Cabin Before and After Living Room

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New Projects

I'm not sure why these photographs turned out so blurry,
but they give an idea of the latest projects I've been working on.


Here is the star in Stu's room that looks more like a star instead of a flower now!




My newest favorite photo project...It was basically FREE!



I put fabric on the roller shade in the stairwell and it gets
this fantastic glow when the sun is setting.




My big project was painting the dining room ceiling red.
The picture here is so bad,
but I love the effect of the red!

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Photographs as ART!

You can go the easy route and take a photograph of some flowers...
Or go with something a bit more unique...

A carved name and pealing paint on the carriage house...

A sign in the trash...

Clothespins...

A trunk...

Leaves on a tree...

Bark...

Dying vines...

Bricks to keep out the squirrels...

More leaves...

An apple...

More bark...

Some wild onions...

A canna leaf...

What's in YOUR yard??

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How Dummies Take Photographs...

If you have taken my classes, or are in the midst of one, you understand that I am not a professional photographer...at ALL...but these are some very simple basic guidelines that can help you take a decent picture to use in your home decor.


UPDATE...this is funny now...I HAVE become a professional photographer and these old photos and blog posts make me laugh...I was so bad!!  Check out my photography website at ALLENAIM!

In order to take a decent picture, you have to account for three basics:

Light: Turn your flash off and get the best lighting effect without over lighting.

Angle: Make sure your subject is engaged in the photograph. Rule of Thirds.

Depth: Get close, but don't get blurry.

LIGHT

This picture is a bit too dark. Notice how your attention is drawn to the block of light in the window, rather than the subject. I am too far in the shadow.

In this photograph, the opposite has happened - the subject has too much light from this angle and there it too much of a glare.




This is the correct amount of light. There is enough to illuminate the details without causing a glare.

This is Thor with flash.

This is Thor with no flash, but without good natural light as well.





This is Thor without flash, taking advantage of the natural light.

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ANGLE

This is the correct use of the rule of thirds.






In this photograph, the subject is not engaged in the picture. Do you notice where he is looking?

Here is the same basic pose altered so that the subject is engaged.

Notice how the two different angles of the exact same subject give completely different looks.

Rule of thirds is ok, but this picture seems off balance due to the angle.

This is a little better...

There is a decent shot.

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DEPTH

The first picture of Thor is fine, but not fantastic. Notice how much better the photograph is when the camera gets closer just a bit.

Oops! Don't get too close or you will get a blurry picture.
This all depends on the quality of your camera and the setting you are using.

This is a great example of how to get close, but not too close.

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