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FLASH VS. AUTO VS. MANUAL

December 28, 2010 By JJ

First of all, if you’re here visiting from Kate’s page, welcome! I’m glad you’re here!

Kate and I first met at BlissDom last year, but became fast friends over the interwebs as we bonded over life in CA, our love of good DIY, and delicious vino! I think she’s one of the most talented DIY bloggers out there and I am amazed by her creativity. PLUS, she’s just a really cool girl!

If you have no clue what I’m talking about take a quick look at the images below, then head on over to Centsational Girl for more good photo scoop!

FLASH – ewAUTO – blahMANUAL – yay!

I love the manual shot because I can control the look of the image I produce…I’m making the choice on what works best for me, not the camera. In the image above, I’ve controlled the depth of field (through aperture), the ambient light that the camera measures (through ISO), the crispness (through shutter speed), and, as a BONUS, the white balance. This is my image, produced exactly how I wanted it to be…and frankly, I think it’s the best of the three!

Learning to shoot manually takes a little practice, but once you have the “ah ha” moment, you’ll never go back! If you’d like further resources, please feel free to ask, but in the meantime, do yourself a favor and go visit Darcy’s 30 Days to a Better Photo series…you won’t be sorry!

PS – I shoot with a Canon 5DMii and have a photo biz. Having said that, you can achieve similar results with any SLR. Don’t be afraid to dig into your camera’s manual and learn more about it. Shooting exclusively on auto is like driving a luxury sports car in auto and as any car buff will tell you, there’s no point in that!

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CONDO2CASTLE: HAVE THAT PARTY

December 28, 2010 By JJ

When you live in a small house it can be hard to open your doors for festive occasions. During the holidays, people seem to dress up their homes and welcome oodles of friends and family in, and we can feel like our little shoeboxes just don’t measure up.

However, I’m here to assure you that regardless of the size of your home, the people who love you will love being in your space, in spite of its size!

Every year on the 23rd, I hold a Christmas Eve Eve Open House and this year’s party was a success once again. In my 761 sq. foot condo, I had about 30 people milling about and it was WONDERFUL.

The beauty of an open house is that seating is not required for everyone. People tend to mingle in small groups and then switch throughout the night. I had a group of friends with babies hanging out in my bedroom for a while and my sister and her friends stayed in the kitchen near the champagne cocktails for a bit, too. ; )

The flow of your home matters for large parties, too. In the past, I’ve had my tree in a more central spot in my house, however, it blocked the flow and diminished the capacity for additional seating. This year, I did some rearranging and switched up my furniture which allowed for me to put my tree in a corner by the windows. It makes me happy to see the lights from the walkway, and it makes the inside much more open, too. I took chairs from my table and strategically placed them throughout the living room, too. I definitely had a much better flow this year, which made my home more comfortable for me and my guests.

The other piece of advice I’d give for other small home dwellers is to have easy to eat food (no cutting at an open house!), accessible drinks (be sure to have plenty of non-alcoholic beverages, too), and multiple trash bags!

Also, know that there could/will be spills or breaks. Be an easy hostess and relax when things like this happen! You’ve welcomed people into your home and the last thing you want to do is make them feel unwelcome when accidents happen!

All in all, in spite of the size of your home, welcome others in. Do not be afraid to have people in your space…it’s a reflection of you and you is who they love!

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MY PARTIES HAVE CHANGED JUST A WEE BIT

December 27, 2010 By JJ

At my annual Christmas Eve Eve Open House, I noticed something unusual this year. My under 21-year old guests have increased. Well, let’s be honest, my under 2-year old guests increased. : )

This little charmer was the entertainer of the evening. His dad stood by the door for a good portion of the evening and blocked any escape attempts, but for the most part, he was busy making friends all night long!

And speaking of making friends, these two beautiful boys, who are a month and a day a part, had a chummy conversation going about Sophie the giraffe.

They bonded over Sophie and became fast friends. Their mommies had a good chat, too!

Until one of the other girls decided to steal this baby. I think she fell in love quickly. I wish I had my camera when she took him over to introduce the new guy to her hubby. I overheard someone say, looks like she’s giving a pretty good sales job. I’ll be shocked if she makes it through a year without working on her own expanded family! ; )

When someone shouted Jen, Jen, bring your camera, I knew there was something hilarious going on. Turns out Max grabbed mommy’s champagne flute and wanted to see if anything was left!

This little monkey was charming everyone by showing how bendy he was. Yep, that food fit in his mouth perfectly!

The fun at this party was not limited to the babies, though. Every year, the kissing ball in my hallway gets some action, and this year was no different. These two church friends of mine are anti-PDA, and yet, there they were, showing us how it’s done. ; ) I guess this shot is proof that the more things change, the more they stay the same!  Hope your holiday soirees were just as fun as mine!

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