A Different View

by Cathy

"One moment the world is as it is.

The next, it is something entirely different.

Something it has never been before."

~ Anne Rice

Sometimes I feel like my photography becomes stagnant. I ask myself why I need one more picture of mushrooms or trees or flowers. When I feel this way I look for a new technique or photo activity. Recently, I have been seeing photos using a crystal ball. This fascinated me. I knew I wanted one to see my world in a different way.

I purchased my crystal ball from Amazon. They are not very expensive and such fun to play with. It has not been quite as easy I thought it would be. I find myself struggling to get the ball in focus and the background like I want, but I'm learning. I'm using different lens, aperture settings, and changing the distance between the ball and the object being photographed.

The scene in the ball will be upside down and reversed. You can keep it that way or you may choose to rotate your photo. Personally, I like the upside down world popping out at me. it appeals to the child in me.

Here's a few tips I've gathered.

1. There are several ways to steady the ball. Mine came with a small crystal stand, but I have also hand-held it or placed it on a post or on the ground.  I also have a candle holder that's about 8" tall that it rests securely on.

2. Focus on the ball, but be aware of the background. If you want a blurry background or bokeh shoot wide open (lowest aperture) and have the background far away. If you want more of the background in focus, use a higher aperture and get closer to the object.

3. Move the ball or yourself around until you find the picture you want. Carefully check the reflection in the ball. If you don't, you may get some unwanted clutter since it captures a wide view.

4. Your big camera and macro lens will work well, but they're not absolutely necessary to get a good photo.. So far the photo above is my favorite and it was taken with my small point and shoot camera using the macro mode.

 

5. Watch for sun spots or light reflections on the ball. Shooting in the shade seems best.

6. Lastly, don't hold the ball in direct sun. If you look at the photo above, you can see a bright spot on my hand. If the sun had been shining directly on the ball it would have burned my fingers almost immediately. Beware, like any magnifying glass it can start a fire if left in the sun even for a few moments.

Seeing the world through a crystal ball is one way I've found to see things differently and spice up my photography. I'm always looking for something new to try, so if your have any ideas for capturing a different view, share them with us.

Some Things I Learned This Summer

by Judy

I learned that my morning coffee tastes best when I'm sitting on the patio.

I learned that summer seems longer when you don't look at your calendar.

I learned that I love my garden, but I don't love gardening.  Handing that task over to someone else made me enjoy my garden even more.  

I learned that even though family 'things' can take a toll on emotional health, those 'things' are just a part of being a family.

I learned that I don't have to get everything crossed off my to-do list to feel good about myself and my day.

I learned that hugs and kisses from my 12 year old boy are more special than ever, because I know that these are the last days of him being a "little boy." 

I learned that sometimes it's best to just put my camera down and look and see, and be.

I learned how to savor summer.   

We all know it's good for us when we slow down and savor our days, but we also know that many times, that is far easier said than done.  I have to confess, that sometimes it sounds like a whole lot of hooey. But this summer I did it. I sat. I relaxed. I noticed the sights and sounds of summer as I breathed the summer air deep into my lungs, hot and humid as it was.

Sometimes my 'savoring' meant that the laundry wasn't folded right away and the vacuum had three day reprieves, but I can say, and really mean it, that yes, I did it.  I learned how to savor each and every day.   

Now..... with work and school in full swing, and the busy schedules that come with that, can I continue to take the time to savor?  I do hope so, and that is certainly my goal. I hope that the lessons I learned this summer will help me do just that. 

What did you learn this summer?  

"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.  Make the NOW the primary focus of your life."  - Eckhart Tolle -

Shooting Small

by Leigh

Details are the small parts of a photograph that are often overlooked.  I enjoy shooting small.  It's my comfort zone to hone in on little treasures and expose them.  Give me an overcast day, my macro lens and turn me loose in a botanical garden and I'm in heaven!  For me shooting small (i think I just made that term up) is about being wide eyed in the big world of ours.  It's slowing down my pace, changing my perspective and taking the time to scope out the details that can so easily be overlooked.

Because of that slower pace my eyes spied these overlapping edges of a tulip bud yet to burst open.  In a sea of thousands of tulips (and I mean thousands!) I found this. I felt like I had found the treasure! We are all accustomed to seeing tulips planted in beautiful groupings but with an intentional mind this one was noticed.

It's easy to slow down and notice the small things when in a garden full of beautiful flowers.  Now I need to figure out how to adapt this same pace to my day to day life.  That is my struggle.  So many days go by where I feel as though I'm on autopilot.  I will be driving in my car from meeting A to meeting B to picking up the kids to dropping off the kids and then when I arrive at my destination I realize that I don't remember the journey!  Do you find yourself multi tasking to the point that you do lots of things ok instead of doing one thing well?  That's me most days.  

Perhaps if I take the mentality I have when shooting small with me into my everyday life then I can find that awareness that I'm striving for.  Maybe then I can be more intentional in my daily life.  Maybe photography has a life lesson to teach me :)  

Trade Show Fun

by Carol A.

This time of year brings an annual treat - The PDN (Photo District News) PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo. It's billed as "the largest photography and imaging show in North America." This year it was even more fun for me, since my daughter recently landed a job in New York and an apartment across the river. So I got to start my days with a kiss from my daughter and a ferry ride across the Hudson to The Big Apple. It was perfect fall weather for it. I made my way to The Javitz Center each day joining 24,000 other photography lovers!

The Jacob Javitz Convention Center

On Thursday I took classes, with the best being a morning with Julieanne Kost, of photoshop tutorial fame. She was an entertaining and informative speaker, and I took lots of notes. I took a second class on retouching, but I hadn't realized that it would focus on fashion photography. That was fun to listen to, but less informative for the type of shooting I do.

But, let's face it - the best thing about trade shows is wandering the trade floor! You can look and handle almost anything you've ever heard of that has to do with photography. You can try the HUGE lenses, you can page through the books on publishers' tables. You can, as I always do, bring a list of things you're interested in exploring and speak to their manufacturers' reps, while all around you sponsored speakers are competing for your attention. 

The trade floor!

Lindsay Adler's body-painted models were there.

My measly attempt at high fashion photography.

Candy was staged everywhere this year.

All of these displays are there for the shooting.  You can try it with your own camera, or try their cameras with lenses you could never afford. It's wild! 

And then there are the sponsored galleries by Canon, Nikon, Sony and other equipment manufacturers. Their world traveling photographers as well as award-winning works from other photographers are everywhere to stroll through.

On Friday our FOL friend Michele Yacovello and I left in the afternoon for a visit to The International Center for Photography up on the Avenue of the America's. Those wonderful depression era photos of the skyscrapers being built are there - amazing! 

I hopped a cab at the end of the day and eventually made my way back home with a huge plastic Nikon-emblazoned bag full of enough product-literature to keep me busy reading all winter! Wish you all could have been there!