I have had many, many requests of when we will have another session and I wanted to get this in before the holidays and a case of the crazies ensues. Please visit me here for more information and to find out how to sign up. I hope to see you in class!
1. Ampersand, 2. Bumbershoot, 3. Dock, 4. Grey, 5. Hydrate, 6. Jewels, 7. Keep, 8. Keep, 9. Lantern, 10. Metamorphosis, 11. Notes, 12. View
I wanted to show off the work of my two (greatly appreciated) teacher's aides for our last Souvenir Foto School session, above is Michelle of 'Creatocrat' and below Andree of 'On Linden Way'. I asked them to assist because they both love photography and have a lust for wanting to learn and experiment with new techniques. I love people that have insatiable curiosity, it makes for an interesting individual don't you think? They are both so kind, creative and willing to be of assistance to those in need and I wouldn't have been able to do this session without them. I couldn't have asked for two more supportive classmates. I don't know how I got so lucky to have a class that was filled with cheerleaders but this class certainly raised the bar on the SFS experience.
Our assignment for 30 days was to take a photo corresponding to a letter in the alphabet. Every day, yes, every day. I plan to load the Blahg up with photo's from the class this weekend, because I am just so darn proud of everyone's commitment and progress and hopefully the images might motivate you to start your own personal project. For those of you that couldn't finish this session or missed it, we will have another one again soon (pinky promise). Andree and I (who is currently living in France), well we have been floating around the idea of doing a Souvenir Foto School session somewhere in Europe, which I think would put me over the moon, you?
You will have to forgive me as I load the Blahg up with samples of the Souvenir Foto::Photo Rx Basics new Photoshop actions (I am too lazy to create another designated blog). If you have an underexposed or overexposed image that you want me to use as a sample I am happy to try it out and post on the Blahg (send to missb [at] souvenirfoto.com), or better yet if you have a dull and listless image that you think could use a little 'pep' I would love to give it a go. The actions are in the beta stage right now meaning we are still testing, playing, naming and getting them ready for their official debut. This one 'painting with light::brighten' is one of my favorites because it gives me a lot of control (and I need control). I use it a lot to work on eyes in my photo's and it works to banish the dull + bloodshot eye symptom which is not a good look on anyone (even a cute pup).
It has indeed been awhile since we have had a session of our Souvenir Foto-School of Creative Captures. For those new to the concept, Souvenir Foto School is a creative photography school where we offer weekly or in the case of the next session--daily assignments for a set period of time. The school is not a photography 101 class (although we do have many resources available to you in class if you are looking for that). At SFS we intend to get you shooting, more shooting means you will be able to take the skills you have learned prior and apply them to the assignments thus improving your skills. Our ultimate goal for our students is that you begin seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary.
The school is open to all levels and all camera types. The class is currently free with a catch (isn't there always a catch?). You will 'pay' your tuition via sweat equity. If you are consistent and participate the class is free and open to you, if you are a slacker and don't do your assignments we will kick you out of class, no warnings, and no we won't accept the excuse, 'my dog ate my camera'.
To join you will need a Flickr account but they are free (but be warned Flickr is highly addictive), after you have signed up for Flickr send me an email (hello[at]leblahg.com) with your Flickr name/link and I will send an invitation to you to join the group.
So who is ready for the next session? You? I know 30 days is asking a lot and it won't be for everyone but for those up for the challenge we can't wait to get started with you!
I had been waiting to put this up until I had the new blog launched. Since it seems I can't even get my website up, who knows when I shall grace the interwebs with my new concept? A very special thank you to Kate for taking the time to create this WONDERFUL tutorial. To preface this tute, I have been telling anyone who will listen that the kit lens that usually comes with new DSLR cameras is useless, buy the camera body and get a nifty 50 until you feel comfortable with the camera then you can invest in another lens was my motto. One of the reasons I said this was because so many people wanted that 'pro' look of a focused object and blurry background. I didn't think it was possible to achieve with the kit lens, Kate showed me that I was dead wrong...
Kate Paneros – A French Safari
The Basics
I think my favourite part of owning a digital SLR is being able to play with depth of field (DOF). My 3 megapixel point-n-shoot just never gave enough control, not that I would have known what to do if it did! That being said, a DSLR body and lens won’t automatically create great shots – you still need to know what you’re doing. One misconception is that the kit lenses are a bit average, and that you need an expensive fast lens with huge apertures to get much depth. I was guilty of this, and always coveted a lens with an f-stop under 2. They were out of my purchasing power, so instead I worked with what I had. First things first – know your kit lens. Mine is a Canon EFS 18-55mm. I also have a 75mm-300mm zoom, part of the twin lens kit. I always wondered what the 18-55mm part meant, so I looked it up, and discovered that it represents the distance from the optical center of a lens to the digital camera sensor when the subject of the photo is in focus. Huh? Don’t worry. It’s not necessary to understand all the physics with photography, but just know that 18mm is a wide-angle, 75mm is a closer zoom, and you can get crazy with 300mm and far beyond... Food photography often uses a small depth of field, to blur out backgrounds and focus on the food itself. At the other end of the scale, landscape photography uses a large depth of field because we want the whole scene to be in focus. It is quite easy to achieve a deep field of focus, but the challenge of mastering DOF comes in the form of shallow fields, or getting lots of nice blur in your shots. The Important Things DOF is affected by three things: aperture, lens focal length and shooting distance. There are 3 general concepts you can master that will get you in control of DOF:
1. The larger the aperture, the smaller the depth of field. Here the focal length has been kept at 55mm, while the aperture has shifted from f22 to f5.6 – you can see the difference in background blur quite easily.
3. Experiment with distance. The f22 shot in the first example didn’t have much blur – compare that to this one, shot at 300mm. Move back from your subject and then zoom in to achieve bokeh at small apertures. Also, the further away your subject is from the background, the better the bokeh effect.
Combine all three and you can get some great depth of field!
Miss B: "I'm lucky.'
Ace: "No I'm lucky".
Miss B. "I'm so lucky".
Ace: "I'm luckier".
And so on...It's totally lame but it always makes me happy. We just wrapped up another six weeks of Souvenir Foto School and all I can say is I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world. Truly. This class we focused on one subject for six weeks. I wanted us to choose subjects that would be changing during this time period so we could document the progress, this may have been my favorite Souvenir Foto School session yet. I wish I could post everyone's images but for the sake of not bombarding your eyeballs off I chose just a couple that I felt reflected the study. I know I am being biased but my students are incredibly talented, creative and just all around nice peeps. I can't wait to get started on the next session!
The first image above is from Michelle of Creatocrat, she has such a way with light I want her to show me how she does it (Michelle also created a tute for you that I will upload Friday). Most of her images are s.o.o.c. (straight out of camera) and that light is just creamy and rich (if you can describe light as such.)
Leonie is a new student and is an excellent photographer and just really creative. Just look what she uploaded for her last assignment. I was flabbergasted (and whenever I can work that word into a post I am stoked!)
And lastly is my study. As you can see even though I am an in-demand Brand Director,/jedi, I have not developed my own/brand style as of yet. Sigh, all in due time. I can tell you that I really didn't like week 3 or 5 but heck we can't hit it out of the park like Creatocrat or Leonie every time now can we?
And if you feel like exploring a little more, our class is private but some of the images are available for viewing via these links:
Pooler Peach Monique was the class cheerleader and I Ioved having her in class so mcuh I asked her to be the teacher's assistant next session.
Carte Postale (Kate is a SFS alumni and works her kit lens like nobody's business)
LynnBonnie-For everyone that is not joining in because you don't have a camera, please check out what Lynn took with her Iphone--stunning!
Okay, I am getting lazy now (surprise surprise), but I will be back and update more links later because let's face it, my class rules! Thank you to everyone that participated and I am hoping that the images inspire you all to join in next session it's going to be a blast.It's Valentine's day and the start of a petite Souvenir Foto School session! I am not usually this enthusiastic about Sundays, because Mondays follow and I think I have voiced my feelings on Mondays plenty of times. Bells and I went for a morning stroll and I shot some photo's for the first assignment. It was unusually bright + hot and I wasn't sure if I could shoot without going blind. I processed the first photo this way because I wanted to convey that sort of foggy morning warmth you get on a smoldering day. I was also trying to play up the reds and pinks for the holiday. When I get started on editing photo's I become a little obsessed and try about 42 variations before I am satisfied. This was my alternate attempt which I also like. A little more retro and cooler toned.
For those who want to join in on the fun you have all this week to join in. Just leave your Flickr name in the comments and I will sign you up. After next Sunday though we will close the class to new attendee's.
xo,
Miss B
These links are culled from the deep archives of the Blahg. I have been doing this for an embarrassingly long time (embarrassing since I have about 12 readers and two are related to me and one I am going to marry). I know monkeys swinging from chandeliers are not for everyone but I do know dear reader you have wildly good taste and an incredible sense of humor so I thank you for indulging me. I chose these because either I loved them, you did or my fans in Romania did, so here we go a trip down memory lane....
This may be my all time favorite photo of cute. Just bury me alive with cuteness why don't you?
It seems to me that when I write about my very naughty Frenchie my stats go off the charts. Sometimes I forget that this is the WORLD WIDE web and not just the two of us having a little chat. This post is out there now, I might as well own it. This was one of my most popular posts to date titled REDRUM.
This post came in 2nd 'DOG DAY AFTERNOON' where my puppy consumed a whole tube of A + D ointment, yum!:
This tutorial took so much time to do and I really thought it was the bee's knee's. I got zero, rien, zip comments and figured that it was horrible and kind of shied away from tutes a bit. Perhaps it just needs a new audience? It was aptly dubbed, 'WRAPPER'S DELIGHT':
No ''Best of' the Blah, Blah, Blahg would be complete without my very 1st post! I was so very proud of it and even though it's not my best designed post, it's not half bad. It's entitled: "GEE, YOUR HOUSE SMELLS TERRIFIC..."
and is a DIY project on aromatic reed diffusers.
I hope you will enjoy perusing the archives as much as I have enjoyed searching them for you. Wishing you all a very happy weekend! If you are itching for a creative project to sink your chompers into, please join me for the petite Souvenir Foto session starting this weekend. The details are here.
xoxo,
Miss B.
I was so sad to see the tree-lined street absent of it's powdery white beauties. We walked nearly the entire neighborhood before we found a tree that still had some rogue blooms on it.
My lesson learned. I will shoot when the opportunity arises and not some arbitrary time in the near future. The bright side? You know I am ALWAYS looking for one! I have a FAB idea for a mini Souvenir Foto School session. It will be six week long, very specialized and in my humble opinion super cool. So if you are interested in joining I will have the details up tomorrow and it's FREE. Isn't that the best price ever?
P.S. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Clickin' Moms? And NO you do not have to be a mom to join. It's like digital photography crib notes...
In our Souvenir Foto School classes I always try to express it's not the camera it's the photographer. No one ever has a great meal and asks the chef, "That was amazing, what kind of oven do you have?" Now do they? In class I try to help the students get rid of their need/desire for excuses and hopefully I inspire them to see things in a new, exciting way. Me? I am a slacker. Not even teaching my own class gets me shooting. In fact I woefully did not do my final assignment--three photo's that represent you. I still plan on doing it but I have been busy. Excuses. One excuse that I am not going to settle for is the one of not having my camera with me and missing a potential shot. I have a phone, I have a very fancy schmancy phone (as Ace will attest I have NO clue how to use). I just wasn't seeing the kind of results that I wished I could get from it, there was something not right. Then I downloaded CP Pro app ($1.99) that makes my Iphone camera have zoom capabilities! I am all over my Iphone excuses and have been happily shooting away each day. I hope that maybe this will inspire you to take some more photo's and capture the extraordinary in the ordinary. These photo's were taken on my walk to the Flea and at the Flea. I have passed this tree hundreds of times and only noticed it when I decided to shoot it. Here I was for weeks grumbling there was no inspiration, the same ol' thing and looksy I actually just went out there with a new mindset and viola inspiration struck!
Most of you that read this Blahg are creative types (I already know you are smart, beautiful and have a terrific sense of humor or else you wouldn't be visiting) but fill me in what do you do to get inspired? I am always up for trying new things as long as it doesn't involve going to a new zipcode without my blankey sort of thing.
