Photo Tips - Tutorials

I stumbled across one of the greatest sites for photo tips, and I wanted to share.  It's called Photo Tuts and they have 100 tutorials on a huge variety of photography topics.

They offer pointers on composition, diy projects like reflectors, lighting (lots of lighting articles, lol), basic techniques (ISO, white balance, aperture), and specific scenes (mid-day light, beach, portraits).

It seems like they cover absolutely everything you need to know about taking great photos, and they do it with fabulous photos and videos.

Composition:

Balancing Images (Weight)

Rule of Thirds

Symmetry

Equipment DIY Projects:

Make Your Own Light Reflector

Light Diffuser (aka 'cloud cover')

Homemade Light Box

Lighting:

Fluorescent Lighting

Polarizing Filter

Basic Techniques:

Slow Shutter Speed

Depth of Field (Aperture)

Specific Scenes:

Mid-day Sun Shots

Photographing Water

Black and Whites

Portraits

They also have a Quick Tips section with keys on how to take better shots of your pets and your children, as well as more technical aspects, like how to avoid shaking the camera and taking great mobile phone pics.

You could spend several days exploring this site.  I hope to dig into some of these topics a little deeper in the future and share those with you.  In the meantime, if you're looking for ideas or for answers to your photography questions, do check out this site.

(This is where I should put the blurb about not being reimbursed or sponsored in any way by Photo Tuts, I was just really struck by their site.) Happy snapping.  :)

Crochet Valentine Hearts

Most of this past week I have been working on a project for my Valentine, Carol-Anne.  I can't reveal (yet) what I have made for her, but part of what I needed for the project was a crocheted heart.

I've never made a crochet heart before, so I went in search of free (of course) online patterns and gave three of them a try.  All three were great patterns, easy and quick to make.  Here are my notes on each of them:

#1
Little Birdie Secrets
This is a tiny heart, only one round and it took me 5 minutes to complete the version with the thin red yarn (I think my eyesight is going).  The thicker beige yarn was much faster (I could see the stitches better) and only took 2 minutes.  This is a cute heart, but I was looking for something with a little more presence.

#2
Planet M Files
This heart had two rounds so it had a meatier look but I wasn't as pleased with the end result.  I found that the top part of the heart wasn't pronounced enough; it looked too round.  The tutorial for this heart, however, was fabulous with awesome step-by-step photos, but I still didn't have the beautiful heart I needed for my Valentine piece.

#3
Skip To My Lou
This pattern was my favourite.  This heart was both more substantial and more complex with the extra rounds.  I still had some difficulty seeing the smaller stitches when using the thinner red yarn (totally a me thing, not a pattern thing), but the hearts look so adorable that I struggled through with my bad eyesight.  This was the heart that I ended up using for the,.....oops, I almost gave it away.  For the secret gift.

Stay tuned and I'll be sure to share the actual Valentine gift once I have sent it off, and Carol-Anne of Use The Good Dishes (my lovely Valentine) has received it.

This is where I'm partying:
Make It Great Monday (Etcetorize)
MoreThe Merrier (DIY Home Sweet Home)
Make It Yourself Monday (For Love of Cupcakes)
Super Sweet Thursday Par-tay (Fabulously Flawed)
Thriving on Thursdays (Domesblissity)
Strut Your Stuff (Somewhat Simple)
It's a Party (A Creative Princess)
Freestyle Friday (Happy Hour Projects)
Feature Yourself Friday (Fingerprints on the Fridge)
Flaunt It Friday (Chic on a Shoestring)
Frigal Friday (The Shabby Nest)
Weekend Bloggy Reading (Serenity Now)
Shine On Fridays (One Artsy Mama)
Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home)

Friday's Motivation - Dogs

Well, we couldn't have kitty cats last week without having puppy dogs this week, now could we? Of course not.  Here's to the hounds.

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(Dear God, Thank you for the treats we are about to receive!)

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Link It Up Thursday #4

Thursday already!  I can't believe how fast the week has whipped by. Kadie and I were both so thrilled with the fabulous response we've had to our fledgling party.  Thanks so much gals!

Here is a little of what caught my eye last week:

Mrs. Fox's Sweets has these super adorable Hello Kitty cookies.  What could be cuter than that I ask? Nothing,..that's right, nothing!

Mrs. Fox's Sweets

Heidi over at All That Brings Joy made this fun tote for her daughter Lainey's start at a new school.  I love the bright red fabric contrasted with the black.

All That Brings Joy

Head over to Etcetorize to see how Tamara made this awesome shower curtain.  You might be surprised at her technique - I certainly was!

Etcetorize

Adrianne at Happy Hour Projects made this cute monkey blankie for her daughter Raya.  Check out her site for the fabulous step-by-step tutorial.

Happy Hour Projects

Artsy Vava has a neat twist on Scrabble tile pendants, complete with full tutorial.  I love her use of jewelry findings to put these pieces over the top.

Artsy Vava

Great job Ladies!!  Go ahead and grab yourself a Featured Button!  Facebook features -- make sure you get a button too. If you didn't get featured here, head over to Kadie’s and see if she featured you.

<center><a href="http://thesepeastastefunny.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="These Peas Taste Funny" src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z402/tcohoe/FEATUREDPARTYBUTTON.jpg"/></a></center>

This is a shared link party so if you link it up here it will show up on the fabulous Kadie’s blog, Seven Alive.  We want to see everything you have to link up! Old projects, new posts, giveaways, esty shops, recipes, crocheting, any and everything.  If you have more than one thing to link up, even better.  


Here are our very simple rules.

1.  Please keep it family friendly.

2.  Link back to our site or grab a button so others can share in the fun.

3.  Following us would be nice (but don't feel you have to)

4. Have fun, be inspired.

If you would like an e-mail reminder about the party let us know in the comments (please include your email address).  We will happily add you to the list. 

<center><a href="http://thesepeastastefunny.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="These Peas Taste Funny" src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z402/tcohoe/partybutton.jpg"/></a></center>

Casserole Covers

I love everything about this idea of a casserole cover.   Your little potluck offering looks awesome even before people get a look at your food, you won't have to risk spilling your awesome kitchen contribution en route,  and these covers fancy up even the most ordinary salad (not that you'd EVER be bringing an ordinary salad).

And they're super easy to make.  If I'm saying they're easy,...you know for sure they are (just refer to Monday to see what I'm talking about).

There is a fabulous tutorial at The Cottage House.  Check it out for much better instructions than this.  I started with this cute fabric and extra wide, double bias tape.

The hardest part of this project for me was making the circle.  I know, I know.  I have to make the simplest things so difficult.  In the end, I attached a piece of string (7 inches long because I wanted the cover to be 14 inches diameter) to a pen and drew a half circle on folded fabric.

Remember to leave a space for the elastic.  It's possible that someone didn't remember this step.  Oops.

That was it.  This sample ended up being a little large, so the next couple will be smaller, giving me a nice assortment.  Now I just need to be invited somewhere by someone who wants me to bring food.  :)

I'm partying over here:
Super Sweet Thursday Par-tay (Fabulously Flawed)
Strut Your Stuff (Somewhat Simple)
It's a Party (A Creative Princess)
Thriving on Thursdays (Domesblissity)
Freestyle Friday (Happy Hour Projects)
Shine on Fridays (One Artsy Mama)
Feature Yourself Friday (Fingerprints on the Fridge)
Flaunt It Friday (Chic on a Shoestring)
Frugal Friday (The Shabby Nest)
Frugalicious Friday (Finding Fabulous)
Weekend Bloggy Reading Link Up (Serenity Now)
Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home)

Photo Tips - Baby Poses

I feel like I need to put some kind of disclaimer at the beginning of today's post.  Something that notifies you about how freaking cute this is going to be.  The  'awwww' factor alone is immense.  So - prepare yourself, get yourself ready, get calm.  Don't say I didn't warn you,......

These are pictures that offer suggestions for newborn photo poses.  It seems that baskets, boxes and hammocks are popular:

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The whole sports world can offer up a variety of props:

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How happy does this little guy look?!

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Close-ups are always a good idea:

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Shots with family members.

Dad:

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Siblings:

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Everybody:

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This is an example of a background set-up in case you're looking to try to create your own awesome baby photos.

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What other props can you think of?