A Lesson on Photographing Nature {a Guest Post by: Francesca}

hi bloggers! before i start this post, i'm going to tell you a little bit about me and my blog!

i'm francesca. i have brown hair, brown eyes, and i'm 12 2/3 years old. i'm going into 7th grade this year. i'm the girl that obsesses over blogger, sings in the shower, and has a HUGE heart for Jesus. i love photography, math, art, music, and have hopes of learning guitar. it's nice to meet you!

(ignore the bathrobe in the background, my cats claimed it as their bed)

my blog is sunshine + moonlight photography. as you can tell it is a photography blog. but, it is also a blog of thoughts, and expression. it is a blog about my life. it is my life in photos and words. blogger is one of my obsessions and loves. it's like i have a huge unknown family that loves reading about my life and looking at my pictures. so that is my blog.

now about this post. right now, i am reading a book called The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital NATURE Photography By: Jim Miotke. so far, i really like the book. it is interesting and Jim Miotke is a great photographer. so using tips from his book i am going to post a lesson on photographing nature. 

(my neighbors cat whom i am cat sitting for)

the word photography comes from the Greek word for light (pho) and painting (graphe).

one thing that the book suggests you remember is L.C.D or light, composition, digital exposure. those are 3 things that you should remember while taking pictures outside, or anywhere really! light is important because depending on where the sun is (or your source of light) you photo looks different. if the light is facing you and behind your subject, it is called backlight. if the sun is behind you, facing your subject, that is called frontlight. if it is on the side of your subject it is called sidelight. simple right? 

composition. is where you place your subject. when you are taking pictures you usually always want to use the rule of thirds. this means divide your picture into 3 sections. don't place your subject in the middle because it makes your pictures look more professional and pleasing. believe me, it works!

digital exposure, is aperture. aperture is the adjustable opening through which light passes into your camera. digital exposure is shutter speed. depending on how fast your shutter opens and closes makes your picture look different especially if you are taking pictures of water. the slower your shutter is, the more cotton candyish the water looks. digital exposure is ISO. ISO represents how sensitive the camera sensor is to light. 

my personal favorite thing to photography in nature is flowers because they are all so beautiful and full of detail! another thing that i love about photographing nature is that most things don't move! lol! i am an only child so i haven't really ever had any people to practice on so i either use dolls or i use nature.

one thing that i have noticed is that most of my pictures are horizontal.i think that most people don't really think of photographing vertically unless they are taking pictures of something tall. but, if you are on the ground, most anything can be photographed vertically. i found out that flowers especially look cool photographed vertically! so next time you are taking pictures, take one horizontal, and one vertical. then see which one you like better!!

so that ends my post on photography tips. i hope that these tips help you in the future because i know they helped me!! 

i hope you guys liked this post! so if you did, why don't you go stop over at my blog and follow!! i would LOVE if you did!! i am actually hopefully soon having a {almost} 25 follower giveaway, it would make my day if i could have a 25 follower giveaway or even 30 followers!! 

thank you in advance and to visit my blog click here!  

happy blogging!

-francesca-

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thanks for letting me post Madie! i really enjoyed it!

Photography Tips | Portraiture

"Today's lesson is on Portraits!"

por·trai·ture /ˈpɔrtrɪtʃər, ˈpoʊr-/ Show Spelled[pawr-tri-cher, pohr-]

–noun

1.

the art or an instance of making portraits. 

 

1) Interact with your subject so you can get close.

2) Candid shots work wonders! (candid means the person isn't posing, it'a all natural)

3) Use objects

4) It's all about the eyes 

          ~rule of thirds! The "Rule of Thirds" is you divide your paper/screen in a tic-tac-toe grid. You 

           want your subject to be on the lines. Usually pictures are centered, but the human eye is more

          "attractive" to the things on the sides. Does that make sense?

5) Light is your friend (and also your enemy)

6) Be unconventional

7) Watch your backround (distractions)

{A Couple} Photography Tips | Macro

Last week, meaning Monday through yesterday (Friday), I did a photography camp. I learned a lot and I would like to share with you a couple things that I learned. Today I'll be posting about the Macro setting.

mac·ro

–noun

3.

anything very large in scale, scope, or capability.

4.

Photography . a macro lens.

1)When you are shooting in Macro, get close. Like REALLY close!! 2)Remember to use different angles, angles, angles! A picture is more exciting when you use different angles. 3)Focus is key. The focus should be on the main "subject" of the picture. 4)Use your zoom and watch your settings. You don't necessarily need to get physically close to an object, the focus might get off. Use your zoom to get close to an object. What it means by watching your settings is making sure there isn't a person in the backround or a dead leaf that you don't want in the picture. Maybe even a bug that you don't want. Here are some of my macro pictures:

I am in love with this picture! The frog is SO cute!

I hope you learned something and be looking forward to more photography tips!