3 Things : playing with printing + a giveaway

My favorite tip is GET CLOSE! I love close ups and think they always turn out so nice. If you use an SLR, buy a flash bar. They're pretty cheap and can make a huge difference in your shots. As far as what I want to work on = two fold. Take MORE photos. I feel like I "wait" for special occasions to take pictures, and #2) print what I do have!!

My best photo tip (and one that I have to constantly remember!) is to be aware of the horizon line in the background of your photos. Mine often come out slanted and make me wonder what the heck I was paying attention to! I'm loving all the tips posted so far!!

I have no good tips, believe me!! But I'd love to learn how to take better photos without a flash. I always seem to get photos that are blurry when I try. But I HATE the flash and how it washes everyone out when I use it.
Rachel in Oregon

My best photo tip (and one that I have to constantly remember!) is to be aware of the horizon line in the background of your photos. Mine often come out slanted and make me wonder what the heck I was paying attention to! I'm loving all the tips posted so far!!

I am trying to not use the flash, being more aware of the light around me. I'm really wanting to upgrade to a SLR too!

Shoot from the hip
I can’t tell you how many photos I’ve taken without looking through the viewfinder. Why would I do that? Well, for one, I hate being stuck behind the lens. If you go through your life with one eye shut, you’re missing half the fun. Then put that one eye behind a lens designed to crop off my view? Forget about it. No. I can see who’s coming and going, and that’s where the action is. Plus, when you’re not aiming, your photos don’t end up looking like everyone else’s photos. They’re instantly entertaining because they not only capture the story of the moment, but they do so from a unedited perspective. Ah, that’s the stuff!

First off, I want to say that I love your photos.
One thing I would like to work on taking more photos of nature, birds and knowing what settings to use on the camera...I have a cannon rebel (not digital)...I want that one but for now making due with the one I have, which is really not bad...Thanks for all the fun things on your blog!!

Love these ideas! I'd love to try printing on vellum again. I used to use this technique when I didn't have a "top quality" photo, but still wanted to scrap it....didn't need to be perfect and after printing on the vellum, I was able to use these photos in numerous layouts.

I love to print return labels with my favorite photos on them just to hear people's reactions.

Thanks for all the inf on Photography. My husband got me a Digital Rebel XTi last March when my second son was born and I haven't use it much, becuase of my luck of knowledge. I love reading your blog! Thanks for all your time.

I need to work on remembering to use my camera more often! When I do take pictures of a moment, I like to take several and almost always end up getting at least one great shot.

Photo tip: Take the photo more than once and from different angles. Then one is sure to come out.
I'd like to learn how to take better night pictures

There is so much I want to work on with my photo skills. I am saving for a D-SLR, but for now make do with my point-and-shoot which is really not that bad. It is a good camera. I guess one tip I have is I avoid using the flash whenever possible and as such tend to search out the best natural light for taking photos. I also love to take nature photos using the macro setting on my camera. I think a lot of people who use point-and-shoots tend to forget or not learn that there are a lot of settings to be utilized.
Kristen D.
Peabody MA

Thanks sooo much for sharing. I too tend to have those little oopsies when printing on different surface types.
My 1st tip is while printing photos make sure you have all the settings correct. Make sure if you are printing on vellum or transparency you have your printer settings correct. I've learned this 1st hand over & over again.
My second is to remember there may be some fuzzy, outta focus, bad angle shots but there are no bad pictures. This point was proven yesterday while looking at albums with my children.
The 1st thing they noticed were the pictures & who was in them & what they were doing. Didn't matter to them the pics may have been of poor quality. The 2cd thing was the words- they had to read every title, qoute, journal entry made. So much fun & so many laughs.
Thanks again, Ali for bringing things back into prespective for me. Truly it is about our story told through photos & words. Not about all the cutie pie paper & coolio elements.

My photo tip: Don't put too much thought into it or you'll miss the perfect opportunity. Just shoot fast and go.
Thank you for all of the in depth projects and explanations!

groovy idea, Ali. Love to play with new stuff. I use Office Max brand of t-shirt transfer stuff and it works really well...if that is what you are talking about with the fabric tansfer.
Stacie

Hi! Love the preceding post. Reminds me..
1. to delete
2. to journal thoughts I had while shooting
3. to print. I've gotten lazy.
LOVING making CD movies from pictures with music lately...good change of pace. Planning to scrapbook a page with that years moments on a disk to insert. I can narrate with my voice also using a mic.

I *wish* I was an awesome photographer...but sadly I am not. So my tip would be to take a basic photography class at a local college. I have been telling and telling myself to do this. I keep practicing and do get my fair share of scrapbook-able photos.

My tip would be to always take your camera with you!! I have missed so many wonderful pictures because I forgot my camera.

My number one tip....just point and shoot...just do it...some of the best pictures come from just doing it. Sometimes if you just wait for a planned opportunity you miss something great!

I love photographing emotion. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to print mirrored journaling on 2 separate photos. Thanks for the boost I always get from the things you share!

My tip would be to always take your camera with you!! I have missed so many wonderful pictures because I forgot my camera.

I don't hand-hold my camera and shoot slower than the length of my lens. If I've got a 50mm lens, I don't use a shutter speed slower than 1/60 of a second. If I've got a 200mm lens, no slower than 1/250 of a second. If I want to shoot slower than that, I use a tripod.

I guess my most basic photo tip would just be to have it with you. I have mine ready in the car (the kids do funny things even when strapped in a car seat), at the grocery...and take lots of pictures

I need to work on getting more sleep :)
In picture taking I need to work on writing down the names and dates with each pix. Funny how easy it is to forget these details as the years roll on. Peace.