I have lots of crochet projects finished but have been rather lazy getting them documented so I thought I’d throw you readers a few non-craft related photographs a la Niki. If you read the blog Knockout Niki Crochets then you’re familiar with her photo randomness posts. The basic idea is to blog seven or more random photographs vertically in a single post.
Oh and check out Niki’s Etsy shop for prints of her photographs and crochet projects. I’m especially fond of the crocheted chess clutch.
I think the last photo would make a good wallpaper. Don’t you think?
When it was warmer I’d use my camera on walks and shoot the landscape. I haven’t been taking the camera out much these days because it rains and if I just stand in one place I get cold. Then my fingers go numb holding the camera and my toes feel like ice because I wear flip flops. I realize I could be warmer with ‘real’ shoes but I like my flip flops.
Speaking of photos, here are some photography pointers I’ve come across on the web. I have a regular point and shoot camera and I’m not a photo expert but these little tips have helped me a lot, especially with my crochet projects.
In general:
Natural sunlight is best. Use the tungsten setting for artificial light.
Direct sun on a nice day is too bright for most subjects. Try the shade.
Don’t take photos with the light source directly behind the subject. I’m guilty of not following this one because the window is such an enticing backdrop.
Turn off the flash or greatly reduce the output for accurate colors.
Reduce camera shake by propping your body and arm against something.
Odd numbers are better than even.
Use the rule of thirds.
For close up shots:
Use the flower/macro setting.
Don’t use the zoom.
That’s enough about photography. I promise an actual craft-related photo in the next post!
I love your photography shots. A nice variety and well done.
I love the 6th one and 8th one! Your pics are amazing and I’m going to try your tips and see if I can improve on my photographs a bit. I’ve never even heard of a tungsten setting. I’m going to have to pull out my manual.
I think a large part of my problem is that I don’t have much natural sunlight in my apartment.
Thanks for sharing your pictures. I always love to see your imagination. My favorite pic is of the down try with mossy floor. I used to live in Louisiana and I miss seeing that much green.
Love all your photo’s very natural like. When I look outside doesn’t look nothing like those lol so messy from all the snow melting.:) I love the mountain photo never seen a mountain up close I just like how pretty they look. You just wont never catch me trying to climb one lol.
I have a question. I’ve been fiddling with my camera this morning trying to get the effect you have on the last picture. Very sharp in front and blurred in back. I can’t seem to do it. I saw in a thread at crochetville what camera you have and believe it or not, we’ve got the same one, LOL. Goes to show its all about the user, not the camera.
What setting did you use for the sharp front subject and blurred background. If I could figure that out, I’d just about pee myself with happiness.
About the camera question – there are two ways to get the front in focus and the back blurred.
The easiest method is to go into auto mode and select the flower icon. You just push down on the bottom circle button and a little flower will show up on the camera and ‘fly’ to the bottom right corner. To try out the focus just press the shutter button half way. There will be little green boxes where the lens wants to focus. You want to make sure that those green boxes are focusing on the front object and not the distant object. Just press the button all the way to take the picture. If you are trying to focus something very close and the camera refuses to focus, try the manual mode.
To go into manual mode push the circle to the M setting. The one thing you should worry about is the first number on the bottom left. This tells you how much light is coming into the lens. I play with this number until it looks like the the auto mode. Then I flip bak to auto and if the LCD screen didn’t go brigher or darker then I know I have a good number. There are other things you can adjust by pressing the center func set button. You can find the tungsten setting there and lots of other stuff. The next step is to get the manual focus up. Press the bottom button on the circle until it says ‘change settings’ on the screen and you see a white bar. This is where you will manually adjust the focus with the left and right buttons on the circle.
I always try both auto and manual and see which way came out better on the computer. Usually it is the auto but it is good practice to try out the manual. When taking close ups like this it is really important to keep the camera as still as possible otherwise you’ll get a blurred picture. They say to use a tripod where possible but I don’t own one. Also, don’t use the zoom. Just move the camera itself closer to the object. And no flash where ever possible. Try putting more lights around the object before using the flash.
Well, that’s pretty much all I know about taking macro pictures with the Canon Powershot A530. You’ve got a good liitle camera that is user friendly and manually adjustable. I hope my directions will help you out. Good luck with your future macro pictures!