something blue to share

I'm totally lovin' this "follow a theme a day" thing!  Keep in mind that this list (that I just happen to stumble upon online) is from last year.  Following it, though, has actually taken some of the anxiety away from trying to figure out what the heck to take a picture of.  I check this list the day before, then I wake up with that word in my mind.  Sometimes, like today, it doesn't work so well.  Brian was looking for his cup of coffee!  Oops!  The theme is blue!  What can I say...  You grab the first thing you see, right?

Something new I'd like to start in our blog is to share something with all of you, and not just blah, blah, blah.  So, as of today, I will try to share something useful.  I can't guarantee that will occur everyday, but I will do my best.

I will start by sharing how I achieved the photo of Brian's mug!  Please keep in mind that I am not a professional photographer!  I've been dabbling in it now for 3-4 years???  I don't remember.  I do know that it's been a long and slow process for me.  I enjoy it and love learning something new everyday!  I still can't perform at the snap of a finger.  It takes me some time and lots of thought before I can actually snap and achieve what my mind is dictating.  That's part of the whole FUN!

There are probably better ways to achieve this, but this is what my self-learner mind did.

I was originally snapping the mug on top of this chair.  The wood grain looks nice, but I really love the gray color instead.  I grabbed a 12 x 12 sheet of cardstock and that's how I achieved this gray background.

I used my 35mm lens with the aperture set at f/3.2 and exposure at 1/10.  Please don't ask me to explain any of that because you wouldn't understand me.  I barely understand myself!  When I learn to better speak photography, I will explain!

I also set my camera on a tripod as 2 cups of coffee doesn't make for stable hands, which is KEY!  Shaky hands make blurry photos, especially when you're taking photos indoors.  As you can see, this is where I set my chair.  There's my front window that I gave up on giving me enough light.  In the morning, she's a good window, lots of light.  There's also those windows to the left that gives plenty of light.  About noon time, this side of the house is no good anymore.

My tip for today - - keep shooting until you achieve the look you're going for.  Change up your aperture and shutter speed.  I do keep my ISO low because I don't like grain.  Play with that, too.  Once you achieve something you like, make notes.  Then try again the next day!

I did do a little bit of Photoshop-ing.  I added a little texture and played with the exposure just a tinge.  All that you can do on Picnik, by the way - - well, until they close down in April.

I hope this has helped in some way.  This whole "share something useful" thing will be a work in progress.  Please feel free to comment on how I can improve!