Travel &amp; Photo Goddess

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Thursday Thread

Happy Thursday everyone. Only one more until the weekend. It is the last day of school for the Lakeville and Burnsville School districts. Summer fun is about to begin!
Here is a list of the Best Small Towns in the USA according to people who voted on the Rand McNally Best Of The Road website. Here are a few of my favorite small towns:
Mantorville, Minnesota; Bayfield, Wisconsin; Jerome, Arizona; Cripple Creek, Colorado and of course Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Let me know what your favorite small towns are and I will pass them along to my readers.
http://www.bestoftheroad.com/competition.do?cid=200
If you are heading out for a fishing trip this weekend this article is for you. It will give you tips on capturing your fishing adventure and telling a story as well. Fishing is not my idea of fun but I know many people really enjoy it.
http://www.tamron-usa.com/enews/archives/2012/jun12_mainhart.php
Here is a video by my Facebook friend, Gary Fong, about how to read a Histogram. This video is a good introduction to using the Histogram. I always forget to do this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmgtx5ZR8tE&feature=youtu.be
Here is an article I just love. It is called Your Camera Doesn't Matter by Ken Rockwell. What he is telling you that you do not have to go out and spend a ton of money to get good shots. You need to be able look at something and see it as a photo. It is called the Phtographer's Eye. I always carry a Point & Shoot camera in my purse in case I come upon a Photo Op. So, pick up what ever camera you own and get out and shoot!
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm

The How I Took It Photo today is one I took with a Point & Shoot camera while we were on our last trip to Australia. I shot this with my Olympus FE 240, F4.0, 1/500th of a second. I am sure I had the camera set to the Mountain Icon on the dial that is for scenery.
Here is a way to turn your photos into art for your home or for a gift from my hero, Ty Pennington. If it is good enough for Ty, it is good enough for me.
https://webmail.suddenlink.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.typennington.com%252Fpost%252Ftransform-your-photos-into-art-bumblejax&hmac=cb08c8abdec8a3c7210acf7d6db68555
Today's Thought For The Day:
"Zeal is the faculty igniting the other mind powers into the full flame of activity." by Sylvia Stitt Edwards.

Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire

612-490-0359

http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/how-to-photograph-flowers/

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Wednesday Wonderings

Happy Wednesday everyone. Half way through the work week already. It is down hill to the weekend now. Today is a beautiful day here in Minnesota. I just love this time of year.
Here is an article listing five things you can do to get better pictures. One of the most important things is to learn your camera settings so you get off of Auto Mode. One little turn of that dial can make all the difference in how your shots turn out. Take the time to read your camera's instruction manual and practice, practice, practice!
http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/5-things-you-can-change-to-take-better-pictures/
Here is an article about my favorite type of Photography, flowers. I can spend hours shooting flower pictures in Macro Mode. If the wind is blowing try using a faster shutter speed or if you are using a Point & Shoot camera turn the dial to the runner icon. Bring some water in a spray bottle to get some cool water droplets shots.

Today's How I Took It Photo was taken with my Olympus E510 SLR camera, F5, 1/200th of a second, ISO 100, hand held. It was a cloudy day which gives you nice even light.

The folks at Digital Days are coming to town to teach some Photography Classes this summer. The Minneapolis Classes are August 4th & 5th. You can register at the link below.

http://www.digitaldaysphoto.com/locations
Here is today's Thought For The Day:
"True friendship isn't about being inseparable., it's being separated & nothing changes." author unkown, from My Attitude-My Life-My Rules website.

Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire

612-490-0359

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Tuesday Thoughts

Happy Tuesday, I hope your week is going well. We have been working on selling our Candy Store so my husband can retire. He wants to do some traveling in our motorhome so my Blogging will be coming from the road very soon.
Speaking of traveling, here is an article about how to save money on your next driving vacation. That is one good thing about a motorhome or travel trailer you can avoid the high cost of eating out and save a little money on hotel stays. Putting gas in the motorhome is the biggest expense.
http://finances.msn.com/saving-money-tips/250000132
Here is an article about the trolley car service in Duluth, Minnesota. Duluth is great place to vacation in the summer. Lots of things to see and do in the area for kids and adults.
http://duluthtransit.com/feed/detours.aspx?pid=392
This article is about light and lenses. I agree with this author that those two things are much more important than any other aspects of phtotgraphy. The camera body is not the expensive part of your gear. It is the lenses. As I have upgraded my lenses, I have seen a difference in my shots so it was money well spent.
http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/lighting-and-lenses/

Today's How I Took It Photo was taken with my Olympus 1020 Point & Shoot Camera, F3.4, 1/100th of a second, Auto White Balance. This was taken a while ago so I am guessing I probably went to Scene Mode and chose the sunset option. This was taken from our backyard of our house in Arizona.
This article is how the camera uses light from the Science Channel. It is a good one of all you Techies out there. I have to admit, I had trouble understanding all this technical stuff.
http://science.discovery.com/videos/deconstructed-shorts-how-do-digital-cameras-use-light.html#mkcpgn=fbsci2
Today's Thought For The Day was posted on Facebook by friend, Julie.
"One small positive thought can change your whole day." author unkown.

Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire

612-490-0359

http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/tripods-and-monopods-guide/

Monday, June 4, 2012

Monday Blog

Happy Monday everyone. I am having to really motivate myself today. It is a lovely summer day today so that is a plus.
Here is an article about Self Portraits and how to help you move up from the Beginner Photographer stage from our friends at Digital Photography School. Thank you to my friend, Jim Bryant, for posting this one on Facebook.
http://digital-photography-school.com/self-portraits-7-tips-for-going-beyond-the-basics

Today's How I Shot It was taken from Harriet Island with my Olympus E510 SLR, F22, 30 second exposure, ISO100. I converted this to black and white in Corel Paintshop Pro X4.

Here is a great article from our friends at Picture Correct about Tripods and Monopods. I tried using a Monopod and I hated it but I see a lot of Photographers using them on Photo Shoots so maybe it was just me. It does pay to buy the sturdiest Tripod you can afford because any movement will effect your picture quality. If you want to do any night photography, you have to use a Tripod.

This article is courtesy Digital Photography School. It is about Moon Photography. This is one subject that can be tricky because it is moving and it is a light source. I have improved but I have not yet gotten the perfect moon shot. If it ever happens I will be sure to post it here.

http://digital-photography-school.com/photography-in-the-moonlight?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DigitalPhotographySchool+%28Digital+Photography+School%29

Here is new web page one of Photo Buddies started on the best places to photograph and why. You can submit your favorites as well. Pretty cool!

http://www.better-photographs.com/places-to-photograph.html

Here is a really cool way to show off your photos. It is like having your own online gallery.

http://tamron.myphotoexhibits.com/

Here is today's Thought For The Day:

"We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us." - Ralph Hattersley

A big Thank You to my friend Terry of Terry Mercer Photography for posting this quote on Facebook.

Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire

612-490-0359

http://www.flickr.com/people/26332264@N03/

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Wonderful Weekend Blog

I hope you are all having a great weekend. They weather is really nice here in Minnesota finally. I hope it is nice where you are as well.
Here is a great article from our friends at Digital Photography School about understanding metering modes. It took me a while to wrap my head around this concept. If you are going to shoot in Manual Mode it is important to understand how your in camera light meter works. Most of the time I have my camera set to center metering.
http://digital-photography-school.com/exploring-metering-modes?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DigitalPhotographySchool+%28Digital+Photography+School%29
If you are going to be doing some senior photo shoots here are some tips for you. When I shoot Senior Pictures for my Grandkids, I try to keep the focus on them not the background. The kids seem to think they have to come up with some kind unique background. I do like it when you can incorporate something in the shot that says something about them or their interests.
http://www.adorama.com/ALC/Article.aspx?googleid=0013707&alias=Creative-Senior-Portraits-That-Will-Sell-Sell-Sell&utm_source=ET&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=EmailALC060112

Today's How I Shot It Photo was taken in Venice on a Gondola ride with my Olympus 1010 Point & Shoot Camera, F2.8, 1/250th of a second, ISO 50. Here are some thought provoking photos for you. Some I had seen before but there were a lot of them that were new to me and very moving.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/most-powerful-photographs-ever-taken
I might have posted this article before but here it is again. It gives you some reasons why you might want to consider using a Travel Agent next time you travel.
http://www.travelagentcentral.com/editors-letter/top-10-reasons-use-a-travel-agent-35490
I had posted a couple ideas for cooking sweet corn in my last Blog post. My friend, Karen, sent me this video that has yet one more way to cook sweet corn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=YnBF6bv4Oe4&feature=youtu.be
Here is an article with some tips for coping with those "Why Me" moments in your life. I believe things happen for a reason but when I am in the middle of a bad time, I can't make sense of it.
http://www.positivelypositive.com/2012/05/26/4-tips-for-when-youre-having-one-of-those-why-me-moments/
Here is today's Thought For The Day:
"Treat your friends as you do your pictures, and place them in their best light." by Jennie Jerome Churchill
Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire

612-490-0359

http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/what-does-practice-mean-when-it-comes-to-photography/

Friday, June 1, 2012

Finally Friday Blog

It is Friday! I hope you have something fun planned for this weekend. The weather forecast looks good. Let's hope that does not change. The sun is shining today which always makes my day.
Funjet Vacations is running a sale on the Disney World Resorts. You can save up to 30% on your stay. You must book by 8/14/12 and travel 8/15/12 through 9/29/12. Call me if you have any questions.

I went out shooting with some of my friends from the Minnesota Valley Photography Club. We practiced outdoor Portrait Photography using natural light and a reflector. This was the first time I have shot with a reflector outside. It was pretty cool. Some of us did some shots of the water features at the Heart Of The City Park in Burnsville,MN. I will post some shots when I get a chance.
If you have been following my Blog posts, you know I really stress the importance of practicing in Photography. Here is an article that is all about that. I have really been making a point to get out an shoot more often and it has helped me a lot. I am a lot more confident and there is less fumbling around trying to figure out what I should do next.

Here is today's How I Shot It photo. This was taken from the backyard of our house in Lake Havasu City, AZ. It was taken with my Olympus E510 SLR, F4.2, ISO 100, 1/25th second exposure

National Camera Exchange is having a big sale on cameras. You can save up to $200.00 on a new camera. They, also, are offering some Photography Classes. I have attended the one at the Arboretum and it is pretty good and you can go out and practice after the class.

http://www.natcam.com/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Summer+Celebration+Sale&utm_content=Summer+Celebration+Sale+CID_dae0934b4179e87754c2ce92c92bd568&utm_source=Email+marketing+software&utm_term=Home

Here is an article from our friends at Learn Vest about saving money on skin & hair care products. Who doesn't want to save money?

http://www.learnvest.com/2012/05/beauty-secrets-you-can-afford-from-jennifer-aniston-giuliana-rancic-and-more/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=lvdaily&utm_campaign=article-2

Here is a new way to cook sweet corn that I saw on Pinterest. We leave it in the husk and soak it in water and throw it on the grill for about a half hour and it comes out perfect. This one would be a good way to cook it when the grill is not an option.

http://pinterest.com/pin/277886239477994416/?e_t=35656d713eff456dbbd7b406ef64c04c&e_t_s=pins&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly_weekly_subject_recommendations

I saw this recipe for Herb Crusted Salmon on the American Family website. It sounds wonderful and you could cook it on the grill instead of the oven. We buy our salmon at Sam's Club and it is wonderful and good for you too. Bonus!

http://www.americanfamily.com/recipes/herb-crusted-salmon-with-mixed-greens-salad/34350?tcode=AF-DRE-9000008681&fid=102588730427

Today's Thought For The Day is courtesy of The Happiness Project:

“To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.”
-Robert Louis Stevenson

Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire

612-490-0359