June 10, 2011

where i talk about photography a little bit....


first though. another madison farmer's market. 
this market is the big one and is held every saturday downtown on the square.
in this first collage, well i have nothing to say about the bonnet the man who sells honey is wearing or the size of the earlobes on the young man in the bottom right hand corner, because i live here and the thought of having people stalking me and wanting to destroy my camera because i laughed at their bee bonnet and gagged at the sight of their earlobes. nope. i'm not saying anything.


you know you're in wisconsin when there are "cows ahead" signs posted on the street corners and women wear cow hats with horns on their heads. 


i was slightly entertained by the magician. slightly. 
and was hugely disappointed that i didn't know ahead of time about the classic car show on state street or i would have had my car loving dad come up and go with us, as this is the kind of thing he loves.


OKAY
now a little talk about photography. 
here's the original "girl in the tree" photo. see all the yuck at the bottom. wouldn't it have been great if i could have just NOT gotten that yuck in the first place. well i didn't, which means only one thing. crop. now i don't want to go into a long discussion about the rule of thirds, because i think it's probably the one rule that gets broken the most, unless your last name is weiner and you send photos of yourself on twitter that end up on the news. WHAT, sorry, i was totally distracted there for a moment. anyhow, if you don't know about the rule of thirds, please google it.


here's photo number one. cropped. colors played with. and now MUCH more interesting then the original photo because of the rule of thirds. like i said, google it.


same cropped photo. now black and white. actually a bit too dark now that i'm looking at. dang, i hate it when that happens. now if i had shot it in monochrome straight from my camera, it would have been perfect. like i've said before, i love that function on my camera.


and one more photo, 
where i played a bit more with color to bring out the highlights in her hair. 
~
so what did i teach you, besides the fact that i think weiner has some issues.....well hopefully i taught you a bit about getting rid of yuck {cropping} which almost always leads to a better photo that falls into the rule of thirds category and that if you wear a bee bonnet on your head, i will make fun of you.
*
happy weekend everyone. i know it's enough that you keep up with this blog, but i have added some sweet photos over here and here, if you want to see what else i've been up to.

35 comments:

  1. weiner, weiner, weiner, weiner. i just like saying that word... :)

    and i'm terrible with the rule of thirds... i'll try to do better!

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  2. yay! i can comment again - i tried yesterday and i think it was my computer, not blogger this time, but anyway . . .

    i love your photography lessons - perfect timing. i have been re-reading my photoshop books and giving myself a refresher course in photography.

    and that bee bonnet hat? oh my!!!

    xoxo

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  3. beth, i am oh so happy that you remembered your camera...such a good lesson - thank you. happy weekend to you. -xok.

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  4. Great post! Cropping is my secret weapon of choice, too! I like the first version of the photo best!

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  5. love what you did with that photo! (fave is version #3) and since i don't live in wisconsin, can i gag over the earlobes?

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  6. That bee bonnet is hysterical. Loved what you did with the images, I'm a big crop fan although I don't always get the rule of thirds down. Loved the black and white image, I gravitate towards darker so it looked perfect to me.

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  7. Now I have to google 2 things. Rule of thirds and "Moo expert", as seen on the womans t-shirt.
    Thanks for those tips, love hearing about what you can do, I really have to start getting involved with editing. Happy wisconsin weekend to you.

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  8. The ear stretching thing is outrageous for sure. Makes me cringe like certain piercings do. Nice editing Beth. Because I don't alter, shots wind up on the cutting room floor! Happy Friday!

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  9. You seriously crack me up. I started laughing as soon as I saw the two top photos.

    I know the rule of thirds, but lately I am completely into breaking it by perfectly centering things, which is weird because I am usually a very asymmetrical kind of girl.

    And I just have to say that if you go around wearing a bee bonnet, and if your name is Weiner and you insist on tweeting photos of your namesake, well then, you are just asking for it!

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  10. Love those little toes poking out from under her...
    You are so talented and such a good teacher, Beth ! Thanks for the tips.
    Happy Friday, My Friend !

    ps - is that where the expression "She has a bee in her bonnet comes from ? Kooky Wisconsinorites ? Kooky Wisconsinatarians ? Kooky Wisconsin Folk !

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  11. Only in WI!!! Oh, and I can say that since I happen to live in WI. You make me laugh and smile which is a good thing today since it is crazy cold and depressingly gray! Happy weekend to you :)

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  12. Rules? Made to be broken...hee hee. Love your shots of the market!

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  13. What would we do without cropping for sure. I always love your tips. Thanks so much. Now as to the bonnet guy and earlobe guy, they are just silly entertaining - what can we say.

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  14. AnonymousJune 10, 2011

    What a fun day with plenty of characters to photograph - you're a lot gutsier than me. I've got to get over that and start snapping more. I guess I have that fear of someone grabbing my camera, like you mentioned!!

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  15. Awesome lesson Beth. I do have to get past my fear of photographing humans...I am so much more comfortable with nature shots. Have a great week-end :-)

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  16. It is good to be back visiting your blog once again. I have been away much to long and have missed a lot of cool things. I will spend some time catching up. Time well spent. :)

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  17. Hi,

    I came across your blog while surfing for new new blogs to follow amongst the blog list of "My Quest"

    I am a photography enthusiast and though I am still working with the digital point & shoot cameras, and have no sense of photography, lightening, color, contrasts, lens and cameras..I am trying to take tiny steps, understand and learn, 'cuz I believe that a photographer is not merely creating a photograph but is holding a moment, a memory within the frame, It's a beautiful to share, understand and spread joy.

    Just wanted to say thank you for the wonderful work you have done here and the little tips u leave in your posts. They are easy to understand and follow.

    Kudos

    Meeta

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  18. Your first image (slightly faded with a bit of nostalgia) is my favorite. Thanks for sharing your insights and editing tips. :)

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  19. I love photo #1, the color edit of the girl in the tree. My fave of the bunch.

    It's a blech weekend so far and it's only 10:40 am on Saturday. Got my chores done, and filled up my new kiddie pool. And now it looks like thunderstorms are coming. Ah, well. We need the rain.

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  20. I googled it, I'll remember it, try to utilize it, and now back to see what I did with today's pics..bet I broke the rules..

    forgive me? lol
    xx
    z

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  21. Hey, ya know I think I did follow it without even knowing..check out my horizon lines and the flower head...WOOOT!

    :D
    z

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  22. oh that precious little munchkin....I love your "thirds" rule. Beth...YOU CRACK ME UP....I had to Google "wiener"...remember I do not own a TV...yuk yuk yak yak!!

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  23. I'm terrible about the rule of thirds..
    Loved all the photos!

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  24. Keep the photography tips coming -- love it!

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  25. Beth, thank you for taking me for a little walk there where you live ... I enjoyed it very much & I had to laugh at the bee hat, but a nice laugh I actually like it ;-) ... I can see that not only you are a talented writer but also a very talented photographer! wonderful pictures! hope your weekend is going nicely :-) sending love your way!

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  26. Hi Beth,

    Thank you so much for stopping by my little space. I've just started out blogging, I've been following you for about a year now.
    I love your style - it's honest and refreshing and inspiring to me :)

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  27. thanks for the little tutorial
    ....enjoyed!
    -Jen

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  28. I tend to crop many of my photos and they usually end up following the rule of thirds fairly closely...it is certainly pleasing to my eye. I LOVE the third of your edits...the color as well as the crop...love that pink:)

    As far as bee bonnets, cow hats, humongous ear lobe holes, and weiners go....HeeHeeHee!!

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  29. wonderful work! you aced that crop! you have a great grasp of composition!

    i haven't gotten to the farmer's market yet this year, but i have shots of the guy in the bee bonnet from years ago. although, it may have been a different gentleman. i think if you wear it, you're required to smile for anyone who takes your photo. ;o)

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  30. I don't know if I have ever worn a Bee Bonnet....but I DO know I've had a few bees IN my bonnet;))
    Lovely captures...and I like that car!

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  31. your photos are so great! looking at the collection of pics from the farmer's market almost makes me feel like I am there. And I've always wanted to go, actually. One of these weekends maybe...

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  32. The rule of thirds rules! Love the shot of the little girl in the tree. Your edits of that are amazing as well.

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  33. Farmer's markets are the best -- except for maybe that little girl. She might REALLY be the best!

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  34. You are my kind of teacher, my friend. My kind of teacher. Now, for the bee bonnet guy. Next time you see him, please ask him for me where one can buy such a bonnet. I think I would look seriously fetching in said bonnet.

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  35. Beth,

    Found your blog and am loving it! It has such a positive energy to it that I'm really enjoying.

    I'm a fairly new photographer, meaning I just got my first REAL camera for Christmas. I've never heard of the rule of thirds but will definitely go and Google it promptly. (Fellow Google lover)

    As far as cropping is concerned, I just do what looks right (in my artistic opinion) but it's definitely turned some of my blah pictures to greatness. Now if we can just spread the p.s.a. regarding the yuck. ;)

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**I love reading the comments you leave, as they make me feel like we're sitting in my kitchen, having a cup of tea, discussing life and wondering where all the time has gone ...beth