Thrive Project: Color

I'm on my way to Seattle this morning.  I can't believe the day is finally here:)  You know it's called the Emerald City.  That's one of the things I'm looking forward to the most...green!  Oh and seeing Lissa and Sash of course;)  We've got a busy week planned.  Lots of fun little adventures.  I will make sure to take lots of pictures.

You know how when you get ready for a trip you plan out what you're going to wear and if you're like me you try things on.  Well this is my outfit for the day.  I did the thing...you know I fell prey to the Hunter boot trend.  I'm not usually a trendy person, but for some reason these boots were calling my name.  I feel sassy and funky and ready to take on Seattle...YAY!  This has nothing really to do with my Thrive post, except that the boots are full of color and that's what I want to focus on this week.


My camera class assignment was really on movement.  Our teacher does some amazing shots by moving his camera and playing with shutter speed.  Some of the pictures he takes look like paintings.  It's really cool, but since we recently talked about shutter speed I'm going a different way for this post.  If you want more info on movement visit Suzanne, my partner in crime for details.

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I'm going to be a rebel and give you an assignment of my own:)  Show me COLOR.  This is the time of year I crave it more than anything.  We've had 4 months of grey, brown and white and it's still going to be a while before Spring arrives here in tundra land. So bring it!!  Whip out those cameras and give me your best color shot.  Grab my button and link up.  I'll pick two winners each week.  Those two winners will be added to the pot and I'll pick the two final all -time favorite photos for the grand leather cuff prize:)

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Now for this week's
simplicity winners:

 

La Famille

Loved this simple shot.  The cute little feet are the focus.  It follows the rule of thirds.  The floor actually provides great lines and the low angle provides the interest.

lowercase letters

I like the angle of this shot and the whimsy with her fun little hat.  It's cropped in close, so the background doesn't distract.  Very simple and sweet to boot. 





Thanks everyone. 
Hope you have a wonderful week!

Thrive Project: Lines & Contrast

I left my camera class this week frustrated.  I couldn't figure out what buttons did what.  My instructor taught us something new and I never could find it on my fancy camera, and in all truth I just wanted to toss the thing!  Really does it need to be so complicated?  Suzanne teased me a bit.  She could just tell I was about to cuss...HA! 

After the little tantrum was over I started focusing a little more and decided that this week's homework could actually be fun if I just lightened up and looked for opportunities.  And guess what??  I found some and they turned out pretty good.  This week's homework was about lines and contrast.  He used the example of a curvy road leading your eye, telephone poles lined up... a fence post.  They are interesting to look at because they take your eye somewhere.  Also pictures that have a contrast of some sort whether it be color, texture, age, irony etc...  It makes you stop and look a little closer.  Here are a few of my personal examples.

This is so pretty to me.  I got brave and whipped out my camera at IKEA.  This is a close-up of glass candlesticks.  This is a good example of contrast because of the color, and lines because of the shape of the glass and how the repetition leads your eye right down to the last row of yellow.

The fence is the line and the contrast is with light and dark of the snow and trees.

See how the tracks take your eye way into the distance.

Repetition just naturally provides visual interest. 

Not sure if this counts...but it's a Ken in a sea of Barbie;)  That's contrast right??  And the shot is more interesting because they are looking forward and he is looking back. 

Then my close up of those IKEA lamp shades in the cafeteria.  The shape of the plastic is such a pretty line.  Very soothing and then the contrast of the white shade and the dark background provide interest.

These are all gorgeous online examples of lines.

 source

Awesome example of contrast.  The tattooed man with a fresh brand spankin' new baby.  PERFECT!

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Now for this week's

WINNERS!!!

Holy cow!  Picking a winner is HARD.  All the pictures were so great.  Thank you!  These two pictures (representing the Rule of Thirds) will go on to the final week where I will choose my two favorite over-all entries and then they will each receive one of my leather cuffs...yay!!

The Miss K Way

This picture wows me!  There's so much going on.  I love how your eye goes right to the musician.  The whir of passerby's is an example of what??  Shutter speed!  And he's sitting just perfectly off center to demonstrate Rule of Thirds...awesome:)  Thank you Ky.

Tiny Tidbits

I loved this photo because the little girl just pops.  She is obviously the focus of the picture and holding her daddy's hand is just precious.  Great example of the Rule of Thirds.  If the shot would have been centered it wouldn't have been nearly as interesting.

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Now it's your turn.  Grab my button and your camera and show me what you can find that demonstrates photography lines and/or contrast.  You can link up at any point this week.  So get crackin':)  I'll pick my two favorite and showcase them next Tuesday.  Can't wait to see what you come up with:)

Have a blessed day.

making it click

It's share your ugliest, scariest picture day on Farmgirl Paints...ha!  Just kiddin';)  But this is serious business.  Last week was my first camera class.  I took it with a friend.  Talk about overwhelming.  Just learning the lingo makes my head spin.  Our homework for the week was to play around with aperture.  It's the one thing that for some reason makes me the most confused.


So after devouring 4 different camera books...I'm still a little fuzzy, but I thought teaching someone else might make it clearer to me.  I am in no way an expert or probably ever will be, but I think this method of learning is the best.  Every week I will attempt to explain what I've learned.  Hope it doesn't bore you to death.  Maybe it will click for one person.  Oh and if you DO know what you are doing please please pipe in and help us all get it.

The aperture setting on my camera is called AV.  So I turn it to that setting and then I can play with the f/stop number.  The higher the number the sharper the picture.  Consequently the higher the number the smaller the little lens hole is that lets in light.  That's what gets me confused.  Everything is always opposites.  Why do they do that??  In this picture I must have had the f/stop number low because the foreground is really blurry.  The focus is on the distance shot. 

In this pic the little peeps are in focus and the distance is blurry.  The f/stop number must have been low...which mean the lens hole was really big, letting in a lot of light.  When you are in Aperture mode on your camera the shutter speed (I'll explain that later) will set for you automatically.  Which is nice, because I don't have a clue how to do both at once.  It is SOOO complicated.

BTW finally got all the Christmas stuff put away.  Can you say Hallelujah!!!  What a wonderful feeling.  I love having that behind me.  The house is all springy now, which is ironic because obviously spring is a million miles away from here. 

Hi baby...she's such a good sport.  Here the foreground and background are pretty much both in focus.  I must have had the f/stop number high.  Remember high number equals sharp total image.

Background is fuzzy.  F/number must have been low.  Does this make sense?  Did you happen to notice the candy??  We keep a really big jar of candy in the house year round.  All the Halloween, Valentine's day, Easter, birthday party junk etc...goes in that jar.  And for some reason none of us get into it.  I have no idea why.  Maybe because it's in our faces all the time and we just get used to it.  I like it though...it looks pretty:) 

Oh and I wanted to mention my "5" plan.  I wasn't going to talk about it at all, but I feel the need for an update.  I've been following this plan since the first day of Jan. and up until today had only lost 1 pound.  I've been going to the gym or exercising at home faithfully, writing everything down, etc...and only one pound!!  It's really easy to get discouraged and want to give up.  Even though the scale wasn't saying anything my body was changing.  I could see it in my face...feel it in my waist.  When you are pretty close to your goal weight the changes are slower.  Don't give up.  All of a sudden today I dropped 2 more pounds.  Be patient.  You WILL reach your goal if you don't get sidetracked.

Have a blessed day.