July 16th ... click on my class and a bunch of info is there for you.
So What are you waiting for? Now is the time to really learn how much your fabulous camera has to offer!
Email me if you have question or if you want to sign up! You can also sign up through the link here!
Happy Shooting!
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Ok ... enough said, I LOVE my macro lens!
So here's the thing about a macro lens ... your lens can be really close to your subject when you shoot. So all lenses have a minimum distance that you have to have between the lens and the subject before it will focus and macro lenses do too it's just that that distance is like super close ... like 8 inches or less!
This lens that I own is a Canon 100mm f/2.8. This lens can be used just like any other lens, it's just that it's a fixed lens so you have to walk your body in to zoom in. It makes a good portrait lens as well although I prefer the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens so that I can have some distance from the person I'm shooting and it also provides a range focal lengths with the zoom factor.
Yes, these are socks that I'm knitting!
Here are a few links to the Canon 100mm Macro lens.
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens ... this one has IS or image stabilizing ... which I highly recommend!
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Fixed Lens ... This one does not have IS or image stabilizing which means you can practically see your pulse when you look throught he viewfinder. This lens works great in a studio situation where there isn't a breeze and you can use a tripod!
Art by Jen Osborn @themessynest
I love the shallow depth of field that you can see so clearly here ... This was shot at ISO 400 f/2.8 1/400 sec.
Happy Shooting and Happy Macro LOVE!
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Over in my online photograhy class, Photography 101: Through The Artisit's Eye, there is a lot of talk about the 50mm lens so I thought I would just take a minute to chat a bit about it!
ISO 100, f/1.2 1/800 sec
Lenses are a personal thing ... Some feel really good on your camera and in your hands and others feel disjointed and awkward. Some photographers shoot with only prime or fixed lenses, like the 50mm lens (SO no zooming going on, you have to walk in or out to zoom in or out) and others prefer to shoot with zoom lenses, like the Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens (one of my personal favorite go-to lenses).
ISO 100 f/1.8 1/400 Sec
Many people say that the 50mm lens is sort of what your eye sees when you look through the viewfinder but it really depends on what camera you are using. My Canon 7D has a cropped sensor so the 50mm is really like a 75mm which is pretty close to what your eye sees. On my Canon 5D3, which is a full frame camera, the 50mm is a true 50mm, but then to me it doesn't feel like what my eye sees, the subject looks smaller than what my eye sees.
The other thing about these 50mm lenses is that, as you can see, they have wide open apertures which means you can get that super super shallow depth of field. Lenses that have wide open apertures are also called 'low light' lenses because you can open up the aperture and then use them in situations where is only a little bit of light, hence allowing you to shoot without increasing your ISO, hence avoiding grainy photos!
ISO 100 f/1.4 1/800 Sec
The 50mm lens that I use is the f/1.2 but I have to tell you I rarely ever shoot at f/1.2 ... the depth of field is sooo shallow that sometimes it looks like there isn't anything in focus! As you can see from the above photos ... that shallow deoth of field is amazing.
Check out the photos below ... there is almost no change in the overall look of the photos as I change from f/1.2 to f/1.8 but you may notice that as the aperture gets smaller, or is stopped down, the shutter speed slows down also to allow more light to come in through the lens.
ISO 100 f/1.2 1/800
ISO 100 f/1.4 1/640
ISO 100 f/1.8 1/400
Here are some links to the 50mm lenses that I recommend. Since I shoot canon cameras I can really only suggest canon lenses but I'm pretty sure that all the other camera companies make really good 50mm lens as well. Make sure that these lenses will fit your particular camera model ... they might have different fittings and all.
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens
Probably the most popluar is the f/1.4 ... I think you really get a better lens for just a little bit more money!
Fabulous bracelets are by Brooke Bock @ Artistic Endeavors 101!
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I'm often asked about equipment and gear that I like and use. Here are just a few things that I think you might be interested in as well!
Cameras:
Camera's are a personal choice. Some people are Nikon types, others are only canon and wouldn't consider anything else. I have actually shot with both those brands and it is really just a personal preference. Of course the other thing to consider is just how much money you want to spend. Most camera makes come in a both a consumer body and then a professional body. I recommend purchasing the camera body and the lens separately. Our camera's have a limited life and plus with all the new features coming out yearly, you might just want to upgrade your camera more often than your lenses. I suggest putting money into your lens, hence the suggestion to purchase the camera body and lens separately. Crisp, tack sharp photos are captured through your lens, not your camera ... Purchase a good lens and you will be set for a long, long time!
Canon EOS Rebel T6s Digital SLR (Body Only) - Wi-Fi Enabled
Or ... better yet ... here is a package deal!
Canon EOS Rebel T6i Digital SLR with EF-S 18-135mm IS STM Lens - Wi-Fi Enabled
Or
Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame Digital SLR Camera (Body)
Lenses:
When it comes to lenes it really depends on what you find yourself photographing all the time. Or maybe it's a range of things, or maybe you are just starting to learn photography and you really don't even know. I suggest a zoom lens like a 24-105mm (or the 18-135mm lens). This lens has a nice range, being a little wide at the 24mm end and then has the capacity of zooming in at the 105mm end.
There are other lenses, of course that are super amazing ... like the 70-200mm, but now you are getting up into the pretty expensive range.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II
And then there are the prime or fixed lenses that do just one thing, like the 85mm!
Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Gear:
Tripods are a personal thing. It's almost like an extension of your body, or at least after time that's how it feels. This is the tripod that I use. I have different heads that I can put on this stand, depending on what I am shooting.
SLIK PRO 700DX Professional Tripod
Reflectors and diffusion panels:
Gear that I use ALLLL the time are diffusion or reflector panels. What they do is ... they either filter out that harsh strong sunlight or they reflect light back onto my subject. I personally own 3 different sizes. Here are the ones I own and use almost daily!
Small reflector and diffusion panel:
Medium reflector and diffusion panel:
Large reflector and diffusion panel:
Museum wax:
Quakehold! 66111 2-Ounce Museum Wax
I use this stuff all the time. It's surprising how strong it is! This is the stuff that fine jewelry photographers use to make that diamond ring stand up on a shiny surface! I mostly use it to curl book pages back or to lift something off of a surface by just a bit or even to keep, say an apron tie perfectly curled up and in place.
Studio lighting:
This is a great start up lighting kit! The bulbs are daylight temperature, which is what you want and the fact that it's continuous allows you to use them to shoot video as well!
Ok ... hope this helps you to navigate this photography gear world ... these are just starting points ... as you get more and more into photography you will find your favorite equipment also!
Want to take a class? Check out the list below!
Launch Your Creativity (Pre-Conference)
Photography 101: Through the Artist's Eye (Jeanne Oliver)
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Happy Dance ... more info to come ... but for now, my online Photography 101, Through the Artists Eyes, is up and selling with a great Early Bird Special! Come check out Jeanne Oliver's site right here for details! Photography 101, Through the Artists Eyes!
I am often asked about how I edit my photos and what editing program I use. The HANDS DOWN best software out there is availble here ... Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6!
Heres a little tutorial on how I use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6! This is just a quick overview of what Lightroom can do and how fast adjustments and edits can be made.
1. When you first click on the Lightroom icon, this is what pops up. (Ok ... you'll see here that I have not upgraded to Lightroom 6 just yet, be will be doing so soon!)
2. So now you want to import my photos or maybe you just want to edit existing photos. A panel will show up the allows you to pick an existing catalog or create a new catalog. I tend to create a new catalog for new large projects. I do however have catalogs for my blog posts, family and so, where I then divide the content into different folders.
3. Once the photos have been loaded up you can then start to edit them. There are a few quick things that I do to almost all my photos. Here's an example:
The left side shows the photo as it was shot, right out of my camera. Because I almost always shoot in RAW, every photo needs some adjusting. The right side shows the photo after a few quick adjustments have been made.
4. Here's a close up of a few of the sliders and adjustments that I use to make really quick adjustments to every photo. I usually check the white balance right away and then go from there. I could spend an entire day talking about on just white balance, but I'll save that so another post!
Often the exposure needs to be opened up or increased a bit, as well as the contrast and sometimes the highlights can be taken down a hair and shadows are opened up or increased. I usually only add a little saturation, vibrance and clarity.
I can save the adjustments that I have made here as a "User Preset" and then give it a name and then batch all the photos and apply these adjustments to all the photos at one time!
5. Lightroom also comes with some presets that are super fun to play with! On the left panel, there are a bunch of different combinations that have been put together and with just a click of the button your photo can have a slight vintage blue look to it ... as seen below!
6. Here you can see the photo before the preset application on the left and the after photo on the right!
7. Of course there are many, many presets out on the market to purchase! I have bought a bunch in the past and use them on occasion. For this camper photos the "Urban Collection" seemed to be a good fit.
8. Ok, so ... I have only scratched the very surface of what Lightroom can do for your photos! Of course you can crop, make black and white images, smooth skin, sharpen and create eyelashes, upload to social media, make slide shows, add text, make books and on and on! It's a big photo editing program and so much more ... but here's the thing! It's doable ... it's not a monster program like Photoshop! Yes, I use photoshop when I have to, but the majority of time I can edit my photos right here in Lightroom.
If your considering purchasing Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, then you'll want to purcahse Scott Kelby's book on Lightroom available here!
The way Scott explains how to use the program is simple and to the point! It's my go to manual when I want to learn and try something new or just need a refreasher course on something I don't do very often! This is a must have book!
Ok ... hope this helped a little and don't hesitate to contact me if you have further questions!
Happy Shooting!
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A few months ago the kind folks at Cut Out + Keep contacted me to see if they could feature some of my sewing tutorials on their site and here it is! How cute that they are calling me a SEWING SUPERSTAR! Made me smile.
Anyways ... todays featured project is this Receipt Caddy ....
If you want out this site everyday and you'll see a new featured sewing project!
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You can hop on over to the Lark Crafts blog site right now and check out my latest last minute gift idea! The tutorial is all there and then of course you can attach the tag to my Simply Stitched Gifts book!
These tags are the thing I do when I'm feeling creative but don't want to spend too too much time on a big project.
And, add a few words of Thanks, Birthday Wishes or Encouragment and they'll make a nice little gift all by themselves!
Click here is find the exact tag!
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When I teaching my photography 101 classes, Shooting in Manual Mode, I'm often asked which lens I use the most; which lens would I recommend? I have a few that I really like, but as far as a good all around lens, I grab my Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens! If I could only carry one lens with me on a shoot, this bad boy would be my pick and it's available here!
So I have to tell you something ... for about the past 6 months I was having a few issues with the sharpness and clarity with this lens. I was getting frustrated and yet all the photographers I talked to about the issues, just sort of brushed me off.
So last week I jumped in my car and headed to the New Canon Service Center here in Costa Mesa. After chatting with one of the helpers and explaining my issues, off my lens went to be 'repaired'.
I just returned from picking up my lens and I could cry happy tears! My lens is back to it's beautiful self! Apparently a few things needed to be tightened and a few pieces of glasses needed to be realigned! Yay ... I am so happy! Immediately I went out and snapped a few photos of the last of the maroon roses that are blooming ... with a shallow depth of field and zoomed in pretty close!
While the quality of the photos doesn't really show here in this blog post, you'll have to just trust me on this one ... these photos are crisp and clear and I couldn't be happier!
I'm so excited to get out there and shoot again ... I LOVE THIS LENS AGAIN!
Be warned ... the lens is a little pricey, like $999.00 but I promise you will not be buying another lens for a long time! This will be your go to lens for Portraits, Landscapes, Kids, Pups, Crafts, Food and on and on!
Really interested now? Find it here!
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Yay ... it seems like forever ago that I was working on Simply Stitched Gifts, a free motion stitching book ... It's finally out in book stores and being sold on Amazon!
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