Whether you are hanging at a backyard bbq or taking in a big fireworks display, many of us will be enjoying fireworks this Fourth of July weekend. With a camera on hand as they are exploding in the air - they can be quite a tempting spectacle to photograph! After too many blurry attempts, I researched tips on how to photograph fireworks in advance of last year's trip to Washington, DC. They are by no means perfect, but here are some of them plus my results....

click on image to see larger version

Position. I knew where the fireworks would be bursting, so we arrived early and got a spot with an unobstructed view of that area. (yes, we got there early and that was the crowd!) Look around for sources that may provide extraneous light and try and avoid them because they can cause overexposure. During the first few bursts look through your viewfinder and pinpoint where the action is. Leave your camera pointed in this spot and start clicking away!

Manual settings vs. Scene Modes. I'll admit I am not the brightest when it comes to understanding a camera inside and out. After exhausting the web resources available, I decided to give the Fireworks and Landscape settings on my camera a whirl. When taken with a steady hand - I was happy with the results of Fireworks mode.

Sturdy Support. To get clear, crisp images you must keep the camera perfectly still. Propping your camera on the ground or cart top may sufficient but nothing beats a good, solid tripod. It helps resist vibration as much as possible. Be careful though, the big-time fireworks show like the one we experienced in DC actually shook the ground we were on making the camera vibrate more. In this case I acted fast, removed our tripod and concentrated on a steady hand. The result - slightly groovy photographs!

1. Wind. Since the fireworks create smoke, try to stay upwind of them so it doesn't block your shot.
2. Bring a small flashlight! It's tough to change your camera's settings in the dark.
3. Spice it up! Don't forget to shoot both vertical and horizontal views of the fireworks.
4. Try making the festive photos more interesting by including nearby buildings in the background or silhouettes of the spectators in the foreground.
5. Experiment and have fun. You will get the best results if you practice your technique but don't let it get in the way of enjoying the fireworks!

I'm thankful to have the opportunity to go back to DC with my family and practice photographing the fireworks again this year. Wherever you are celebrating, I sincerely wish you and your family a happy and festive Independence Day!

Comments (1) | Permalink

It was many years ago that my love for old things met my love for photography. I was in need of frames and looking for ways to stretch the items I already had on hand. It has been almost a year since I posted about some creative ways to display photos using treasures found on my flea market hunts. I'm happy to report the time that has lapsed since my last photo post has yielded many new finds!

First up - Remember that tennis racket I made a racket press frame from? Well I couldn't let the actual RACKET collect dust now could I?! I took two and hung them on the wall in our hallway to add some pizzazz to the rest of our family photo collage. (those that know me will agree that my tennis game is better hung on the wall than in a court)

Now antique wooden levels are staples at most antique stores and really can range in price depending on the condition and the seller. I collected several inexpensive ones with plans to use them as slim shelves for displaying photos. They are strong, sturdy and for a couple dollars each - much less than most alternatives! For these I really wanted to showcase the levels - so I printed my Rome photographs with white borders and placed them in frame-less frames!

My wooden drying rack turned bulletin board is a favorite. I discovered the project from the Junk Ladies and have since seen commercialized versions of the product at a popular home décor store. I picked up this drying rack for five dollars, added several screws and binder clips and voila! A bulletin board! A photo frame! Take your pick! I took the photos out of our old wheelbarrow (idea from the last post) at the change of the season and now display them on the drying rack!

Ladders can be used for just about anything in the DIY world. I picked up a large ladder that I made into a towel rack for the guest room and still had rungs to spare! Another project inspiration from the junk ladies included transforming it into a photo frame! A quick coat of paint, 2 photo mats and some clips was all it took to have a custom photo frame for the guest room!

My vintage desktop rubber stamp holder has been used to hold a variety of things in our home office including post-it notes and stamps. Most recently it made its way to our living room as a photo holder paired with photos of our dog Lucy when she was teeney-tiny. My - how much you've grown LUCY!!

My girlfriend had a GREAT idea where she paired several clothespins with an old measuring stick to hang photos. She also used an old object as a slim shelf for photos. Although we're not entirely sure what the wooden object is (perhaps an old tool?!) both serve as FUN photo displays you normally wouldn't find in a department store!

In our home, we love vintage creations to display the photos that are special to our family. Our 'frame' philosophy is simple - anything that can hang or surround a photo can take the place of a photo frame, old or new! I am always on the lookout for new project ideas OR objects that can be reused and repurposed.

Have any creative ideas to share? I'd love to hear your comments!

Comments (0) | Permalink

My fiancé and I visited Paris for the first time while back-packing through Europe. Despite staying 3 short days, we managed to arrive home with HUNDREDS of photos of the Eiffel Tower and other popular tourist attractions.

Just as Shruti noticed, I am surprised that many of my favorite photos are NOT ones of us showing off our big CHEESEY smiles. (Although those are in plenty supply!) My unexpected favorites are the pictures we took of the Eiffel Tower from unusual and interesting angles. Here are a few along with the photo taking tips we used for them:

Unusual and interesting angles. I wanted to capture the Eiffel Tower from an unexpected angle, so I went directly to the middle and looked UP. It's not an obviously identifiable photo of the Tower but I just love the dimension captured. It makes people stop and think before they realize the photo subject.

Move the subject away from the middle. All too often we place our subjects directly in the center of the frame. Before you snap - try placing your photo subject off-center. This simple trick can create visual interest and have you producing photos that others will think are professional!

Play with color modes.  It was a bitterly cold winter day during our visit and the scenery was mostly grey.  Merely changing the color mode on my V610 added INSTANT colorful interest to our photos.  Low Saturated Color, Black and White and Sepia were used to capture the sparkling lights of the Tower in the fog with drastically different effects.

Move in close or exaggerate an element. Simply zooming in can make a big difference in the impact of a photo. It allows you to capture more detail and fill the entire frame with the subject. Pairing zoom with an unusual angle also creates an exaggerating effect like which is neat and different.

Get creative and think about a photo's use beyond the photo album! Could the subject or scene make a great coaster? What about trading IN your boring mouse-pad at work with one that will allow you to enjoy your vacation long after your arrival back home?  I took different pictures depending on their use: making enlargements for display, creating note-cards, or stuffing into photo albums for example.

There are LOTS of creative uses for photos - so don't be hesitant to try out different ideas on photo subjects.  You can read more tips about taking great photos here. Have one to share that you don't see? We'd love to hear that too - make sure to leave us your comments!

Comments (9) | Permalink

Like many people, I start off each New Year with a resolution.  Years past have included getting fit, saving money, being a greener citizen and other popular resolutions. This year, I'm focusing on 'Getting (more) Organized' in my home. 

Tips on 'how to be organized' have been LITTERED across magazines and the TV recently. They all are saying similar things: Beat clutter! Create a file system! Color code to create order! With all these tips, it should be easy-peasey right?! In the past, they've encouraged me to run out and purchase organization 'tools' which unfortunately have ended up collecting more dust than use. But not this time!

This year I'm using things I already have and love to create clever organizing tools closer to my taste. In my past posts, I've confessed to being a market hound with a love for *OLD* things.  In addition to using these aged treasures to display photos, last week some of them items I've picked up at sales and markets took on new life as storage supplies as I resolve to create an orderly craft room!
 


Using the tins from old FILM reels helps create and maintain order. I filled and labeled several different sizes with scrapbooking supplies like photographs, stickers, and paper scraps. They make a nice accessory next to my Kodak PD6000 on my photo printing station.  (Note to self, I can't WAIT to trade it in for one of the new KODAK EASYSHARE All-in-One Printers!)

 

I took office supplies kept in their boxes packed away in desk drawers (or some cases, multiple drawers) and put them on display with old jars. This also creates order, looks neat and keeps stuff in plain view for easy-access when needed!

To help beat clutter, I took several old napkin holders that I scored at a garage sale and updated them with a fresh coat of BRIGHT spray paint to give them some new life. You can use them to organize just about anything! Like envelopes and cards at my mini mail station for example! (some of us still send snail mail!) Then - when my filing cabinets ran out of space, I got creative and made one with a square wooden crate.

 
Other storage items I found in my junk piles include old tins, film canisters, hat boxes and salt-n-pepper shakers. The shakers make a colorful storage solution for glitter and small bead embellishments. I don't smoke cigarettes, but this old tin drew me in because it says LIVERPOOL on it and that's my hometown. It was a BONUS when I found out cigarettes are the same size as mini glue sticks.

 
I'm very excited at how much progress I've ALREADY made to ring in the New Year with everything in its place in my craft room.  By creating storage solutions that are beautiful (whatever your taste may be!) AND functional - you can create tools that you'll love using over and over again. Just these small efforts should go a long way to help support my other New Year's resolution - planning a wedding!

Do you have any unique storage solutions made from items you've had in your home?!

Comments (2) | Permalink

It's that time of year again. I'm not talking about that turkey coma that overwhelms you when one eats too much on Thanksgiving. I'm referring to the time of year that my family and close friends indulge our cravings for PIEROGI.

I am POLISH and I've always found it hard to find a good pierogi locally. The ones in the freezer of my local grocer never quite make the grade. Thankfully, my mother happens to be a great pierogi maker who likes to SHARE her food in addition to our Polish traditions.

Twice a year she arranges an all-day pirogie making event and invites the crowds.  Her home is transformed into an assembly line with a station for each step in the pirogie process: roll, cut, stuff, boil, cool, dry, seal, label. She preps the main ingredients in advance and friends and family drop by all day long to help assemble. Whether it's for a quick taste-test or putting in a full day's work - our motto is the more the merrier!

As usual, I was the primary photographer of our event. I enjoy capturing all the moments of the day and using Kodak Gallery's Premier Service, it's easy-peasey to publish photos to my own Gallery webpage.  I use this to share our tradition with everyone including those who couldn't attend.

When I wasn't snapping photos of the plump, polish treats, I was performing in the kitchen as 'Chief Boiler'. This distinguished title put me in front of a pot of boiling water all day with responsibilities including  1)ensuring the pirogie achieve the right color and 2)do not sit in the water cooling bath for too long. This role is better fit for me than the short stint I did as 'Junior Level Stuffer' last year. The pirogie community accused me of purposefully producing too many 'holey' pirogie and demoted me. The holes occur when the dough is too thin to be stuffed with a HEAPING pile of goodness. I never saw an issue with my performance because we EAT what fails quality checks, but I didn't fight it!

When planning the event, I usually share photos from years past using the Kodak Gallery. This way a novice knows exactly what they are getting themselves into! It also builds excitement about what *new* filling FLAVOR to try in addition to our traditional Sauerkraut and Potato & Cheese.  Since our group can't even agree on the SPELLING of pirogie, it's not surprising the 'what to stuff' debate is intense. To assist fair voting practices, I setup a 'Flavor Poll' on my blog as the official voting mechanism.  Cheeseyburger was the winner beating out some WILD flavor ideas like Steak-n-Potato, Smashed Garlic Potato and Buffalo Chicken.

All in all, we had a FUN and successful event! We made over 325+ pirogie which sent everyone home with tasty treats and rich Polish traditions. The new photos are already up and it is enjoyable to read the comments from everyone. I'm glad I put photo titles on all of them to help tell the story for those who didn't attend. How else would I explain the pictures below? Side effects of assembly line work: one starts playing with their food (devils tower sculpture) OR seeing things in their food (yoda).

Do you have any fun, tasty food traditions to share?

Comments (6) | Permalink

Ever since I was a little girl, I've had an interest in CLOUDS. I have memories of days spent on my backside sharing a blanket with my grandmother staring up at the clouds over the Niagara River. We'd point out the clouds to one another and describe the people, places or things we saw in their shapes. There was no scene too far fetched (it just usually ended with lots of giggling)! Then on each walk back to her home, we'd tell each other stories of the people around the world who were staring at those very same clouds. Complete strangers sharing our earth's great SKYSCAPE!

On a recent daytrip headed west of Rochester - my fiance McAllister and I opted to take the more scenic path down Route 104 versus the New York State Thruway. We were headed to his parent's home in Niagara on the Lake to drop our dog Lucy off to be dog-sat while we went on vacation. It was a perfect 'cloudy' day and despite being confined to the vehicle - I was going to both enjoy and photograph it! I challenged myself to have at least one cloud in EVERY picture I took from my window seat.

These are a few pictures taken out the window: 

 
These are of me and the side-view mirror: (the only reason the challenge accepted these is the cloud reflections were captured on the vehicle or in the mirror):

Even though I did not enjoy Niagara Falls as much as Diedra did on her recent trip, I did manage to snap up a few pictures while waiting to cross the Rainbow Bridge:

These were taken out the sunroof: (it's been a while since I stood up and hung myself out the sunroof... perhaps a story for another post?!)

Here is one of Niagara River:

Photo of the picnic table we ate on at roadside diner: (too bad we didn't hold the onion rings up to the clouds... thinking about them still makes me drool):


 
And a challenge it was. Not only were the clouds changing shape and constantly moving - our vehicle was moving along too! I kept my Kodak V705 on Sport Mode which helped as we whizzed by.

It is many years later, but I'm still drawn to staring at the clouds and taking photos of the endless variety in their shapes. They are much more than a coincidental collection of water droplets or ice crystals! Clouds can be source of endless fascination - all you have to do is look up (or out your window)!

Do you have a neat cloud story to share? Just leave a comment - I'd love to hear!

Comments (3) | Permalink