Update…

I’ve had a few emails asking me about using a camera other than one with manual setting capabilities for this tutorial.

While the earlier focus of our Hands On! Photography tutorials was geared towards the technical side of your digital cameras, we are now into the artistic side of photography (composition).  For this reason, we will gladly accept photos from other cameras.

All digital cameras store the camera settings in the image file so they are still available.  You can easily see them in either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements by clicking on File Info.

<Note, other programs may also be able to read this info, but I am unfamiliar with them – if anyone knows, please let me know and I’ll pass the info along!>

If you do not have either of these programs, please submit them anyways!  I can try to view the settings and include them when posting to our blog.  This will still provide a learning tool for those who view an image and wonder what settings were used to achieve the exposure.

Hope that is clear to all!  If not, please contact me via email at sue {at} canadianscrapbooker {dot} ca.

Cheers,

March Tutorial: Backgrounds

We all have them. Photos with telephone phones sprouting out of Aunt Mildred’s head, or a misplaced spray of water from a fountain that makes Grandpa Tom look like he’s… well, you know.

This month, I want to discuss an aspect of composition pertaining to backgrounds in your images.

As you grow and learn about this wonderful hobby called photography, you are not only learning the technical side of your cameras, but you are training your “inner eye” to be more aware of your surroundings. The key to good photography is not just about proper lighting and the rule of thirds. It’s also having a sense of everything around your subject and how it will be perceived in your finished image.

And although your subject may not have ill-placed tree limbs behind them, a cluttered background can be just as hazardous.  Look at this photo of my son, taken by my husband:

Cute as he may be (and yes, I know I’m biased… ) and while the story is being told, the image lacks effectiveness and doesn’t convey his concentration, nor his obsession with art.  Notice how this all changes as he zooms in on his subject, eliminating the distracting furniture behind him:

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of waiting for your subject to be engrossed in his craft.  And at times, when you can’t or don’t want to zoom in, you will have to change your position until your subject is in front of a neutral backdrop.

However, it is sometimes not feasible to move your position or your subject. For example, when you are photographing a performance, or in a small location where there is no neutral background. In that case, you can set your camera to the widest aperture to create a very shallow depth of field. This will blur the background, as discussed in our Winter 2009/10 issue (see my January 2010 tutorial on Depth of Field here).

So, are you ready to try out what we’ve learned?

March 2011 photography assignment:

Using the March tutorial as a guide, become aware of your backgrounds. Explore your surroundings and potential distractions in your images.  This month, you will submit TWO photos – one with a distraction behind your subject and a second one, with the SAME subject, but with the distraction removed.  You can use any of the techniques discussed above (zoom in, move your position, or use a short depth of field).   As always, if you have any questions, please leave me a comment on this post, or email me at sue {AT} canadianscrapbooker {DOT} ca.

Deadline: 11:59 pm EST, March 31st, 2011

And now for the fun part – the prize!!  This month’s randomly drawn winner will receive this yummy Sassafras prize pack:

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

1) Because the whole purpose of the tutorial is to get you to experiment with your camera, submitted photos must have been taken between March 13th and March 31st, 2011, inclusive. Photos that do not meet this criteria may be shared on the blog but will not be eligible for our contest.

2) Please send original-sized files – I will size them for our blog.

3) And PLEASE don’t forget to include your camera settings, including camera used, f/stop, aperture and ISO settings for your image in the Comments section of the submisson form! Submissions that do not include this info may not be posted on the blog or included in the prize drawing.

Please submit your photo, using only our submission form (no emails, please!), for a chance to be entered into our draw to win an awesome prize. A randomly chosen entry will be drawn after the deadline. Please note – submissions that are not relative to the tutorial and/or do not abide by these rules will not be posted on the blog, or entered into the draw. Please click HERE to review the rules regarding this draw BEFORE submitting.

Happy Clicking!

Soon…

The March tutorial on Backgrounds will be posted this weekend!  If you’d like to get a headstart, read my article on page 74-75 of your new Spring 2011 issue of Canadian Scrapbooker, or you can download a .pdf version here.  But please don’t submit your photos yet!

Stay tuned…

Are You A Winner?

Well, you are, if your name is either of the two that were randomly selected by our list generator!

The winner of our Scrapbook Adhesives prize pack is:

List Randomizer

There were 23 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Lee-Anne Thorton, AB
2. April Childs, AB
3. Lise Malette, ON
4. Jennifer Lundsten, SK
5. Lise Malette, ON
6. Diana Hetherington, NB
7. Sarah Fitzpatrick, ON
8. Lise Malette, ON
9. Jill Sparks, ON
10. Lise Malette, ON
11. Jill Sparks, ON
12. Lynette Parent, AB
13. Agatha Wiebe, ON
14. Lise Malette, ON
15. Lise Malette, ON
16. Lise Malette, ON
17. Lise Malette, ON
18. Nathalie Cormier, QC
19. Lise Malette, ON
20. Lee-Anne Thorton, AB
21. Valery Klassen, AB
22. Agatha Wiebe, ON
23. Lise Malette, ON

Timestamp: 2011-03-03 05:03:56 UTC

and the lucky winner of the Magenta prize pack is:

List Randomizer

There were 23 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. April Childs, AB
2. Jill Sparks, ON
3. Lise Malette, ON
4. Lise Malette, ON
5. Lise Malette, ON
6. Lise Malette, ON
7. Sarah Fitzpatrick, ON
8. Lee-Anne Thorton, AB
9. Jennifer Lundsten, SK
10. Diana Hetherington, NB
11. Nathalie Cormier, QC
12. Lise Malette, ON
13. Agatha Wiebe, ON
14. Lee-Anne Thorton, AB
15. Lise Malette, ON
16. Lise Malette, ON
17. Lise Malette, ON
18. Lise Malette, ON
19. Lise Malette, ON
20. Agatha Wiebe, ON
21. Jill Sparks, ON
22. Lynette Parent, AB
23. Valery Klassen, AB

Timestamp: 2011-03-03 05:10:23 UTC

Congratulations to our winners – your prizes will be mailed out shortly to the addresses listed on your submission forms.

Thanks again to all who played along – check back on or around March 8th for another tutorial and photo assignment!

Cheers,

Jan/Feb submissions!

So sorry for the lack of posts this month, everyone!  As you may know, if you follow my blog, I have had some serious dental issues over the last few weeks.  I have had three rounds of antibiotics and they really knackered me!  I’m happy to say that I’m finishing up Round 3 of antibiotics and I *think* we finally have this thing licked!  (Touch wood!)

I have many submissions to share, and I certainly enjoyed receiving them, even if I couldn’t drag myself out of bed to post them.  We had 23 submission for January and February!  And we’re going to pick TWO lucky winners once I’ve posted them so check back Friday to congratulate our winner… Who knows?  It may be YOU!

Speaking of winners, I also have the prizes to share with you!!  All photo submissions will be eligible for both prizes, regardless of the photo subject, but I will pick a winner for both January and February.

January’s prize is this yummy pack of adhesive goodness from :

And our February winner will receive this prize pack from Magenta Stamps:

Now onto our submissions!

April Childs, of AB:

Nathalie Cormier, of QC:

Agatha Wiebe, of ON:

Lynette Parent, of AB:

Diana Hetherington, of NB:

Sarah Fitzpatrick, of ON:

Valery Klassen, of AB:

Jennifer Lundsten, of SK:

Lise Malette, of ON:

Jill Sparks, of ON:

More from Lise Malette, of ON:

Lee-Anne Thorton, of AB:

Thank you to everyone for their interpretations of this month’s photo assignment!!  And thanks for being patient with me…

I will announce the winners on Friday!

Cheers,