It's that time once again...the end of a month and a new challenge are just days away.  How on earth is the year almost half over already?  It's surely flying by!

Our June challenge is: 

Movement

We have the ability to capture on the camera what we are not able to see with our eyes: a precise moment frozen forever in time.  Before photography was around, mankind did not have the capability of knowing what something looked like as it stood still. (How's that for deep thoughts today?!?)  

We now have the technology to capture that precise moment, something frozen along it's progression from one place to another.  Though we are capturing a still moment in time, we can communicate a feeling of movement in our images on purpose, and this is exactly what we will be working on for our challenge this month!

Some things to think about with movement:

Fast shutter speeds allow us to freeze time, to catch our subject in mid-air or make a tack sharp image.  We use fast shutter speeds with children, in sports, wildlife or nature on a windy day.  A fast shutter speed is usually 1/100th of second or higher.  Though depending on the lighting conditions, the subject and your hand-holding-not-moving-or-breathing-while-you-shoot-skills, you can go as slow as 1/60th or 1/40th of a second.  When we freeze a moment in time like this, we communicate a feeling of time stopping to our viewer. 

We use slow shutter speeds when photographing in low light or at night,  or when we want our subject to be blurry.  Slower shutter speeds are _always_ used to get that silky water flow, and at night.  A tripod is a necessity when using slow shutter speeds, so if you don't have one yet, I suggest investing in one.

If you are a mobile device shooter, don't worry!  You can still join in with slow shutter speeds.  There are some apps to do this, and we will be going over those on the Instagram hub.  A tripod is also recommended for using slow shutters on phones.  

Slowing our shutter speeds can give our viewers a sense of movement as well, though to me this always feels more calm and serene than the abrupt stop of a faster shutter speed.

​Slower shutter speeds are also used to blur your subject on purpose.  Street photographer's use this method to show the movement of people (my attempt below...). It's also used in panning techniques or to make abstract images.  Panning is when your subject is mostly in focus and your background is blurry. You can make abstract images by moving your camera in a linear or circular motion as you press your shutter down. Though these take some practice and patience, it's fun to see what you get and try something creative!

To participate this month on Instagram, please use the tag: #2017creative_movement.  

In case you haven't heard, there is now an Instagram hub that goes along with the challenges!  It's only a couple month old now, and I've got a great team helping me out.  We feature images that have been tagged, as well as share tutorials, lessons and tips on things that pertain to the challenge that month. Go here if you'd like to follow along with us! We would _love_ to have you hang out with us on IG!  We will be focusing on different shutter speeds and types of movement each week and have some guests lined up to give us all their take on shutter speeds on dSLR's and phones!  We will be announcing which themes for each week on the hub itself, so don't miss it!

If you're not on Instagram, we've started a Creative Inspiration Community page in FB so we can push our posts directly there.  If you'd rather see posts there, find and follow the page here.  We don't get on there much, but at least you can see them still if you're on FB more than IG.

If you haven't joined the Facebook group yet, and would like to, go here.  It will send you to the FB group page, and you'll need to request to join.  You will have to be approved before you can get in, as it's a private group.  Ya know, to keep the weirdos out. ;)

Thank you to all of you who have joined me in this challenge!  It's been so fun to be inspired by your creativity, and learn along with you!

It's that time once again...the end of a month and a new challenge are just days away. For May our challenge is:

Perspective

​Perspective is the point of view in which we see something. A lot of times when taking pictures, we stand where we're at, put our camera up to our eye level and shoot away. This can get old quick. Think about it this way: as humans, we often see the same things from the same vantage point, and after awhile it starts to look similar and unexciting, even if the moment or subject is exciting.
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To remedy the boredom of the same picture that everyone else has taken and shared, try taking it from a perspective that most people don't normally see it from. This can better engage our viewers to feel a pull to your images, because there's something a bit different and exciting about them!
The thing I love most about this challenge is that it doesn't take a ton of extra time, no extra supplies or knowledge needed, and you can do this with a phone, a camera or any other device that takes pictures!

​The main point of this challenge is to get us thinking out of our normal modes of shooting. All too often, we see a subject and snap away at it without thinking if there is a better or more interesting angle that we could use.
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When I was first learning photography, I remember reading somewhere (though I can't remember where to give proper credit...) that once you take a picture of something, don't turn your camera off, but rather think of a different way you can approach the same subject. Take a few (or more!) steps to the side, try from above or below, what about from underneath or closer up?

Some things to think about with perspective:
​Changing your perspective is going to take some thinking and some extra time. It will take some observing what you can about your subject. Think about the way the background could look different, or the way the light may be hitting your subject. Sometimes a different perspective can completely change the story of your image.
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If you mostly photograph children and/or pets, think of an activity they love to do, then get them going on it. Take 10-15 minutes and take pictures from every angle while they do this activity--from one side, from the other side, from up above or behind them, close up and far away. Remember to crouch down to their level, to show how the world looks through their eyes. Think about adding elements that help tell a story, or look for ways you can simplify the scene by singling one small thing out.

If you love to photograph nature, think of one subject and find some different angles that you haven't thought of before. Always shooting from eye or tripod level gets kind of boring, but what if you shoot from the ground level instead? Or walk around your subject, shooting it though a different clearing or set of trees? Hike up a bit higher, or walk down a bit on the trail. Nature also makes some good macro and close up images, so get in close to show the details that we often miss. Or go opposite, and make your subject appear a lot smaller than normal by capturing a wide-angle look.
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If street or architecture photography appeals to you, try shooting from up above or lower than normal. A good excuse to see if you can get to the top of a new building, right?!? ;) Try different angles, or find a view of a building we don't normally see. Use the lines and angles to draw the viewer in! Look for a minor detail you may have missed before, and make it stand out as the subject!
Forced perspective is really fun when using architecture or nature (think of the illusion of a person holding the Eiffel Tower in their hand, or pushing the Leaning Tower of Pisa). I haven't done much with this before, but I want to try it this month. There are tons of ideas online that show this!

To participate this month on Instagram, please use the tag: #2017creative_perspective. In case you haven't heard, there is now an Instagram hub that goes along with the challenges! It's only a month old, and I've got a great team helping me out. We feature images that have been tagged, as well as share tutorials, lessons and tips on things that pertain to the challenge that month.  Go here if you'd like to follow along with us! We would love to have you! We will be focusing on different perspectives each week and have some guests lined up to give us all their take on shooting different perspectives! We will be announcing which themes for each week as the time gets closer.
If you're not on Instagram, we've started a Creative Inspiration Community page in FB so we can push our posts directly there. If you'd rather see posts there, find and follow the page here!
If you haven't joined the Facebook group yet, and would like to, go here. It will send you to the FB group page, and you'll need to request to join. You will have to be approved before you can get in.
Thank you to all of you who have joined me in this challenge! It's been so fun to be inspired by your creativity, and learn along with you!

​In January, my husband found some great deals on a flight from Salt Lake to Long Beach, so we decided to do something we'd talked about for awhile...take the family to Disneyland! The cheap airline tickets were just the incentive we needed, so we took it!  Oh, and the best part?  We didn't tell our kids!  I seriously felt like a kid on Christmas morning--so much excitement about what lay ahead.  (The bonus to the kids not knowing?  They didn't ask us 10 million times how long before we left..!)

A few days before our trip, I packed the suitcases and hid them in the garage.  Then the night before, my husband put the suitcases in the back of his truck.  We told the kids on the morning we were leaving, that Dad had a meeting in Salt Lake right after school and we were going to go down with him, so we were picking them up from school--we wanted them to be somewhat prepared for traveling by bringing a book, a snack or two and a device.
Well, we got in the truck and they didn't even think anything of our little trip.  Finally, as we neared the airport, I pulled out my phone to record us telling them, expecting there to be excitement.  Well, we told them...and they didn't believe us!  Some of the comments...."There's a Disneyland in Utah?" "You're lying to us." "We didn't pack anything, we can't go!".  So, that excited reaction I was hoping for never happened, but they finally got excited when we were at the airport at least! 

​The next morning, we went to Disneyland, full of excitement and happiness!  The boys enjoyed it a lot!  And though I really had planned to take a lot of fun pictures with my camera, I ended up enjoying the time with my family, taking mostly iPhone shots, and only used my camera occasionally, mostly after dark.  And I was trying out my Lensbaby lenses for most of the time, taking my people shots with my phone, and experimenting with my camera.  I wish I'd taken more "real" shots with my camera, but oh well, I enjoyed being present...because it may be awhile before we do Disney again.

On our 2nd day, we went to the California Adventure part of Disney.  My boys really loved Cars Land and the roller coaster.   I think the Cars Racing may be my favorite ride ever!   I only took my camera out a little bit in the day, most of it was in the evening--the lights were just magical!  I even practiced some in-camera double exposures!  (Be warned, these are not spectacular images...mostly just for fun ones.) 

We split our last day of parks, hitting our favorite rides in California Adventure first, then around 11 we headed to Disneyland for the rest of the day.  We got to see the fireworks and enjoyed our favorite rides again!  I didn't even pull my camera out until the end of the day...after dark again.  I feel bad now that I didn't use it more.  And I mostly used my Lensbaby or did multiple exposures...so yes, more experimenting with my camera...which did make for some fun pictures, but definitely not normal!

Our Disney experience was a lot of fun!  The boys enjoyed it more than they thought they would...and they were so glad that we're not liars! ;) 

My friend, Anna, took her four kids to Disney World just a couple of weeks before we went.  It's kind of fun seeing the differences, yet the almost same experience we had as her kids are close in age to mine.  Click on over to see Anna's blog, who is a Topsail Beach Candid Childhood Photographer in North Carolina.

​How did your March challenge go?  It's hard to believe it's over, but I saw so many wonderful rainbows being built and some great color theory images shared as well! If you are new, maybe you haven't looked at the rainbows on IG.  Look here if haven't yet...serious eye candy, I'm telling you, you won't want to miss it!


Are you ready for a new challenge?  For April, our challenge is: 

Shooting Through & With Objects!

This is going to be a fun one for sure!  There are so many things you can use to shoot through, next to, inside of, etc.  The sky and your imagination are the limit!  I've seen some pretty awesome things out there, and maybe you can think of more than what I have on here.  Now, I don't have many images with these types of things because I haven't shot many...so this month is going to be as much as an experiment for me as it is for you! (I made a few examples, but these are not fabulous by any means...)

So, how do we do this?

The basic gist of this challenge is to think of everyday objects (and some not so ordinary) and use them in your pictures to get different effects.  This challenge has been on my list since December, so I will admit that I have been keeping my eyes open! 

Some ideas of objects you can use:
* A crystal ball
* A clear tube wrapped in lights
* Tissue paper around the edge of your lens
* A CD or DVD
* A convex lens
* A prism
* Giant bubbles
* A frosty or rainy window
* Fork tines
* Tree branches
* Curtains
* Clear plastic wrap or a plastic baggie 
* A shirt sleeve
* Yarn (yes, yarn!)
* Colored gels for flashes (to give the scene a different color overall)
* Flowers (kind of like the but more blurry than that)
* A piece of paper cut into a shape (to make shaped bokeh)
* A paper towel or toilet paper tube
* A glass (top to bottom, bottom to top, or even sideways)
* Steamy shower door (just be careful that you don't get water on your camera!)
* Eye or sunglasses
* Cut a hole in any ordinary item: a sponge, a paper bag, a piece of colored paper, etc.
* A plastic container spayed with some water
*Lace

I made a quick video showing you some of this stuff up close, hope it can help you get an idea of what to use and how to use it! 

Some things to think about when shooting through objects:

Don't cover up your entire lens with the object, leave part of it uncovered for the best results. (Of course, this depends on which object you're using, some may require you shooting through the whole thing!)


Make sure you have all of your settings right before attempting to hold up an item in front of your lens! It may be kind of hard to change in the middle of shooting, otherwise.  An alternative to this is to use a tripod!


Don't be afraid to try something new or different.  It may not work, and then you just move on...but if it does work, it will be pretty much awesome! And you will go down in the Creative Photography Challenge Hall of Fame!  


If you're shooting on a camera, make sure you open up your aperture as much as you can, so you can blur the object. (This means your f-stop number is as low as you can get it.) You don't want the object to be your focus, just there to give your image a different look.


If you're using your phone, you will probably need some smaller items.  Like I mentioned before, this is a experiment for me this month, so I'm not sure how everything will work.  You may need to just barely cover up the lens on your phone because it's so small.  I would recommend setting your focus on your subject, then holding up the object a few inches from your phone, then slowly move it into the frame until you're happy with the results.  I will be playing on my phone as well as my camera this month, so I hope to share what works and what doesn't. 

​To participate this month on Instagram, please use the tag: #2017creative_objects.   In case you haven't heard, there is now an Instagram hub that goes along with the challenges!  It's only a few weeks old, and I've got a great team helping me out.  We feature images that have been tagged, as well as share tutorials, lessons and tips on things that pertain to the challenge that month.  Go here if you'd like to follow along with us!  We would  love to have you!

When you post pictures, it would be very helpful this month if you mention in your comment what you're shooting through, so we can be inspired!  Also, if you have any tips or suggestions, we'd love to share them as well!  Remember, we want everyone to succeed and feel inspired to be more creative in their photography!

If you haven't joined the Facebook group yet, and would like to, go here.  It will send you to the FB group page, and you'll need to request to join.  You will have to be approved before you can get in. 

I'm  really loving that so many of you are joining in with me on this challenge!  It's so much more fun to do with friends!  I can't wait to learn and grow with you this month!