Experimenting with Macro

by cleverchristie on June 9, 2019 , No Comments

Learning to Focus This was my first time experimenting with Macro photography. I had a lot of fun focusing on tiny areas of objects. The jar below is less than an inch high. I zoomed in on the tiny black key. In this next photo, you can see the detail in the sand so clearly: Using Water While experimenting with Macro photography, I tried to capture water droplets. I love the way the water drops look on top of this peacock feather: The yellow rose below was spritzed with a spray bottle of water. I love all the tiny water […]

Bannack Ghost Town: Fine Art

by cleverchristie on June 7, 2019 , No Comments

I’m new to the world of Fine Art Photography but I gave it my best shot (literally). The day spent photographing Bannack Ghost Town was a beautifully overcast day. The sun would peek out every once in a while, though. Because of the overcast weather, most of the photographs were pretty saturated. Still, I added some saturation and played with the detail and color a bit in photoshop. The Hotel was my favorite place to shoot “Ghost” pictures but was bare-bones empty inside. On the contrary, the Doctors House was decorated authentically which proved for some fun fine art and […]

Bannack Ghost Town: Portraits

by cleverchristie on June 5, 2019 , No Comments

Traveling to Montana to visit Bannack Ghost Town with my Digital Imaging class was so much more fun than I thought it would be. I learned a lot about photography and made some new friends along the way. One of our assignments was taking portraits. This was the first time I had shot portraits using Auxiliary Light. Not only did I learn how to use added light when taking portraits, but I also learned the many benefits of added light. Portraits Using Auxiliary Light Following are a few examples of the portraits I was able to shoot using different forms […]

Bannack Ghost Town: Creative

by cleverchristie on June 1, 2019 , No Comments

Levitation I have to say, creating a levation photo was way more fun than I thought it would be. It was also easier than I thought it would be. I simply used a tripod to take a photo of Brenna (above) lying on a bench, then kept my camera in the exact same spot on the tripod and took a photo of the room without Brenna or the bench. I erased the bench in photoshop and blended the two photographs. Voila! Levitation achieved. Ghost The most fun I had during my Bannack Ghost Town trip was taking slow-shutter Ghost photographs. […]

Bannack Ghost Town: Series

by cleverchristie on June 1, 2019 , No Comments

Through a Window Recently, I joined my Digital Imaging class on a day trip to a Montana State Park & Ghost called, Bannack. While there I shot a series of photos where I captured scenes through windows. I had such an amazing time! This was the first time I’ve ever taken an entire trip just to take photos. We spent the whole day there and I took upwards of 800 photos (including bracketing – so more like 600…but still). Halfway through the day, I discovered that my camera was on Auto-ISO! Gah! I kept setting my ISO between 100 and […]

Landscape: Perspective of 9

by cleverchristie on May 21, 2019 , 4 Comments

Collage When I think of nature and the outdoors, Island Park, Idaho is the first place that comes to mind. On a recent drive up to Island Park, I stopped at Ponds Lodge with my nephews to play outside and stop for some pizza. The boys roamed around the property and explored the nearby, Buffalo River while I shot photographs. 9 Perspectives I decided to make Ponds Lodge my subject for “Perspective of 9”, a photo assignment which includes 9 different perspectives of one subject. While shooting photos of the grounds around Pond’s Lodge, I was lucky enough to catch […]

Photography: Depth of Field

by cleverchristie on May 14, 2019 , 1 Comment

Deep Depth of Field With a small aperture (also called f/stop) you can keep everything in your photo sharp. If the subjects in the foreground, middle ground and background are all in focus, you have successfully created a deep depth of field. In both the photo above and the photo below I used a small aperture (or opening), f/16, to create photos with a deep depth of field. Shallow Depth Field To create a shallow depth of field, I used a large aperture setting (large opening but a small number). I used my largest opening, f/1.4, to capture a very […]

Motion Photography

by cleverchristie on May 8, 2019 , 3 Comments

Blurred Motion Learning to capture motion with your camera takes some experimentation. Recently I had the opportunity to try to capture some photos of the water falls in Idaho Falls, Idaho. This early morning sunrise shoot provided the chance to practice blurred motion. While I am no expert, I can say that I had a lot of fun and was happy with my results. Blurred motion requires a slow shutter speed, so I set my Nikon camera to “S” for Shutter Priority. With the camera dial set to 1/6 second, my camera automatically adjusted the aperture to f/16. To avoid […]

Exposure: What and Why?

by cleverchristie on April 29, 2019 , 4 Comments

Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO While setting out on some self-motivated education about the three fundamental elements of exposure: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, my quest became easier when I found fantastic, royalty-free, images to share while visiting www.pexels.com. Aperture Lingo Photographers often refer to the camera’s aperture in f-stops. When first learning how to use the manual mode on your digital camera, it can feel really confusing. Together with shutter speed, aperture determines how much light can reach the lens. Aperture Quick Tips: A wide aperture or opening equals more light. A narrow aperture or opening equals less light. […]

For Fun and for Fabric

by cleverchristie on April 22, 2019

Pattern Design by Christie Bryant

I {Heart} Travel Icons

by cleverchristie on March 12, 2019

Icon Design by Christie Bryant

Photography: Cracking the Code

by cleverchristie on February 1, 2019 , No Comments

Our photographs can vastly improve by applying just a few photography basics: Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, and Depth of Field. When we understand these rules and make a few simple adjustments to the way we frame our photos, then our photos will have a more professional look and feel to them. Take time to research professional photographers, they give us fresh ideas when we want to experiment with photography. Looking at beautifully composed photographs by professionals inspires our own creative work. Rule of Thirds I’ve always loved looking at beautiful photographs and I often find myself scrolling through Instagram. […]