More December Submissions!

Thanks to Kristy Burton of MB for sending me these adorable photos using the light reflecting through the trees to create bokeh.

Taken with Canon Rebel at f/8.0, 1/320 Sec., ISO 1600

Taken with Canon Rebel at f/7.1, 1/200 sec., ISO 1600

Taken with Canon Rebel at f/8.0, 1/250 sec., ISO 1600

Maxine Lozinski of AB submitted me this festive photo of some reindeer figurines:

Taken with Canon EOS Rebel XSI, f/5.0, 1/60, ISO 400

Thanks, ladies, for your submissions!

Can’t wait to see what else shows up in our submission inbox!  Remember to set your aperture as wide as it will go to create the  most blur!

Happy clicking!

December Assignment Deadline Extended!

I have several other submissions that I will upload tomorrow, but wanted to make a couple of quick announcements!

First, due to the holidays, I’m going to extend the December assignment deadline to January 5th, 2010!!  Be sure to send us your photos by 11:59pm EST to be eligible to win this lovely prize pack by Kelly Panacci:

Secondly, I hinted earlier that we will be having a contest on the Hands On blog, but with illnesses and then the holidays, it seemed to get away from me!   But we will definitely be hosting a contest so watch for details in early January!!

Now let’s go out and take some photos!

December Submissions

Gail Bidgood of NL sent me two submissions for the December assignment.  I’m glad she did!  It is the same subject but with different apertures so it shows the difference that f/stops can make while trying to create bokeh!

Both photos were taken at the same distance from the tree.  The first photo used an aperture of f/4.5:

Taken with Nikon D200 at f/4.5, 1/60 sec., ISO 400.

 In her second photo, Gail opened her aperture wide to f/1.8:

Taken with Nikon D200 at f/1.8, 1/60 sec., ISO 400

Note the beautiful bokeh (represented by circles of light) created in the second photo – what a beautiful backdrop for a charming Father Christmas!  Gail mentioned a good point – “The aperture makes a difference but you have to be spot on with your focus [when] using such a small aperture”

Thanks, Gail, for submitting again this month!

Now, what about the rest of our readers??  I’m sure at least a few of you received a new camera for Christmas!  Look for light sources in your backgrounds and start snapping, inside or out!

Happy clicking!

Happy Holidays!

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!

~ Author Unknown

December Assignment: Bokeh

Bokeh, as we learned, is derived from a Japanese word, boke, which means “blur” or “haze”.  It basically refers to the out of focus area of your photo.

So now that we know what it is… how do we get it?  It’s quite simple, actually!

To create pleasing bokeh, ensure that your background has some light sources.  It could be Christmas lights, car headlights, or even dappled sunlight behind your subject, like this:

(Taken with Nikon D70 at F/4.2, 1/320 s., ISO 200)

Then, using a very large aperture (meaning the smallest number, like f/1.8 or f/4.5, depending on your lens), focus on something in the foreground of your composed photo.  The short depth of field, created by your large aperture, will blur the background and create bokeh!

I told you it was easy! 

Your December assignment:

Using this tutorial as a guide, create your own bokeh background.  Experiment with different light sources and backgrounds. With Christmas around the corner, I’m sure you’ll find plenty of inspiration!

Deadline:  December 31st, 2009

Please submit your photo(s), along with camera settings, using our submission form linked above, for a chance to be entered into our draw.  A randomly chosen entry will be drawn after the deadline.  Please click HERE to review the rules regarding this draw before submitting.  Please note – submissions that do not abide by these rules will NOT be posted on the blog, or entered into the drawing.

Our December prize pack is this lovely seasonal kit by Kelly Panacci:

Thanks in advance for playing along this month – I’m looking forward to seeing your submissions!  And stay tuned for more information about our contest to be posted early next week!

Happy Clicking!

You want me to WHAT??

Well, things never seem to go as planned around here… My plans tonight to post about a new contest I will be running got waylaid – I had to take my daughter into emerg tonight!  After 4.5 hours, 3 ventolin treatments, some prednisolone and a chest x-ray, we’re home – tired but breathing much easier!

So since the contest news will have to wait until later this week, along with the December tutorial and assignment, I just wanted to tell you about this new phenomenon that’s catching on!  Since it’s similar to November’s assignment, I thought I’d share!

Apparently, there is a new trend out there called Camera Tossing – it basically uses any camera with the ability to set a long exposure; a couple of light sources, such as two or more candles or lights, and (in my opinion) the dexterity to catch!

Here’s a tutorial from Wired Magazine:  Snap A Camera-Toss Picture  It also includes a video with more detail. Thanks to my hubby for pointing me to this via Twitter!  You can also visit the official Camera Toss blog for lots of examples, or view these on Flickr.

The end results look amazing… but I’d be afraid of dropping my camera!  Please share your photos with us if you try it (at your own risk!!)

Happy tossing!

November winner!!

Thanks to both Kim Gowdy and Gail Bidgood for their submissions this month!

I went to my trusty random number generator and we have a winner:

Congratulations to Gail, who submitted this photo:

(I guess I could have used a quarter in this case… LOL!)

Gail, we will mail your Karen Foster prize pack out to the address on your submission form!  Watch for the December assignment to be posted later this week, but tune in tomorrow night for news on a little contest I’m going to be running!