Duct Tape will act as a hinge               

                           Mat board with a rectangle                                       Photo, lined up to show through
                            cut in it so the photo shows through                       the cut in the other board & securely
                                                                                                           taped to solid mat board.

Fold the two mat boards together with the masking tape hinge on the inside.  The photo should now be showing through
the rectangle.  Use SECURE double-sided tape or rolled masking tape to hold the top of the two mats together.

Several hints were given at our October meeting on how to take better floral photographs. Thank you to Lynn Shea who was willing to be a teacher as well as a judge!

> Always use a tripod.

> Photographing a flower in direct sunlight overexposes all or part of the flower, causing it to lose the detail. The same is true when photographing people. It is better to photograph flowers or people in light shade or on an overcast day. You can create light shade by using a diffuser. (A cheap way is to use a piece of wax paper! Just be sure you have a way of holding it where you want it.)

> If it is too dark in the shade, you can use a reflector to put a glow on the flower. (Cheap way— use aluminum foil as a reflector.)

> Do not center your flower. Remember the rule of thirds: If you divide your photo into 9ths, (think Tick Tack Toe) the best place for the focus of the photo is in the corners or along the sides.

> Creating a diagonal movement in the photo gives an attractive appearance. (See the lovely tulip stems in the above drawing.)

> When indoors, photographing flowers near a window gives nice soft light. Be sure to avoid direct sunlight.

> Keep your background uncluttered. This is true for portraits, also, unless you are trying to associate the subject with a specific location or mood.

> To keep the background blurred (which makes it look less busy,) use a low aperture number. But do not go too low, or all of the flower will not remain in focus from front to back. For another way, try photographing the flower in very low light and setting the shutter speed at 6 seconds, (more or less—you’ll need to experiment.) Obviously, a tripod is necessary. Note: this is not possible with a camera that is completely automatic.
Other thoughts for floral photography:

> Fill the space with the subject you are photographing. Do not leave large amount of sky or background.

> If you want to create a water drop effect on a flower, you can use a spray bottle with a little glycerin in the water.

> It is usually not a good idea to cut off the tips of the petals in the photograph.

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HELPFUL SITE for CONDITIONS FOR OUTDOOR NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
Click on the chart below.  It is a hyperlink that will take you to the site.

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If you haven’t tried making a “movie” of your photos, give it a try.  Windows Movie Maker is available on all Windows XP or Vista computers.  If you are using XP, you will only be able to make a CD or a VCD.  Vista allows you to make DVD’s.  Be sure that the DVD or VCD  you make is compatible with your DVD player.  (Some are “plus,” and some are “minus.”  Match your disk with your machine.)  Before you start, make a new folder for your project, label it with your movie title, and copy all the photos you want to put into the movie into it. 

Go to Start > Programs, and select Windows Movie Maker. Follow the steps outlined in the left panel.

1. Capture Video.  Open the folder containing your photos, highlight all your photos, and click Import.  Then open the folder containing your music choices, highlight your music, and click Import. Drag your photos down to the Video area below.  Drag your music below your photos.  The program may switch to the “time line” view.  This is where it should be, and the program will make it so.  Drag your music so that it ends when your photos do.

2. Edit Movie.  If you want to add a video effect to a photo or transition between two photos, it must be dragged to the spot where you want it.  Make titles and/or credits if you would like to. Then preview your movie.  Experiment to see what other options you might want to use.

3. Finish Movie.  Save the movie to computer.  (Save in the folder you created.)  Then save it to a CD, or to DVD (if using Vista.)  Your CD should play on all computers, but may not play on TV’s.

Things to think about. 

>  You can change the amount of time that an individual photo lasts, but generally, a photo should last only 7 seconds.  (If you are using elaborate transitions, they should last a little longer.)

>  Use music that fits your photos. Try to insert energetic music at some point.  Long photo shows with soft classical music put people to sleep.

>  Captions on travel photos help keep them from being boring.  When your edit your photo in your folder, the edit will show up in the time line of Movie Maker.

>  Be consistent with transitions.  A different transition between each slide can be distracting.

>  DO NOT sell your movies with music unless you have paid the photographers and the musicians the appropriate royalties. 

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To return to the home page, please click the back button arrow at the top of your screen. 

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