Things I have learned from my FAILED 365 project

You might be wondering, what is a 365 project?  This is where you take a photograph every single day of the year.  This may seem daunting, but it keeps you pushing for creative photos every day.  And even though I totally failed this year I produced more photos than I ever have previously! It pushed me to the max! I ended up with about 276 pictures.  Obviously, I missed a couple months there around August.  Whoops!  The point is I stuck with it.  I’d miss several days and then I’d pick up my camera to create something.  And you know what? I absolutely treasure these moments I captured.  I can look back at how little my kids were just a year ago.  Or I can remember exactly where I was that day.  I have tiny details about what happened on that day that I have documented.  Like what day the COVID lockdowns started for our state, or who won the super bowl, or that the California fires made the sunsets extra hazy- even in Columbus, Indiana! I even have self-portraits so my kids can see photos where their mom was actually in front of the camera.  I plan to do this every year, even if I fail miserably.  I know that I will still be producing more work, honing my techniques, and staying as creative as possible.      

Stick with it!

A 365 project requires discipline and perseverance. I have learned that if you plan a little, things will be easier. Have a day set aside at least once a week to import your photos and do your editing. If you have a busy day planned it might be easier to get your photo done in the morning, so you do not have to think about it the rest of the day.  It becomes easier with time as it starts to be a habit.  You will find yourself thinking of photography every day, and looking for good light, and good moments.  

Sometimes it requires a flat lay.

This was my go-to idea when I had no creative ideas and the day was ending. It happened to be something I wanted to improve upon, and I found it easy to search around the house and find things to make a flat lay out of. It was also handy for when it was less than pretty outside. If it were raining or just cold and brown outside with a grey sky, I would always do a flat lay. Consider what your flat lay might be? What will be your go to when you have no more creativity left or you just can’t take one more picture of that brown winter outside. Maybe taking a photo on your phone was the best you could do that day. That is ok! Make sure to put it in your 365-project folder! That way you can legitimately count it.

Keep your camera within reach.

If you have easy access to it then when you see that perfect light or that perfect scene it is easy to grab and get that photo in for the day. I leave my bag open and all my lenses in the same area so I can grab it easily. At the same time, make sure you keep an extra battery charged up and ready to go.

Do not forget the spirit of the project.

  It is not so much about getting a worthy picture every day. If you can create that, then by all means, please do! However, this project is about keeping photography at the forefront of your mind. It is about working and growing every day.  So, if you miss a day (ahem…or several), that’s ok! Pick it up the next day and start again the next day. Attempting this down to the letter will overwhelm you. Take it one day at a time, and don’t get too legalistic.  

Print your photos.

I am preaching to myself here, as I am guilty of this.  This year I printed all of my photos in a little book.  And I love it! I look at it often, and I have it as a tiny coffee table book.  I have written excerpts from what I remember on some of the days.  I can also see how my photography has evolved over time.  Your photos are meant to be enjoyed! Not rotting away on a hard drive.  Luckily, places like Chat books make it really easy to keep prints in your hands and not on the cloud. I am a firm believer that prints have so much value not only as personalized artwork, but beautiful displays of your story! (Again, I am as guilty as anyone on this.  So, we MUST do better!!) 

Keep in a constant state of learning.

So, in conclusion, even though I completely failed I have learned so much through this project.  It kept me creatively accountable and helped me to artfully document my own family!  So many changes take place in just a year.  Make sure to slow down and enjoy it. I highly encourage everyone to take up a personal project like this. Time is fleeting. Document your family well. And if you can’t do it yourself consider it a worthy investment to hire your local photographer.

Thanks for reading!    

An Explanation of Color Theory

I think about color often.  Color can make or break your artwork. Color can alter the mood of a photograph, or even change the impact it makes on a viewer.  Let’s dive into how color works.

Terms:

Here are some term definitions that might be valuable when discussing colors.

Hue: Another name for a color.

Tint: Any Color plus White.

Tone: Any Color plus Gray.

Shade: Any Color plus Black.

Key Color: Dominant color in a palette or color scheme.

Value: The lightness or darkness of a color.

Now that that’s established let’s start with the basics:

The Color Wheel

Let’s start with the color wheel.  First you have your primary colors.  Those are red, yellow, and blue.  These colors cannot be created with any other colors, so they are considered primary.  You can create secondary colors by mixing the primary colors.  These include orange, green, and violet. By mixing red and yellow you get orange, and blue and yellow make green.  Blue and red make violet. Tertiary colors are made by mixing one primary color and one secondary color.  For example, mixing blue and green will give you teal. Warm colors are reds, oranges, and yellows.  So cool colors are on the other side of the color wheel. They include blues, greens, and violets.   

Complementary Colors

Complementary colors are directly across from one another on the color wheel.  Such as blue and orange.  If you mix any complementary colors when painting, you’d get brown. These contrasting colors will tone each other down. However, if you place complementary colors next to one another they can make an image pop.  It can make the viewer feel uncomfortable. Perhaps you want your subject to stand out in the scene.  Often complementary colors are used to achieve this. For instance, placing a person in a blue shirt next to an orange wall achieves this.  Cinematographers often use teals and blues in the shadows and oranges and yellows in the highlights to color grade.

Red and Green are Complementary

Violet and Yellow Complements.

Blue and Orange Complementary Colors

Triad Colors

Triad colors are also known as a color harmony. Color harmonies are very pleasing to the eye. For example, blue, yellow, and red (the primary colors).  Or green, orange and violet. These combinations create a bold and vibrant palette.  A tetrad would be 4 or more colors on the color wheel.   

Red/Blue/Yellow are a color harmony

Orange/Violet/and Green are a color harmony

Mono-Chromatic

This is any shade, tint, or tone of one color. So, an image that is all blues, or all greens is mono chromatic.

Analogous

Analogous colors are any shades, tints, or tones of colors that lie adjacent to each other on the color wheel. For example: blue, blue-green and green.

Mood:

Have you ever wondered why fast-food restaurants use red and orange colors? Or how the police always use blue?  Color can affect mood, and it is incredibly valuable in not only marketing but also artwork. Happy colors are often thought of as bright and warm colors, where sad colors are gray and muted. Blues are used to ensue calm and safe feelings, which is why police use it. Reds and oranges are used to make you feel energized and induce hunger.  Which is why fast-food places utilize these colors. Yellow is often used to produce feelings of nostalgia and childhood. Green is always used to symbolized wealth and refreshment.  Purple symbolizes mystery and creativity. It also induces a feeling of luxury and wealth. Pinks are playful and romantic. Browns represent stability, and dependability (think down to earth). Black is bold and powerful. It can also be used for mourning. Whites symbolizes minimalism and simplicity.  Think about how you want your viewer to feel and then choose your colors accordingly.

RGB:

Red, green, and blue are used to create all of the colors for online use, and television.  So, when you are editing in Adobe Photoshop and sample a color in a photo it will come up with RGB numbers.  To reduce the red, you will add cyan.  To reduce the green you will add magenta, and to reduce the blue you will add yellow.  These will all affect your color balance.

In Conclusion:

Colors are so important in art and design.  To use them properly you must study how they mix, how they make you feel, and how they work together as a palette. They can elevate your art to a new level if you take them into consideration.

Thanks for reading!

How to Photograph Snowflakes

It’s winter, and we have had a decent amount of snow this year! Some of us may be more excited about that than others.  I for one, love it! During this winter, I have explored the world of macro photography. Macro photography is simply taking photos really, really close up.  There are so many tiny details I feel like we so easily overlook.  And these details are AMAZING! It’s like looking at a whole other world.  So here are some things I have learned by photographing snowflakes:

See this on the Daily Project.

1.  You need a macro lens or extension tubes.  My sister takes macro photos with her phone.  She has a clip-on lens that enables her phone camera to take very close photos. For me, I use extension tubes.  They are very inexpensive compared to a macro lens.  I have had the most luck using the 20mm tube with my sigma 35mm art lens. Using an extension tube is very similar to freelensing.  You have to move in and out to grab focus and it takes a steady hand. This leads me to my next tip.

2. Set your aperture to f/8 or above. This will help you grab and keep focus of all the snowflake details.  Snowflakes have very fine details, especially on the edges. You will want to increase the clarity and texture in Lightroom for your post processing to really enhance nature’s finely crafted features.

3. Use a dark background!  I use dark navy mittens.  I also took my black sweater dress outside and used that. This is a good time to play around with different fabrics and colors to see how the flakes show up against them.  I like using my mittens because the chunky yarn has little hairs that help grab the flakes and hold them up. This makes all of those details easier to see. 

Bonus Tip: It’s also easiest to go out and take pictures while it is snowing.  Just let the flakes fall on your backdrop (fabric or mittens, or sweater), and when you see a good shaped one take the photo!

For inspiration see some of my favorite macro photographers here:  

https://www.instagram.com/michellebaisa/   

https://www.instagram.com/skahdee/

https://www.instagram.com/sofia_sitnikiene/

https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_ss1250/

Thanks for reading!