A Little Nutmeg » photo shoots http://alittlenutmegnew.kansashomeschool.org This is not just a food blog, but it has plenty of spice Tue, 05 May 2015 16:21:09 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.37 Photography tutorial: Silhouettes http://alittlenutmegnew.kansashomeschool.org/uncategorized/photography-tutorial-silhouettes/ http://alittlenutmegnew.kansashomeschool.org/uncategorized/photography-tutorial-silhouettes/#comments Thu, 10 Oct 2013 03:53:00 +0000 http://alittlenutmegnew.kansashomeschool.org/uncategorized/photography-tutorial-silhouettes/ Read More]]>

I have always been fascinated by silhouette photography. So much can be shown about the subjects when only their outline is visible. Like the picture above of my Great Dane, Bella. Her majestic silhouette hints at the nobility of the breed. Attentive, protective, alert. That is my Bella. She also happens to be goofy, klutzy and sassy. That can be showcased below in the picture of Bella tussling with her brother, Beau.

I was inspired by our own engagement pictures taken by the very talented Megan Rogers from Over the Rainbow Wedding Photography. The Over the Rainbow Wedding photography duo, Megan and Sarah Long are both fantastic photographers and I am often inspired by their work. The photos below were snippets from our engagement photoshoot.

Basic Silhouette Tips:

1. Back lighting is key in creating silhouettes. Your subject must be between you and your light source. In this case, the setting sun was behind my dogs. 
2. Dusk is the best time of day to shoot silhouettes. The time period right before the sun sets creates a nice back light and of course produces gorgeous background colors.
3. No Flash. It must be turned off. Your flash will fill in the silhouettes and ruin the effect.
4. Open skyline. You want there to be contrast between your dark subject and the lighter background. Unless your subject is a line of trees or the silhouette of buildings, open spaces work better. 
5. Get low. You see more of your subject the lower your get. More sky = more subject. But play around with it. I was on my stomach for the photos of the dogs. 
6. Focus directly on your subject.

For the more Advanced: 

1. Higher aperture. This will allow the background to be sharp, as well as the subject. 
2. Shutter Speed. You will most likely need a slower shutter speed because of the time of day. But play around with it.
Let me know if you found this tutorial helpful or if you have any questions. You don’t need to know manual mode to take silhouette photos but it does help. So get out your camera’s manual and learn about shutter speed, aperture and ISO. It has already helped my photography immensely. So have fun playing around with the silhouette effect and I hope this post challenges you to be creative and continue learning. Peace out.
]]> http://alittlenutmegnew.kansashomeschool.org/uncategorized/photography-tutorial-silhouettes/feed/ 0 Adventures in Blogging: a behind the scenes look into a blogging photo shoot http://alittlenutmegnew.kansashomeschool.org/uncategorized/adventures-in-blogging-a-behind-the-scenes-look-into-a-blogging-photo-shoot/ http://alittlenutmegnew.kansashomeschool.org/uncategorized/adventures-in-blogging-a-behind-the-scenes-look-into-a-blogging-photo-shoot/#comments Thu, 03 Oct 2013 20:15:00 +0000 http://alittlenutmegnew.kansashomeschool.org/uncategorized/adventures-in-blogging-a-behind-the-scenes-look-into-a-blogging-photo-shoot/ Read More]]> I’ve had a few friends ask me about the details of blogging. With this in mind, I thought I would share a behind the scenes look into what goes into a blog photo shoot. My boozy apple cider recipe with salted caramel whipped cream was my first “big” blog project so that photo shoot are what all these pictures are from.  

I am a messy cook. Actually, in general I tend to be a messy person. My mother is always frustrated with me when she comes over to my house while I am cooking. She wipes up little spills from the counter, and puts up ingredients when I am done with them. She insists upon a clean workspace. I get it. I totally respect that she has that ability. But I definitely don’t have the same ability. Sorry Mom, I know you tried. But, enjoy my mess and my sneak peak into what starting a blog entails.
My sister, Amy and I jerry-rigged a sheet as a white backdrop for our photos. The duct tape held just long enough for us to take pictures, then it started to fall down. We had many objects on the table that we played around with until we were satisfied with each finished scene.

Amy and I laughed a lot during this shoot. Sometimes we broke down into a little silliness, including a photobombing crocodile named “Moto.” We had fun. Which I think is one of the keys to the whole blogging thing. Learning new things and having fun are the reasons I started blogging in the first place anyway.

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