::ANNA::

ArtsyTraditonal | Using Templates

This is another fabulous "traditional with an artsy twist" post by AnnaTeamer, Amber Ries.  

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I love to use AnnaArt to spice up any traditional page.  Combining artsy with traditional can be intimidating for the pure traditionalist. I know this, my style has always been traditional.  Creating traditional pages with realistic elements, photos in frames, a nice title and  blocked out area for journaling is the style in which I feel most comfortable.  At some point in my scrapbooking journey, the process of creating purely traditional pages became somewhat of a chore.  I was feeling that “I have to create these pages and record these memories”, instead of “I want to create pages and record memories”. I very close to giving up scrapbooking when I saw the potential in ArtPlay.

When Katherine and I introduced Artplay meets Traditional, we threw a lot of ideas your way. ArtsyTraditional is a series of tutorials that will be shared over the coming months to help you expand on those ideas. So wherever you are in your scrapbooking journey, whether you are scrapping because you feel you have to,  or are just interested in spicing up your traditional pages, join me as we delve into the wonderful world of ArtPlay!

In this post, I’d like to talk about working with a template or sketch. Templates give you a head start in the design process.  You are more freely able to play because the design basics have already been laid out for you. So let’s get started.

1. Open your template (I used MultiFoto Single Template No. 18) or create your sketch.

MultiFoto Single Template No. 18

2. Build your layout, whichever way works for you. I start with the blank sketch and then added my pictures. I prefer to add the photos first, because I always have more than I need and this method simplifies the selection process. In fact, in this particular case I had enough photos to fill in every photo clipping mask of this template, but decided ultimately to leave some free for embellishment.

3.  I add the digital papers to the template. In this case, I used Artplay Palette Pumpkin Patch for my background paper and Artplay Palette Autumnal No. 2 for my accent papers. One of the methods mentioned in Artplay Meets Traditional, was to think of each ArtPlay paper as a sampler of patterned papers. I could have used just one piece of patterned paper from this kit for all of my paper embellishing, but I chose to clip a different piece paper to each square photo mask, moving around the paper on each mask until I discovered a part of the paper that I wanted to showcase. 

For example, here's a paper from Artplay Palette Autumnal No. 2 on which I have highlighted the area used in my layout.

4.  After clipping the papers to the template, I moved each one to a layer above the white frame and tilted them to add energy, motion and depth.  I also added black strokes from FotoBoost Templates No. 2 to bring out my focal point photos, and build in a visual triangle:

5.  The next step is to add embellishments!  Stick them on there, move them around, re-size them, add shadows... Allow youself to go a little crazy.  Notice how I have grouped elements together to create clusters which are placed in a contrasting diagonal arrangement to the linear design of the layout.  

Don’t forget your journaling, your title and your date!

6.  With the tradional work done we start having fun with a little ArtPlay.  I can spend literally hours playing around with brushes and transfers, not that it need or should take that long.  It's purely a matter of enjoying the process.

Here are a few ideas for you to try on your next layout:

• Add brushes, always stamping each brush on a new layer to ensure easy edits at any time: change the colors, sizes, opacity, and apply differint blending modes and fill modes to each brush layer.
• Play with masks and transfers, tuck some behind your photo mats, re-size, rotate, layer and experiment with the different blending modes.  Did you know that masks and transfers can be used in a similar fashion to brushes?
• Adjust the blending Modes, then layer some brushes on top of your photos

This is my layout with the added layer masks, brushes and transfers (I removed the photos so you could see what was going on, you won’t see anything behind the frame when the layout is finished). I  used a number of fall-themed brushes and transfers, changing the blending modes to: Overlay, Soft Light and Color Burn.  Some of my favorite Go-To Art: LoopDaLoops, FotoGlows, and themed brushes.

And this is my finished page:

Artplay Palette Pumpkin Patch | Artplay Palette Autumnal No. 1 | | Artplay Palette Autumnal No. 2 | Artplay Palette Fall | FotoBoost Templates No. 2 (black strokes around frames) | Fotoglows No. 5 | Different Stokes 6 | MultiFoto Single Template No. 18

Were you keeping track? It only took us a small number of steps to create a traditional layout and give it a artsy twist. By starting small, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you will build the confidence necessary to strike out and create a layout that is pure art, and you'll soon find it  impossible to create layouts without ArtPlay.

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Thanks Amber for sharing your talent with us!

Guest Post | Better Party Pictures

Hi Friends!  It's Barb Hogan and I'm stepping in for Anna today. I hear snow is coming to Colorado again this week, so she might be out shoveling her driveway.

As a part-time freelance photographer, I've found a niche in being hired to take pictures at parties and special events. With Halloween this past weekend, and the holidays just around the corner, you'll have plenty of opportunities to take pictures of gatherings, and you might be looking for inspiration on capturing the meaningful moments at heart of these events.  I have too many photos of the same people sitting around the same holiday table with food in front of them, or even worse, a fork full of food going into their mouth.  Let's vow to take better photos at our holiday gatherings and parties, okay?

How can we do that? 

The following tips are intended to help regardless of the type of camera you own, or gathering you're attending.

1.  First and foremost, you're not just at the party or event to take photos, you're there to have fun too, so have fun with it.

2.  I know it sounds elementary, but always make sure that your batteries are charged before the event. If you have a seperate flash unit, make sure you have fresh batteries for your flash and back-ups as well. If you're shooting with a flash all night, you will burn through your batteries fairly quickly.

3.  Remember that your flash is your best friend. Most parties aren't lit very well and you're going to need that flash on your camera to light up almost every scene.  Knowing how to use your flash with existing light is a great trick. 

• Don't get too close to your subject, or you'll make them look like they were lit up by a bomb explosion. 
• Stay at least 5-6 feet away to ensure that everybody looks natural.  Don't go too far away, however, as the flash on most digital cameras is only effective to about 12-15 feet. 
• If you are able to bounce that flash upwards towards the ceiling, you will get an even more natural look. Not everybody has that option, but if you do, try it out and I bet you'll like the results.
•  If you have a red-eye reduction setting, use it.  Nobody wants glowing red eyes unless you're going to a Twilight party, in which case glowing red eyes might be just exactly the look you're going for. I'm Team Jacob, so that glowing hungry vampire look just doesn't do much for me.

Note: My exception to using flash is if you're at a party with really beautiful lighting - like a Christmas party with a beautiful tree. 

• Turn your flash off, brace your elbows against your body, and take advantage of the beautiful holiday light. 
• Another trick for taking photos in low light without a flash is to exhale completely right as you click the shutter.  I promise that this little hint will work wonders in reducing any blur. 
• Experiment with the Night Setting if you have one on your camera.  Make the most of the light and camera settings you have availble to you.

4.  Try taking photos from different angles.  Try them from high up and from down below. Crouch down, get on a chair, set your camera on a bookshelf and use your timer.... Whatever it takes to shake up the view from eye-level.  Use all of the space in your viewfinder, and try to keep distractions out of your shot.   After all it's the people that matter and make a party interesting.  If you have a wide angle, or even a fish-eye lens, try to use them to pump up the creativity of your shots.

5.  For candid shots, put your camera on auto and hand it over to people a few times. If you're brave, give your camera to a child and let them take pictures for a few minutes. They always have a creative and unique perspective. Many of the photos might be blurry or heads might be cut off, but I can practically guarantee you that you'll end up with at least one winning shot.

6. For group shots, aim to check this of your list sooner rather than later.  Your subjects will be fresher and more enthusiastic. 

• Plan ahead if you can and visit the location before the event.  Check out your surroundings and see if there's a unique way that you can do the shot, like shooting down at the group from a balcony, or posing them in a fun or unique way. 
• At the event, tell everyone involved several minutes ahead of time so that you don't feel like you're herding cattle to get the group together. Everybody needs to be ready, not just you.  
• Break the ice by envcouraging goofy faces and silly fun.  I always try to get my groups to do funny "jazz hands" shots.  It relaxes people in front of the camera and makes for better overall group photos.  
• Make sure to take several shots at a time, as one person will always blink or isn't lookin at the camera. I always give my groups a "one-two-three" warning, and that helps too.

7.  Remember, if it's a family event, you need to be in some of the photos. 

• Bring your tripod and use your timer for group shots that include you. 
• Plan ahead for where you will stand in the photo and leave space for yourself.  
• If you can compose the shot and have somebody not in the group click the shutter, even better.
• Hand your camera over to someone else if you can so that you're not left out of the fun.

8.  Finally, I think the most important thing that will have a huge impact on your party photos is to interact with the people that you're photographing!  Be silly, surprise them, confuse them, whatever it takes, just be fun about it and get them interacting.  At the very least, make multiple people interact with each other.  If you're at a party where you're actually one of the guests, then you are in an even better position to mingle, because chances are you already know other guests. 

It's all about capturing that fun and having a good time doing it.  When people are relaxed and not worrying about what a camera is doing, your party and event shots are going to be their best.

Now party on, dudes!

Selecting Colors for a Layout

I contributed to a blog post at The Daily Digi this week, about how I go about selecting colors for a layout. You can read the full post here.

The Daily Digi has a great membership program where you can enjoy $50 worth of digital scrapbook supplies and a 30-50 page interactive ebook, automatically each month for ONLY $7.50 a month, with additional exclusive collaborations every four months you are a member.  You can find out more about the program here.

Guest Post | By Katrina Kennedy

Katrina Kennedy is a photographer, teacher, author, and a mom. She is passionate about documenting the everyday moments of her life.

Katrina launched CaptureYour365 a community inspiration and ideas for your 365 project. She has taken a picture a day since February 2008, missing a photo on only one day. She still suspects that photo was misplaced somewhere!

 Katrina is teaching at DigiScrapapalooza in March 2012 and will be leading a group during Scott Kelby’s WorldWidePhotoWalk in October.

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Creating Photos That Make Your Heart Sing

What is it about a photo that makes your heart sing? Why do you pass by some photos while others draw you in?

I ask myself these questions every time I sort through the 10,000 photos I’ve taken this year.

We know good composition matters as we avoid distractions in the backgrounds of our photos, straighten our horizons and use the rule of thirds.

We know light matters, working to get shots at the golden hour or foregoing the harsh sun of midday for shady spots.

We know to set our white balance or to shoot in RAW, adjusting Photoshop or Lightroom after the fact.

We watch our shutter speed to stop motion, avoiding blur while we capture the action before us.

Heart singing photos have something more. They have connection. There is something in the photo that touches you. Something you can relate to. Something that sparks a thought or a feeling.

Perhaps it is an expression we can all relate to, coupled with sparkling eyes that connect us to a childhood memory filled with innocence and joy.

Perhaps it is the everyday item we all know, shown in a different way.

Great photos create a relationship between the viewer and the subject. You see a little bit of yourself in the photo. You see a little glimmer of hope. A glimmer of love. A glimmer of connection and warmth.

Connection makes my choices easy when I pick up the camera. What compels me? What inspires me? What do I want to remember when I’m 50? 80? 95? What matters to me now from 30 years ago? What are the photos I wish I could see? What are the connections I hold only in my heart?

Those are the photos I need to take today.

Grab your camera. Capture the connections that define your life.  

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Katrina is such an inspiring photographer with a really fresh perspective.  You can find more photography articles and information on her blog.

5 Simple Artsy Techniques for Photos

I am the guest poster at Simple Scrapper today with 5 Simple Artsy Techniques for Photos.

Congrats to Jennifer and family on the arrival of a sweet baby girl.

Guest Post | By Kayla Lamoreaux

Kayla Lamoreaux discovered digital scrapbooking in 2002.  She's blogged about it since 2006 and is the mastermind behind Digital Scrapbooking 101.  Kayla loves to create and is passionate about teaching. She has worked on several design teams and taught for Weber State University, Big Picture Scrapbooking's Stacy Julian in Library of Memories, Scrapper's Guide and many other websites and events.  Kayla loves teaching and interacting with students yet her favorite place is still at home relaxing with her husband and five kids.

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Let's Out The Elephant In the Room - Photo Libraries Are a Lot of Work!

Today I'm going to share WHY you'd want to organize your photos. I've learned through experience that mentioning keywords, captions, and star ratings can cause quite a bit of stress. And that's no fun for anyone. So rather than focus on the details of how you get organized, today I wanted to share something different. When you are just getting started organizing, it can be really difficult to see how all this work is going to benefit your memory keeping. So let me start with an example of a photo library you are probably already working in....

Look familiar? It's Pinterest. You can find Anna on Pinterest here and my Pinterest feed here. The thing that makes Pinterest so fun? It's like sitting in a virtual idea room with people who totally inspire you - AMAZING!

Now to relate Pinterest to a photo library. Have you ever noticed that when you "pin" something that Pinterest REQUIRES you to add a description? Ever wondered why?

It's all about KEYWORDS. Do you realize that with the thousands of users on Pinterest adding pins daily that Pinterest has become an online photo library of inspiration? Millions of photos are catalogued and organized just by their captions. Big deal, right? Yes. Let me explain why. It's all about search capability.

Let's say I want to find an inspiring photo that includes wings. I just type in "wings" in the search bar and get photos like this -

I can also click through to the original found here by Rosie Hardy. There's literally 3,686 pins and 108 boards that have something to do with "wings."

Another favorite was found when I searched "wings, fly" -

 

Seriously - one could go down a virtual rabbit hole searching the Pinterest photo library. While writing this post I coudn't help myself and put in "baby photos" and came up with literally thousands of images of cherubic angels:

How This Applies To Your Personal Photo Library

Let's face it - Pinterest is fun. I would go so far to say that precisely because it is so much fun, many of us spend at least twenty minutes a week there. Let's contrast that with what could happen if you made the same amount of time in your day or week to work on cataloguing your personal images.

Inspiration images are fun but what if you put the same amount of time into your personal photo library? Over several twenty minute segments of focused effort you could have some pretty amazing results.

Recently I was asked to share some photos of my oldest daughter's basketball experience over the years. I was able to literally find the photos I needed in sceonds by clicking a few buttons and having my organization software do the work -

Here's where it gets really cool. My library has almost 70,000 images in it (including digital scrapbooking supplies) and within seconds my software had narrowed the photos down to 276 that met the criteria I wanted. This is finding needles in a haystack at its best!

Now instead of finding "inspiration" images, I can find images that have great meaning to me personally because I've invested time in my personal photo library. Every twenty minutes I spend there it just keeps getting better and better.

Another factor to consider. So many people I correspond with say they don't need photo organization software. I'd have to say if you are planning on passing your photo library on to future generations you do. Folder organization can only take you so far whereas software literally provides ways to view and organize your photos in almost endless contexts with a few key pieces of process in your photo workflow. I would be remiss if I didn't thank Anna for having me here. I have been a fan of her work for years and I am grateful for her support and friendship.

Your Turn: I'd love to know your thoughts. Do you currently use organization software? If so, which one? I'd also love to know if you feel "organized" when it comes to your photos. If you don't, I'd love to know what your biggest obstacle to getting there seems to be. Want to learn more? Check out my blog where we talk more about photo libraries and other digital scrapbooking items. You may also find this post inspirational - Why Your Photo Library is More Important Than Scrapbooking.

Project 365 Week + Favorite Memory 2010 + New Blog Features

Supplies: Bokeh ArtPrint Paperie; Absolutely Acrylic Elements by Pattie Knox.

Wrapped up Project 365 Week 2.  I'm loving how simple this process is.  I think the biggest challenge so far is making sure I have the photos in the right order to co-ordinate with the chronological dates.  

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Guest Post at The Daily Digi

The Daily Digi is doing a celebrating favorite 2010 memories every Wednesday this month and my guest post features my favorite memory of 2010, a layout and my process.  You can read more here.

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New Subscription Option + RSS Feed

I have also added some new features to the blog by popular request.  You can now subscribe to my blog by entering your email address, so that each update is delivered to your inbox.  You also have the option to select the RSS Feed icon to view updates in your preferred news feeder.  These are located in the top left margin beneath my avatar.  

Feeling pretty pleased with my not so tech-savvy self.

A Fun Little Story

Eric and I stepped away from the ordinary today and ventured downtown to take part of a promotional recording of the The Blue Man Group, who usually perform in the Venetian in Las Vegas, but have been in Denver for the last week.  It was pretty neat to get a behind the scenes look at this talent, to see them perform the same scene multiple times and view the performance from a different standpoint.  Now I want to see the full show! 

I'm definitely a creature of habit and like my daily routine but it almost feels like I have been on a mini-vacation today.

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I did  my first guest post, Scrapbooking Streamlined, at The Daily Digi yesterday.  Check it out if you haven't already seen it.  The post provides tips for getting your scrapbooking done as efficiently as possible.