Category: Good to Know

SOUVENIR FOTO SCHOOL STUDENT TESTIMONIAL

“Practice makes perfect. I knew this…and yet. There I was, complaining about my poor photography skills but only taking pictures for celebrations and blog posts. I decided to do Souvenir Foto School because I knew it would provide me the much needed motivation to take pictures every day. I figured I would snap a few pictures for as many days as I could and try not to embarrass myself too much. Instead, I ended up having an incredible time, meeting new people I still interact with today, and have on my walls some of my favorite pictures taken to date. I learned when the light was best in my house (4pm, by the dining room table) and figured out that whole depth of field thing. As a bonus, I posted my daily pictures on my blog, and it ended up being one of my favorite blog series to date.”
If you think you are ready to make the commitment, than sign up here for our next Souvenir Foto session today! 


MMXII::18::EDITING A PHOTO A DAY IN 2012

MMXII::18::AFTER
This editing project for me is an exercise in discipline, an exploration of creativity and an unexpected walk down memory lane. The only problem is, my memory doesn’t seem as sharp as it usually is.  I looked at this photo and for the life of me could not figure out what it could be.  It looks like a skeleton of an octopus, except I know Octopi don’t have a skeleton.   They do have a beak, but there’s no bone in their tentacles. I would think it was a plaster cast except it looks like bone. I just don’t know of any Cephlapod with an internal or external skeleton. In that case, why would the museum make the plaster cast (if it is that), look like a skeleton?  I figured this isn’t an octopus but some other species or a very imaginative exhibit designer?

I will be editing a photo a day for the remainder of 2012::Project MMXII, this is my ‘after’, you can view the ‘before’ here.  

P.S. Jumpstart your creative photography skills and join our Souvenir Foto School here.

P.P.S. Don’t forget about the Natural History print giveaway here.

SOUVENIR FOTO SCHOOL STARTING!

I have heard the siren calls for way too long, (my apologies), to have another session of the illustrious Souvenir Foto School- The School of Creative Captures. Today my friends I am answering the cry, well myself and Michelle of Creatocrat, my Co-Professor and one talented photographer. The school has had many a gratis session in its day, but I have always mentioned that it was fleeting, this session there will be a small fee involved but we know from experience where your photos can go in a 30 day class period and feel this nominal fee will be a drop in the bucket in building your photography chops. I will be back with many a former student testimonial, but for now let me wax philosophical on what SFS is and what it is not.

SOUVENIR FOTO SCHOOL IS:

  • A place to hone your skills with a focused set of prompts
  • A community of photography enthusiasts of all levels
  • A hotbed of creative inspiration
  • A place to ask questions + gain confidence in your skills
  • A supportive + positive photo environment

SOUVENIR FOTO IS NOT:

  •  A Photo 101. You won’t be learning about all the bobs and bits on your camera. I highly suggest you take Nicole’s Photo 101 class for that (no, I don’t work for Nicole, lol).
  • Just a DSLR class! You can use ANY camera you have available to you in the amount of time you have. So, if you are shooting film, it may get expensive to develop your shots everyday, but heck who are we to stop you from doing so? 
  • This is not an editing class although we may share some editing resources amongst the class.
This session we will take a photo-a-day for 30 days, using the Alphabet as our guide. Of course we will get into more detail once you sign-up. We will also be giving away 3 scholarships for those that can’t budget this right now, but would really like to join. We can’t wait to see you in class so for a mere $30 (that’s less than a latte a day!) you can take your photo skills to the next level! Are you ready?…
    CLASS SOLD OUT!
    P.S. For those that asked we will be having a session starting in April and will be making an announcement in March. We wish we could fit you all in, really we do but we wanted to cap it at 50 students this round so we can make sure to give everyone proper attention, thank you! Email us and we will add your name to the mailing list or leave it in the comments and put you on the list.

    MMXII 17::EDITING A PHOTO-A-DAY IN 2012

    Did you know that you can download a free beta version of Lightroom 4 right now?  You don’t get to keep it forever but until March 31, 2012 which is practically forever. I don’t do a lot of work in Lightroom right now, I have downloaded the trial a few times but for what I do, it hasn’t really worked for me.  I also use the free Camera Raw (ACR) feature in Photoshop for my simple edits, so I didn’t feel like adding another expense that I wasn’t going to use. I do feel that if you are a photographer that is doing shoots with consistent light and subject that Lightroom could be a lifesaver, one day when I have my product shots down I think Lightroom is going to be mine. If you have been wanting to try out Lightroom I highly suggest downloading your free copy (limited time only).

    I cringed today when I noticed one of my fave Flickr photographers had ‘favorited’ the ‘before’, I had inadvertently left the ‘after’ private.  Talk about embarrassing!

    I will be editing a photo a day for the remainder of 2012::Project MMXII, this is my ‘after’, you can view the ‘before’ here.  

    P.S. If you haven’t already and are so inclined sign-up for the Natural History prints giveaway!

    POPPY SEASON

    Poppies!  I am so excited that poppies are in season!  The one thing with poppies though is they come in tight buds when you buy them, so it’s a surprise what color they will be be when they open.  I was hoping for some blush ones, but these fiery orange ones blossomed instead.  I loved that the one pale white poppy opened with a streak of orange, random but beautiful. These poppies remind me of  a Kate Spade ad, just very rich and vibrant. They don’t last very long but are thankfully relatively inexpensive (as far as fresh flowers are concerned). I am going to go back next week and replenish, hopefully I will get some pretty pale pinks and the blush hues I adore. Has anyone gone to California (or lives in California) and seen the wild poppies in bloom?  I so have want to plan a visit.

    P.S. Don’t forget about the Natural History Print giveaway and yes, it’s fine if you live on the other side of the world, everyone is welcome to join in! Visit here.