one of the secrets to great photography

The clock ticked past 9:00 tonight and I still had no idea what I was going to post about.  It was one of those days when I work on things that are very uninteresting.  I primed the baseboard heaters in my family room and the under side of my kitchen cabinets.  Bo-ring.  I was about ready to get my camera out and snap a "before" picture of my heaters, but that seemed a little silly...even in the blog world.  I have finished three pieces of furniture, but I have to lug them into the house for their "beauty shots" and that just wasn't going to happen today.  So, here I am...late into the evening and dry on material. 

I started looking through my old photographs for some inspiration.  As I scrolled through some I took over a year ago, it hit me.  I knew what I wanted to post about. 

When I take pictures now, like the one above, I use a tripod.  What I learned is that even the slightest bit of a shake can make a picture blurry.  The picture below was taken over a year ago.  Even though I had a tripod, I was too lazy to use it.  I would just lean against the door frame or hold my breath or some other nonsense.   

Now, look at a picture below that I took recently using a tripod.  Not only is the exposure better, but the picture is sharper.  I reached a point when I realized that I just needed to get off my duff, get the tripod out of the closet and have a proper photo shoot. 

What a tripod allows for is a slower shutter speed.  A slower shutter speed means the "window" of the camera is open longer and lets in more light.  That means you can take a picture on a dark, cloudy day and it'll look sunny and bright.  It means a lot for interior photography. 

If you don't have a tripod, get one.  You can get one starting at around $15 and it's worth every penny you will spend on it.  I now haul mine with me everywhere.  It's a little silly, but I've learned what a valuable tool it is and I don't want to be caught without it. 

In other news, my friend Donna is writing a series on turning your blog into a business and asked for my thoughts on writing for magazines and websites.  If you're interested in what we had to say on the subject, you should read her post on Submitting work for websites and magazines. 

A bright and airy home filled with reclaimed beauties

This home is gorgeous on it's own - but discovering that it's filled with reclaimed furnishings and architectural elements makes it even prettier.

Love the table with the mid-century chairs. 

Such a pretty workspace!

I'd love to have a sliding door like this one day

can't go wrong with a crisp, clean white bathroom

via Pure Green Living

Beautiful Villa Elevation - 1734 Sq. Ft.

House Details
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watermarks & actions

Last week I posted about my camera and lenses and this is the follow-up post about watermarks and actions that I promised.  Let me preface this by saying I am not a PSE (Photoshop Elements) expert and there are a lot of other great programs out there, this is just what I use.  If you use a free program or prefer another software, that's totally OK.  Just use what works for you. 

There are a couple of ways to watermark a photo.  Before my designer made a graphic for me, I just used a text box and added text over the picture.  This is a great homemade solution if you don't know how to make a graphic (which I didn't) or don't have the money to hire someone to make one for you. 

 

Laura made four graphics for me to use for watermarking.  The one above in white is what I use most often.  She created each graphic on a transparent background, so only the graphic shows, not a white box with a graphic inside. 

I start by opening the photo I want to edit and the graphic I'm going to use as the watermark. 

I then use the "move tool" to grab the graphic and drop it onto the picture.  This creates a second layer to the photo.  When the watermark layer is selected, you can adjust the size and position of the mark.  Select the background photo layer when editing the photo.  I like to straighten and/or crop the photo before I add the watermark, but I like to add actions or change the color/lighting after. 

 

Once the picture is straightened, cropped and marked, I move on to the editing.  I made a mistake when I painted this pillow and got some paint outside of the stencil.  The "clone stamp" allows you to cover blemishes in photos, whether it's a scratch on the floor or a scar on someones face.  With the clone stamp, you can "borrow" a blemish-free spot from next to the blemish and then paint over the blemish.  You have to be careful when using this technique, because it can look very fake very fast. 

After I've done all of the tweaking I want on the photo, I'll go to my action player.  For PSE 8.0, you would select EDIT Guided on the side bar menu and then select the action player.  I purchased the Florabella Luxe action set ($59), so I choose that option in the player. 

From there, I just select which action I want to apply to the photo.  I always "Sharpen/Defog" a photo for my blog first and then apply an action that amplifies the picture.  "Allure" and "London" are my favorite actions in that series. 

Because the actions were really made with portraits in mind, I usually go back to EDIT Full and tweak the levels on each layer to get the look I want.  I almost always take the transparency on the vignette (which makes the picture darker around the edges) to 0%.  It just looks funny on home decor photos.  I'll also adjust the lightness, contrast and a few other things until I like the look.  You just have to play with it. 

Here is a photo straight out of my camera.... 

 

...and watermarked with "Sharpen/Defog" and "Allure." 

Here's another one straight out of the camera...

 

This photo has now been straightened, cropped, and I played the "Sharpen/Defog" and "Allure" actions.  Notice I also removed my painting mistake and a stain on the pillow just to the left of the monogram.  I didn't adjust anything after applying the actions, though.  See how the picture is darker around the edges?  And it's not quite as light as I want it. 

Here is the same photo with the vignette layer at 0% and the lighten level and contrast bumped up a little. 

 

 

This works beautifully for portraits as well.  Here's a shot I took of my niece last Thanksgiving...

...and here's the photos with an action applied (I forget which one)...

...and another version of the picture cropped with the "B/W Mink" action applied. 

As you can see, good photo editing and the use of actions can greatly enhance your photography.  It takes a good shot and makes it great.  It's easy to get carried away with this, though, so practice a lot! 

Actions aren't going to do much for a lousy picture, though, so I'm going to do one last follow-up post on staging and some practical tips on taking good pictures for your blog and/or business. 

Before I let you go, the winner of the Allora Handmade Giveaway is...

Congrats, Catie!

 

Single Floor House Plan and Elevation - 1170 Sq. ft

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Modern contemporary home - 1450 Sq. Ft

Plot Area-3.25 cents
Built up area 1450 sq ft
3 bedroom with attached toilet
Living/dining area
kitchen
family living at first floor

Architect:Subin S
Subin Surendran Architects & Associates
G-128,3rd Cross ,
Panampilly Nagar
Kochi-36
Email: ssacochin@gmail.com
Ph:0484 3537074
Mob: 09895697074

Asianet Dream Home - October 2, 2011

Video Part 1

Video Part 2

Christmas & Halloween

Oh, yes I did. I'm writing about Christmas and Halloween in one post on October 2.   Welcome to my world. 

As I'm getting ready for the Christmas open house at The Old Lucketts Store, it made me think of some of my favorite tutorials from last year. 

Everyone went nuts over this ruffled linen Christmas tree skirt I made for HGTV.com.  Well, the tutorial is finally live, so you can make one on your own.  And the best news?  It's no sew.  That's right.  No sewing...at all...ever.  You can check out the full tutorial here.  To keep it budget friendly, linen can be purchased for $5.00/yard online.  You can also use a white cotton sheet to reduce the price even further. 

I sell a lot of piece I make for HGTV.com after I turn the article in, but I kept this one for myself. 

...and in case you're wondering...yes, I did try it on.  A girl can't resist a twirly skirt!

The other project I received a lot of questions about is my ornate gold leaf chalk board. 

I kept this piece, too, and use it in a lot of my photo shoots. 

 

I used a discount frame, some gold leaf and made my own chalk board for inexpensive, custom artwork.  You can read the full tutorial here. 

Shifting gears to a holiday just around the corner, Halloween.  One of my sponsors, Janet Hopkins, has some very cool Halloween printables and kits to bring your decor to the next level.  I love these labels...

...and this banner...

...it would look so cool printed on some frayed linen, don't you think?  I also have a lot of easy and fun Halloween decorating ideas posted on HGTV.com.  The links to those projects are listed on my side bar.  Have fun preparing for the upcoming fall and winter holidays.  This is definitely my favorite time of the year. 

Lucketts

My space at The Old Lucketts Store is a big part of my business, so I have to share what it looks like every now and then, especially since it's constantly changing.  Here's how it looked last Thursday...

I sold five furniture pieces over the past couple of days, so it doesn't look like this anymore.  I guess that means some furniture painting and shopping is in order... 

allora handmade giveaway & shop for sharlie

At Blissdom last year, a lot of things caught my eye.  Girls sporting ruffled bags, cute camera strap slipcovers, and custom laptop cases.  One specific necklace, though, captured my fancy. 

Gorgeous, isn't it?  Even The Nester wore one on the plane ride home when we sat together.  I did my best not to drool on her or snatch it off her neck. 

Well, I finally have one of my own...not stolen, I assure you, but straight from the hands of Jessica, the owner and artist behind Allora Handmade. 

Isn't she a cutie?  

She offers an amazing line of handmade jewelry, hair accessories, t-shirts and artwork.  One of my very favorite things is her bobbies.  I'm sure they look great in hair of all lengths, but I love them in my short, unruly hair. 

She is now offering new felt ones...hmmm...might have to get some of those...

Jessica, being the great girl she is, is offering up a $50 giveaway to one lucky reader.  Are you interested in winning that? 

If so, visit the Allora Handmade Shop, come back to this post and leave a comment letting me know what you would spend your $50 on if you win.  That's it!  The giveaway is open through Sunday, October 2, at midnight PST and a winner will be announced Monday. 

Good luck to all!

One last thing...this is not related at all to the giveaway, but just to show you what an amazing person Jessica is, I thought I would share a project she's working on that's very personal to her.  One of her dear friends has struggled with cystic fibrosis her entire life and has accrued hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses.  Jessica has put together a shop to raise funds for her friend, Sharlie.  Please visit the shop and purchase something if you feel led.  Every little bit helps.  Check out this post to learn more about Sharlie and the project. 

The blog community is pretty special, isn't it?