Sunday, December 12, 2010

Enjoying the Christmas Spirit

jessie & elfie2

*One of our favourite 'traditions' in our home is to lay on the carpet under the Christmas tree after it has been put up. In the background there usually is Christmas carols softly playing on the the stereo or one of the girls are playing on the piano. Even are fourteen year old cat gets into the action! It really invites the Christmas Spirit into our home! I love it.

I used my Nikon COOLPIX L100 on a portrait setting. I did not have to worry about a flash because there was enough nature light coming in through the windows. The camera was angled upwards so that I could play with the sun's beams that were coming in to the room. Afterwards I had some fun editing where I emphasized the gold and green in the picture. I like how Jessica's turquoise earring become one of the focal points in the snapshot!

Have some fun taking pictures of your traditions during this time of year. What kind of things can you FOCUS on ?

~ Susan}

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Christmas Traditions

 

gingerbread door

Ginger bread house

 

Drinking milk

Oh yes….there are many traditions at Christmas, but the one that we love in our family for sure is to make ginger bread houses. Not all houses are the same and lots of candy and milk is eaten and drank by everyone. At the end everyone is tired out by all the laughter! It is great fun to take pics of the houses using my macro setting.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Editing Heritage Photos

 

sussex child

                             Distant cousin in Surrey, England

sussex england

                          Great, great, Grandparents in Sussex, England

Dad on horse in Cresent, Oklahoma

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                    My Dad visiting Houston when he was a boy.

With all the new technology that has come out over the last few years it is possible to restore and edit photos from years ago. I love taking pictures that have been left to me and restoring them, playing with and creating with. They are all precious to me and with the help of computers I can help them last a lot longer. I can erase tears and scratches, clear and sharpen pictures and even color black and white photos if I want to. It really is fun. There are so many programs to chose from, like Corel Paint shop and Adobe Photo shop. If you don't have the program these companies offer trial download so you can give the program a try before you buy it! So cool!

Happy editing!

         Susan

Friday, October 29, 2010

Night Photography

 

night play

 

night thoughts

My daughter and I had super fun taking some snapshots outside the other night. I had actually gone out to take a picture of the full moon, however the clouds kept covering it, so we ended up experimenting with lights and shadows. It was kind of neat. I have never been comfortable taking night shots, but I have to admit this was really interesting. I used a lantern by her feet to create artificial light and shadows. Then I changed my cameras exposure setting. Night creates a whole new feel to photographs that I think I was scared of before! I love it now! Give it a try this week and get some picture of some little ghouls and goblins!

                      Happy picture taking!

                                     Susan

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Autumn Photography

fall field

fall leaves

What a fantastic time of year to have fun playing with nature’s fantastic colors and light when taking fall photos. You will be amazed at the different illusions that you can create by positioning yourself in different spots so that you can ‘play’ with the sun and the wonderful bright colors of Autumns foliage. Give it a try. I always feel like I am creating a little bit of MAGIC!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Harvest Time Snapshots

harvest apples

 

choke cherry lady bug

You can really have a lot of fun with food pictures. Harvest time can bring about a lot of unique situations where you can take interesting pictures. There is some many different colors all around you during this time of year. Take a look and see what you can come up with. Think BIG and SMALL!

 

pepper bowl

So have some fun taking some pictures of the harvest this week!

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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Old Building Photography is Artwork!

                                Proud Waiting copyrighted© Susan K. Weckesser
Wow….were has the week disappeared! It seems like everyone goes to school and life speeds up! I didn’t want to miss my week of photo journalism so I made sure that I put my camera by the front door so that whenever I have to go pick up someone from school, football, or piano lessons, I have my camera handy to snap some pictures!
I adore old buildings! They are so beautiful! I love to imagine who used to live there once upon a time. I love the colors and the weather worn wood, bricks and stones. So many wonderful textures to photograph! The really are artwork! Try finding a old building to take a snapshot of this week and and enjoy there beauty!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Small Creature Photography

Mourning Cloak Butterfly copyrighted©Susan K. Weckesser


The theme this week is small creatures (macro or close-up) and I am really looking forward to it! Every since I got my first digital camera a feel years ago I have had so much fun using the macro settings and taking close up pictures. It truly is amazing the pictures that you can take and the different perspectives that you can see. Give it try and see what use can come up with. Try to take a picture of something very small. 




Taking Flight copyrighted © Susan K. Weckesser


Suggestions:   -When taking pictures of small things try using a tripod to reduce shaking.
                                   -When snapping the picture, barely push down your shutter release button to also reduce shaking.
                              -Hold a good inch or two away and zoom in so you don't disturb your object and you stay in focus.  

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Capturing Family Fun

Final Play                                                                            Final Play; copyrighted © Susan K. Weckesser
This was a fun photo to take! The weather was beautiful and everyone was in a fantastic mood! I love how my snapshot tells a story, however there are many other stories going on in my snapshot at the same time. Look how proud my daughter looks because she got the  football. Then look at my husband… he is up to no good! My other daughter is just enjoying having her photo taken. My sons are being, well you guess it, trouble makers! I luv it! So many stories going on in the picture!
Because this was a sport photo I kept my COOLPIX on a continuous sport mode so I could catch all the action. I then used a filter in Corel paint Shop Pro to bring out the colors and richness of the photo.

Monday, September 6, 2010

It is a new week in photography...

          'Another Day at the Swimming Hole' copyrighted© Susan K.Weckesser (Kodak easy-share)

This weeks challenge for the Photography Journal is 'OUTDOOR SPORTS'. This can include anything and everything that you might consider an outdoor sport. So while the weather is still beautiful outside get out there and enjoy it!  When taking pictures try using other settings on your camera. It is wonderful to to shoot in vivid color, but you will be surprised at the different range of emotions the you can get from shooting in sepia or black and white. Look at at the at the wonderful raw emotions of the two girls taking a break from swimming that I captured from snapping this snapshot in black and white. Give it a try and see the difference between settings.
                            Happy shooting!
                                       Susie

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Nikon's' International Photo Contest Starts Today


Get your camera out and get snapping because Nikon is having their International Photo Contest. What a neat way to share work and to see the work others. Don't worry, you don't have to be a professional to enter this contest. So start taking pictures!
 The categories are:
(A) Free subject: Works that convey your unique perspective and creativity.    

                      (B) Energy: Works that capture the energy of sights and subjects that inspire, motivate or excite you or viewers.


Just have some fun! I can't wait to see what people come up with!
                                              
Susie 

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Musical Ladybug Pics

ladybug on bow

ladybug on bow 1

While practicing my violin in the garden I was delighted by many small visitors who came to listen, or so I would like to believe! So as you can imagine my practice turned into a fantastic photo shoot with these great little guys and another great picture for my RED THEME. I love using my MACRO SETTING and taking some fun picture of tiny things.  I did some editing with Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 just to highlight the whites in the background and bring out the natural red of the ladybug.

 

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If you have never used these programs before , these companies often offer a free trial offer where you can download the program for free and give a try for usually thirty days. I recommend that you give it a try first and see how you like it.

Have some fun relaxing and creating!

                           Susie

Monday, August 30, 2010

Photography Going Red

                               'Rainy Day Fun' copyrighted © by Susan K. Weckesser 
Here I go...week one of my photography journal and I'm diving into 'Everything Red'.
 I had a great time taking this one with my Nikon Coolpix in our backyard during an evening shower. I wrapped a bit of plastic wrap around my camera so it would not get wet or foggy. I had fun sneaking around the garden so my "subjects" wouldn't see me. Try to get different photo perspectives by taking your pictures at different heights and angles. It is amazing how one shot can look so different! If you take so red shots, be sure to share them! I would love to see them!
Susie

Monday, August 23, 2010

Welcome to [Snapshots 52]

                                    'Jessica's Day Dream' ©Susan K.Weckesser (Nikon cool pix) 
Welcome to [Snapshots 52], my new photography blog! I am so excited to be starting this blog at this time. I am a writer and designer, but whenever I go anywhere you hardly see me without my camera in my hands. My family has just got use to the fact that I am the paparazzi of the family! From taking photographs for many years with many different cameras and working with different photographers, I have realized the true art form that photography is. However...life gets in the way of picture taking sometimes, so I wanted to have a blog where goals were set in order to keep my shooting photos every week of the year. I also wanted a place where people could share their snapshots and maybe pick up some neat tips too! Let the snapping begin!
                                  Cheers,
                                         Susie