Who is Orange Sink?

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Rice Lake, WI, United States
My home town is Rice Lake, a small town in northern Wisconsin. I own Red House Wool Studio~ an in-home wool and rug hooking business. I enjoy collecting and decorating with antiques and primitives. Orange Sink Blog is a journal of my interests and ramblings about life. Cathy Greschner

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Sunday, August 8, 2010

Taking Better Photos~ What Bloggers Need to Know!

One of the added benefits I've found with being a rug hooker is the ability to notice colors, form, design, etc., around me with more of an artistic eye. The digital camera has aided this ability greatly and given these aging eyes an opportunity to see things in close-up mode and then study the subjects more intensely. A couple of posts ago I mentioned that I'd be sharing some of my photography tips with you. Now, let it be known that I'm no where near a professional photographer. My husband has taught me a few things along the way and the rest has come with my repeated efforts over the recent years to become a better photographer. So taking a ton of photos would probably be my first tip to those of you wishing to perk up your photography skills a notch or two. In order to accomplish this you need to keep your camera by your side, fully charged and ready to shoot at a moment's notice! My little Canon PowerShot A480 is always sitting nearby and I've begun keeping a supersized package of AA batteries within reach also! With digital camera technology we can delete immediately those blurry or strange photos and keep shooting to our hearts content. Sometimes I have shot fifty or more photos to get one of decent quality. I am learning to edit on my camera though as you don't want to unload thousands of blurry or strange photos needlessly onto the computer.


purple coneflower


purple coneflower
With camera in hand this morning I caught a couple of purple coneflowers in the garden. The slight breeze kept them in motion so I grabbed an old bench I keep near the garden and sat right down and angled the camera so the bird bath became the background. Be aware of the background and how your subject is showing up. A pleasing, soft background is what you're after. You don't want it to distract from your subject. Keep your subject in focus and don't be afraid to GET CLOSE to it. Try to take a few different angles. Sit or lay on the ground and shoot up! See what you get! Now if you're like me the hardest part is getting back up! Sheesh! What I won't do for a great photo! More great tips coming soon so stay tuned!

coneflower purple




Smokey/smile/rug
Smokey and Max showing off my latest rug. What can you tell me about this photo that sets it apart from just another completed rug photo?

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the tips - I'm happy to know how to turn it on and make the pics go from the camera to the computer!

    Hmmm I don't have a clue what sets it apart? It's not yet "completed" - not bound! Hmmmm there are some adorable furballs on it and they seem to have made it theirs!

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  2. Your photos are wonderful. Its true about taking lots of shots. The night I photographed the ducks and swans I took 159 shots! You never know which one will be the great one.
    And I am having a great break at the cottage - recharging. And I would have missed all of you with 3 days no connection - hahaha.
    Hugs, Kim

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  3. Ummmm... It's a completed rug that is being enjoyed! :-)

    Thanks for the photo tips! Those coneflowers are simply stunning!

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  4. Thanks for the photo tips. I always blame my bad photos on a crummy camera and the lack of photoshop expertise! Of course, it could have nothing to do with me!!!

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  5. Thanks Cathy,
    I always want that great photo on the first shot! I'm trying to have the patience to keep shooting. And sometimes Zip won't slow down the car enough!
    I can't say what's different about the rug photo except that it's more interesting with the kids in it. Come on, tell us!!!

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  6. Gosh Kathy I need all the tips I can get. Rugs are so hard to get good photos. Thanks - please publish more tips. I'll try to be patient and take more pics.

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