Monday Link Up: Some Photography Tips

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Welcome, for those of you new to my blog, my name is Martha and this is where I record my adventures in quilting, cooking and gardening. I'm so happy to be hosting the 

Let's Get Acquainted Monday Link Up

 this week. I was so delighted when

Beth

 asked me if I wanted to host it. I met Beth last summer during Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop that she organized, and I'm so glad I did. I'm a big fan of her blog. For those of you who haven't visited her  blog, please do so, every week she shares the beautiful sewing and quilting projects that she creates and she always uses the most beautiful fabrics, she has excellent taste. I'm so glad to have you here, please look around, I hope you stay a while.

Now on to this week's post: Photography is a subject that I'm very passionate about. And for us bloggers photos really help us convey the message we are trying impart whether it is sharing our latest creations or what we have been up to. I'm not an expert in any way, but I love learning about photography and trying new tricks that would help me improve my photos. Thus, I thought I'd share some tips that I have learned over the past year or so I have been blogging.

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* Equipment:

You don't need to have expensive equipment to create beautiful photographs. Most of my photos are taken using with my trusty point and shoot Nikon I got as a gift from my husband two Christmases ago.   Nowadays digital cameras have advanced so much and you can get a great affordable camera that would deliver great results without breaking the bank. Don't get me wrong, having a fancy DSLR is great, I myself I'm thinking about upgrading one day, but I feel that I still have not completely outgrown my current camera.

If you own a smart phone, as most of us do, take advantage of it. There are great apps available that could help you edit and enhance your photography and you can get great shots using your phone. I took the pictures above using my iPhone.

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Lighting:

Try taking your pictures in bright daylight, and avoid using your flash. Look around in your house and observe how the light comes in at different times of the day to identify the best spots where to take your pictures. For me for example, I get great lighting in the afternoon in my sewing room. I have a desk next to the window and that is one of my preferred spots to take pictures. I like placing a white board on the opposite direction from the where the light comes in to reflect the light and avoid shadows on the object I'm photographing.

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Taking steady pictures is very important and sometimes just pressing the shutter button on your camera  can get the picture out of focus. Try using a tripod or set your camera on the table your are taking the pictures and use some books to raise your camera to get the height you need. Then, use the timer on your camera that way you won't need to press the shutter button.

* Experiment with the settings of your camera and take different shots at different angles to see which setting gives you the result you were looking for. Having multiple shots of the subject you are photographing gives you more possibilities when choosing the picture you want to include in your post.

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 Use a neutral backdrop to enhance the object you are photographing rather than risking getting lost on a busy background. 

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Lastly, take lots of pictures. I think amateur photography takes a lot of trial and error, and practice make us better. So don't be shy; get to know your camera and take it with you everywhere. Learn to see the world through the lens of your camera. You will be surprised how much your photos will improve by just taking more photos.

And now on to the Link up;

  1. Link up a recent sewing/quilt post.
  2. In your post or on your blog, please include either a text link or a button letting people know about this link up.
  3. Visit at least the two bloggers who link up before you and everyone who visits you from this post. 
  4. When the link tool asks for your name, write down your favorite cookie!

Link up closed 

Work in Progress: Star Quilt

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After a few days of neglect I finally got back to my Star Quilt. As the number of blocks grows so is my  pile of scraps leftover from building the blocks. Each time I worked on the blocks I kept wondering what to make with the scraps. The pieces are in the small side but perfect half square triangles; and I simply couldn't bare the thought of them just going to waste, And today I finally had my "Aha! moment." I figured out what to make with the tiny triangles and came up with this sort of pinwheel block. The finished size is going to be 3.5", a pretty good size and since I'm going to end up having a good number of them I'm thinking about making them into a couple of pillows or maybe a bag. 

Have a lovely week.

Martha.

Happy Mail

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Pretty Little Pouch Swap R6 - Received

I got some happy mail today! The pouch that my partner, Kim @ quiltinkimmie, made for me for the Pretty Little Pouch Swap arrived today. It is so pretty that I wanted to share it with you. I love that she used linen, my favorite fabric, and the bicycle fabric is just adorable. I just love everything about it. I'm going to carry my EPP projects in it and be very fashionable!
She also included some amazing goodies with the pouch: a beautiful assortment of charm squares, a birdhouse magnet (the birdie is adorable), a butterfly charm, a sheet of whimsical stickers for the quilting enthusiast and a pocket notebook. I'm a lucky girl!

Martha

A Picture... A Moment

Orchids From My Garden

These are orchids from my garden. Can you believe it? All year round my orchid plant goes unnoticed; standing quietly in a secluded section of the garden, but when winter arrives it definitely shows its presence delighting us with the most stunning blossoms. My husband cut some for me and this is what I have adorning my table right now. 
They are so breathtaking... don't you agree?

Martha. 

A Little Patchwork

Patchwork

Patchwork

This is a little patchwork I started to work on this weekend. It is an interesting project for several reasons: each square measures only 1 inch, I have never done piecing that small, but the most important aspect about this project is that it is not going to be for me. I joined the Pretty Little Pouch Swap (my very first swap!) and this is part of what will become the pouch for my partner. I'm quite pleased with the way that is looking. I just hope that my partner likes it. I can't wait to send it to her and share with you more details about the finished pouch.



I hope you have a lovely week,

Martha

Cross Stitching

Cross Stitch - Rose Pattern
Cross Stitch
Emboridery Florss

I started a cross stitch project! Can you tell I'm excited? Cross stitching has been in my mind for a while, but I always seemed to find an excuse to postpone it. Well, it seems like my dad read my mind and decided to give the encouragement that I needed. He just came back from a trip to Mexico and brought me several cross stitch pattern booklets and cross stitch fabric. I was so delighted with my present that on Saturday I took out my embroidery flosses, organized them (finally!) and started stitching. I'm very slow, but it is really fun to the see pattern come together as you stitch every single little cross. At the speed that I'm going it looks like it is going to be a long term project, but it gives me something to do when I'm watching TV with my husband. 
I hope you have a lovely week.

*Linking up to Fabric Mutt for the Let's Get Acquainted Monday Link Up from Plum and June and Sew Cute Tuesda at Better off Thread*

Martha.



Reaching For The Stars

Star Block
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Star Block
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Blues


Hello friends! I hope you had a wonderful time during the holiday season. I had a good time; Holidays  are still bitter-sweet for me. During this time is when I miss my mom the most, but being with family and friends makes it a little easier to get by. I'm really excited about 2013; last year was a very good year. I met many wonderful and talented bloggers, I got my sewing machine and started quilting. I hope to this year learn more things about this wonderful art that is quilting and hopefully by the end of this year have finally conquered my fear to free motion quilting.

I kept pretty busy during the Holidays and made handmade presents for some of my friends and family, but for some reason I felt like I had been away from my sewing machine for a very long time... and today we finally reunited again. I started a new quilt. I've been dreaming about a star quilt ever since I started quilting and I thought it should be my first project of the year. I'm using the star block tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew, amazing tutorial and the blocks come together super easy. I completed a few blocks and I can't wait to get back to my sewing room to keep working on this.

How was your weekend, did you make any big resolutions for the New Year?

Martha.