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That's right folks, the 4th of July is here, and even though it came faster than anticipated we can still get in the spirit of the day. I'm sure many of you have fantastic plans for the 4th: swimming, grilling, parades, and maybe even some fireworks. Here are some pictures from a 4th of July celebration I took a few years ago, to help get you in the celebrating mood!
Have a fun and safe weekend everybody!
I first ran across these photos in an email forward and instantly fell in love. I think everyone imagines or dreams of having a house like this. And the great part is the owner is willing to share in exchange for some tough love. That's right, you can come stay at this beautiful home if you are willing to help spruce her up with some good ol' elbow grease. Hop the jump to find out more!
Here at Runawayalice Photography, we're very conscious about copyright. That being said, this is going to be my first picture-less post. Tragic you say? Yes, indeed. But wait! There are still pictures, they're just not mine and you just have to click one more thing to check out this beautiful home. The original article (from what I can tell) and a beautiful photo gallery with photos by Erik Jacobs of The New York Times can be found HERE.
As you can tell from the breath taking photos, the view will take your breath away. You actually feel like you are staying on a boat in the water, and the artist did well to bring the landscape into the house itself.
Clingstone is a 103 year old mansion that resides in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. Clingstone was built by J.S. Lovering Wharton with the help of artist William Trost Richards. The building is a 3 story mansion with 23 rooms, a huge central hall, and dozens of large picture windows. The building was completed in 1905 with the final bill totaling $36,982.99.
The current owner Mr. Henry Wood, is a distant cousin of J.S Lovering Wharton. Mr. Wood bought the house in 1961 with his ex-wife Joan for a mere $3,600. At that time it had been empty for nearly two decades and needed a lot of work. That's where Mr. Wood had a bright plan. He created the Clingstone Work Weekend. Usually held around Memorial Day, the work weekend brings around 70 friends and families to the mansion to handle the repairs. And what do they receive in exchange for their hard work? A chance to stay in this beautiful home. But Mr. Wood doesn't limit that invitation to just family and friends. Mr. Wood says that all skilled workers are welcome. So if you're willing to put in a little hard work, you could enjoy a summer stay at this beautiful gem.
Lately I've heard a lot of people talk about how they want a new camera and many of them want to graduate to bigger cameras. As Mrs. Miami put it, "I want a big girl camera." So, if you are thinking about entering the world of Digital SLRs (which stands for single-lens reflex, F to the Y-I) here is a post for you. I'm going to try and explain some basics to help you get started and realize what you're looking at. We're gonna start really basic, and go slowly, so don't be scared. I'll hold your hand. And as a side note, if I don't explain it well enough or you've got questions, feel free to comment and I will try to explain it better. Let's get started!
First, we're gonna want to turn it on. Now I am using a Canon 40D for all these photos, so depending on what camera you are using some of the buttons may be in different spots, but you should be able to figure it out.
This is your review button so you can see any images you've taken...that way when we start comparing you can be like, "Hm, this one is much darker than this one...I wonder why that is?" Push it once to review, and once to turn it off.
And the all mighty delete button. Make sure you don't trash anything you might want.
Big-ol-selection wheel. Use this to scroll back and forth between pictures on your view screen, as well as select options like, "Well yes I would like to delete this photo."
So those are the first operating basics. My main focus today is going to be on Aperture Priority Mode, Shutter Priority Mode, Manual Mode, and ISO. We're going to review what they mean and how to use them. In the next post we will go into how to apply them and what your pictures will look like using each. Today's just the mechanical aspect of it.
So here are your three modes I just mentioned. To be honest, these are what I use for the majority of the time. We have a no Automatic fly zone here.
AV= Aperture Priority. Your aperture is the actual size hole in your camera that is letting light in as well as determining your depth of field. Depth of field is another way to say focus, or specifically what parts of your pictures are in focus. So we've all seen pictures where something really close up is in focus but the background is out of focus or vice versa, those are changes in the depth of field. When you scroll back and forth in Aperture Priority you are going to notice the numbers go from 2.8 (depending on what lens you are using) to 22, these are called F-Stops. At 2.8 the hole in your camera is wide open, letting the most light possible in, this is perfect for low light situations as well as close up focus. At 22 the hole is as small as possible, letting the least amount of light in and also making more of your picture in focus.
That is how you tell what aperture capability the lens you are using can do. So this can go to F4.0, which is just ok, the lens I'm using to take the photo with can go to 2.8, which is why I was using that one.
So once you have set your camera to AV, your screen will look something like this. The top box is your F-Stop. So right now I am as wide open as that lens will let me go. The bottom number is my ISO Setting. ISO is the digital version of film speed. Back in the good ol' film days, you would pick your film depending on what you were shooting. 100-400 speed film was used mostly for outdoor settings where there was plenty of light and then 400-3200 was when you would transition into indoor and low light settings. So basically lower speed film like 100 was less sensitive so it required more light, while higher speed films like 3200 were more sensitive to light so required less light to expose them. The ISO setting on your digital camera is replicating this. I was shooting inside so my ISO is set at 1600, to compensate for it being darker.
You can change your ISO setting by pushing your ISO button, and then using your smaller scroll wheel, which is located next to your trigger, to change the setting.
When you are in Aperture Priority, you are still in a semi-automatic mode. Meaning that while you are controlling your light and focus by determining how open your aperture is, your camera is automatically adjusting your shutter speed to match it. That way your photos will come out with an even amount of light.
TV=Shutter Priority. The shutter is the device in your camera that opens and closes when you take a picture. When you switch to TV, you are selecting to control how fast or slow the shutter opens, while your camera automatically chooses an aperture that will balance the light for you. Occasionally you will run into a circumstance where you have a high shutter speed and your camera cannot get a low enough aperture to compensate for the lack of light. At this point, inside the viewfinder, you will see a blinking light and the camera will not let you take a photo. And you will be forced to bring your shutter speed down.
This is what it looks like when you are in Shutter Priority. The lower the numbers the slower your shutter is going to open and close. When your shutter is at a slower speed, you are more likely to get motion blur in low light situations. Which isn't always a bad thing. When your shutter is at a higher speed, you are able to stop whatever motion is happening and freeze it. So, lots of famous sports pictures where the athlete is frozen in action are taken at high shutter speeds.
A lot of times I will use Aperture priority for nature or portraits, while I will use Shutter Priority for sports, or kids playing.
Aperture Priority
Shutter Priority
However, I'm old school. Most of the time, I would say 99% of the time at this point, I shoot in Manual.
Manual=full control. So basically it's up to me in any given situation to change my ISO, my Aperture, and my Shutter speed to match the light that I want in the photo. When I first started shooting with a digital camera, I got frustrated...alot. I was so use to setting everything myself and then checking my light meter to make sure I had the light where I wanted it. But in Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority the camera is matching the speed etc, so that you will get the optimal balanced light. So your light meter always looks like this:
Right smack dab in the middle. And I'm going to admit something that's kinda embarrassing, for awhile I didn't realize that this was my light meter. EEk! My light meter was very different on my old film Pentax. But this light meter is also in your viewfinder at the bottom.
So this is what it looks like in Manual Mode. You have control of all these buttons, and your light meter will change, which is super handy. So you can always use your light meter to gauge what's going on. I will warn you however, beware of white things, shiny things, mirrors, and windows...it's gonna freak your poor ol' light meter out! So just experiment and try to gauge how to get the light the way you would like it.
And the last little tidbit in this marathon of a post, is how to set your Diopter. Your Diopter adjusts the focus in your viewfinder to the strength of your eyes. This might not seem like a big deal, but I have had times when I have picked up someone's camera to use and taken a photo and it looks out of focus. I can't figure out why it would be out of focus, and it's because their Diopter is different from mine. So this is easy to do, just hold the camera up to your eye, relax, and scroll the Diopter up and down until it looks as sharp as it can be.
So that is our start on getting to know your camera. The best thing to do is play with the settings, see what you get, don't be afraid to push buttons, and just see what setting is the most comfortable for you. On the next camera post we will work on applying these settings to actual photographs.
That's right, I gave in...again. I made a Pioneer Woman recipe for the dish-o-the week. I have a problem, I'll admit it. I'm going to Pioneer Woman cooking rehab soon, not to worry. But in the mean time, you can check out this awesome looking chili. I had never made chili before. And I'll go ahead and put this out there since I say something to that affect on every cooking post...until now...whew, deep breath...I haven't really cooked. Don't judge me. I'm a newly wed and I'm learning, but I truly am enjoying learning too. Anywho, bring on the chili pics!
Key fixin's.
Ms. Brisco and Speed Racer were getting impatient. The smell was driving them wild! So they just sat there...lingering over the chili.
The great thing about this recipe is that is leaves room to add or not add what you feel like. She gives a list of "optional" ingredients. I am not a huge bean fan, I will eat them in chili but that is about it. Speed Racer thinks I must have had some sort of head trauma as a child for something to be so wrong with me that I would not like beans. So I added pinto beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes with chili's, one jalapeno, one finger hot pepper, onion, garlic, chili powder, paprika, oregano, and salt. But you can mix and match as you like.
Oh he's getting really impatient now, he's got that crazed look in his eye. You can tell he's about to steal a nibble. Not to worry though, we ate shortly after that. There are no pictures because we were both too busy gobbling it down.
Now who is going to do the dishes I wonder? Lucky for me, in our house it's whoever doesn't cook has to do the dishes.
Later that night...
I had to add this in the post because it's too adorable for words.
About a year ago on Valentine's Day, my Dad got me this photo book: "Life: The Classic Collection." He thought it would help inspire me on my photographic journey, and boy has it ever. The photographs in this book are iconic. And I say photographs because that's what they are. They aren't "pics" or "photos," these are PHOTOGRAPHS. These photographs are so awe inspiring not only because they capture some of the most traumatic and meaningful times in history, but because of the art, timing, and skill that each photographer illustrates in each photograph. When I see these photographs, I realize how far I have to go and how much determination I need. It's a great kick in the pants as well. AND one of the great details about the classic collection, is that it comes with 25 removable photographs, that you can frame and put around your house, which I will do as soon as I get frames.
Many of these photographs are very recognizable. We've grown up seeing them in magazines and highlighted on television. They are timeless. One of the most famous photographs is the classic Times Square Kiss by Life photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt.
Everyone knows this photograph, and it's one of my favorites. I really didn't know much about the photograph however. I knew that it was taken on V-J day in Times Square. I knew that the couple was anonymous for a long time. I knew that they didn't know each other. But that was about it, until today when I ran across this article. On June 23, 2010 Edith Shain (the Nurse) died at age 91. Apparently she didn't contact Life until the '70s, and the identity of the sailor is still unknown. According to the photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, he was in Times Square trying to get some shots, when he saw the sailor going around kissing any woman he could find. Eisenstaedt saw the nurse, and focused on her hoping that the sailor would kiss her, so he was ready when it happened. According to the sliberstudios.tv article, Shain spent the last half of her life educating others on the events of World War II. When interviewed about the spontaneity of the kiss, Shain said this, "This guy grabbed me and we kissed, and then I turned one way and he turned the other. There was no way to know who he was, but I didn’t mind because he was someone who had fought for me.” She also said, "As for the picture it says so many things — hope, love, peace and tomorrow. The end of the war was a wonderful experience, and that photo represents all those feelings.”
I love how passionate the kiss is, how taken surprise the nurse seems, the ladies in the background giggling, and how it is framed as a snap shot. You feel the passion and absolute joy of V-J day. And as Edith Shain says, you experience the hope, love, peace and tomorrow. This photograph represents something we all hope for, not only as photographers, but for our lives...to experience absolute joy and (especially so close to the 4th of July) the end to wars.
Ever since I was little I've felt comforted in rural areas. My family use to go on a retreat every summer at Oak Hill Academy, and they had a beautiful barn on campus. I would get up early in the mornings and go watch them feed the cattle, help brush the horses, hang out in the barn, and do a little horseback riding. I absolutely loved it. When I moved in high school, I moved to a more rural area and would always find my escape in nature. So when Speed Racer told me we were moving to Knoxville, I was a little hesitant. I had seen downtown Knoxville once in high school and swore I would never live here. Careful what you say, right? But when Speed Racer took me to see the house, I was immediately at peace. Where we live in Knoxville, is surrounded by rural farms, holding out against the sprawl of the city. There's even a cattle farm just down the street. Early in the morning on the weekends, Speed Racer and I will climb on our bikes and head into the heart of this rural area, and it's especially beautiful in the morning light. So today, I thought I would go out and try to capture a little of that.
Speed Racer has been in Norway this week, and I am embarrassed to say that I miss him. I spend 24 hours a day with the man, you think I would want a break for a week. But no, as soon as he left, I missed him. Speed Racer and I started dating when I was 16 years old and he was 17 (all though we dated off and on, I might add). The story of how we "officially" met has been told to many of our friends and family, and at our wedding. But it's a fantastic one so here it goes. When I met Speed Racer I had just moved in the middle of high school. I hated my new high school and town, everyone knew I was the new girl. Speed Racer and I had Anatomy and Physiology together, and I sat at the end of the table we shared. The teacher had lowered the lights for us to watch a movie and I took this as a prime opportunity to lay my head down and let the tears, that I had been holding in all morning, gently slide down my cheeks. When I looked up, someone had placed a single blue M&M in front of me. I turned and saw Speed Racer give a gentle wave and a killer smile.
I was ridiculously in love. Head over heels, in love with this red headed, green eyed, car loving guy. I think I may have mentioned to my Mom when I was 17 that I wanted to marry him. She may have had a mini-heart attack but she survived. But the fates had a different idea at the time. Speed Racer and I broke up, then got back together, then broke up again. At this point we were in college, and that last break up was a harsh one. For the next year and a half or so, we dated other people (while living in the same dorm...can you say ouch?), but we kept trying to talk, and then our talks would turn into fights, but we couldn't stop. At times one of us would be sick, and the other would always show up to take care of the person. We had countless emails, trips to the ER, long night walks, and longing hugs. Each time we would hug, the longing I felt was unbearable. It felt right.
The Spring of my Sophomore year, Speed Racer came to help me on an outdoor art project. We stayed up late into the night working on it. As we finished up we sat talking for awhile, and that's when he declared his love for me. I just stared. This couldn't be happening. I had a boyfriend at the time, and due to Speed Racer and I'd lack of communication (communication is hard, we're still working on it), I misunderstood what he was saying exactly...that he wanted this to be forever. I told him that this was it, it wouldn't work out...we couldn't be together.
And I had never felt so alone. I was devastated, this couldn't be the way it was suppose to work out.
We were back home that summer. It hadn't worked out with said Boyfriend, and I longed to talk to Speed Racer, I just didn't know how.
Throughout our relationship (whether together or apart) we had shared Pablo Neruda poems, one of my favorites being "I do not love you except because I love you." Late one night, Speed Racer posted a poem online about us. I knew instantly is was about us, about our love, about how he imagined our little red headed children...and before I knew what I was doing, I sent him a message saying I loved the poem. Then I quickly got offline...because I am a chicken. My cell phone rang. "Hello?" I said, trying to play it cool. "So you like the poem, huh?" Speed Racer teased on the other line. "I loved it, " I smiled and my heart melted.
We had a date. We went to a different town to get seafood and Speed Racer sneakily paid, so it was official. On our way back we took the Parkway through the mountains and through an intense thunderstorm. But as we headed to higher ground, we came out on top of the clouds...on top of the world. We pulled over and sat for hours on the edge of an ocean of clouds, with small mountain top islands. It was our own little heaven. We talked and sat just barely touching. And that is when I knew, that no matter what had happened or what would happen, we would be together forever, and I would love this man forever.
So that is how I got here, with the help of friends, family, and the man I love. I would not have been able to do it without Speed Racer there to support me, tease me out of crying, his ability to make me laugh, and undying love. From here on out, it's an adventure. The adventure will still have it's ups and downs, and it won't be easy. Perhaps in 50 years I can write an epic "How Did I get Here?" but until then I will have to take it day by day, and savor every moment.
So that title isn't completely accurate, the boys were back in town and have now left again, is a little better. While I was catching up on girl talk and celebrating Father's Day, Speed Racer was out having a "Boys Only" weekend. There was canoeing, there were guns, there was mockery, and there was laughter...sounded like an overall good time. Wish I could have stuck around a little bit longer before they kicked me out, I love being one of the guys, but alas, they needed to talk man talk. But here are some pictures I snapped before I left.
Obviously you know Speed Racer...
Mr. B...
The Preacher...
Gumby...
And hiding back there is Mr. Hokie.
After a crazy weekend, we high tailed it back to Knoxville. But before Mr. B left the next morning we got a chance to show him Norris.
All in all it was a fabulous weekend! It was great to see so many old friends, both Speed Racer and I miss them a lot.
My Dad is a Giver, he is one of the most giving people I know. As I have grown up he has constantly battled to balance family, work, and everything in between, like most father's do, but it was never a question who came first. When I was growing up, my Father was always there to laugh with me, hold me when I was upset, to give advice, to tickle me out of a bad mood, to hold my hand through a migraine, and to walk me down the aisle.
My Dad is a Provider. During college, I would undoubtedly find a $20 bill in my pocket, or bag on my way back to school. Whenever someone in my family mentions something they like, it inevitably finds it's way to them on their birthday or Christmas. Beyond providing for me, giving me food and shelter, my Dad gave me his undivided attention and his unconditional love. There was never a doubt in my mind that when I called at 3:30 AM to cry about breaking up with my boyfriend in college (who was actually Speed Racer, but as you see everything worked out) that Dad would pick up the phone and listen. He was there through countless ER visits, boyfriends, travels, track meets, bad grades, and migraines.
My Dad is also a teacher. He taught me how to tie my shoes, he taught me to spell, he taught me to drive and to drive a manual, he taught me public speaking, he taught me to believe in the Deep Magic, but most of all he taught me how to love others. My Dad gives beyond himself to his family, friends, and church members. And I have striven to be like him. He gave me the tools to build a home, to nurture a marriage, to raise our future children, and to love those around me. He taught me that love matters most of all.
But above all my Dad is MY Dad. I could not ask for a more loving, devoted, giving, teaching Father. I am reminded, especially now that I live farther away, each time that I see his wonderful smile or hear his hearty laugh...how truly blessed I am. Happy Father's Day Daddy.
(Photos provided by Fred Bowman, Emily McAlpine, Barbara Heckman, and some unknown family member...most likely my Mom)
