Cartwheels In My Mind

Photo of the Day, September 26, 2010.

(c) Rebekah Price

Sydney

Who says a point & shoot camera can't make great images? This is one of my favorite shots from my trip down under, simply snapped with my little hand-sized Canon.

Click. Click. With My Camera.

 
For those of you learning to shoot manual, you're probably staying close to the shade with its even light.  But I'm bringing you a little challenge today because we don't always have the best light to shoot in or the best time of day.  Sometimes we just have to shoot in the sun. 

Yep, you read that right.  SUN!! 

It can be a challenge to shoot into the sun but you can.  You CAN do it!!  First, put your camera in manual mode.  I usually overexpose my image by 1/3 or 2/3 stops to bring enough light onto my subject.  But the fun part is playing with the silhouettes, the FLARE and more. Backlighting can give your subject some beautiful hair light and your image a lovely glow. 

You get to use the light how you want.  You can direct it behind or around your subject depending on where you position you and your camera.  And if you'd like to bounce a little light back onto your subject, use a reflector...or even better, simply where a white shirt! (That is by far my favorite tip EVER since I love my collection of white shirts!)

Here are a few examples of different images using backlighting...

So in honor of today being the first official day of Autumn, steal away a few minutes of the day to capture the beautiful light and take a turn working with backlight.  You may be surprised at what you can create with your camera and sunshine!

Brighten it up!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE COLOR!  I don't have any windows in my upstairs bathroom so I've tried to bring in some brightness with accessories and decor.  And one little project I love is my memory verse banner.

 

 I created with a couple of those little suction cup hooks and some thin jewelry wire and attached it near the top of my mirror.  Then I printed out some cool printable tags and used some EyeCandy overlays, SEI patterned paper, some Jenni Bowlin goodies, paper clips and mini clips. 

Once I had my tags designed, I sat down and wrote some of my favorite Bible verses on each one.  One of my friends and I used to memorize verses together each week so I added a few of my favorites from that along with some others.  I love that as I'm getting ready in the morning, I can read over my memory verses.  Not only is it an encouragement but it's also a fun little decor item to add a bit of color.

   

 
Vintage frames from Kitschy Digitals.

Photo of the Day, September 16, 2010.

(c) Rebekah Price

Luna Park 2

They love their ferris wheels down under, too! A little shot of Luna Park, Sydney, Australia.

What's In Your Bag?!

We all know that a great cook isn't a great cook because of that fabulous spatula she bought at Williams & Sonoma.  Just the same, a great photographer isn't a great photographer because of her fabulous camera she bought at the local camera shop.  Yes, great gear sure helps but what the photographer does with the gear to create timeless images is truly what makes a great photograph, right? 

Well, today we're here to share with you the awesome gear - and equally as awesome bags - that you can find our design team sporting as they go about their creative days, capturing images and clicking with their cameras.  You might find a new lens or other cool tool that you need to check out.  Or you might see a bag that looks like it would suit your world just fine.  But most of all, we hope to inspire you to grab your camera bag, take it along on a ride or a walk and use the gear you have to create some fabulous images with your own creative eye.

  

1. canon 5d mark II
2. canon 5d (for backup)
3. 24-70 2.8 L
4. 50 1.4
5. 5 memory cards (4 GB each)
6. lens hood
7. phone
8. keys
9. chargers

Depending if it's a normal day or a shoot, some or all of these live in my Epiphanie bag (everyday) or in my Shootsac (sessions).
 
 
 
My camera bag is a Lowepro Messenger-Style Digital SLR Camera Bag. I love the size and shape of this bag. The messenger style makes it not look like a dorky camera bag plus the color is really nice. I can easily move the velcro dividers inside to make room for my camera on one end and my extra lens's and Instax on the other. My only complaint is there isn't any padding so I have to be very careful with the contents.

1. Canon 7D
2. Canon 50mm 1.8
3. Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
4. Sigma 28-90mm Macro
5. Fugi Instax
6. Extra Memory Card
7. Charger
8. Instruction Manual
9. Wallet/keys/lip gloss
10. Cell phone

Love my Ketti camera bag! It is big enough to hold my main camera, my Instax camera, and my every day running around town essentials!

What is inside:

1. Nikon D700
2. 50mm 1.4D (my one and lonely lens that will work on my full frame camera! lol).
3. Fuji Instax camera and film.
4. A bunch of day to day, carry around everywhere type stuff!

I've converted my Cath Kidston messenger bag to my camera bag. As of right now I have:
1. canon 5d mark ii
2. extra memory cards
3. lense hood
4. nature valley bar
5. a photo mag
6. rain jacket {england weather... rainy rainy}
7. umbrella

1. Canon XT w/ attached 50 mm 1.4 lens
2. Fuji Instax camera
3. Finepix Z point & shoot
4. wallet
5. note pads
6. hand sanitizer
7. gum
8. cell phone
9. keys
10. 3 different shades of lipstick


 
I use two different camera bags.  It just depends on my mood and the job at hand as to which one I fill up for a shoot. 

My old standby, the Crumpler 4 Million Dollar bag, is fabulous for an SLR with a lens mounted along with one extra lens.  My newest bag - and the one that traveled Europe with me this summer - is my Ketti Camera Bag. love. LOVE!  It's comfortable and can hold a lot of gear.  It also serves as a great carry-on bag for your camera and some extras.  I even fit my travel journal in it as well.

Now...onto what's IN my bag:

1. Canon 30d
2. Canon 24-70mm 2.8
3. Canon 50mm 1.4
4. extra batteries
5. extra memory cards
6. business cards
7. a ball, bubbles, etc. to keep the attention of little ones
 8. cell phone
9. chapstick
10. keys
11. sometimes a journal or sketch/idea book

Amy shared two photos...one of her regular camera bag and one the bag she uses for weddings.

In Amy's wedding camera bag:
nikon d300
nikon d70 (backup)
lots of memory cards
batterycharger
lenses - 50 mm 1.8, 28-75mm 2.8, and 70-300mm 4-5.6
batteries
SB600 flash
light sphere
grey card
reflector
snacks
water
motrin
wedding file

And in her everyday bag...Crumpler 6 million dollar bag: 
1. nikon d300
2. nikon 50 mm 1.8 lens
3. tamron 28-75mm 2.8 lens
4. extra memory cards (4gb)
5. SB600 flash
6. extra AA batteries for flash
7. photo business cards
8. small gray card
9. smarties candies and stickers(to bribe little kids!
10. my phone & keys

Photo of the Day, September 8, 2010.

(c) Rebekah Price

Summer

As we look near the end of the summer, I think this photo celebrates a bit of the transition. A little football mixed with swimming. And I love the little surprise in the photo is my niece waiting for her turn, hiding her eyes from the football!