Spring is Here!

We've had a long, cold winter that has seemed to last forever, but just this week, Spring arrived and brought gorgeous blossoms!

All Dressed Up

Molly got all dolled up tonight for her Kindergarten music program.  She let me test out my new equipment on her and was an excellent model for me tonight!  Here are some of my favorites.

Weekly Challenge: Hands

Now that my life has have calmed down (a bit) since my daughter's chronic health issues, and with the nasty Nebraska winter behind us, I'm picking up my camera again and setting some new goals for this year.  One of those goals was to jump back into the Project 365 challenge, however, when I started looking through the challenges, I found a new one that started not long ago called the 52 Week Challenge.  I decided to join this challenge instead of starting back up with the 365 Project thinking that this challenge will be a little less demanding on my time. 

The 52 Week Challenge is essentially the same as Project 365, except instead of taking a picture every day on a weekly theme, the challenge is to get at least one shot a week, and the themes run for two weeks.  I hope this decrease in time commitment will allow me to be more successful at this challenge.

The Importance of a Custom Black and White Conversion

I know a lot of people wonder why I don't suggest they do any automatic black and white conversions, so let me explain.  Not only is it illegal to alter a copyrighted photograph in any way, the automatic black and white conversions that photo software or printing labs do is simply of poor quality.  Automatic black and white conversions made by photo software on your computer and printing labs simply convert a color image into a grayscale image.  Images converted this way appear very dull and flat-looking.  A good true black and white image needs to have just that--true, dark, rich blacks and true, bright, clean whites.  This is easily accomplished with a RAW image file by adjusting the tone curves.  Additionally, every image is unique and requires a different amount of adjustments to produce a satisfactory black and white image.

Automatic conversion on top, Custom conversion on bottom.

Automatic Conversion                                                                                     Custom Black and White Conversion

Notice how the custom conversions make the eyes really pop and sparkle.  There's more depth and texture when properly converted.

The Power of a Bounced Flash

Have you ever stopped to think what the flash on your camera is really doing?  Yes, it's providing extra light to help your camera record an image.  But really, flashes are very similar to holding up a flashlight and shining it directly on your subject's face.  Redirecting the flash to "bounce" off a ceiling or white walls can produce much more natural results.  Here are some examples of how a bounced flash can improve image quality.  These images were taken in a rather dim room where shooting without a flash would not have given good results.  You can tell how the bounced flash creates a more natural lighting on the subject.  If you don't have a flash that is able to be redirected, get creative with white index cards or foil to create your own Lightscoop, avoiding a direct flash on your subject.  A great big thank you to Annie's doll for posing for these shots.  My usual models were either at school or too busy watching TV to cooperate!

                                  Taken with a bounced flash.                                                Taken with a direct flash.

The top image was taken with direct flash.  The bottom image was taken by bouncing the flash.

Just For Fun!