Macro VISION and Photo of the Week. Cast your vote!

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There are some great photos above. Please go to the bottom of this post and click on comments, write your comment stating which photo you vote for, click share and wait for the jumble words to come and retype those, then you are finished. Thanks for your time and voting.
Macro VISION:

Spring comes, flowers bloom and out comes my macro lens. I love it. A new burst of inspiration.  Using a macro helps you naturally work with composition. You already have the subject so you are narrowing your topic, looking for an interesting photograph. Now the subject might become the stamen of the flower, a tiny bug on a peddle, water droplets on a leaf refracting peddle colors. Backgrounds become ways to make your subject stand out. Watch for distracting shapes, colors and lines. Slight adjustments left, right, up or down can fix a situation.

Close up work requires you to pay attention to your lighting. It teaches you to really look at how and where light falls. Move around the area you are shooting. You can change light effects within a few feet of each shot. Get low. Look for the front light, back light and spot light on one detail.

If only the blog had a 'scratch 'n sniff' because this lilac is so fragrant!

Bees are incredibly hard to get because they move around so fast. This guy was a little slower but you still can get that close.

If you look closely at the bugs back you can see my reflection.

This is a Vermont flower. All of these were taken with a macro lens.

I was playing with this, not looking thru the camera, just moving the camera in and out hoping for some kind of focus and working with backlighting. The composition isn't great but I kind of liked the effect and I just wanted to show you, you can just play around. That's the beauty of digitial but I think you know that when I see lots of self portraits going on :)

Happy Snapping.

Get those pictures in.

Mrs. Blakeley

This week's WINNER AGAIN goes to.....

Melanie Gay! Keep up the good work and keep snapping. Congratulations!

Remember your submissions for this week are due by Wednesday, 7pm. Anyone can enter.

Send them to: blakeleyfarm@mac.com      Check out the world of info on the short post below.

Keep snapping!

Mrs. B

Chase Jarvis

Check out this POST by Chase along with other inspiring things on his blog, best camera site and his website.  Loads of good stuff here. Don't miss it.

PHOTO of the WEEK: Please vote!!

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VISION: Let's Take A Look

We have been through enough technical aspects to give you a very small arsenal to work with when taking pictures. Granted you all don't have big cameras to do fancy things, but we have visited on of the most important tools in photography and quite frankly, all art work, composition. Composition provides the backbone for creating 'eye catching' photos. It's the most important tool in making photos that stand out above the others.

Our goal now is to take the things we have learned and to practice them much like an instrument. But you are going to add the twist of science lab and experiment with VISION. See yourself behind the camera, looking for pictures, creating images.

In an earlier blog I told you to watch music videos. Have you? Vision can come from things that inspire. What inspires you? For me it can be photo magazines, blogs and more blogs (this 2nd blog is from a follower, Mike, Lily's Uncle, check it out!), workshops and competitions along with watching the cinematography in movies and music videos of course.

When thinking about composing, think in these terms:
1. Find your subject
     A)  Ask; Can I get closer?
     B)  Are there leading lines to use?  -- roads, fences, rows of trees
     C)  Frames- windows, archways, tree branches, are any of these available to point out my subject
2. Rule of Thirds
    Use you basic rules for positioning your subject. How you place the subject lets the viewer know
    what is important. Once you are familiar with the rule, 'rules' are meant to be broken.
3. Light
    Twilight hours create the best dramatic lighting. Learn to 'see the light'. Look for those opportune
     times of lighting. Position people for the light. Work with shadows. Use a flash to fill in harsh facial            
    features created by bright sun.
4. Color/Texture
    Color & Texture create mood, sit off your subject, make eyes 'pop', and create an interesting contrast.
5. Perspective
    Simply changing the angle (be sure to click 'continue reading this post' once you are at this site to see
    ALL the cool pics) can provide a fresh look to your photos.
      A) Head to high ground- great for faces. I've had wonderful success with groups and this technique,
           although you have to work fast to avoid kinks in the necks.

      B) Get on eye level- See the world from your pets perspective, a baby's view, or even an ant.

      C) Shoot from below- This give a sense of height. If you have sky behind you meter off your subject
           not the sky.

      D) Take a look- If you can't decide to shoot landscape or portrait (horizontal/vertical) do both and
            decide later which you think looks better. That's the beauty of digital, it doesn't cost you a cent.

      E) Tilt- Adds whimsy, movement, action, fun!

HAVE VISION! Develop your eye for the things happening around you. It requires you to be aware of your surroundings and then carry your camera for the moment you see "that would make a great picture. OH SNAP!"  Keep snapping, Mrs. B. 

Photo of the Week=

Lois Amezola!!

Congratulations. Nice job.

Photo of the Week....You Choose: Please vote by leaving a comment.

Only three entries this week but all are very artistic, unique,

and different. Thanks for entering and happy voting!!

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Turn your attention to green today. It's the 'it' word anyway. Spring green is budding all over, focus in and find the St. Patty's in you.

Lilac's are blooming at my house.

Keep snapping.

Photo of the Week goes to.....

'The Spirit Tree' and Melanie Gay!  Good job Melanie and way to look at
things with a different angle.

For those of you wondering what you could do over spring break, check out this blog by 16 year old

Abby, trying to be the youngest EVER to sail around the world.

Then of course I want you to be out there taking pictures. What great weather we are having and certainly we have been enjoying Blakeley Beach and rafting the Hassayampa. Wild flowers and
vegetation are abundant. At this site are some Tips on Taking Wild Flower Pictures. Now I realize
that you all don't have tripods. The message here is to get your camera stable, have a fast shutter
speed and to pay attention to your composition. Get down on your bellys. The back side of flowers
make interesting shots too. Light coming through flowers have nice effects. Be creative and be
considerate for the enviroment. Try not to destroy the flowers as you walk around. Now go. Get
off the internet and out into this beautiful weather and snap away remember late afternoon and
evening provide good light. I realize morning won't happen for you :) Send them into me by
Thursday.
Go.... Go....

???

I don't know why the numbers on the post are messed up. They don't appear that
way before I post it and I've tried to fix it. So please just be logical and attach the
numbers to the order of the pictures.

Also: Kailey Maiben please email me at blakeleyfarm@mac.com Thank you.

Vote for Photo of the Week: week 6, March 10

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Vote by leaving a comment for your favorite number. Thanks!

Things to DO!

1. Always carry your camera.
2. Take pictures with that camera that you are always carrying.
3. Email the best of them to Mrs. Blakeley, pick 4 or 5.
4. Repeat the process....   :)

A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.  ~Eudora Welty


Take a few minutes to watch the above you tubes on Eudora Welty.
Interesting if you like to read, write and take pictures.


The Phoenix Art Museum has a rare showing of Ansel Adams' photos.
There are some never before seen pictures, some rare color shots and
of course his classic black and white images. I would love to go. Anyone
want to go with me? Leave a comment if you are in.                                                                        OH SNAPs!

The Winner Goes to......

Kara Clark for Photo of the Week.... Good job Kara, way to be creative, use great color and composition. It obviously struck a cord with a lot of people if you read the comments! 

Thanks for voting everyone and keep snapping!

Photo of the Week: March 4th

Cast your vote! Pick your favorite by number, then leave a comment (at the bottom of this post) telling which number you are voting for and why. Thanks!!!

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