Cool Stuff on the Intranet

I leisurely poked around the Internet yesteday while on bed rest, something I almost never do anymore. (So fun!) A few things especially resonated with me...thought I'd share...

"Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering."

--Ida Scott Taylor (via Creature Comforts)

"Let the day know more

than you. Say it is raining.

Say there is a tree. Though it does

not keep you dry, there is a swing

hidden in the branches within reach.

Swing. Though you are drenched,

my god, it is fine to swing."

--Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer (via A Hundred Falling Veils)

And this clothing line...oh, I want to fill my closet full of these clothes (and the accompanying photos are so dreamy and pretty): Sundry Clothing (via Tomboy Style)

And these pictures of San Francisco...1) They me soooooo homesick for California, and 2) Make me wish I could take pictures like this. Make me want to devote time to learning how to take pictures that rival these... (via sfgirlbybay)

XOXO

Image Credit: Sundry Clothing.

Photography 101: What Do You Like/What Are You Trying to Do? Edition

Hi Everyone! Happy Tuesday!

So, a confession: I've been thinking a lot about photography, reading and doing some things outside my comfort zone, but have been hesitant to write about it here for some reason...maybe because I am so not an expert and who am I to talk about this stuff, you know? But that was kind of the point, to let you guys follow along with what I was learning. So today I'm going to dive right in....kind of stream-of-consciousness but these are the things that have been on my mind and I think where I need to start.

Something I've been thinking about a lot as far as photography is, what are my preferences? What really got me thinking about it was this post (great advice on photographing kids, which I've linked to before), which advises iPhone photography over DSLR, because with an iPhone you're always there in the moment, which isn't true with a bigger camera. And I totally see that and I really admire this woman as a photographer, but me personally I don't like my iPhone pictures as much as my DSLR pictures.

So I got to thinking, what else do I like and not like? The pictures I take that I really gravitate towards, what do they have in common? For me (and I'm not suggesting anyone else's list should look like this, just that it's probably valuable to think through your own list). Anyway, for me, the pictures I take that I like best have the following things in common:

• They are taken with my DSLR
• They are outside, in natural light
• Evening light is by far the best
• They are closely cropped
• The background is carefully considered
• And, in iPhoto (post-production), I tend to overexpose the pictures a little, and increase the contrast, and the saturation

Looking at this list is really helpful for me, before I even start doing new things with my camera I know where my preferences lie and that I should probably honor/highlight these preferences...I know if I take pictures at night, for example, I'm most likely not going to like them (although sometimes there are picture-worthy moments at night, or with less-than-ideal backgrounds, etc., and you just have to do your best).

Also and changing the subject a little, I think it was Van Gogh that said something along the lines of he and his friends weren't painting the world according to how it looked, they were trying to reproduce how it feels...and that's what I'm trying to do with my pictures, too...I know that's why I personally care so much about the light...I'm trying to recreate how I experience the world, what it feels like to me, always trying to stop time and remember, know what these days and months and years feel like, this time which people tell me will be the happiest of my life...

How about you guys? Are there commonalities to the pictures you take that you really like? Are you trying to recreate things accurately or capture how things feel? Curious to hear...

XOXO

Grace in Small Things, February 13, 2013

Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday! 

Awake at six this morning, cup of tea and my bedroom at my parent's is warm, the twins don't get up until 7 or for the past week they've been happy in their pack-and-plays past that, whereas always before I needed to be ready for them at 7 on the dot or even before. Thought I'd use this found time to share some small happy things:

1. Loving being at my parent's house, which is no surprise. When I lived in California and was single I used to come often...I always said it was like going to the spa because the setting is so serene and my mom is the best cook and everything she makes is so healthy and we all used to go on hikes all the time but now it's usually just me and my dad while my mom watches the babies. I'm going to lose those last two or three pounds I still have from my pregnancy while staying here, for sure. Speaking of that, my parents had a new washer/dryer delivered yesterday and the delivery guy asked how old the twins were and I said 10 months and he said wow you've lost all the weight, haven't you? And I have, and I fixate on those last couple pounds but really, I've done well. :)

2. Let the boxers out late last night (Dexter's eye is healing beautifully, by the way), and the strangest sound...I went outside and there was a chorus of coyotes, which can kill dogs so I ushered mine in quickly. My dad said they (coyotes) were probably scared to death by the cone on Dexter's head. So cool to be somewhere wild enough for coyotes. 

3. Been watching Mad Men Season 5 with my dad. So good. Plus they do what I do professionally, so interesting from that perspective. Plus if we get the house in ABQ I'll be watching Mad Men for decorating tips (we don't want to make our house like a museum, but we do want to stay somewhat true to the peroid while mixing in things we already have). Plus Megan's clothes...love her clothes. That actress is just so beautiful, period. And the writing is so amazing...we watched the episode (SPOILER ALERT) where Lane dies last night and the ending with Don and the boy in the car...amazing... Also we've been watching the commentaries after each episode and I've never watched commentaries like that but it's really interesting as a writer to hear about how the story is put together...

4. I can't get these posts about photography and truths that will make you a better person (via e tells tales) out of my head...

5. Often when I run errands I'll take one kid...nice to have some time alone with one of the twins, even if it is doing something as pedestrian as errands. Yesterday it was Luke and he's so cute right now, he's got this thing with strangers where he'll lean backwards out of my arms and smile a huge smile, then bury his head in my shoulder and peek out coyly...makes everyone laugh and say how cute he is...it's so lovely to run errands with a baby...

It's gone from dark to light while I write this...I can see the Colorado National Monument out the window, delicate pink of the clouds against the palest shade of blue and Zo is cooing in the other room...off to start another busy day. Hope it's a great one for you. :)

XOXO

Image credit: Pixdaus.

Photography 101: Read the Manual Edition

Hi Everyone! Happy Friday!

So I've got a nice camera (a Nikon 3100), have had it for a couple years and all I do with it is point and shoot. And this year, I really want to learn to use it, and not just from a technical perspective, but also from an artistic perspective...I see in my head how I want my pictures to turn out, and the reality of how they do come out does not match my vision as closely as I'd like, you know?

And I figured maybe some of you out there are in the same boat, and would be interested in the information I dig up. So I'm going to start doing the occasional (maybe a couple times a month?) photography post. If this is not your thing...have a nice weekend and I'll see you Monday.

So the logical (and also kind of boring) place to start in my mind is to read the manual, which is available online for pretty much any camera, I would imagine. Am I the only one who hates manuals and just expects everything to be intuitive? Or am I just extra lazy? Anyway, I'm working my way through the manual and will report back if it did me any good. My tip for reading the manual is read it with your camera in hand so you can try what you are reading about...otherwise, for me anyway, without that tactile input the information just goes in one ear and out the other.

Future topics I plan to write about:

• Tips for taking better kid portraits
• How to light photographs inside (I love natural light, hate flash)
• Getting a shallow depth of field (you know, where the subject is clear and the background is blurred....love that look)
• How to do video (because I think my camera shoots video...and it'd be nice to have some video of the kids aside from the ocasional random iPhone clip)
• This is more a photoshop thing, but how to take an object of of a picture and place it on a white background
• Shooting events (such as birthday parties...you know, what kind of things make for memorable and fun pictures?)
• How to shoot/capture the personality of rooms in a house
• Etc., kind of all over the map as you can see...

Anything YOU would be particularly interested in learning about?

Happy weekend everyone! Thanks for spending some time here this week! :)

XOXO