I find it very frustrating at times when I have so little time to devote to what I really want to do with my life. I know I have a responsibility to my husband, home & children & I don't view it as a chore at all - in fact I love to do it - but nonetheless I get a bit tetchy when I am facilitating everyone else to realise their dreams while mine are so often relegated to the back burner!
I am hoping that this will change just a bit in 2011 as I try to give my own dreams & goals a bit more priority now that my children are growing up, but if these last few weeks are anything to go by then that will most certainly be a challenge. Trying to think of all that needs to be done, bought, arranged & considered when sending a child off to university hundreds of miles away is a job in itself, particularly as they are generally more interested in ensuring that their I-Tunes is up to date???!!!
I was meant to post these photos yesterday then our bandwidth - all 12 Gigs of it - miraculously disappeared...I could write a whole post on that but I am looking forward now so won't! I requested the presence of my daughter's best friend, Sophia, at our house at around 4 on Sunday, and was most surprised that the photo shoot I had in mind actually materialised, teenagers being as they are as far as plans go...(she actually arrived an hour early which did NOT do me a favour as the sun light was far too strong & we had to hunt for shade).
I snapped this one of an unsuspecting little sister just to check my settings were okay before I called the big girls & got started...
This is the first photo I took yet one of my favourites. I took 345 in total & deleted 4/5ths of them, which is about right I gather?! I really knock myself when it comes to my photography because I get frustrated that I just can't make it happen despite my best efforts...to me I just am not good enough...It is somewhat of a strange & masochistic obsession but there you have it...
Like here for example - too much highlight in my daughter's face & nothing I can do about it now - I could add more but not reduce it...the frustrations of not being able to devote enough time to Photoshop, not enough money at this stage to purchase Lightroom {although I know that that is almost certainly going to feature in my future} & not enough power in the editing program that I now know like the back of my hand.
Some tips for you nonetheless...catch the catchlights or delete the photo - the dead Zombie look is so not a good one...
Changing a photo to black & white helps save a less than stellar photo - why I don't know but try it...it works!
Like here for example - too much highlight in my daughter's face & nothing I can do about it now - I could add more but not reduce it...the frustrations of not being able to devote enough time to Photoshop, not enough money at this stage to purchase Lightroom {although I know that that is almost certainly going to feature in my future} & not enough power in the editing program that I now know like the back of my hand.
Some tips for you nonetheless...catch the catchlights or delete the photo - the dead Zombie look is so not a good one...
Changing a photo to black & white helps save a less than stellar photo - why I don't know but try it...it works!
Unless you are ahead of me & have all your favourite actions installed on Photoshop, make use of the Saturation tool in Picasa - I desaturate almost every photo I take & that works too!
Cart a small step-ladder around the garden with you as well as your tripod (yes - you DO have to use a tripod at all times & once you have done it & seen the results you will wonder why it took you so long to get one!) Photos taken at different angles, like this one taken from above - add some interest.
And if, like me, you are clueless as to why your 50mm AUTO-FOCUS 1.8f.stop portrait lens absolutely refuses to auto-focus then just cut your losses & turn your completely unfocused slightly blurry images into artistic shots...
Desaturate, colourpop, edit to death!! Whatever it takes to rescue some of those pretty pictures...
Desaturate, colourpop, edit to death!! Whatever it takes to rescue some of those pretty pictures...
Look for interesting & non-competitive??? backdrops {like our garden shed here :)} and make use of the straighten tool - often it is just the thing a photo needs - a bit of tilting {ironically I use the straighten tool to tilt and add more interesting angles as opposed to straightening things up most of the time}...
Just tell your portrait subjects that you were going for the soft, nostalgic look to explain away the bluuuuuuuurrr...(the blurry spots in front of them are bubbles btw...)
Now on a more serious note it looks like my lens is in fact not compatible for my Nikon D5OOO so it is up for sale. It is a Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8 D & appears to be more suited to full-frame cameras & apparently I will always have to manual focus it. This is not easy even for seasoned professionals so if you are interested in purchasing a lens that is in effect "2 hours" old let me know :)
I have started my online photography course with this lovely lady this week. I want to be "just like her" when I grow up {in my photography vocation :)} so should be pretty easy hey...yeah right??!!
On top of digging deep with this course I need to get off the internet (spent all morning catching up & sharing gallery love) keep a lid on my e mails, that are continually boiling over from the Outlook pot, get another couple of layouts done this week - because I WILL do at least one layout a week come hell or high water, and January has seen two materialise so far...(yup I know what the date is!) and Project Life is in da house!!! Which means I must get my photos & journaling printed & get my first monthly/weekly/whatever spread done soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon...
Oh, and then there is the small matter of not being around for 6 days - Friday to Wednesday - while I concentrate on my REAL life - getting Chelsea down to uni & all settled.
Have a great week!
9 comments:
Stunning photos...I love the ones where the bubbles is in focus and the girls not. Have you taken a photo a day for your project life, or are you starting from now?
Wow your photos of you DD are so so beautifully taken! I love the dreamy look and can't wait for you to scrap these photos!! Seriously I love them :)
I have the same camera -Arrgh!
Beautiful girls.
Getting ready for a new stage in life, with 1 out of the nest.
COPYING & PASTING FROM FACE BOOK FOR Shayne Spacey Sheard
Hello, i think the reason i can't comment is that your blog takes an age to load, and my fab connection times out wiaitng for it. Loved the pics you took. the first is my fav. I so often find that the first pic taken in a series is the one i'll use - a lesson to be learn't in that perhaps? xx
4 hours ago · Like
Lynette I have been taking the photos & doing the journaling for PL all year as I knew my box was on it's way - but now I must get a month's worth compiled before I find myself at the end of February!
Thank you Jessy - that lens is absolutely amazing but as I said I am still learning my way around it - unfortunately it is not going to auto-focus for me with my model of camera but apparently there is still a way to guarantee sharp focus - let's hope I can figure it out???!!!
Stef don't panic - it's a great camera - I just rushed on that lens & didn't do enough research on it - totally my fault - if you want to buy a lens it is IMPERATIVE you do your research thoroughly before spending a lot of money on it - there is a better lens - the 1.4 - that apparently focuses beautifully & automatically - go for that one if you can afford it. (Actually I thought you had the D90?) although they are almost identical.
Only out of the nest for 9 months out of 12 so not quite & not permanently (makes it easier to swallow...)
Dear Helen, your photos are GORGEOUS!!! I really love them!!! I would like to take photos like these!! You're great with the camera my friend!!
I can't wait to see what Beauty...you will scrap with these photos!!! and continue with your dreams girl, never stop!! Take Care!!
HUGS!!!! :)
The photos are Great - but you've gotta keep trying to do better - that means you care - otherwise not worth doing at all. I'm glad its really inspiring you:) I love the photo of the two girls lying on the grass the best.
Hope all goes well for the start of Uni - good luck to you both - thinking of you.hx
Oh wow, I want my picture taken by you... amazing shots there, thanks for sharing!
Your photography is coming along nicely ma'am!
I checked out the photography class but that is out of my budget for now. Especially since I did the Maggie Holmes class which should have brought me up to speed (I improved but not as much as I should have for what I paid lol) I will have to keep self-teaching and practising for now. I will continue to look for a "real live" teacher too.
I am feeling your "pain" about not having time for yourself. Don't I know it?! And mine are still in diapers!
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