Labor Day Review

Happy Labor Day weekend, fellow Americans!  In the spirit of the holiday in which we celebrate hard work, I am writing this review of cloth wipes made by my friend & fellow Mama, Amy.  These wipes will soon be for sale in her Etsy shop, so keep a keen eye out!

I wrote about our experience with cloth diapering already, & I had indicated that, in lieu of special cloth wipes, we had opted to use cheap baby washcloths.  We have 24 assorted colorful washcloth wipes folded up in "pop-up" style in our Oxo wipes case on the changing table.  We liked how one side of the washcloth was smooth, & the other slightly scrubby, but still gentle on baby skin.  We also liked that it was a cheap option that was easy to replace should something happen, like loss or damage or some other unforeseen & rather unlikely scenario.  We used one cloth for pee diapers, & 2-4 cloths for poo diapers, depending on how intense the situation was.  But we had plenty of cloths on hand, so it didn't matter to us.

Then Amy sent Rue a gift of cloth wipes!  We loved the stamps on the packing envelope.  It was like a quilt's patchwork of cute art.  Then we smiled over the sweet little ribbon tying our new wipes together.  Amy also included a really sweet note.



I put the wipes (already stripped & treated with Rockin' Green detergent by Amy) on top of our usual wipes container, essentially making it impossible to miss the new wipes if you auto-piloted to the old ones.  These wipes are made of two layers of soft, absorbent flannel, with a serged edge.



They were obviously super-cute.  Amy had made the "Rue exclusive" camera print for us, but included some of her seconds for me to try & review.  These were in three different patterns, & some were not perfectly symmetrical, but they lose no function!




The camera print wipes that were made for Rue are perfectly symmetrical, as would be the wipes bought in her shop.  We were surprised at how durable & strong these wipes are!  A massive poo, which used to require up to 4 wipes, was cleared up with a single wipe.  Rue seems to like how they feel on her bum; super soft fabric probably is a nice sensation after sticky poo!  haha



They are just the right thickness; just thick enough to be strong & keep messes on one side, & thin enough to fit in my Munchkin travel wipes case.  This case is intended for store-bought disposable wipes, but can hold 4 of these cloth wipes.  Considering the case is only 1" thick & the wipes have to be doubled over, that isn't too bad.  We are hardly ever out longer than one or two diaper changes, anyway!

Of course, the beauty of cloth wipes is that they can just be tossed into the diaper bag, as they will not dampen or stain everything.  They can easily be popped in with the diapers without being in a case.  No worries.  I just tried the case out to give you a better idea of scale.

These wipes earned the highest rating available in my house: Ted likes them.  A lot.  He admits that, if I were not so persistent, he would have given up on CDing long long ago, so when we find something about the routine that he likes, it's like striking gold!  So, Amy's wipes get the Daddy Seal of Approval!

Happy Labor Day to one & all!  Keep working hard out there.  As for me, I am working on organizing some mini-sessions for the first two weekends of October for Halloween & autumn portraits... so if you are local, keep your calendars open those Saturdays!  There will be 9 slots per day, first come, first serve!  Details to follow.

4 Simple Goals

2012 is almost gone!  I can't believe it!  We are flying into those last few very busy months of the year.  Over at A Beautiful Mess, Elsie & Emma took time to evaluate what little things they wanted to complete before 2013, focusing on positive actions rather than results.

I liked the idea & gave it a lot of thought before coming up with my goals.

1.  Clean home on Fridays.  I work two jobs & frequently spend my home time working remotely rather than cleaning.  My husband works long days (average of 12 hours!) so he comes home to sleep & recharge.  As a whole, we don't often spend our time cleaning, but drop off things wherever as we rush in & out all week.  On Fridays, I get home earlier & have a couple hours to dedicate to cleaning up.  We plan to make this our habitual cleaning day so we can keep on top of things (because nobody likes that last minute super clean frenzy before guests come over!).

2. Write something daily.  I used to keep a journal.  I still have one, but I have noticed I only seem to write when I have had a bad day.  What point is there in filling beautiful books with bad feelings?  I want to write something beautiful every day, even just a sentence, so I am saving happy memories in my gorgeous books.

3. Cook something every week.  I have a phobia of fire, & it almost is a guarantee that I will set something on fire in the kitchen every single time I attempt cooking.  Bear says practice makes perfect, & although he is a brilliant chef, he is getting burned out.  I plan to ease into the kitchen so I can make meals as well as Bear in the next few years... but to get there, I gotta start cooking on occasion.  If I start with a weekly meal, eventually the whole enterprise won't seem as daunting!

4. Challenges in photography.  I still love photography, but I don't make time to try the ideas I have.  That's going to change.  I have a couple collaborations in the works & I plan to make creative photography more of a priority!

What are your 4 simple goals before 2013?

xo

TUTORIAL: Photography for Advertising & Branding

Hello!

I haven't tried making a tutorial before, so I thought I would take a stab at something I have been working on a lot myself: photographing items for ads & branding.



See?

Now, I take a lot of photos for MCAC's Facebook page, promoting events, shows, etc., but I chose a simple project that can be used for any project.  A lot of people wish to photograph handmade jewelry, crafts, vintage items, & various other goods for internet sale sites.  Lots of people use sites like etsy & ebay to sell their wares, so having clean, high quality photos can help give you an edge.  Nothing says professional like a crisp, white background, especially if you are selling items that are rather busy in & of themselves.

How to recreate that cleanly professional lightbox look at home?  If you have a white sheet or sketchbook, a camera & a window... you could be in business!



I used a pad of tracing paper for this, but you may need a larger surface (like a white sheet) for larger items.  If you do use a sheet, clamps may come in handy.  You can simply clamp your sheet to the back of a chair or two to create a suitable "stage".  Note that any sketchbook used should be bound traditionally (no spiral bound notebooks).  This helps create that seamless look in the photographic background.



Open up your sketchbook/set up your sheet where diffused light from a large window evenly illuminates the surface area.  Keep all your items for photographing handy.

Set your camera to a daylight setting (if you are manually setting your white balance, you want 5200-5800 on an average sunny day with window diffusion.  Learn more about degrees Kelvin here!).  You do NOT want to use your flash! If your items are small (like earrings or rings) you may also want to use a macro setting.  For best results, open up your aperture (I shot these images at f/2.8, focal distance of 50mm).  If you can't adjust your aperture manually, macro mode will probably be the best option, as you can focus on your item at close range, throwing the background out of focus (thus aiding in that lightbox illusion).

That's it!  Take your photos & keep an eye on the changing light.  Keep in mind that the images on your camera's LCD screen may look different on your computer screen.  For example, today was rainy, so my images ended up with a bluish cast since I was shooting at 5400 Kelvin & probably should have adjusted to 6000+ Kelvin.  Live & learn!




(The item in the tutorial photos is my eos lip balm in honeysuckle honeydew.)

When your settings in camera are correct, you can get nearly perfect results...




And these are perfect for use in completed advertisement images, such as this one that I made for MCAC using the above photos, my toothpick colorwheel photo, & Adobe Photoshop CS5!



Of course, I always tweak my images in Lightroom & Photoshop before posting them anywhere.  Don't have those tools?  No problem.  iPhoto is handy, as is the standard photo editing software for Windows.  You can also get Picasa for free online.  I recommend Picasa for its ease of use & great features such as the grid/double exposure/mosaic generator.

I hope this helps somebody!  Please let me know if you have any additional questions or just want to add something in the comments.  If you try your hand at this project & post your outcome, I would love if you would post me a link, too!!!

xo  Happy shooting!

Muse: Meet Joel, Flickr's "Boy_Wonder"

I have been on Flickr for a couple years now, usually posting nothing awesome or artistic, just some every day snapshots and the like.  I really came to admire many other Flickr users, especially those with an artistic background (graphic designers and pen and paper artists) who brought a mystical feel to their imagery.

Enter Joel, Flickr alias "Boy_Wonder".  His work is saturated in whimsy, with fun plays on those Disney classics my generation grew up with.  I love his take on the world surrounding him, the fun and fancy, and sometimes the darkness.  He really inspires me to play with my art, to challenge the world as I can capture it with a simple click of the shutter, and take that image and make it more.

I hope you enjoy these images as much as I do, and I hope you click through the image to see their original stories; maybe check out the rest of his photo stream.  I promise you, the afternoon you'll lose drooling over the images will pay you back in kind for your time!













Happy magical muse Monday!

xo

EDIT (December 5)- You can find his BLOG HERE! He even has tutorials!  Score!

Field Guide: This Week Online

Hello!

Today I am posting some other things online that I have found that you may also be interested in.  I am considering it a field guide to my online expeditions.  ha

* Order & Chaos has a giveaway going on now!  Hurry, it ends this Friday!

*  I am dying to get one of these!  I have been for a while, and I think I am finally caving.  I'm having a toss-up between this one and this one... they are both super cute!

* brookeshaden's flickr stream.  Some of this stuff is disturbing, but it's so creative!  Also, there is some nudity involved, just so's you know.



* Verbal Vomit.  Most of Hannah's entries have me laughing out loud at work.  Her illustrations are pretty terrific!  Be sure to check her hipster posts, because they are particularly hilarious.

*  Carlos [Lobato] Photography on flickr.  He added me as a contact yesterday and I am in love with his colorful, otherworldly portrayals of his surroundings!



Well, that's about all I have.  We are having a pretty windy and rainy evening here, which keeps cutting off my internet connection.  Hopefully you found something of interest in my short list!

xo

Muse: Edward Weston

Edward Weston is intriguing to me.  He travelled Yellowstone Park on a grant from the Guggenheim Fellowship, of which he was the first photographer recipient.  He creating a staggering amount of gorgeous prints of subject matter ranging from still life work with peppers to landscapes to intimate portraiture of various lovers.

The last bit is what fascinates me most.  Weston met Charis Wilson, who became his assistant, and later on, lover made wife.  Their relationship is interesting to follow through his intimate portraits of her, from the studio studies to nudes in the sand dunes and beyond.  The Weston and Wilson collaboration, which is really what it was... she was the muse, and he the artist, but the vision was shared... really intrigues me.  To capture so much emotion and personifying a relationship in front of the lens... it's magical.

Weston inspired many of my projects in college for my Fine Art Photography courses.  His use of light and understanding of composition and the human interest in what could be perceived as erotic imagery made him and his work infinitely interesting.





You can see the influence Weston has had on other photographers HERE!

Again, all images in this post were found on and should link through to their original sources on Flickr.

Happy Thursday!

xo

Movie Monday

Taking a break from overloading folks with Etsy gear, today I bring you Movie Monday!  Hopefully, this will be an installment that occurs every month or so...

This is a film I made compiled of footage I took from our trip to Point Lookout, MD. I made a Photobomb of the stills here already, but never got around to doing anything with all the footage.  I had just purchased my Nikon D90 to shoot a wedding that fall, and wanted to familiarize myself with the new camera functions and lenses, and it was the first DSLR I owned with video capability!  Some of the footage is kinda shaky, but the moments are priceless!

I also forgot to credit the song I used, which is a huge no-no and I can't believe I did that.  So, here is the credit for the music: the song is called "Mr. Blue Sky" by the Electric Light Orchestra!  Epic fail on my part as an editor, omitting credit.  Oops.

Enjoy!




This past weekend was awesome, I shot a beautiful wedding, had a wedding planning party with my girls, and edited a TON of photos!  More on that on Wednesday!

Have a wonderful Monday!  xo

Muse: Leo Fuchs

I have another photographer today to discuss, since I am running on empty in the wedding arena.  But don't think of this as a filler post; if there is one thing I am truly passionate about, it's photography!

Leo Fuchs was in the rare position of being a trusted photographer in Hollywood's hay-day.  Think Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Audrey Hepburn... you get the idea.  Those static idols of the silver screen, icons of a bygone era.  Fuchs not only managed to photograph publicity shots on set, he befriended the stars and was able to photograph the people behind the famous facade.

Last Christmas, Bear's mom gave me a beautiful book about Leo Fuchs... a huge art tome with humungous gossamer photos of black & white and kodachrome-enhanced stars and starlets gazing at me from their perfect Hollywood galaxy.  Immortalized lounging on recliners poolside, reading screenplays.  Reviewing scenes with directors.  Having conversations with family members.  Vacationing.  Everything they did was recorded and there in front of me.

If there is another thing I am as passionate about as photography, it would be classic films.  I am a sucker for them.  This marriage of the two enthralled me.

I still find myself flipping through the pages, reading about the improbable life of this man who left the glamour behind him to live with his family and raise his son in Paris, France; all from his son's point of view.

Take a moment to view the photos below, and try to look beyond the impressive subject matter and really focus on the art of it all.  Every individual he captured was an icon, but was also a human being.  Fuchs managed to keep his subjects in a positive light, without being artificial.  Their humanity is displayed, but they still get to keep something to themselves.  He didn't photograph stars the way tabloid photogs do today.  He photographed with dignity.

In addition to the above links, if you are interested in learning more about Fuchs, you can go be a part of the Facebook page!

The above images were found via The Helios Gallery's Flickr page, and should click through to their original sources.  Due to technical difficulties, the links may have been broken.

The second set of images were found via Leo Fuchs' Archives Flickr page, and again click through to their original sources.  Again, due to technical difficulties, the links may have been broken.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xo

Squeebie has a Blog!

My friend Squeebie, who I've spoken of multiple times here, as well as had a featured photobomb about her recent visit, has gone and got herself a blog!  I am super excited about this, because she is truly one of the most creative people I know.  I always think about her when I read books that feature vivacious female characters, especially when the description matches their physical looks (I know I am such a bulldog and am stuck on CdL, but Squeebie is truly Jilly Coppercorn in real life!).

For Lent, Squeebie gave up Facebook for forty days (except for Sundays, because those are loophole days not actually factored into the forty days.  When you add Sundays, the sum is greater than forty, apparently.  I never knew that before.), and instead updated friends and family here in MD through a news anchor-ish installment via YouTube.  Of course, YouTube didn't like that she used popular music (even with credits!), so she redirected her output through Vimeo, and occasionally Facebook's video uploader itself.  She shared her videos every Sunday on Facebook, which is, let's face it, the one place everyone actually seems to hold true to that "I'll keep in touch" promise.

Now, of course, she's back on Facebook, but living all the way out in KS in a constant state of boredom (I kid, but seriously, I understand there isn't much to do in her area and she doesn't know a whole lot of people), she needed a new project.  Thus the blog.  Here's some info on this hilarious and outspoken individual:

1. She loves her Dalmatian more than some people love their kids.  I'm not kidding.  Of course, the people who don't love their kids are usually not the kind of people I associate with, but anyway.  She really truly loves her dog.  He is her furbaby.  In this vein, she also adopted another dog who belonged to a friend who could no longer take care of her.  She paid to have the dog taken from the shelter before they could euthanize her and be shipped to KS.  True animal hero.

2.  She is one of my bridesmaids who is also engaged to her man, and I am excited to photograph that wedding!

3.  She and her man are involved in firefighting and paramedic work.  Not that that is what the blog is about.  But it is important to her.  And I admire them for all that, because blood freaks me out.  And fires scare me.

4.  She will deny this, but she is a very talented photographer.  She has "the eye".  I've been watching her work over the past couple of years, and it's getting really really good.  Especially pet portraiture.  Which I think she'd be ace at.

5.  She is particular about her books.  As am I.  Except her peculiarities are different than mine.  She doesn't crack the spine, and apparently washes her hands before handling them.  (I lack that dedication.  I write in my books to fix grammar and spelling mistakes missed by the proofreader.  We are peculiar in totally polar opposite ways.)

I really hope some of you will stop by SpottyDogBlog and check it out!  She's just getting started, but I know it'll be a really unique and creative corner of the interwebs!

Happy Tuesday!  xo

Photobomb Friday: Best of the series...

If you haven't already, go check out Patchie's blog!  Today is my guest post that I mentioned!!!  She is at the Cape right now, relaxing away with Her Boy!  Meanwhile, I've been swamped with my jobs and my business, so today I am recapping some of the past Photobombs that have had the most success...


1.  Early Photobomb... iPhonography Edition!

2. A Thursday Photobomb of a two parter... (here's part two, as well):

3. The first of many Local and State Park related Photobombs!  It's also the ONLY Photobomb with a video so far!

4.  A recent Photobomb of a pretty adorable Little Man!

I'm already getting going on next week's installment... and it's gonna be different!  I'm kinda excited, even with the archiving involved... and that's the only hint I'm giving!

Have a happy weekend!!!

xo

Muse: Sally Mann

When I began delving into the world of photography I had no idea what to expect.  I knew I liked how when I had captured a moment on film, and later digitally, I felt like I had preserved the way I saw the world at that moment.  I knew that I liked to photograph people more than anything else.  Try to capture the complexity of their features as well as something about their souls.  It was as if I could reach in their eyes and find their secrets.

Art photography is very different from the kind of family portraiture I do now. Having a business like I do allows me to bring home something to live off of.  I enjoy it all very much, but I truly love artistic portraiture most of all.  I wish I always had access to a darkroom and an enlarger.  I wish I could offer more of the fine art portraiture I love so much.  I fall in love with images that are both enlightening and haunting all at once.

My infatuation with this artistic portraiture began when I discovered Sally Mann and her body of work entitled Immediate Family, which an art friend of mine was using for her advanced thesis paper.  While the images caused many to question if the work was to be considered art or if something more sinister lie beneath the surface, I personally love the intimate moments Mann captured of her family.  Her children evoke both a feeling of youth and sophistication, a toughness as well as a vulnerability.

The documentary about her work, which I found on Ovation TV, further fueled my love of her work.  Using a large format 8x10 glass plate negative bellows camera for her work, each photograph took time to set up and capture.  Most photographers use 35mm, 120 film, or digital media to capture images quickly and easily, allowing a more photojournalistic approach, but Mann's equipment is cumbersome and involves time to set up and capture an image.  Each image captured, therefore, is a labor of love.

Mann also has completed several more series, including one about her husband's battle with muscular dystrophy and another series about death, in which one of their deceased dogs is photographed in various stages of decomposition.  Somehow, she makes it all interesting and beautiful through her lens.

Mann's three children, famous from their portraits, are now grown.  Her eldest, Jessie, is also a photographer and a model, while her other children, Emmett and Virginia, pursued other careers.

I hope you enjoy the magic I see in her work!  Happy Thursday!

 *all images by Sally Mann, found by google image search.