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"Todd and I met over two years ago. He is an emergency services instructor. I took his CPR class and signed up for his EMT class. After the class was over we kept in touch and after meeting up a few times with others from the class, we both knew their was something between us so he ask me out in a way that made me unsure if it was actually a date. Things progressed from there and now I am engaged to the most amazing man and paramedic in this world. He has devoted his life to caring for people and has a true passion for teaching. We are celebrating our 1 year anniversary on the 25th and it has been the most amazing year for both of us. My fiancé chose the barn photo as a gift for me. He said he liked it best with what he was wanting to do. It looks awesome on my wall!"
We'd love to hear your story. All you have to do is message us on Facebook or Instagram with a picture of your personalized art and a brief description of your story. The winner will be notified and posted to Facebook and Instagram at the end of the month!
]]>I am always on the hunt for a good sunset pic, and was really pleased with the soft colors in this one:
The pair of palm trees in the following picture reminded me of a couple in love. I added this picture to my website in the fall of 2017, right around the time of the Hurricanes that devastated parts of the Caribbean. More than six months after the disaster, 100,000 people are still without power, thousands are homeless, and there are still food and water shortages. Since I added this picture to my website, all profits from it have gone to Hurricane Maria relief efforts in Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans still need our help! There are many charities accepting donations for this cause.
Sanibel Island is known for its seashells. I thought for this picture it would be fun to include the word “love” in shells. You can add your own names, date or short message in the beach sand for a unique print:
Coming soon- this shot of a dead tree still standing on the seashore was taken at Lovers Key State Park in Florida. I saw a perfect opportunity to combine a tree that can be "carved" in, and a beach into one beautiful scene:
I hope you have a wonderful summer and get a chance to feel the sand in your toes!
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Lighting is a huge part of what makes a good photo, but it's often overlooked because people are so focused on capturing the subject. As a result, they end up surrendering creative control of lighting to their camera. I definitely recommend avoiding use of your on-camera flash. The internal flash of cameras and phones tends to create unwanted shadows and dull-looking photos that have a flat quality. When photographing your subject indoors, try to pick a room that’s brightly lit by a window.
These two photos were taken in the same room. In the first one the subject was on the couch on the opposite side of the room from the window. The second photo was taken in the same room only a couple of moments later. All I did was move myself and my subject closer to the window and no flash was necessary. You can see how the quality of the image is better in the second photo. It captures the contours of her face better and makes the photo come alive. It has a much more natural quality. You can always try moving yourself or your subject to get a better lighting angle. You generally want the light to be shining on your subject (from an angle is nice to get those contours). The only exception to this would be when you want to get a silhouette. Then you simply place your subject in front of the light source. Try experimenting with lighting and angles of lighting to get different effects.
This same rule can apply for artificially lit situations. In the following example the camera recommended flash. There wasn’t much natural light coming into this huge building, but it was still decently lit by indoor lighting. The flash was completely inadequate in this large space. The subjects were somewhat lit, but the background faded into darkness. For the second picture I turned off the flash, which made all the difference. The key was to take advantage of the artificial light in the building.
If there isn’t enough light to get a sharp picture, try increasing the ISO number. This makes your camera more sensitive to available light. If the photo still looks too dark, you can use your exposure compensation to brighten everything up. I’ll be talking about ISO and exposure compensation in future blog posts.
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Carvings like these are known as arborglyphs, and many were created on the bark of aspen trees, which was ideal because it could be scratched even with just a fingernail. Most aspens live to around 100 years, so relics older than that are quite rare.
Many tree carvings were romantic gestures of love, usually with initials or names, dates, and sometimes hearts. Many people would carve a message into a tree as a symbol of everlasting love, and visit it in years to come. Carving sweet messages into trees for loved ones is still common to do today.
Not every arborglyph was a message of love. Some, like this one carved in 1964, were made by lonely immigrant Basque shepherds in the western United States. These sheep herders had a lonesome job that didn’t give them any chances to make contact with people; so they carved names, phrases, and pictures into trees to pass the time and make a record of themselves. The Basque people carved many messages into trees when they were feeling miserable and lonely, such as “Hurrah for the sheepherders and those who have the guts to stay here.”
Photo taken in Idaho by Greg Harness.
Tree carvings can even tell the stories of soldiers. Messages from WWII soldiers, for example, have been found carved into trees from the places they traveled to. The soldiers wanted to leave something permanent behind, in case they did not come back from the war. The messages on the trees were often of religious script, their own names, dates, or the names of their loved ones. The carvings done by soldiers can reveal a lot about what they were thinking and feeling during the war. Chantel Summerfield studied the effects of WWII on the soldiers, and how they communicated their feelings through tree carvings. Read more about her research here.
The tradition of tree carving is one that has stuck around, and will probably continue to do so. However, cutting into trees can lead to disturbing of the tree’s flow of nutrients that it needs to survive. Below the layer of bark there are cells in the tree that help the tree grow and stay healthy, and destruction of those cells could harm the tree. At Picture It Personal, we preserve your thoughtful sentiments without damaging the trees; every letter and number is digitally created by hand. If you’re thinking of carving a tree as a romantic gesture, please visit our tree collection for a great alternative- a realistic digital “carving” which you can enjoy throughout the year. We hope to see you soon at Picture It Personal!
]]>1. Even the youngest of subjects seem to be fascinated by the colors and textures of fall leaves. Try laying your babies down in the leaves and watch their eyes light up:
2. The belly pose is always a cute shot for kids. Try getting several kids in a leaf pile together- it will surely bring out those smiles (OK my son's smile is a little fake- he didn't like being sandwiched between his sister and cousin)!
3. Here’s another great angle for littles in the leaves (photo by Dan Zen):
4. Another no fail plan for a great natural shot is to have kids throw leaves into the air- no forced smiles here (photo by Seth Lemmons)!
5. Once you make sure there isn’t anything nasty or sharp in your freshly raked leaf pile, get some shots of the kids jumping in (photo by Patrick):
6. Use leaves in a portrait to replace the traditional bouquet (photo by Vladimir Pustovit):
7. Autumn is a great time for family portraits too. The leaves can provide a stunning backdrop for any family photo:
8. And don't forget to use the colorful boughs to frame your family shots:
If you have other ideas for how to use the autumn leaves as portrait props, please share in the comments below. Enjoy your fall!
]]>There are 1133 acres and 9 miles of trails to explore (and of course hunt for new pictures I can personalize for you!). There are many things I love about this place; including the grass-covered understory, the mystery of climbing up in elevation and then discovering a lake (is this why it's called Wonder Lake?), the bird life (we saw the Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, American Redstart, Rufous-Sided Towhee, Pileated Woodpecker and many more), and the diversity of plant life. Not only are there many different species of coniferous and deciduous trees, but there were beautiful little spring wildflowers everywhere. Here are some of the gems you can expect to see here if you visit in late May.
Wild Geranium (this was lining the trail in many places):
Jack-in-the-pulpit:
Star-of-Bethlehem (lily flowers that open in sun only):
Celandine (in the poppy family):
Starflower (a member of the primrose family:
And my favorite of the day, Wild Columbine:
If you are ever in this area of the world I would highly recommend a visit to Wonder Lake State Park!
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I was eager to try out my new polarizing filter which I would recommend to anyone with a DSLR shooting in conditions where there is any kind of glare (like what you get from water or ice). The filter reduces those bright reflections (just like your polarizing sunglasses) and deepens colors. As you can see in this photo, the reflection on the water is cut down resulting in an exposure that isn’t thrown off as much by the brightness of the sun:
The other challenge of taking a sunset photo is that when you are photographing such a bright object--even with a polarizing filter- you will have areas of the image that are over or underexposed just because of the vast difference in brightness within the same frame. The camera cannot expose properly for both. The only way to correct for this would be a gradient filter (which darkens the sky) or taking two separate exposures and putting them together later in an editing program. Here I took one shot for the sky, and one for the sand:
Of course, stitching these together would be tricky. Because of the movement of the water, things won’t line up easily. I’ll let you know if I figure it out!
I had another photo idea while at the beach. I wrote “love” in the sand with shells and left room above them for your names. Coming soon to PictureItPersonal.com:
2. EXPOSURE COMPENSATION. If you are shooting in “auto” mode, use your exposure compensation tool. Most cameras have them--either as an external button or as part of the shooting menu. Think of the camera in auto mode as wanting to expose everything as a medium gray tone. This is why when the majority of the scene you are trying to capture is bright (snow), you need to increase the brightness (exposure). Usually dialing in +1.5 or +2 does the trick. But you should keep experimenting until you feel that the snow looks bright enough.
3. STOP ACTION. If snow is falling during your photo shoot, use a fast shutter speed to stop the snowflake action. You will wind up with pretty little white wintry dots instead of blurry streaks that can get between you and your subject. Most cameras have a “shutter priority” mode. Set it to this mode and use a shutter speed of at least 1/500 seconds, but still experiment with different speeds. If you are using a compact camera without shutter priority mode, your camera probably still has a “sports mode” which also uses high shutter speeds to stop action.
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Online
One way we can share our pics is within online spaces like Flickr, Facebook, and Photobucket. Commercial image hosting sites like Kodak EasyShare Gallery, Snapfish and Shutterfly, as well as software linked sites like Picasa Web Albums have tools to create galleries, photo blogs and slideshows, and you can specify who is able to gain access.
Screensaver
Our computer screensavers at home are set to display photos from folders on our computers. So whenever we aren't using our computers we get to enjoy a slideshow.
Make a DVD
DVDs allow you to break up all those thousands of memories into more manageable sized chunks. You can create a DVD for one year, holiday or event. These DVDs also make a much appreciated gift for the holidays for extended family. Programs included with many computers you may already own that can help you create a DVD complete with music, effects, and video clips include Windows Movie Maker and iMovie. Other options available online are Wondershare, Smilebox and Photodex.
TV Slide Show
A popular way to share your favorite images with family and friends is the TV slide show. You can burn a slideshow you have created to a DVD and play it on your DVD player. Or you can directly connect your computer, camera, or smartphone to your tv and play images directly. You can find a simple guide explaining how to do this here. The TV slideshow is an interesting and fun backdrop during family gatherings or parties.
Photo Book
I gave a photo book to my husband this year for Christmas. It displays the highlights of our family trips and memories of 2015. He said it was probably his favorite Christmas gift of all time and has been showing it to everyone who visits and even taking it with us when we visit family. I also gave one to my Mom that showcased pictures from vacations to Florida that I have taken with her and my sister. There is something about a photo book that is very appealing- a nicely bound hardcover book that you can personalize in so many ways including text and stylistic themes. It is something you can hold in your hand, flip through the pages and take as much time as you like which is so refreshing in this digital age. I created mine through Shutterfly and there are many other sites that provide this service. They make it very simple to upload pics and design your book.
Photo E-book
An e-book is similar to the above photo book but you don't print it. Instead you publish and share it electronically as a PDF. Advantages include complete creative control, cost, and being able to link to it in social media platforms or blogs. Popular tools for creating a photo e-book include Adobe InDesign and Scribus (Free). Digital Photography School gives a great introduction to photo e-books here.
Digital Photo Frame
Of course we must mention the ever popular digital photo frame with sizes ranging from 1.5 inch to 17 inches. Pictured here is the new "Cube" which is a photo frame device that when connected to WiFi streams pictures from your social media platforms- including those of your friends, family and followers. As well as making it easy to view your pics, photo frames make terrific gifts for parents and grandparents- especially if you include a memory card filled with family photos. You can find a guide to the top frames here.
How do you like to view or display your photos? Please share your ideas in the comments section below!
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Once in a while I get a really awesome heartfelt note from a customer who tells me why their personalized print means so much to them. Danielle bought a personalized tree print as a surprise anniversary gift for her boyfriend that he was to find at the end of a scavenger hunt she set up for him. Danielle's story is so touching and sweet and she agreed to let me share it with you.
Here it is:
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It is thought that they are red because long ago European farmers would mix rust into the linseed oil that they used to seal the wood. The rust was plentiful on the farm and would kill the fungi and moss that often would tend to grow on barns. When the Europeans settled in America, they kept the tradition of the red barn which was helpful because when paint started to be used instead of oil, red paint was the least expensive.
Now in our modern lives, barn wood has become highly sought after as people have become more separated from the land but seem to have an innate longing to stay connected in small ways.
It is so popular that people like Tony Enos of AbeMade.com are creating livings for themselves by taking wood from old barns and making it into beautiful and useful objects and accents for our homes:
Barns are so beloved that many couples even choose them for a wedding venue. Although at first thought it might seem strange to mix farms and weddings, they are a natural place to celebrate love because they hold a strong connection to nature and the nurturing of living things. They can be perfect for either a casual rustic wedding or an elegant refined one because the barn is a blank canvas that can be transformed into a very personal and romantic reflection of the couple.
It was my hope to create a personalized image for people who love barns or have a special connection to them. I headed out to the hills of Western Connecticut. By the time I found a picture with all the elements I was looking for, the sun was quite high in the sky and the shadows were dark. The foliage wasn't as far along as I had hoped it would be and the following picture was the result:
Yay! I finally had my "little red barn" picture. I got it home and tried to come up with a Photoshop technique to "carve" names in the fence. But it was difficult because of the way the light was hitting (or not hitting) the fence. And it bothered me that the leaves weren't as far along in their fall color as I had hoped. I decided I would have to find a time to go back another day.
The next time I went (1 1/2 weeks later) it was a cloudy day. Perfect. The clouds acted like a huge diffuser umbrella in the sky and evened out all those harsh shadows. And the trees had a chance to put on their brilliant autumn outfits. I finally had a red barn picture that I was happy with:
What a difference 1 1/2 weeks can make in nature!
And here it is personalized:
Enjoy!
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It was 7:00 am, the kids had just gotten on the bus and I was excited to get going. I tried to map out my photo route on Google Maps before I left because I felt like I needed a printed copy of directions in case my phone failed me. Not a great idea. Once again I became hopelessly locked in a battle with my computer that I knew I probably wouldn't win. I couldn't figure out how to have part of the route avoid highways and part of the route not to avoid highways. After 30 minutes of wasting my precious morning light I just headed out the door. I didn't get far. We live in a beautiful area in Putnam county, NY dotted with reservoirs where you can often see rowboats pulled up on the shore. I have rarely seen fishermen out on the water, but I suppose they are probably there and gone long before I'm usually even awake. From the road I could see the way the light was shining off the water and reflecting through the trees and it was so pretty that I had to stop and investigate further. I found a place to pull off the road and there was another car. A fisherman, perhaps? Probably. Hopefully not some psycho lurking in the woods. The thought crossed my mind but it wasn't enough to keep me from going after a potentially awesome picture. Yeah. I do that pretty often.
I was in a bit of a panic because there is really only a window of a couple of hours in the morning where the light is soft, warm and directional. So I hopped out of the car, slung my camera bag over my shoulder and headed down through the wooded area toward the shore. I was excited about taking pictures and sometimes when that happens I forget about everything else. Like what I happened to be doing with the car keys in my hand. I knew that I had to transfer them from my hand to my camera bag but apparently this was not enough of an important detail to pay close attention to. At some point in my rush down to the shore and without looking (because my eyes were focused on the beautiful scenery in front of me), I stuffed them into the side pocket of my camera bag. Or so I thought.
I got down to the water. Saw the fisherman on his boat. It was beautiful but the lighting wasn't quite what I hoped it would be. I took a few shots and headed back to the car. This is the result of my time down by the water...
When I got to the car, I went into my camera bag for my keys and they weren't in either side pocket. Hmm. This situation wasn't completely foreign to me though-- I'm often standing outside my locked car searching through my messy receipt-filled purse for my keys. But I usually find them eventually. This time they weren't in any pocket. Then it dawned on me. I didn't put the keys in the side pocket of my camera bag- but instead in the loop thingy on the side of my camera bag which I guess is for attaching things. The problem is when you put keys inside of a loop, they fall through. I realized this is what happened and my heart sank to my knees as I looked back in the direction from where I had just come. I don't know if I mentioned this...but the ground was covered in a thick blanket of leaves. This is what the ground looked like:
There was no trail. I had blazed my own trail but I couldn't even tell where I had been because when you walk on a blanket of leaves It doesn't really show. And you can't hear a set of keys drop over the crunching of leaves under your feet. My heart sank even further when I realized that we only had one key to this car. Our other set of keys was lost over two years ago and we had never gotten our car keys replaced but have just been dealing with the inconvenience. So even if I was able to get my husband on the phone (which I tried- but no luck), he wouldn't be able to come rescue me with the other keys. Because they didn't exist. My brain wouldn't allow me to think of what was next if I couldn't find them. Are there locksmiths for cars? I stopped thinking about it. There were only two things to do. I started to retrace what I thought was my path. And I prayed.
It seemed like an impossible task. I could walk right over them and not see them if they had fallen through the leaves. This was how I was going to be spending my day-- getting out of this. So much for my photo trip. I hoped that the fisherman was a friendly guy because I was pretty sure I would be seeing more of him soon and would have to explain my ridiculous situation.
I wasn't even sure where I had walked but I tried to find any indication of where the leaves might have been moved by my feet. I got all the way down to the water where I had taken several photos. And by some miracle- there they were! Just lying on top of the leaves. They must have hung on for as long as they could to the loop-- this was far from the place where I had put them "away". It's really hard to describe the relief and joy I felt. And only about another 20 minutes of my morning light had been wasted. It could have been so much worse. Prayer answered. Maybe now I should seriously think about getting another key made for the car...
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