Swiffer Head Cover

My beautiful blogging, kitchen designing and photography Muse of a cousin Tammy Lee Bradley is also very crafty! Check out this Swiffer head cover she crocheted herself! Head on over to http://www.bloggingbradleys.blogspot.com/ for more on this!! So crafty!  

Shutterbug Sunday - Bokeh Bliss

day 240 by april

These two beautiful photographs by April Newman of April Newman Photography demonstrate the photography technique called bokeh...the splendid purposely out-of-focus light, colors, and shapes that you find in the background of many digital photographs.  Based on the definition from Dictionary.com, Bokeh, pronounced bow-kay or bow-keh, is a Japanese term for the subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of a photographic image. But for me, it is best defined as PURE MAGIC!

The goal of this technique is to create a blurred background that is compelling without distracting the viewer’s attention from the main subject of the photo.  This is especially important in portraits.

day 196 {explore} by april

Tips for getting good bokeh...
1.) Set your DSLR camera to manual or aperture priority and use a low f-stop number like f1.4, f1.8 or f2.8 for a large aperture. If more light is required increase your ISO level instead of switching to a higher f-stop.

2.) To achieve the formation of circles instead of a general blurring, use a shutter speed faster than 1/50 second.

3.) Get in close to your subject, while keeping the background outside the focus area.  If you are trying to create the bokeh effect with only night lights, remember to switch your camera to manual focus.

4.) Consider your background lighting.  Avoid backgrounds that are evenly lit since they will create a bland blurring. Seek out spots of light such as street lights, reflections, or unevenly lit textured surfaces.
I have included a mcLinky so you can show us some of your own magical bokeh.
 
Until next week. ♥ Tammy Lee of Bliss and Folly

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Shutterbug Sunday: Shutter Play

On Tuesday, we completed a nine day exploration of photography in motion at Mortal Muses. I thought it would be a nice tie-in to provide examples of the use of shutter speed to enhance your photos. I would like to thank my flickr and Mortal Muse friends for letting me use their photographs to help demonstate.

time to play by Tammy Lee Bradley, on Flickr 

Fast shutter speeds can cause a moving subject to appear unnaturally frozen, such as 1/4000 second, as shown in my photograph above. I love the way the die appears to be floating in air.  (aperature f 2.8, lens focal length 35mm)


Throwing leaves by kirstinmckee, on Flickr

Kirstin selected a shutter speed of 1/640 sec to capture the constant movement of her children at play. You can almost feel the flutter of the leaves.  (aperature f1.8, lens focal length 20mm)

268/365 Spin by Angie JJD, on Flickr

Angie uses a slow shutter speeds in this delightful photograph to cause the moving umbrella to blur and create the illusion of movement, such as 1/60 second, as shown above. (aperature f 8, lens focal length 35mm)

barcode redwoods by à la mosey, on Flickr

In the photo above, Mosey combined a slow shutter speed of 1/40 with camera movement to create what she calls a "happy accident of photography." (aperature 1.7, lens focal length of 20mm)
Now it is your turn, grab your camera and play with the shutter speed settings.  I am providing a mcLinky for you to show us your results.  
Until next week, stay sweet.  Tammy Lee
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Creating Our New Header

This is the position my family is becoming accustomed to seeing me in as I look for crafty creative ways to take pictures. Our Shutterbug Sunday Photography Expert Tammy Lee Bradley said don't be afraid to go down low- and I take her advice to heart! As I was looking for creative ways to convey fall craftiness all I could think about was wood, fall colors and warmness. Crafty Cat and I want our blog header to offer you a warm welcome and it's our intention to provide you with a comforting place to visit and see beautiful creations everyday!  So, with that goal in mind I went to my supplies and filled a basket with all kinds of things that fit the definition.

Then it was time to find a location! It was too chilly to lay on my belly out on my deck so it was off to my living room floor. I rearranged my crafting items 20 times. I played with my lighting a dozen times. I shot from above, to the side, straight on- whatever I could to come up with a pretty shot.

Because my favorite crafts are scrapbooking and art journaling- photography is a big part of my world. I love it. I love taking pictures of my loved ones. I love capturing moments. I also really loved creating our blog header. I added many of our favorite items we like to use when creating our crafts. Crafty Cat and I are not afraid to take risks in our crafting- so the list of items we like is long! I even used a little symbolism- 7 is my lucky number.

Crafty Cat and I are really working hard to make this a fun place for you to come and check out our crafts, learn some tips and yet also know- you don't have to break the bank to create beautiful pieces of art. In fact- I spent $0- creating our header. I had all the items already in my craft area, the location was free (well, ok, we do have a mortgage-but you get it), even the editing system I used (Picasa) is free.

Today's crafty tip is simple. Craft with intention. Take time to think about your crafts and what they mean to you and others. If you're taking a picture think about the composition of that picture and you will capture memories of a lifetime. If you're making a crafty gift for a friend- spend extra time thinking about what your friend means to you and how you can make it special for them. Our goal is to do that for you everyday with each craft we make. We hope you like what we're doing. We want you to know- we truly appreciate you visiting our site. We also get giddy and excited when you leave us a comment. Thank you for all your support.

Shutterbug Sunday: Off Center

My favorite Cherry ♥ by Tammy Lee Bradley

Every photography and art class teaches the basic composition guideline called the rule of thirds. Even if you don't quite understand the concept, I find that simply keeping your point of focus off-center is a good way to create interest in your photos. I love the illusion of negative space that this technique creates. When combined with shallow depth of field, it can be used to make your photographs more dramatic.

The Softness of Autumn by Tammy Lee Bradley

I have added a mclinky below, share with us your own "OFF CENTER" shots.

Have a great week! Stay sweet. ♥ tlb