Photo Quiz Answers!

Thanks for playing along with my Quiz. I loved the responses. There were the schmoozers, "Ian's eyelashes are to die for" and those who relied on knowing me, "early morning as that is your favorite light." Loved all the guesses about what he held from grasshoppers and frogs to roly-polys.
Let's see how you did.
ISO, yes not much noise, so those of you who said 200! Spot on.

For the aperture, there is a shallow depth of field, like many of you noted and Leslie and Shirley got it right! f/2.8 (Wendy, it's the "hole" the camera lets light through, also referred to as aperture) Notice his face is still recognizable with some detail, a bit wider and the definition would be lost. The distance between his shoulder and the fence gives the extra blurry portion on his left side.

Shutter speed. I loved Denise's response, "is there really a way you could tell this by looking?" Her guess was one of the closest! Definitely not an easy thing to see, but you can tell that there is no movement in my subject, so my shutter speed had to be fast, he is a four year old moving boy. That gives you a fairly safe guess that it is at least, 1/125th of a second. Knowing, that I play it safe when I can with him, a better guess would be 1/160. I'll admit, this would be a bit of a guess.

50mm | ISO 200 | f/2.8 | ss 1/160 | 507PM | Worm in hands

My favorite question was about light. Since photography is all about light, it is the most important question for me. There are some tell tell giveaways for light. Notice no dappling except in the fence line on the right hand side of the photo. Many of you were right guessing to his right hand side. He was facing South, the sun was in the West (a bit to the south). The tricky part here is that it was low enough to be blocked by a tree and building behind our garden fence. It gave me a nice, even diffused light. The dappled portion on the fence shows the piece the sun that wasn't as directly blocked.

Shirley guessed 515 making her closest to the 507 time of the picture!
Those of you who guessed worm in his hands were right. Great guessing made it the response with the most correct answers!


Four of you had three correct answers each, Carie, Leslie (go see her hearts), Shirley (make sure you scroll down to her merry go round photo), and Claudett. Congratulations!


Want to play again next week? 

Photographing Dinner

Photographing food is one of my favorite things to do. Notice my new plates? Going for a little square design to add some variety to my food portfolio!

50mm | ISO 640 | f/4.0 | ss 1/40

If you read the exif data, you'll notice an aperture of 4.0. I'm working on getting out of my dependence on apertures wider than 2.0. Giving the back tacos a little bit more opportunity to show themselves.

I used light from a north facing window in my laundry room studio! Notice that annoying line in the background?

My husband is now used to the 10 minutes I need to photograph dinner before I will eat it. Do you play with your food before you eat it? 

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I'm chatting photography at DesignerDigitals tomorrow morning with a freebie to give you! I hope to see you there!

Who I Am + What I Care About

I love when Jonathan Fields makes me think.  The "Who am I" and "What do I care about" questions have been working themselves around in my head all week.  Two questions, so intertwined, I can't separate the who from the what. I thought I'd share my exploration of the two questions in photos.

I'll begin here. The answer that arrived first, without even thinking. There is more. But let's start small.

I am a mom to a little boy who I care about more than anything. ANYTHING. And I will admit, it is all so unexpected. Both the little boy and the amount of pure love and joy he forced into my life.

50mm | ISO 200 | f/3.2 | ss 1/160

Who are you? What do you care about? Can you show it in photos?

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Madfam asked about the date stamp I've been using. The Make a Date Brush and Stamp was designed by Katie Pertiet. This weekend is the quarterly sale and chat at  DesignerDigitals so you can get the stamp and my ebook or tutorial at a great discount!

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.