Turn Over Your Camera

I know, I know, you've heard it before...it's time to get yourself in pictures! But it's so true!!

About a year ago my Dad suffered a massive stroke. It was at that point I realized that I had very few pictures of my parents. Neither particularly liked having their pictures taken...so I didn't. But when faced with nearly losing my father I decided that was over. They were getting their pictures taken whether they liked it or not!

It was then that I realized my boys don't care if my hair looks good, or how thin I am. All they care about is that they have pictures of their Mom. It was time to get myself in pictures too!

You can always take a self portrait, but today I want to encourage you to try another technique.

Turn over your camera!!


I especially like turning my camera over to my children. Not only do I get pictures of myself, but I get pictures from their unique perspective!

I usually don't give my boys my big camera (Nikon DSLR). But occasionally I let my oldest take a try. Since my boys see me taking pictures all the time they love to play photographer too. And the are getting pretty good at taking pictures! All of the above photos were taken by my oldest.

While traveling to NYC this summer I realized trips are another important time for turning over your camera. My secret is to look for other couples carrying a camera. Offer to trade taking a photo of them if they'll take one of you. Every time I made the offer I was met with smiles of relief. And I got lots of pictures of my husband and I together on our trip.







What are your tips and tricks for getting yourself in the photo?

Using Levels {Photoshop Elements Tutorial}

One of the things I do the most in Photoshop Elements is adjust the levels on a picture. So I'm here today to show you how!

I store my photos in iPhoto. When I decide which one I want to edit I begin by creating a duplicate. (right click...duplicate)

Then I click on the second image and click edit (I have the preferences set to take the photo into PSE when I click edit)

I start by selecting the crop tool.
 

Since I know I'll likely be using the photo for scrapping I crop it to 4x6.

To adjust the levels create a new adjustment layer. In the bottom right corner click on the black and white circle and choose levels.

An adjustments window will open.

It helps to have a bell curve. If there is a space between the end of the black hills and the white triangle I drag the white triangle to the edge of the black hills.

But the most important adjustment I make is lightening the mid-tones. Drag the gray triangle until the photo looks good to your eye.

I usually adjust until I can see the lights in the eyes.

The more you drag to the left the lighter it gets.

The farther you go to the right the darker the photo gets.

Sometimes adjusting the levels washes out your color a bit. To fix this I select the background layer in the layers palette.

Then go to enhance...adjust color...remove color cast.

This box will pop up. Use the eye dropper to select an area of your photo that is white. With people I typically try to select the whites of their eyes.

However on this photo that made things way too green.

So I tried my son's teeth and that brought back a nice skin tone. Then click ok.

Now that I have my levels where I want them it's time to flatten the image. Right click...flatten.

I also like to add some contrast. Usually I just auto contrast.

And save as your image.

I don't rename my photo I just click save.

And I replace. (which is fine to do since I am editing on a duplicate not the original)

And here is a side by side comparison of my before and after.

Halloween Pics to Remember

We all know how important it is to capture the costume.  But what other pictures are must haves at Halloween?

I love the getting ready pictures.  Especially if there is a grandparent involved.  That gives you a sec to step away from helping and snap a pic or two.  You can get some seriously excited smiles during the getting ready phase.

Any spontaneous play that wearing a costume inspires is a must have pic!  This particular year my children were ready way before it was time to go trick or treat.  So I told my oldest to show me how Super Why flies.  I got some great shots of him flying around the driveway.

Not much is better than the waiting at the door shot.  Just a classic Halloween moment!

The only thing better than a waiting at the door pic is a, nobody's home pic.  :)  Cause they turn around and look at you.  So sweet!

Snag a close up of your child and their candy bag.  I totally lucked out in this shot that the Trick or Treat was facing the camera so perfectly!

If you've taken the time to carve pumpkins you gotta snap some shots of the jack-o-lanterns face.  Especially when it's all glowy and pretty!  :)

Oh the candy induced haze.  Definitely a photo worth having!

Are you ready yet for the Halloween craziness?  What are the costumes of choice for your family this year?  Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear all about it!

Thankful Thursday {Lunch Out}

Our family tradition used to be having lunch out after church every Sunday.  That is until Dad had his stroke last December.  Last weekend we had our first lunch out all together again! Can't even explain how thankful I was to sit together with my Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother-in-law, Niece, Nephew, and my boys.  Wish my hubby could have been there but missing him didn't diminish the joy of the return of this family tradition!

What are you thankful for today?

Click! How to take gorgeous photos of your kids

I recently had the opportunity to read and review this new eBook Click! published by Digital Photography School and written by Rachel Devine.  All I can say is WOW!  This book is packed full of awesome tips and tricks for getting amazing pictures of your kids.  And as scrapbookers, who doesn't want amazing pictures of our kids, right?!?

Some portions of the book are a bit technical and the author does assume that you know how to move past auto mode on your camera.  But even if you don't, the sections on how to work with different types of kids {babies, young children, tweens, shy, goofball, don't wanna} are well worth the $19.99 purchase price!  Heck, the section on getting your kids who "don't wanna" to take pictures is a gem for all of us who have a camera permanently glued around our necks.  I bet most of you have had that experience with your child at one time or another!  I know I have!!

I especially love the section on how to emulate different styles of photography!  Devine discusses key elements of styles like street photography, modern art, fashion, even Phone-ography and how to capture those styles with your kids.

I seriously could not put this book down!  And I know I'll be turning to it again and again as I work to improve my pictures of my kids!  Check out the eBook Click! How to take gorgeous photos of your kids.  Can't wait to go snap some pics of my kids so I can go scrap!!


Disclaimer: the links to "Click! How to take gorgeous photos of your kids" in this post are affiliate links – if you purchase this eBook using these links I earn a small amount as a commission, which just helps me keep the free content going on this blog. It does not impact your cost of the eBook "Click!  How to take gorgeous photos of your kids" but rather is paid by Digital Photography School. While these links are affiliate links I genuinely love this eBook or I would not be recommending it to you!  I have not, nor will I ever, refer a brand, company or product that I wouldn't use myself.

10 Things I LOVE About Camera Apps

You know I like to have a camera with me at all times.  So I'm guessing you aren't surprised that after getting a new iPhone last week I'd get addicted to iPhone apps.  Ok, I am a newbie to iPhone apps.  But I have found a few camera apps that I am loving!  I found this article about 7 Gotta Have Apps for iPhoneography and it helped get me started.

The apps I have right now are the standard iPhone Camera, Camera +, Plastic Bullet, and Instagram.  Here's 10 things I LOVE in no particular order.

1. Camera + and Instagram  both allow you to choose where your focus is just by tapping the screen.  Nice feature!

2. Camera + has many great editing features.  You can set your "scene" like portrait, sunset, beach, etc.  You can crop and adjust.  There are tons of effects to choose from and you can even add borders and captions.  SO many ways to play with your pictures in this app.

3. Plastic Bullet automatically generates a selection of filters after you take a pic.  If you don't like the filters you see just hit the reload arrow and it will give you more options.  This app is fast and easy if you want a fun look without a lot of steps.

4. Instagram also has fun filters.  Some of my favorites are in this app.  And I love the square shape of the photo.  Just fun for scrapping.

5. Reverse Camera is availalbe on all of these apps.  Easy to take a pic of you.  Just remember to look up at the camera eye and smile, not at yourself.  :)  Otherwise you end up looking down and the photo just looks strange.

6. Sharing your photos is especially easy with Camera +.  Once your photo is taken it goes into your "Lightbox."  From there it is super easy to share your pic on Facebook, Twitter or Flikr.  Love that!

7. Community is another main feature of Instagram.  You can follow other people and look at what they are snapping pics of.  Love taking a peek into the everyday life of my online friends!

8. Capturing the Everyday is so much easier when using an iPhone.  I don't have to go searching for a camera when I see something that sparks my interest.  My phone is always with me.

9. You don't miss the moment when snapping pics with an iPhone.  When I see something spectacular, like this "soccer sunset," I can grab my phone and snap a pic.  And with all the fun filters you feel like you are creating a work of art.  (don't forget about framing your subject!  Even with an iPhone pic, this can make a world of difference)

10. Camera pics are fun to scrap!  You had to know I was going to go there.  :)  This is a scrappy blog after all.  Not only are these pics fun to take, but they are super fun to scrap!  Just earlier this week I showed you pics I scrapped from my old un-smart phone.  Now you'll be seeing lots more iPhone pics on my scrapbook pages!

What apps are you loving right now (camera or otherwise)?  What's the last pic you took with your phone?  Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear all about it!