Sometimes you just can't buy everything...

 If there is one thing about the photography industry that I've learned in the past year it is this: IT IS NOT CHEAP! That's right. I'm sure you're super shocked! (please note slight sarcarsm)

When I first got into this I thought: Camera, tripod, few lenses, editing software.

Ummmmmmm Ya.

Ring Ring*

This is your wake up call Rachel.

          How about: Camera, Lense, lense caps, caned air, camera case, more portable camera case for hiking and such, telephoto lense, wide angle lense, fish eye lense, macro lense, more and more lenses!,  Extra batteries, sd memory chips, Photoshop Elements all the way to CS5 (wich happens to be near 1,000 big ones in cost) Then you have to have all the computer software to run that WITHOUT running at snails speed. Not to mention Props! Chairs for little people (kids), stools. There are even special bean bags made to photograph infants on! Whoda thunk? I never knew! Do they teach that in college? That a really big, really sturdy bean bag is the best field tip out there to photograph infants with? I would've never thought of it. But the darn thing is almost 90 bucks! And these ADORABLE infant headbands with flowers on them, 13 bucks for two older edition, twenty bucks for a new edition! Seriously? This is way more investing than I would have thought! ( I am not dissing the products here, just the fact that I am poor and can't afford big prices like that)

Now let's make this clear. I'm not made out of money. I can't afford to spend this much money on accessories to a shoot when I'm not technically a business and am doing my work for free. So I'll do what I'll do best, whip out my Martha Stewart skills and try to make something that'll work just as well. I'm all about the d.i.y. projects.

My first goal was to tackle the infants/small child flower headband. I've actually made flower hairpieces before, just never thought to make them child size! So I thought this would be the easiest to tackle first! And it was suprisingly simple. Mind you I am not saying this is how real businesses makes them, this is just how I decided to go about it. This blog post will be about the first and easiest type of flower hairpieces to make, and the next blog post I'll go into how to cut your own fabric and make them from scratch wich is a bit harder.


1.)Find a bushel of fake flowers at a craft store, look for ones that can be easily popped off at the ends, or easily cut. Any color or size will do because it's all up to you!

2.) Pop off or cut the flowers off the ends of the stem.

3.) At your craft store buy an elastic strand. Measure it out and cut it down to 10-12 inches or so for an infant, 14-16 inches or so for a small child. The measurements really depend on the person, so I made varied sizes from 10-16 inches.

4.) Hot glue gun or super glue the two ends of the elastic together and to the back of the flower at the same time.

5.) After that glue has dried add a little bit more glue and place ontop of that a circular cut piece of felt. I would use a color felt that matches the back of the flower. That will cover up, and protect the elastic from coming undone.

6.) Voila' headband, now you can decorate it as you wish. Adding feathers to the back, lace, fabric, beads, glitter. It's all up to your creative juices! Here are a few pictures of the ones I made.

 Thanks to E & P for letting me photograph their gorgeous girls to help showcase my handcrafted works!

As you can see the first four are made from the same purple flower, but I added different color accents to each one. And the last is a plain pink flower headband, I liked the way it looked plain :)

Shall we try the giveaway again?!

This time:

Vote on your favorite headband by posting a comment stating wich one is your favorite. If you go to your FB page and make a post sharing your love for this blog and the giveaway, or just spreading the word about the blog, that counts as two more votes! (But be sure to come back here and let me know you spread the word via fb so I can credit you more votes!)

The Deadline for this giveaway is October 1st. at 12:01 a.m.

I will post the winner's name via this blog the next morning so they can email me their shipping address.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ray

http://www.lookingglassproject.yolasite.com/ 

Photographing Wildlife in Movement

Whereas I do Not claim to be a proffessional wildlife photographer... I have managed to figure out a few easy tips for wildlife. Here are my tips, along with some photographs to help explain and tantalize the visual senses!

Horses are a bit tricky, the easiest ones to photograph are of course ones that perform, at races, hunter jumper, or dressage, even rodio horses, because they are used to being photographed by the press and proffessional photographers. However, if you have a horse that is not so familiar with our society, be sure to keep your distance when photographing to test the waters. I've found most horses spook just a little bit when my camera flashes or makes it's clicking noises. The best bet is to just do without the flash, and photograph at a safe distance. Wouldn't want to be That close to a horse when it rears from panick! Just use your zoom!

*

The first word of advice on photgraphing birds.... If you are out in the wilderness where the there are predatory birds, bring your telephoto lense! These suckers fly so high that my 55-75mm lense couldn't even get that birdie above (I believe it was a hawk)! Just a sillhouette, wich does, on occassion, make a good wildlife portrait....

The photo above was of an Osprey just over Foy Lake. One of my more frustrating moments. This bird taught me to Never take my eye away from the lense when I'm planning on capturing wildlife on film. It was on the top of a tree not even 8 feet from me, I took the camera away from my eye to check the setting and as I looked down it flew away. I Missed that fly off moment!! You just never know when wildlife is going to move next, and they are faster than you think! Just keep that camera at the ready and don't look away till you get that shot, patience is a virtue w/ wildlife photography.

When you look up close to the picture... it does seem as though he's staring right at me.....

*

Smaller birds are relatively easy. All you really have to do is prepare yourself to sit for a long while. I usually go just outside my door and sit, after about five to ten minutes the birds that were there will most likely come back. Once they get used to your presence they'll go back to their business. When I'm sitting there I'll focus in on part of the tree where I see them landing most. And I'll keep it there, wether or not there is a bird in the frame at the time. Why is this? Because if I tried to chase after their movements all the photos would be blurry! Little birds are busy little creatures. The best method I've found is to anticipate their movements, or wait untill they come into your frame. Or focus on that one bird that seems to be perched for good and wait untill it moves. That's how I got the next shot...

here's one more of that type of bird... I really need to find out what type of bird that is!

I love going out near bodies of water during the spring too. Then you get to see the birds hunt in the water, and their chicks waiting nearby. Like these two little odd birds. Does anybody know what these birds are? I really need to get a bird guide. :)

          Right after I took the photo above, the adult in the bottom left corner dove into the water. He was hunting in the water like this......

.... Natural Torpedo!!! Ahh... Gotta Love Mother Nature's Wonders!


    That concludes my photography tips for horses and various birds.... The next bird I've got my sights on is a Blue Jay. We have a Giant one that hangs out in a tree in front of our house for about two weeks during the Summer. He's such a skiddish thing, he flies off the moment he notices me :( Perhaps I'll break out the camo and sit overnight! Hey, it's my version of "hunting" :D I hope these tips have helped. Stay in tuned for my next blog, wich is going to be tips on photographing deer and dogs.

                                                Thanks for the interest!

                                                              Ray

The Summer of Sunsets

It's not everyday that you get to see an amazing sunset, though in Montana it does seem like we have way more colorful, and more prominent sunsets then anywhere else. It's sad that we can't just sit back and watch them pass everyday, that we don't remember them as if they were as important as our birthdays. We have to remember to savor the little things.... I hope you enjoy my few, but very beautiful memorable susnets of the Summer of 2010

                                                   Nik Doty's Wake

The Rauser Wedding... my little sis :)

                            The Fox Lake Hike in the Absorkee/Beartooths...

                  Right after the Carousel in Missoula....smokey from the fire

                      The second time my Hubby & I took the kids to Foy Lake


September 17th..... Where the Heck did the Summer go?


                                                    Thanks for stopping by!
                                                               Ray

Fire and Ice


Some say the world will end in
fire,
Some say in Ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

By Robert Frost


    When you're taking pictures around a campfire, you can have loads of fun playing with your camera. Just leave the flash at home! Shut it off in your menu, close it, or cover it up. It's not necessary around a fire because as long as you're closer to the fire, the fire provides enough light. Your camera just thinks it needs the flash because there is no fill light. Get close, zoom in, and take a picture without a flash. Or sit a little further back, and while you're waiting for your shutter to close, slowly turn your camera. Doing so will give the light a "ghosting" appearance. I absolutely love taking my camera out, and just playing with it to see what I can come up with. One of the best ways to get to know your camera is to experiment!

We had color pellets to throw in the fire, a little pricy and they didn't last too long, but good entertainment for kids nontheless.

The next pictures I took, I stood back a bit, zoomed in, and then moved the lense slowly as the shutter was closing...

The white like orb, is the moon behind the fire, but it ends up looking like a spark from the fire. :)

Ok so it might not exactly be Picaso. But it's good entertainment, at least I think so. And the photos can turn out pretty psychedelic. haha.

Thanks for Reading!

Ray

The Winning Image & The Winner

Ladies and Gentlemen the winning Image! And of course the winner of a free 8x10 of this image is Tammy Roos .... Thank you Tammy for taking the time to vote! Perhaps next time there will be more competition. ;) Tammy, please email me your shipping address to lookinglassgallery@Yahoo.com 

                                                   AND

   Just for your viewing pleasure.... How bout another photo?? Oh and please stay in touch, I'll be having another giveaway here shortly!

 Don't forget to check out my website! www.lookingglassproject.yolasite.com

Crashes & While I was gone....

  It is absolutely amazing to me, that not even six months into the ownership of my new computer I would have to pull out the warranty I so cleverly purchased. Well, honestly, if I hadn't bought the warranty I would've been daft. See I have two small children, and my youngest broke the last computer that didn't have a warranty. So I am Super Glad that I bought the warranty, just a little peeved at the fact that I had to whip it out already. And to add to my wonderful disposition in finding out my computer had crashed, it decided to crash while I was getting directions on the internet, right before my family were to leave for a four day vaca. Perfect Timing Right???
   However, to say that the neglect of my blog was entirely the computer crashes fault is not true. My computer has been fixed for a little over a week now, and I suppose I could've run to the library to update the blog...... But let's be honest, I'm one busy gal, who has a very distracted brain.... so of course I failed on the daily updating. However!..... I'll try harder.
    Here are some pictures of what I was up to while I was gone..... I'd like to take a vote. Pick your favorite picture, then vote for it through commenting on this post. On Sunday at midnight, I'll rack together all the votes and decide the winner. If you vote, you automatically enter into the chance to win a free 8x10 of your favorite picture! I'll post the most popular picture winner, and the winner of the free 8x10 Monday morning. Good Luck and Thanks for Reading!
Picture Number One:

Picture Number Two:

Picture Number Three:

                              

Picture Number Four

Picture Number Five

                       

Picture Number Six:

Oh and By The Way... If ever in Missoula, Montana be sure to stop by and support the Missoula Carousel! It's a great experience for kids, and really the best Carousel I've ever been too.

Business?....or just a Hobby?

 That's been the Great Debate on my mind as of recently. Yesterday I read an article/blog that Borrow Lenses.com had posted on their Facebook.


http://www.digitalweddingforum.com/blog/a-facebook-warning-for-photographers




 It's an article about Facebook's policy on promoting oneself for profit on their personal accounts instead of their business or fan pages. It got me to thinking, "Perhaps I'm promoting my photography on my profile more than I should be." So I signed up for a business page, or started to. About fifteen minutes into it I thought, Why? I don't charge people, I don't have a business license yet. So wouldn't this classify as a hobby since I don't actually financially "profit" off of photography? Emotionally and artistically, yes I do. But financially... No.  So I changed my mind, to heck with this! How many networking sites does one person need anyway? And if FB banned me would it really be the end of my life? I would most likely not even lose any sleep over the ordeal. If anything it would open up at least a half hour in my daily schedule.     

 Then Today, as I log back into FB, I read another blog on another friend's profile. This blog being a little bit more on the touchy side.
 
http://amyrophotography.com/blog/how-to-pick-a-good-photographer/
 
(Please read How To Pick a Good Photographer, it's really worth knowing, and the rest of what I say will make more sense if you do.)
 
   I found the link to this blog on Kristen Caldwell Photography's FB profile
 
http://www.facebook.com/KristenCaldwellPhotography
 
    Kristen is a truly inspirational photographer, who I have learned much from through her blog, and facebook page. If you're into photography, I would advise you keep an eye on her as well. There is much you can learn from just watching at times you know :) Anyways, she has this to say about the link:

<"I posted this link months back from Amy Ro Photography... I'm posting it again today to reiterate WHY it is so important to pick a good photographer and HOW to pick a good photographer... I myself have worked VERY hard to land myself where I am at today... Long nights and LOTS of free sessions before I even THOUGHT to ...start charging people... and to the individual that sent me that "anonymous" snarky email earlier today, feel free to call me anytime! my number is to the left...">
 
   And I agree with both ladies on all subjects.
 
But of course people's feelings will be hurt. Why? Because people, Especially artists, are also known to be egotists. It's unfortunate that there ARE people out there who claim to be a business when they're not, or they claim their work is good enough to be paid for when it's not. 
 
 I am STILL learning. STILL growing. Not Yet Ready, to be a business. Right now, I have too much going on to consider being a business. Hopefully within a year or two, I will take some classes, get my poop in a group, and have a business. But right now.... I DO NOT charge, because I am learning, and I find it a privilege to photograph people. I offer what I can to those willing to accept it. And I'm enjoying every minute of it. My husband likes to remind me at times, "Things worth having, are worth working really hard for, or worth sacrificing for. So right now, I'm going to do what Kristen Caldwell did, and keep offering long nights and TONS of free session, untill I feel I am proffesional, untill I have more Accreditation.
 
-Rachel Nicole

Choosing to find beauty

Photography is like therapy to me. It's the best kind in my mind. This world is so busy, and chaotic, and when you become an adult all the "understanding" you thought you would have as a child seems to be shaken. I know things are still confusing to me at least. Your view of the world is less naive than it was when you were a child, less peacefull perhaps.... When I've had a very "bad hair day" and my mind focuses on all the negative and harried thoughts, I find that the best thing to do is get behind the lense. I'll load up the car, get the kids, and have my husband drive us off somewhere. Somewhere out past town, somewhere remote. I'll get my camera out, and all in my mind focuses on photography instead of the ucky stuff that may have messed up the rest of my day. I'm not thinking about fairness, or the woes of the world. All I'm thinking about is the beauty that I'm trying to capture. Then when I get the shot, I stop, and realize, I'm no longer upset. Instead I feal satisfied that I've captured some small beauty in the world. It makes me happy that I stopped long enough to notice that beauty. It definitely puts my minute problems into a greater persepective. It's humbling. It's the perfect kind of therapy. Here's to hoping you choose to find the beauty too :)
Rachel Nicole

Every Story Has a Beginning

     Every story has a beginning, I suppose this story (my story) starts when I picked up my first Nikon DSLR, the first time I ever switched out a lense. Last September, of 2009. Ever since then my life has been consumed with the passion of photography. My life has had it's ups and downs, it's fair share of difficulties, especially within this last year. Yet when my hands prepare my camera to shoot, from the moment I put the lense into my camera, I am focused on nothing else but that perfect shot. Relentlessly. Untill artistically I am satisfied, and the world seems a calmer and more pretty space.
   The fact that I am forcing myself to slow down and enjoy lifes simple beauties and treasures is a pretty impressive thought. Think of it. How many times in a day you slow down to gaze over an inticing image, ice cream on a babies nose, a sunrise, a dew drop, a simple smile? I'm all about the details. A very wise friend of mine once said, "If you can't enjoy the little things in life, you won't enjoy anything."
     So I'm slowing down. Evaluating. I'm going to do the things now that I was afraid to do before. Afraid of what you may ask? Of the thought of rejection, the thought of failing? Hmmm.... Well, the thought of blogging about my personal experience through learning to be a photographer appeared to me a long while ago. But the thought of failing, of not knowing how to start, was crippling to me. Now I realize, the possible regret I could feel for not Fully trying to be great would be worse than failing. I need to at least say I tried my best.
    So onto a new adventure! I would be ecstatic if you would join me in this "journey/adventure" to heck "enjoyable pastime" even. I will share with you the knowledge I have gained so far, and explore into new realms of ideas and knowledge and share those with you as well! From how to find or make your own photography props, what are actions and presets, the difference between photoshops, posing tips, creating your own website, other blogs that I visit, some arts and crafts, GIVEAWAYS, and Mommy stuff inbetween. I want to cover it all, and share it with you!
   I'm really ecstatic I decided to do this! And I hope you'll join me again :)
Rachel Nicole

   P.S. Check out my website and project statement at www.lookingglassproject.yolasite.com