Behind The Lens: Michele Barbalet

I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Michele Barbalet. She has a creative, fun eye to her photography. I love that she isn't afraid to take risks with interesting and unusual subjects. Michele is a long time member of the  DesignerDigitals Flickr Photo of the Day group. I loved reading her journey with light!

What sparked your interest in photography?

I come from a long line of family (amateur) photographers. My grandmother has a book shelf full of yearly photo albums dating back to the 60’s and a trunk full of family slides dating back to the 50’s. It was always something I took for granted until she started getting older and stopped using a camera.  I knew someone needed to take over where she left off. After my husband bought me my first SLR I realized that I wanted it to be me.

I took this picture of my cat Bertie after one of the DD chats on “lighting”.  I went to the room with the most light and I just remember how incredibly easy it was to take this picture.  Prior to the lighting chat I had to use high ISO and fiddle with the settings. This picture was taken with ISO at 100. I still get excited every time I take a really good picture at a low ISO. I love the clarity and the crispness.

What camera do you use?

Mostly my Nikon D60 but my iphone camera is a lot of fun to use as well.

What is your favorite lens?

I probably don’t own my favorite lens because I only have two and an incredibly long wish list. If I had to choose between my 18-55 or 55-200 I would choose the 55-200. I use it for close ups to get that really good depth of field. That being said my 18-55 is my go-to, always-on-my-camera-lens. (Ok…so I guess I can’t choose)

Here’s another photo inspired by my new knowledge of the importance of light as well as shooting from a different perspective

What makes you happiest about your photography?

I am a creative person but I’m not an artist. I don’t always make the best digital scrapbooking layouts, I can’t always sketch as good as I would like but with photography I can see something beautiful in the world and capture it from my point of view and share it with my loved ones. That definitely makes me happy.

What have you learned that helped your photography most?

Of course it has to be lighting.  It’s a photographer’s best friend. I always check to see where the light is coming from before I do anything else. I actually just found out that the word photography is Greek and means “drawing with light”. I love that.

Ok, you might see a pattern here. This is a more recent picture and I feel it shows how far I’ve come with my understanding of light. As soon as I set down in my seat I started taking test pictures to see what kind of settings I would need for the current lightening situation. My comfort zone is a bright sunny day; very different to a dark theatre with stage lighting. The whole time I was clicking away it felt really good but I didn’t know for sure until I got home. I finally realized that all I had learned was really starting to pay off.

How has your photography changed since participating in my chats? 

I got off Auto which has had the largest positive impact on my photography. It gives me full creative control over what I’m photographing. Before I got off auto I approached photography with a thought process that ended with disappointed results. All my photos looked the same because they were being dictated by the cameras generic settings. Now when I think about what I’m going to shoot and how I want it to look I get the exact results that I wanted because I control the camera. The best part is that if I’m not happy with the results, it’s my fault and I learn from each experience.

Of course, it’s a “light” photo. But to me it’s also a photo that represents me letting go of my old ideas of what a photo is “suppose” to be. In the recent freebie “Give it your best shot” one of the keys is to a POTD is to not strive for perfection. In this photo my hand is only a silhouette, the next door neighbors house is visible…it’s not a perfect photo. But the subject, the slide, is the focal point which was my objective and I like the photo and that’s what should matter.

What are your photography goals for 2010? or Any Projects for 2010?

I need to get my photos off the computer and into my life. So of course there are tons of projects for 2010. I’m scanning the old family slides to pass on for the next generation which is a huge task in itself and starting the yearly albums like the ones my grandmother use to do. I’m also doing the 365 project and for the first time blogging them.

You can see more of Michele's photos in her DesignerDigitals Gallery. 

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To help Michele have some fun with her photography, I'm providing her with a copy of Give It Your Best Shot No. 1: Capturing Lights! 

Have I helped you with a class, ebook, or tutorial? Would you like to be featured Behind The Lens? Send me an email at katrina at katrinakennedy dot com.

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This Saturday is the all day chat at DesignerDigitals! I'll be hosting a photography chat with a giveaway! I hope to see you there.

Put The Real In Life

When working on a photo of the day project and balancing life, occasionally the photos just scream ordinary. Today is one of those days. I have to remind myself how much it would mean to me to have a photo of my Grandmother's favorite cookbook next to her sifter. I'd even be okay with her bananas in the background.

50mm | ISO 200 | f/2.8 | ss 1/60

So there you have it. My favorite cookbook. My sifter. And bananas in the background.

Have you taken a photo of your favorite cookbook?

Want To Take a Photography Quiz?

Having a little fun in our garden today.

Can you tell me what time it was? And my aperture? And maybe even my ISO and shutter speed? Which direction was the sun in relation to him?

And the extra credit question, what is he holding in his hands?

Have fun! I've got a little something for whoever gets the most correct answers! Post your responses before 5PM PST on Friday, February 19th, 2010!

Photo of the Day Inspiration Round Up!

Time to collect the next nine days.

Notice the winner from the CheeseIts Versus Bridge Post?

I used Ali Edwards' Grid No. 01 Layered Templates and her new All About Me Hand Drawn Brushes (available on 2/21) at DesignerDigitals.

How To Photograph Your 4 Year Old

You know my technique. I resorted to it again. Bribery. He asked if he could go to Target to look at Lego's. I said sure, but you have to let me take your picture. He gave me "silly face" and "clown face" and then finally "love face," followed by a big hug.

Ahhh, free love! I can push a cart through Target for that! Miraculously he left with only a box of animal cookies. I, on the other hand, found the 50% off Valentine's stuff shelf!

My light source was behind me in the shape of a HUGE window at our local coffee shop. Not much better than 830AM sun as it filters in. I moved so the light was almost even on his face, keeping it behind me. I spot metered off of that sweet sweet face (not the red cheeks) and shot away.

I'm hosting a chat this Saturday@10AM EST during DesignerDigitals all day chat! I'll have a fun new tutorial to give away during the chat. I hope to see you there!

Happy Valentine's Day

Reflected, through glass while avoiding stepping on dog poop. A bit like relationships. Tricky to maneuver, but worth it when things come together.

Happy Valentine's Day!

15 Years Ago Today

15 years ago today was my very first date with Mr. Kennedy. Valentine's Day happened to be on a Saturday. We'd run into each other at the gym the week before. He remembered me from high school. I didn't recognize him at first.

He was the boy I always thought about when other boys treated me badly. I'd known him since we were 13 years old. We'd spent one week "going together," which at 13 doesn't mean much. I tired of him and his smelly 13 year old ways.

I always thought about him. With friends we'd joke, "should have stuck with Shea" every time I was jilted. Later I would discover he was checking up with my friends to see how I was.

I had no idea.

I love how life sometimes leads you to the decisions you need to make.

We met again at a gym. I was on the stair-master. We were both a little bored having moved back to our home town after college. Later, I called him. It felt too strange not to. He showed up at my house with a pink carnation. My least favorite flower. I made a gross dessert. He ate it anyway.

And after those 13  or so years of making the wrong decisions about boys. I made the right one.

Happy Valentine's Day Mr. Kennedy.

Do You Follow The Red Rule?

50mm | ISO 200 | f/2.5 | ss 1/640

I'm not sure where I heard it first, but I LOVED it the moment I learned. The rule is simple. When you see red, photograph it.

I love the punch red gives to a photo. And when a little smiling guy is behind the red, how can I go wrong?

What color do you like to capture? Link us up to your favorites!

He Put His Heart Into It

50mm | ISO 400 | f/1.6 | ss 1/40 | + macro extension tube 

Created and delivered. Ian insisted the hearts be red. After we punched all 34 of them out of paper, I found him under the table cutting the "curl" off. He wanted real hearts, not the fancy ones!

Behind The Lens: Carol Elliott

I have loved getting to know Carol Elliott through her photos. She has great variety and angles in all of her work! I first met her through DesignerDigitals and really connected with her through the DD Flickr group.

I hope you enjoy her photos as much as I do!

What sparked your interest in photography?

I have taken pictures ever since I can remember.  My uncle gave me my first camera when I was in early grade school.  The camera used 126 film and was literally Mickey Mouse's head.  To take a picture you pulled his ear down, there were a lot of blurry pictures!  I then had several 110 cameras that got me through college and when our oldest was born I moved up to a 35 mm point and shoot.  As my children grew I started taking even more photos, but it wasn't until I got my first digital camera in 2003 that I really started thinking about what I was doing.  My first dSLR followed a few years later.

I had a lot of fun with the metering techniques as well as bokeh in "Give it Your Best Shot no. 1 capturing light".  I think I need to keep my Christmas tree up year round just to practice!  Maybe I'll just hang lights on a plant! 

What camera do you use?

I shoot with a Canon 40d.  I love it.  I upgraded from the Rebel Xt to it.  My daughter now uses the Rebel.   She is taking photography in high school, but is learning her basics from me (thanks to you).  She sees things differently than I do and it is very refreshing!

What is your favorite lens?

My favorite lens is the 24-70 mm f/2.8 (I got it for Christmas).  But prior to that it was my 50 mm f/1.8.  My boys play soccer and my daughter swims, so for sports my go to lens is the 70-200 f/2.8. 

 My daughter read as I had fun with depth of field.  I love this shot and as a bonus so does she!

What makes you happiest about your photography?

I love capturing my family, our home, our life, and anything else that catches my eye.  I get great pleasure from looking through the photographs I've taken ... both old and new, good and bad!

What have you learned that helped your photography most?

Learning how to use my camera has obviously made a huge difference in my photography.  I've also taken to heart what you have said about taking pictures every day.  I think the two work hand in hand.

What did you enjoy most about Your Life: Captured Through The Lens?

I had been struggling on my own to understand all the buttons/knobs and how to set the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed so my photos would look like I pictured them in my head.  It was slow going.  I was shooting some in aperture priority, but didn't know what I was doing.  "Your Life:  Captured Through the Lens" was just what I needed.  It was easy to understand and just plain fun.  I don't know how many a-ha moments I had during that class.  Every week I'd be telling my family "guess what I learned today, let me show you what I can do now  ...". 

 I was taking photos for the tricky lighting assignment in "Your Life:  Captured Through the Lens".  This shot worked, but  ahhh ... metering!  I found the additional help I needed in "Get Me Off of Auto".

How has your photography changed since reading Get Me Off of Auto? 

I was beginning to get the basics down after taking "Your Life:  Captured Through the Lens".  I wanted to start shooting in manual mode, but was so slow that even inanimate objects moved before I was ready to take the picture.  "Get Me Off of Auto" was the answer.  It is a wonderful resource for the things I was beginning to feel comfortable with and has helped me immensely as I'm trying to shoot in manual mode.  I especially struggle with metering and have found just what I needed to know, as well as so much more in this ebook.  

 This photo is proof that I am beginning to see my world differently!  Everywhere I go I see things I want to photograph ... bits, pieces, pictures, life.

What are your photography goals for 2010?

I have two main goals for 2010. The first is to become comfortable taking portraits, specifically in manual mode.  I want to take my daughters high school graduation photos this next summer.   My family tells me I am ready, but I know I'm not.  A few of her close friends have asked me to take theirs as well, doubly not ready!  Secondly, I want to learn to use my off camera flash.  I rarely take photographs at night or in poorly lit locations as I don't know what I'm doing!  In a way, these two items are related as I'd like some indoor shots of Natalie!  I'm continuing my photo-a-day project in 2010.  I started posting a PAD to flickr in March of 2008 and it has just become part of my daily routine. 

You can see more of Carol's great photos in her flickr gallery and her scrapbook gallery at DesignerDigitals.   

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To help Carol with her 2010 goals, I'm providing her with a copy of my next tutorial, "Let There Be Light." It will be available at DesignerDigitals soon.

Which Would You Pick?

In the running for Photo of the Day today:

1. Ian with CheezIts. 

When asked why he thought this should be photo of the day he replied, "because I love CheezeIts." Yes, much to my dismay. The boy loves his CheezeIts.

2. The Tower Bridge 

After Ian and Shea picked me up today we went for a walk along the river (with the CheezeIts). The light was gorgeous. It asked to be photographed.

So, what's your opinion? CheezeIts or A Bridge?

Elvis Is King, Elvis Is King

50mm | ISO 800 | f/2.0 | ss 1/125

Meet Elvis. He's been around our house for 14 years. He doesn't get photographed very often. No reason. Poor fellow. Lately, Ian has decided he really likes him. He insists on getting him out of his cage. Wants to feed him crackers. Talks to him. And tonight, we hit a milestone. Elvis dipped his head so Ian could scratch his neck. He only lets the men in the house do that. Which just supports my belief we should have named him Priscilla!

On another note, have I said thank you? Yes, you. Thank you for stopping by to read what I write. I appreciate your kind comments. February has been a busy month at our house, knowing you are stopping by has been great motivation to keep posting!

Thanks!

Don't Forget The Snapshots

Remember your childhood photos? The ones with all of the stuff in the background, the toys you loved, bikes you rode, pots and pans your family used? Maybe heads were cut off. Maybe things weren't in focus. You love them though. And if you've suffered the misfortune of losing those treasured childhood photos, you know exactly how valuable they are.

So as I continue to focus on what I love, I've decided to capture some snapshots as well. Just the everyday. Not amazing photographically, but amazing in the details of our lives.

50mm | ISO 800 | f/2.0 | ss 1/50

This is such a familiar scene. In my office in the late evening, right before the bedtime routine begins. Ian and Shea watching a Netflix movie on the laptop. Perched in the chair that was rejected from the living room last year. In the background the boxes of  unused craft supplies. Somehow I can't get rid of them. The bookcase overflowing with training and development books from my day job. Books I'm slowly purging. Shea with a beer in his hand, one he carefully crafted in our hall closet. Ian holding his new cork gun (a completely different story behind that).

Look even closer, you'll see my gardening basket given to me by my mom. The window covering? Still the paper ones used to cover our living room windows after our newly installed shades had to be returned. I just couldn't bear to see them throw perfectly good paper out, so they were a makeshift temporary solution in my office. And yes, temporary can be two years!

This is our life. This is what drew me to photography in the first place. This is why I continue.

What snapshots do you need to capture? What is it that you love in yours?

Today My Photo of the Day Was Right In Front Of Me

50mm | ISO 100 | f/3.2 | ss 1/80

As I continue my February Lovefest, you might be led to believe I'm a football fan. Not so, but I can appreciate an event that brings people together. I can appreciate the tradition, but more than even that, I appreciate technology. Technology that connects us. The technology that allowed me to follow the game, while sitting in my home without a television. 

Who knew the Saints' final score would be a flip flop of the score I captured at the half!

Photo of the Day Will Appear Tomorrow

One photo today.

That's it.

But for now I have a little boy who needs me.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Did you take your photo today?

That's Good Enough For Me

70mm | ISO 100 | f/3.2 | ss 1/40

On the day of a photo walk I always expect my photo of the day to be from the walk. Not so today. My POTD appeared during the post walk lunch with friends. 

His eye shows you exactly the expression he was hiding. His eye and that little dimple. And that is good enough for me.

Photo Walk With Me: February 2010

I woke up to a rainy morning. We packed the camera bag and headed to Old Soul, wondering who would brave a wet day for a photo walk! As everyone arrived, the rain stopped, as if on cue!

We walked, we talked, we enjoyed the company. I loved sharing the time and being available for questions. I took more photos of people shooting their photos than anything else! I love to capture others' creative process. I love watching the concentration, wondering just how they are seeing things.

Our community of photographers extended to Steph, Sarah & Ditz, and Sharyn. Different states, same inspiration list, same day! Different interpretations. Different weather. Different bits of our lives captured. I love knowing photography is our common bond.

It's not too late to join in the photo walk fun! Use the inspiration list for your own walk or as a month long scavenger hunt. You can share your nine photos in the Photo Walk With Me Flickr group. 

Mark your calendar for the next Photo Walk With Me on March 13th, location to be determined. 

Collecting Photos of the Day For Inspiration - The Next 9

1. POTD012810, 2. POTD012910, 3. POTD013010, 4. POTD013110, 5. POTD020110, 6. POTD020210, 7. POTD020310, 8. POTD020410, 9. POTD020510

For Love of the Sweetheart

50mm | ISO 200 | f/1.4 | ss 1/100 | 32mm extension tube

Sweethearts. A tradition since 1902. I don't actually eat them, but I love to photograph them and it just wouldn't be February without them. So my love in this photo? Tradition. I love a good tradition, passed down in all its stamped corny goodness. 

However, there is another, newer, love in this photo. Any guesses?

Photo Walk With Me, Inspiration And Details

It's time to take a walk!

Join me this Saturday, February 6th for my second photo walk of the year! We'll meet at Old Soul, 1716 L Street (in the alley), at 9AM, rain or shine. Consider bringing a plastic bag to cover your equipment.

Remember to pay for parking, meters are enforced on Saturday. You may find free parking on the numbered streets a couple blocks from Old Soul.

Our Inspiration List*:
1. Red
2. Love
3. Blurry
4. Illegal
5. Hot
6. Sweet
7. Two
8. From Above
9. Happy

Looking forward to clicking with you!

Not in Sacramento?  Use the list as inspiration for your own photo walk. Let me know if you do!

After the walk you can upload your photos to our new Photo Walk With Me flickr group! When you upload please tag them with February, the corresponding word, and your photo walk city!


*I've switched to a list of 9 items instead of 10. An odd number is just a bit more fun to play with!

It's Photography I'm Enamored With

I considered taking a photo of my camera for LoveFest Day 4, but it's not the equipment I love. It is photography I'm enamored with. Seeing things through my viewfinder, capturing the moment so I can hold it forever. Knowing I can look back on today and recall what it was made of.

200mm | ISO 1000 | f/2.8 | ss 1/100

So my photo of the day is just that, capturing a photo of this very moment, this very day. Complete with my end of the day tired hair. Burn marks on my hand from cooking dinner. Tripod mount ring on my lens because I was too tired to take it off. And the grain? I needed it there. I needed it to show my day. Tired from standing in front of a classroom all day. Tired from a week of standing in the classroom. Tired from balancing life.

Photography is my love. And today had it not been for my love I wouldn't have picked my camera up.

Behind The Lens: Sarah Jones

You've already met our next amazing photographer, Sarah Jones. Now you can get to know her even better. I have loved watching her photos skills improve. She has a knack for capturing the details of her every day life in such an interesting way. 

I'll let her tell you the rest of her story!

What sparked your interest in photography?

When I was in high school, I was very active in all of our journalism classes.  We always needed pictures, so I usually snapped a few.  Then my senior year, they offered a photography class and I was hooked.  I have fallen in and out of love with several hobbies, but photography just keeps popping back up. After my husband, Ditz, and I started dating, photography was one of the things that we could do together.  We both really enjoy photography and have taken several trips just to take pictures. It's funny how differently we see the world.

Thirds: Yep, there was a time when I would've put that tree in the middle of the frame.   Who knew something as simple as not centering could make a world of difference in a photo!

What camera do you use?

For Christmas I got my first dSLR, a Canon Rebel T1i (I am such a lucky girl).  I just love it and I have had such fun this past month learning what it can do. I am currently using the stock lens, but I am pining for a macro lens and figure it won't be long until I add that to my camera bag! Prior to that I had a Sony DSC-H9 point and shoot. It is a work horse for sure and it won't be going to the land of forgotten toys.  

I tried this shot from above, from below, head on, off to the side, and so on (seriously, there were forty different versions).  I hadn't really thought about moving around or moving things to where they would look better before. 

What makes you happiest about your photography? 

When I see something that no one else really sees.  Someone sees a big red wall and that's all they see, I see a big red wall with the light hitting it just right which framed just right is beautiful.  I feel like for a split second, someone sees what I see and that's really cool. 

Backbutton: This is a technique  taught during Your Life Capture Through the Lens. I wasn't able to do it at the time since my camera did not have that feature.  It was the first thing that I went back to learn after I got my new camera and I love it. I use it all the time!

What have you learned that helped your photography most?  

What all those buttons / knobs do.  I mean, seriously, that has been awesome.  Flickr has also helped in that if I see a picture that someone else took, I can click and see what they did.  I've been way more comfortable playing with all my buttons than I think I would've been.

What did you enjoy most about Get Me Off of Auto? 

I love how easy it is to read.  You don't have to get a photography dictionary just to be able use it. Everything is spelled out simply, yet perfectly.  I printed that and the information from Your Life Captured and carry it around with me. When I am somewhere and can't figure out how to take a picture, it's easy to flip through and figure it out!

How has your photography changed since reading Get Me Off of Auto? 

I cringe at stuff that I took just six months ago.  I think my eye for a photo has improved as well as my ability to execute!

I loved Give it Your Best Shot: Capturing a Photo a Day.  On days when there is just nothing going on, I always fall back to the section about when it gets difficult.  Sometimes the picture isn't going to be a master piece, like this one, but I will remember that this was the day that there was so much ice on the ground we didn't go anywhere.  This just pretty much sums up the day for me. 

What are your photography goals for 2010? or Any Projects for 2010?

I am continuing my project 365 that I began last year and thus far I have not cheated or missed a single day. They aren't all gems, but I try to use each day with nothing really to take a picture of as a way to practice a technique that I've been wanting to master.  As as secondary side project, I am doing a photo walk on my lunch break on Fridays.  I work in a wonderful part of Dallas with tons of parks and pretty neighborhoods.  My goal is to not hit the same place twice in the same season.  I actually look forward to Friday's all week now and the first few have been less than stellar conditions, but I've done them!

You can see more of Sarah's great photos, including more details of her Friday Photo Walks on her blog.

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To give Sarah another technique to practice, I'm providing her with a copy of my next tutorial, "Let There Be Light." It will be available at DesignerDigitals soon!

Have I helped you with a class, ebook, or tutorial? Would you like to be featured Behind The Lens? Send me an email at katrina at katrinakennedy dot com.

109 Photographers and Melanie Grimes

I'm so proud of my dear friend Melanie Grimes! Have you seen her billboards? Yes, that's her winning photo! I love that she drove around Southampton to capture them! 

1. billboard12, 2. billboard11, 3. billboard7, 4. billboard9, 5. billboard8, 6. billboard6, 7. billboard4, 8. billboard5, 9. billboard 3

Melanie was a contributing photographer to Get Me Off of Auto!

February LoveFest Day 3: Broccoli

You read it correctly. Today's love is broccoli. This is not just any broccoli though. This was also the star of my January 2nd POTD in January. Grown in my backyard, cut from the stock this afternoon and steamed to a beautiful shade of green, and eaten with dinner. 

50mm | ISO 400 | f/2.8 | ss 1/100

This photo represents not just the vegetable itself, but my love for my garden. I love the satisfaction of growing something from a seed and then moving into our house as dinner. I love the quiet and the physical work it provides.  And, yes. I love that my garden provides so many opportunities for photography!

Is there something you can photograph a month, a day or a week apart to document its changes? A flower? A pet? A child? The mounds of snow? Think about photographing it from a different angle, from above, from below, from the side? Have fun with it! Show us what grows in your garden!  Whatever your garden might be.

How Do You Capture What You Love

You follow him around with the camera as he does things he loves. When he asks you if he should look at the camera, you say no, just pretend I'm not here. He proceeds to cook dinner. And I click. Trying to find the right light and the right angle and the right composition. Trying to fit it together as the right expression covers his face.

50mm | 500 ISO | f/1.4 | ss 1/100

I think I got it.

I took this in the low, yellow light over our stove. In Lightroom I used a Kelsey Smith Black and White Preset to even out  his skin color skin and the kitchen light. I like the moodiness it adds to the photo.

Today was a long day for me. Photos weren't my first priority. I snuck it in between teaching a class all day and heading to yoga in the evening. Not the best conditions. But captured. Do you have those days? How do you snap your photos when you're balancing other things in your day?

Focusing On What I Love

50mm | ISO 800 | f/1.4 | ss 1/400

I'm customizing my Photo of the Day Project a bit this month. For the next 28 days, I'm focusing on what I love. The people. The places. The things. And, the little details about the people, places, and things I love. His eyelashes. His smile. Those cheeks. Him. 

I captured this photo in low light while he played inside a "space ship." A high ISO and wide aperture gathered enough light for a good exposure. My shutter speed didn't need to be quite so fast, but ensured I'd stop his motion, not an easy feat with a four year old!

How are you customizing your 365 project? Want to join me in the February lovefest?