Light and learning my camera

Light is the very essence of which we see the world's shapes, colors and life. with out light we would only see darkness. In my journey to take a better picture I'll embark on exploring light and using it various ways. I want to understand the histogram sensors provided on the camera, as well as the white balance. I know of them, and the basics of what they do. However, how can they really help me in taking a better picture?

To help with this I placed two orders on amazon today; "The Complete Guide to Black & White Digital Photography (A Lark Photography Book)" Freeman, Michael and "Michael Freeman's Perfect Exposure: The Professional's Guide to Capturing Perfect Digital Photographs" Freeman, Michael. Both of these books were recommended during a short training session by a fellow photography friend Ron Large, http://largephotography.com/. He taught me this very simple piece of information. He taught me what over exposer means and under exposer means. If you have all black in a picture or all white in your picture then the data the camera is recording is lost. If you have an even balance then you have data to work with during post production.

Under exposed is all black and over exposed is all white. I barely know my camera and trying to understand how to obtain the less light or more light I really need to get to remembering what F-stop means, ISO, aperture and anything else I'm missing. I have it written in my notes less light is a higher f stop. Well how do I get there on manual? I know if I click the T on the dial I can roll the other dial until I'm at the desired F stop.

I think before I get these two books I need to download the manual for my camera and walk through each page. I found the instructional manual under Canon 30d http://www4.uwm.edu/psoa_er/manuals/cameras/30D.pdf .

I will start on page one and work through each page until I am a pro at understanding my camera, along the way taking the time to learn F-Stop, ISO, Aperture and anything else I am missing.

a picture a day increases skills...

I read somewhere, ok a lot of places, if you take a picture a day then you are working towards becoming a professional. I feel like a part of me is missing if I don't take a picture a day. lol.

Its that time again to try and improve my photography. This time I'm going to work on lighting. The picture a day will be with lighting. I was told about an amazing book called Perfect Exposure by Michael Freeman.

I need to learn so much more. I didn't think it mattered but I believe it does. I ordered the book today.

Here is a picture that is a HDR for your viewing pleasure

Pink flowers Blue Sky Cherry Blossoms Trees

Pink flowers Blue Sky Cherry Blossoms Trees
Originally uploaded by shawnie_0405

I was checking my stats on flickr and noticed someone looked at these pictures. I got excited because it reminded me that spring is on it's way. Very soon we will have rows of pink trees. Pink trees! Can you believe it? I love these trees. They are outside of my apt, my office and everywhere I drive in the PNW during the spring.

I think this year I'm going to make an effort to see them at the Japanese gardens. I hear they are amazing down there.

The Meal

Edited
Originally uploaded by shawnie_0405

There is a group called the Art House Co-op. Once a year they have the sketchbook project, which I love challenging myself. This year I managed through social networking to stay in touch with their website. I discovered so much more to do. I took part in The Meal. I project where the world stopped and had a meal together, mine was home made meat balls. It was a challenge to take a picture of meat. It was also a challenge to take a picture of the wine. I ended up putting food color in a sugar mix to make it look like wine.

To find out more about this project go to:

The Meal Art House Coop

Blogging ideas

For the last several months I've read a lot of journals and everyone of them had a common theme, writing out their blogging ideas for the next several months. I'm not that organized. hahahaha I think it's time I got organized and sat down to write out my themes.

I started reviewing photo journal magazines because I have a few ideas bouncing around in my head.

Starting Monday expect to see a new post weekly from me. It's my goal moving forward to post every Monday (that gives me the weekend to write it and perfect it). I know my English skills aren't the best and hopefully over time they will improve. My skills lay in the arena of art. :) I'd better get started I have one idea so far.

Help please

Cross posted on facebook I'm writing to anyone who reads this post. I need help with my web page and I'm willing to trade for it. I have art, I can take a decent photo, I have some pretty good data skills and I can even install unix on a machine. I just don't have the time to learn html or css. I have the plan laid out for what I want so it won't take too long. I have the data provider and set them up already as well as the data warehouse for my pictures. I'm working on one a separate site to house (sell) for my art. My goal: I'm looking for a landing page and a few pages that I can drill down to. I'm just not sure how to do this. Please let me know if you can help. Thank you

Why I value the list

Years ago someone in my life said I should write down everything I want to do. I think I finally wrote that list down and as time went on I rewrote it. I wish I still had the original list. It had some fun objectives on it.

This new list is so much more of who I am and yet I've grown past it.  I think creating lists help me stay focus but they don't define me. Lately I've felt lost and overwhelmed by my life. There are a ton of life things I need to accomplish and don't feel I can do much of anything else until these are accomplished.

How does an accomplished photographer balance his/her life and still take care of personal responsibilities?

How does anyone put energy into accomplishing goals and still take care of personal responsibilities?

My newest internal dialoge has been centered on guilt and the pressure I put on myself to be responsible to my family. I want to plan my photography goals and move forward with this career. My family comes first.

I have to run a house hold, manage their lives, manage my life, work (which sometimes includes on call and that can be an 80 hour work week) and I try to manage a dwelling social life. My mantra has always been "Dance like no one is watching" and yet I'm watching. I take stock, measure, compare and raise the bar. I should be x by such and such date. When I fail the misery collides with my self confidence bringing back before where I started.

I was watching What the bleep do we know on Netflix and so many of their words in just the few first moments of the show have me deep in thought again. I am master of my reality.

so now what?

The beauty of being me, I'll fight through this and accomplish this goal that has been on every list since I can remember. Become and accomplished Photographer.

Happy Face grins inserted here.

Here is a picture just because

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