In my last BLOG we talked about life lessons, practice and patience. My mind works very simple. I often mispronounce words, I wasn’t taught phonics in grammar school, only memorization as a reader, but the things I know about life and lessons I’ve learned along the way has shaped me into a well-rounded person. (and I’m getting pretty round too - lol) I am an excellent cook, I love to garden and grow vegetables and flowers, I am a self-taught professional photographer (although I have taken a lot of in person classes and workshops) - I have so many interests. I enjoy decorating my home, but I am finding a little is more appealing than a lot. (Mainly getting rid of clutter.) In November of 2022 I turned 60! In August before I turned 60 in November, I ran into a friend who had turned 70 in 2022. We chatted on the Post Office steps about life, kids, grandkids, family - you know the conversation you have when you haven’t seen someone in a while. She mentioned her ”70 list” she had made to celebrate her birth year as she was entering into a new decade. Lynne had made a list of 70 things she wanted to do. It was simple - 70 hikes was her goal!
This was so interesting. I remember getting into my car and pulling up on Pinterest, “60 things to do at age 60”. Well - there are list to get you started on Pinterest for almost every age. Someone has already done the work for you so to get started you can just copy someone else’s list - but why do that when you can think of things you want to do in a year? Mine was things like take more baths, learn to make homemade pasta, send 60 thank you cards to people, send 60 encouragement cards, take a photography workshop, teach a photo class, photograph a house on the way to Anderson SC that gets covered up with Kudzu, take Bradley hiking, etc. So many things on my list are just taking the time and being aware of how I use the time that I have with my family, family and self-care. I just want to get things right every day and make a difference. My thoughts on my list of 60 things goes hand in hand with our next tip.
Hydrangea bloom - I didn’t get it right in camera! Photoshop edits and masking worked out pretty good in the end.
Tip #7
Get it right in camera! This goes back to tip #5 in a previous BLOG post - understanding the exposure triangle. Getting it right in camera means watching your exposure meter before you shoot and reviewing your histogram after the shot to make sure you are recording your shadows and highlights correctly. Too much information in the shadows or highlights results in an underexposed or overexposed image. This is information that cannot be retrieved in postproduction. When you look at my work you can tell I like color and those deep tones. As much I would like to photo florals with a bright and sunny look, I am always drawn to those deep rich colors. If you have ever been in my home, the same is true. While everyone was painting their homes with bright and airy shades of gray, I was picking out deep hues of greens, gold, reds and blues. I did run off the page with a gray upstairs, but it has warm undertones - not the bright and airy colors which was popular. So your style of getting it right in camera can lean towards the deeper shades of color, meaning your mid tones and shadows lean towards the left more than the right. If you love bright and airy, you will want your mid tones and highlights to lean towards the right, but be careful not to blow out your information in the highlights. Learn where your meter is in your viewfinder. If you are not seeing the meter, you need to push your eye directly to the viewfinder. Most LCD screens have this information as well. When you review your photo on the LCD screen, you can check the recorded information - this is where you will find your histogram. Strive to get it right in camera!!! and check your histogram!
Do you want to learn more about Blooms of Floral Photography? I am hosting a series of workshops for the beginner, intermediate and advanced photographer this summer. For more information, click on the link. In the subject line “Blooms”. Class size will be limited to 6 students for beginners, 8 students for intermediate and advanced.