FAB Photo tips!

Hi friends, it's Gabrielle here with a few photo tips!

One of my favourite things to do while I'm editing my photos is to create a soft faded edge. I find it helps frame the photo and create a layer of it's own even before matting. I use Photosuite photo editing software (It comes with Roxio Home Creator)....for me it's a really easy to use editing software.

A fun effect I stumbled upon a couple years back is this sheer looking frame design. I had printed off the same photo in 4x6 and 5x7 because sometimes I'm not sure what size I'm going to want for a given layout. I had stacked the 4x6 on the 5x7 and thought, HEY! that looks pretty cool! Here is a photo I recently layered in this way for an upcoming Bo Bunny blog layout (you can see the full layout on the 11th)

 Here are a few photo-taking tips I have for taking portrait style photos....

~ I always prefer to take my photo's outdoors on overcast days, you don't  want harsh shadow so ...bright sunny days are not good for this.
~ try to take your photo's from a slight upper angle, so many of us have a bit of a double chin 

taking a photo from a higher angle hides this and also gives you more of an open eye.
~ Want a more glamorous looking photo, try changing the photo to a black & white and bring up the brightness and contrast, this bleaches out minor wrinkles and blemishes and focuses on the eyes and lips only. This is what I did for the photo below....

 Here is one more tip! Don't have photo editing software and want to give your photos interesting edges? Look for free photo editing sites! One of my favorites is Pixlr-o-matic http://pixlr.com/o-matic/ ...All you do is choose a photo from your computer, then you can choose all sorts of frames and effects to add to your photo. Here is a photo of my nephew and his bride on which I added a sanded looking edge with the Pixlr-o-matic site.....

 Here is another one I made up using their software that 

gives an extreme aged look...

You can add very subtle design elements to your photos or very extreme, it all depends on the look you are going for in your layout. Hopefully implimenting some of these tips in your photo-taking and editing will help in bring a nice focus on your photos. Give it a try.

Photography 101 - Photo Editing

Happy New Year EVERYONE!

It has been a while since we last did a photography tip.

I was thinking...

the holidays are gone, and we have LOADS of 

fun pictures just waiting to be printed and scrapped. 

How about some easy editing tips that

 can be done in most photo editing software.  

(we used photoshop)

Here is our beginning photo.

Already a great photo RIGHT?!

Well with a few simple steps, we can make it even better.

Lets get started.

Lets talk

LEVELS

Find your levels 

In photoshop it is under the menu image/adjustments.

Simply move the levels bar on both sides in 20. Like above. THATS IT!

Just look at the results...

We took a great photo to AMAZING in seconds.

If your photo editing software doesn't have Levels, here's another simple trick.

Lets play with 

Brightness/Contrast

In Photoshop, its is also under images/adjustments

Simply change the Brightness and Contrast by 20 like above and voilá!

Here is the before and after side by side.

AMAZING RIGHT?!?!

Give it a try!

Hope you have a great Monday!

Photography 101 - Halloween Pictures

Today we are going to talk about HALLOWEEN!!!

Lets face it, its hard to get a good shot of those kiddies in their costume.

It's often to dark when we take our photos causing strange color and the dreaded RED EYE!

Here are some easy tips that could make capturing this fun and exciting holiday easier!

Tip number 1 - Most important for capturing those Ghouls and Goblins

 is use natural light if possible!  We talked about lighting in our last photography post and 

lighting is still just as important even on Halloween.

Take a look...

Photo Courtesy of Shanna Vineyard

See how this photo still has the Halloween feel even though its bright outside? 

Such a great shot of this vampire cutie!

Tip number 2 - Capturing the mood.

Yes you can take successful photos when it is 

dark out and it can be great for setting the mood of the photo.  

Below is a great example of this.  The lighting is perfect.  

No harsh shadows on the face from an unnatural flash.  

Just take a look at your surroundings and you may 

be surprised the lighting you can find.

These dark set pictures can also turn out great if you pose

your subjects in "The Flash Range" the area in which

the flash actually reaches the subjects and lights up their adorable faces.

Photo courtesy of Shanna Vineyard

Tip number 3 - Get the details. Take shots of your kids transition 

between beautiful child to scary creature! Do close ups to show the details of their costumes, 

their make up, accessories and there adorable faces. 

And of course have them pose acting out their costume!  

These few things will make your photos so much more fun 

and interesting, not to mention easier to scrapbook!

Tip number 4 - Use props!  We all...well most of us decorate our door steps, or houses, or something!  Use it!  They make the best backdrop for those Halloween photos.

Tip number 5 - Last but not least...HAVE FUN!  And let your kids have fun.

Don't torture them with too many photos (you MAMA-RAZZI's)

when they are eager to get out there trick-or-treating.  

Having a plan a head of time will help you get those cute little monsters

 out the door even faster and you'll all enjoy your night together much more!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Photography 101 + Flat Bunny

We had such a great response last time we did

our Photography tips, that we thought we'd do more.

Just in case you missed it, here was our first lesson. CLICK HERE

Last time we mentioned the rule of thirds.

Well today we're going to expand on that and discuss the composition.

The first step to composing a photo is to choose a subject.

Today's subject is Sarah Jane - Graphic Designer extraordinaire

Second is don't try to include everything in the photo

See how distracting everything is around the subject?

Compositions are always stronger when there is only one main focal point.

After these two steps you can focus on the third step

(which we already learned) the rule of thirds, and where you

are going to put your main focal point in the composition.

I also shot this at a birds eye view. Something we learned in the last lesson.
Doesn't she look cute?  Look how big her eyes look when you use this angle.

Last but not least, pay attention to your surroundings.

Make sure your background compliments your main focus,

and always pay attention to those distracting

details that could make or break your photo.

Did her head sprout a tree?  Or look at the pole coming out
of the center of her head...very distracting

Our next tip is...

LIGHTING!

As most of you know, lighting is EVERYTHING in a photo.

Good Lighting is what can make your snapshot look

like a professional photograph.

One great tip that I have learned is using reflections.

Photographers use fancy equipment for this,

but all you really need is a good white sheet,

or poster board to create a reflection.

Before

Who knew a 99 cent poster board could be such a help?

After

More lighting tips...

Try to avoid strange and distracting shadows.

Shadows caused by a flash going off can be

distracting and can add strange effects to your image.

Having sufficient lighting and reflection can eliminate the use

of the flash and getting rid of those strange shadows all together.

Another problem with shadows can be caused by the sun.

Make sure to pose your subject to be facing the light,

and not standing in front or the side of your light source.

Also, to prevent squinty eyes try taking your pictures

on cloudy days or around dusk so the sun isn't blazing overhead.

One great thing with technology today,

is Photoshop or other photo editing programs.

These programs can really help with lighting, so if you are really

interested in photography, invest in a good image editing program,

and learn how to use it. You will not regret it!

Well, that's all for today. I hope these tips will help you all

capture all those precious moments.




And its time to announce the winner of this months
Flat Bunny invite.

Drum roll please.....

Éva Virág

from Hungary

Here is the winning invite

Csaba Tóth make sure to email us at
thebobunnyblog@gmail.com 
so we can arrange flat bunny's itinerary.


For the rest of you, make sure to keep sending in
your invites.  Maybe you will be the next person
to host Flat Bunny!


Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!

Photography 101

Lets face it, the photos we use for scrapbooking can make or break the project. We thought during tutorial week it would be fun to talk about some great digital photography tips to help you capture those special moments with the loved ones in your life.

First lets talk about the rule of thirds.

The basic concept behind the rule of thirds is to divide your image into 9 parts.

The diagram above illustrates where you want your main focus in your image. As you view your image in the view finder or LCD screen imagine try to imagine this grid and align your main focus up with one of the red circles.


Placing your subject slightly off centered creates more visual interest, and is a more natural way for the eye to interact with the subjects. It also helps create a sense of balance.

Next lets talk about angles.

Angles can create such a different look and feel for your photos. When shooting kids, or animals I often will take many images to try and get the best shot. When doing this try different angles so you don't always have the same image over and over again. See the examples below.



The images above are great examples of what is called "birds eye view". The birds eye view is one of the best ways to shoot children, and also helps your subject to open their eyes wider, and can also eliminate double chins and such (we all love that!).


Next, we'll discuss focus. To help create visual interest, notice what your camera is focusing on.



See how great the focus is on this dog. It really helps the viewers eye look where you intended.

One last tip. Image editing is a huge part of getting the perfect shot! It's a great investment to purchase image editing software such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, or iPhoto, or take advantage of using the digital printing machines at your local photo processing store. These can be an inexpensive way to help you edit your images also. And last but not least, don't be afraid to crop your image.

So now that we've gotten that out of the way, lets do a GIVE-AWAY!!!

Leave a comment and you could be the lucky winner of the BLOCK PARTY COLLECTION.

Have a great Wednesday.