Monday, August 25, 2014

New Site

Hey, everyone! I'm working on moving over to a NEW SITE for you all! Be sure to subscribe to the blog there to keep up with me!

FiberPhotographyLife.com

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Episode 20 - WIP's and Weddings



Thank You's:

  • Thank you ThankfulSadie for your review on iTunes!
  • Boston Jen for helping me on my swag for Stitches!
Clicking Away:
  • I have been working on my Daybreak shawl for Camp Loopy Project 2, but I'm definitely not going to finish in time. 

  • I started a My Little Pony Sweetie Belle by the Nerdy Knitter. Super cute, I just have to figure out a way to finish her before she gets dragged through the sand again! I also ordered the yarn to make Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Apple Jack.

Events:

Giveaway:
  • The winner of the Daybreak Dyeworks Giveaway by random number generator is post #7 - I would love to sample handspun yarn since I am not a spinner!
Fiber Adventures:


Photography Stories:
  • Since I last podcasted I have photographed 2 weddings, a harp session, a pregnancy announcement session, and two sessions with little boys! Life is keeping me busy and I should be able to purchase the lens I really want very soon.




Photography for Knitters:
  • This week we are opening the door to the exposure triangle and comparing it to getting guage in knitting. I am gearing up to challenge myself to a month of manual mode in September!

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Episode 19 - Fancy Tigers and Friends



Thank You's:



Clicking Away:



  • I finished my Vacation socks, they just need the toe grafted and ends woven in.

Shenanigans:
  • We had a virtual knit night with Boston Jen, ACTually KNITting's Michelle, Prairie Girls Susie and Danie, and Sarah and Kristi from In a Sknit.
  • I got to hang out with Kristi from In A Sknit at Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver. We caught a glimpse of Stephen West and had fun running around the store exploring and pretending like we can sew. I mention the Prairie Girls label contest.

Events:
Photography Stories:
  • I have had a few bumps in my business lately that have caused me to sit down and reevaluate how I do my job well. I have decided to make some pretty big changes and I am very excited about them, not only for my business, but for my family life.
  • I covered a baby shower and did a maternity session that I am really proud of, it was just what I needed to pick myself up and get going again. I also did a session for a family I have known for 18 years and it was an incredible experience.
  • I also photographed my Mermaid Song Shawl in my new basement.
Photography Tip:
  • Golden Hour - the lighting one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset creates a beautiful, soft, golden halo on subjects. I have had to learn to photograph in the middle of the day, but my favorites always come from shooting in Golden Hour.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Episode 18 - Knitting in "Public" Week




Clicking Away:





Events:
Life Reflections:
  • I have been a little reflective on how relationships and knitting have some similar concepts for success. It might seem a bit cheesy, you can skip to 26:30 if you want :)
Photography:
  • I discuss some of the play photography I got to do on our trip, especially with night photography. 

Here are some settings I used on my camera to get really fun night shots:
    • Put camera in manual mode
    • ISO set low (100-200)
    • Aperture set in the middle, about f9-f11
    • Shutter speed set to 2 seconds - 16 seconds, depending on how much light was needed
    • Timer set to 2 seconds after I pushed the shutter
    • Camera set on a flat surface
    • If we were in the photo we added a flash as well



  • Photography of the tip - learn to use the camera that you have! Explore those settings you have never used before and see what you can come up with!








Episode 17 - Camp and Chimps




Clicking Away:



Events:

  • I also met Allie and Jonathon of MJ Yarns and LOVED Jonathon's color sense! 

Photography:
  • I finished the photography at the dance studio, including some really fun images of the instructor. To see some examples, head to my Facebook photography page.

  • I also did a really fun engagement session with a fantastic couple, I will be photographing their wedding in August!

  • For tips this week, I wanted to add a few tips about having someone else photograph you:
    • Have a knitting buddy
    • Don't be afraid to "chimp"
    • Motion = Emotion
    • Change something every time you hear the shutter click

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Episode 16 - Socks and Dancers




Clicking Away:



Events:
  • Estes Park Wool Market is June 5-8 in Estes Park. I will be wearing my hot pink Knitting Butterflies tshirt, so come and say hi!
  • I will also be at Stitches Midwest August 8-10, hanging with the Prairie Girls and In A Sknit girls!
  • Knit In Public week is coming up, I can't do an event this year but maybe next year!
Life:
  • This week I talk about Geocaching. To find out more about this fun hobby, visit Geocaching.com
Photography:
  • I felt very blessed to do dance portraits for a dance studio in my area. 
    • For this photo shoot, I used an external flash shot backwards into a reflective umbrella.

  • In this week's tip(s) I talk about how to help a friend take better pictures of you
    • Always have the photographer shoot from slightly above
    • Make sure to have your chin "Out and Down"

Monday, May 19, 2014

Episode 15 - Knitting and Newborns

In this episode I talk about Mother's Day knitting, taking a newborn class, and photographing items for Etsy shops.


Game: 2048
Down Cellar Studios with Jen
Prairie Girls Knit and Spin Podcast

Fiber Stories:

Events:
  • Estes Park Wool Market June 5-8 in Estes Park, Colorado. If you want a preview, visit Crafty's Class "Know Your Wool"
  • Stitches Midwest August 8-10 in Illinois is coming up! If you happen to see me, please come up and say hi!!
I Dream of Knitting:
Photography Stories:
  • I did a 6 month session with a sweet girl I have been photographing since she was a newborn

  • I also covered a baby shower for one of my oldest and dearest friends
  • Coming Up - Dance Studio Portraits, and practice dance session, Mom and Dad session, Operation Sock Drawer
Photography Tip of the Week:
  • This week I talk about doing photography for an Etsy shop. 
    • Use natural light
    • Consider using a Lightbox for smaller items
    • Use tilted poster board and reflectors for larger items
    • Be sure to check your exposure settings and use the exposure compensation setting to make sure your images are getting exposed enough.
    • Calibrate your monitor to be true color, visit Improve Photography

Friday, May 2, 2014

Episode 14 - Mad Hustle


Knitting Butterflies Ravelry Group Instagram: butterflyem4 Ravelry Page: EmilyStraw
Clicking Away:




I Dream of Knitting:

I mostly have been dreaming about spinning a lot more someday. I add a few fibers to my wishlist, and I'm excited the basement will be done soon so I will have the room.

Photography Adventures:
  • I was blessed and privileged to photograph the March of Dimes event in Greeley, CO. What an amazing experience!

  • I purchased a 55-200mm f3.5-5.6 lens for this event, it wasn't an expensive lens but it made a huge difference in the quality of my photos!


  • I have been taking classes on Creative Live from Susan Stripling and Jim Garner, which really helped my photography and story telling skills.
  • Tip for this week - backlighting. Try putting your light source behind your subject, whether it's the sun, a flash, or a lamp. This is a great tip for hard light!

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Episode 13 - Bunny Pox


In this episode I talk knitting, favorite "new to me" podcasts, keeping toddlers busy, and posing tips in photography.


Clicking Away:



I Dream of Knitting

Podcasts I have been listening to:

The Knit Wits Podcast
Must Stash Podcast
ACTually Knitting
Knit.fm


Countdown to 30?
The countdown to 30 is over, but I had a great birthday!


  • I used a Busy Bag to keep my kiddos happy during a trip to the DMV.

Photographing Your Knits:

I recently watched a course on Creative Live by Lindsay Adler called Posing 101. Here are a couple of takeaways I wanted to share with you:


  • Objects closer to the camera are larger than objects farther from the camera. Example: hips closer to the camera are going to appear larger than hips farther from the camera.
  • When appendages point toward or away from the camera, a phenomenon called foreshortening occurs. This makes your limbs look shorter and thicker, and less flattering.

In this photo, I needed to pull my shoulders forward more and put my limbs out at an angle from the camera. This photo has some critical technical errors in posing which is why it's not terribly flattering. Redoing some posing will help greatly, I hope to demonstrate this soon!