So, you got a new camera for Mother’s Day, huh?! Lucky you! Or maybe you finally got your friend’s hand-me-down point and shoot. Or you’re just an Instagramming fool, taking tons of shots with your phone or other mobile device. Well, you don’t need to be a professional photographer to take beautiful photos, and you certainly don’t need the most expensive camera on the market. With a few easy tips and tricks, your photos will look awesome, regardless of your professional status or equipment.
1. Find the Light – I think this is the most important rule of thumb when it comes to any kind of photography. Light will make or break your image, and natural light is the way to go. Look for interesting shadows or backlighting that is a bit different from the norm. If you’re taking portraits of people, make sure not to have them in direct sunlight. Find a shaded spot or head out on a cloudy day instead. In terms of shooting time, first thing in the morning and right before sunset is when the natural light is at it’s best, so if you can work around that schedule, do it.
2. The Rule of Thirds – This is a basic photographic principle that’s pretty simple for even a novice to use. In it’s most simple form, the rule of thirds says that the frame of the photo can be broken down in to a grid with 9 parts and if you place the subject of your image on those grid lines it will be more interesting to the eye. For nerds like me, it means, simply, don’t center your subject. Crop at an angle that is a bit different and that can take your photo to another level.
3. Learn Your Camera – When I got my first digital SLR camera, I spent the first two months reading the manual cover to cover. It sounds tedious, but that was the best thing I could’ve done. Every camera is different and if you don’t understand what the buttons mean than you’re never going to get the most out of it.
4. Find Tutorials Online – The Internet is a magical place, isn’t it? It’s full of experts who will help you with pretty much anything, and that extends to photographers! Some of my favorite photography tutorials are on the Pioneer Woman’s site, where she goes through everything from exposure to aperture to focus to Photoshop with easy to follow images. If you’re looking for great photography apps, I’ve done a few round ups of those right here and here that will really help you out if your a smartphone photographer.
5. Have Fun! – I know, that’s annoying advice, but it’s true! Keep trying different things until you find what works for you. Get out and shoot whenever you can and eventually you will find yourself with images that will blow your mind. Happy snapping!
(All photos in this post, other than the first one (by Christina Gepner), were taken by me with the iPhone 4S, proof you don’t need a $3,000 camera to get some fantastic results!)
http://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.png00Meganhttp://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.pngMegan2013-05-15 08:00:312013-05-14 20:44:51A Photography Guide for the Non-Photographer
I know it’s a bit late, but I wanted to share a little from our fun Mother’s Day. Truth be told, we didn’t really do too much this year, which was pretty fantastic. Last year was lovely, with brunch and a day at the park (read all about it by clicking here), but this year all I wanted was a few hours alone to run errands. I know, super glamorous, huh? But as many of you moms out there know, a day of running errands without kids in tow is like a trip to the Bahamas!
Before my luxerious Target run, I was served a lovely breakfast in bed, with leftovers from our date night evening before, and received some amazing gifts, including the clay frog you see below. I mean, seriously?! Best gift ever! We capped the day with an evening soccer game for Miss Lulu’s team. All the soccer moms were joking about spending our Mother’s Day out at the field, but we all knew there was no where else we’d rather be than cheering on our little girls. Every year that passes I feel luckier and luckier to be the mom of my two little rascals, and I’m sure most moms feel the same. This mothering business can be thankless and downright crappy some days, but then there are days like yesterday, when it all feels pretty perfect. Yay for the moms!
P.S. Love this cute video one of my friends made with Blue Bunny Ice Cream for Mother’s Day. Mothering really is a lot like eating ice cream without spoons, wouldn’t you say?
P.P.S. To see what we sent our moms/grandmas for Mother’s Day this year, click here.
http://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.png00Meganhttp://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.pngMegan2013-05-13 20:54:432013-05-13 23:27:01A Belated Mother's Day 2013 Wrap Up
Last weekend I was lucky enough to meet up with a fun group at the wonderful restaurant Justus Drugstore in Smithville, Missouri. Our good friends live in Smithville, about 30 minutes north of Kansas City, and they have raved about this place since it opened. The chef, Jonathon Justus, transformed the space where the old Smithville Drugstore was housed in to an incredible place to eat and commune with friends. The meal is an experience in itself, with up to five courses, and lasting at least 3 hours. We sat down at 5:30 on a Saturday night, and didn’t leave until around 10.
The menu at Justus is seasonal, as one of their biggest focuses is delivering food fresh from local farms. The highlight of my meal was either the amazing goat cheese salad or my main dish of stuffed rabbit. Holy moley, it was good. Oh, and the jasmine tea rice pudding with lemongrass ice cream wasn’t too shabby either.
Justus is a wonderful place to host a celebration meal, and I think it was even better with a medium-sized group. We saw plenty of two-person parties, but we had a total of six. A little tip, if you’re going to have six or more at your table, on Friday and Saturdays you must make your reservation either at 5:30 or 9 p.m. But trust me, it will be worth it.
{Me and my cute date at Justus Drugstore, via the iPhone}
http://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.png00Meganhttp://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.pngMegan2013-05-10 08:00:392013-05-09 21:08:57Happy Weekend : Date Night at Justus Drugstore
A Photography Guide for the Non-Photographer
/1 Comment/in Fun, Photos /by MeganSo, you got a new camera for Mother’s Day, huh?! Lucky you! Or maybe you finally got your friend’s hand-me-down point and shoot. Or you’re just an Instagramming fool, taking tons of shots with your phone or other mobile device. Well, you don’t need to be a professional photographer to take beautiful photos, and you certainly don’t need the most expensive camera on the market. With a few easy tips and tricks, your photos will look awesome, regardless of your professional status or equipment.
1. Find the Light – I think this is the most important rule of thumb when it comes to any kind of photography. Light will make or break your image, and natural light is the way to go. Look for interesting shadows or backlighting that is a bit different from the norm. If you’re taking portraits of people, make sure not to have them in direct sunlight. Find a shaded spot or head out on a cloudy day instead. In terms of shooting time, first thing in the morning and right before sunset is when the natural light is at it’s best, so if you can work around that schedule, do it.
2. The Rule of Thirds – This is a basic photographic principle that’s pretty simple for even a novice to use. In it’s most simple form, the rule of thirds says that the frame of the photo can be broken down in to a grid with 9 parts and if you place the subject of your image on those grid lines it will be more interesting to the eye. For nerds like me, it means, simply, don’t center your subject. Crop at an angle that is a bit different and that can take your photo to another level.
3. Learn Your Camera – When I got my first digital SLR camera, I spent the first two months reading the manual cover to cover. It sounds tedious, but that was the best thing I could’ve done. Every camera is different and if you don’t understand what the buttons mean than you’re never going to get the most out of it.
4. Find Tutorials Online – The Internet is a magical place, isn’t it? It’s full of experts who will help you with pretty much anything, and that extends to photographers! Some of my favorite photography tutorials are on the Pioneer Woman’s site, where she goes through everything from exposure to aperture to focus to Photoshop with easy to follow images. If you’re looking for great photography apps, I’ve done a few round ups of those right here and here that will really help you out if your a smartphone photographer.
5. Have Fun! – I know, that’s annoying advice, but it’s true! Keep trying different things until you find what works for you. Get out and shoot whenever you can and eventually you will find yourself with images that will blow your mind. Happy snapping!
(All photos in this post, other than the first one (by Christina Gepner), were taken by me with the iPhone 4S, proof you don’t need a $3,000 camera to get some fantastic results!)
A Belated Mother’s Day 2013 Wrap Up
/1 Comment/in Happiness, Lucy, Tate /by MeganI know it’s a bit late, but I wanted to share a little from our fun Mother’s Day. Truth be told, we didn’t really do too much this year, which was pretty fantastic. Last year was lovely, with brunch and a day at the park (read all about it by clicking here), but this year all I wanted was a few hours alone to run errands. I know, super glamorous, huh? But as many of you moms out there know, a day of running errands without kids in tow is like a trip to the Bahamas!
Before my luxerious Target run, I was served a lovely breakfast in bed, with leftovers from our date night evening before, and received some amazing gifts, including the clay frog you see below. I mean, seriously?! Best gift ever! We capped the day with an evening soccer game for Miss Lulu’s team. All the soccer moms were joking about spending our Mother’s Day out at the field, but we all knew there was no where else we’d rather be than cheering on our little girls. Every year that passes I feel luckier and luckier to be the mom of my two little rascals, and I’m sure most moms feel the same. This mothering business can be thankless and downright crappy some days, but then there are days like yesterday, when it all feels pretty perfect. Yay for the moms!
P.S. Love this cute video one of my friends made with Blue Bunny Ice Cream for Mother’s Day. Mothering really is a lot like eating ice cream without spoons, wouldn’t you say?
P.P.S. To see what we sent our moms/grandmas for Mother’s Day this year, click here.
Happy Weekend : Date Night at Justus Drugstore
/2 Comments/in Kansas City /by Megan{Photo via Flickr}
Last weekend I was lucky enough to meet up with a fun group at the wonderful restaurant Justus Drugstore in Smithville, Missouri. Our good friends live in Smithville, about 30 minutes north of Kansas City, and they have raved about this place since it opened. The chef, Jonathon Justus, transformed the space where the old Smithville Drugstore was housed in to an incredible place to eat and commune with friends. The meal is an experience in itself, with up to five courses, and lasting at least 3 hours. We sat down at 5:30 on a Saturday night, and didn’t leave until around 10.
The menu at Justus is seasonal, as one of their biggest focuses is delivering food fresh from local farms. The highlight of my meal was either the amazing goat cheese salad or my main dish of stuffed rabbit. Holy moley, it was good. Oh, and the jasmine tea rice pudding with lemongrass ice cream wasn’t too shabby either.
Justus is a wonderful place to host a celebration meal, and I think it was even better with a medium-sized group. We saw plenty of two-person parties, but we had a total of six. A little tip, if you’re going to have six or more at your table, on Friday and Saturdays you must make your reservation either at 5:30 or 9 p.m. But trust me, it will be worth it.
{Me and my cute date at Justus Drugstore, via the iPhone}