{we are} storytellers

{snapshot saturday} the mysterious 'pp'

hey everyone :)

today's topic is one dear to my heart - the happy crossover between two of my favorite things, photography and photoshop.

it wasn't long after i began becoming seriously interested in photography that i started to hear a lot of talk about 'pp'.  PP stands for 'post-processing' or 'post-production', and for digital photographers basically means anything you do to your image in an image editing programme after you take it off your camera.

i really like to play with my images in photoshop, as i find it is a really enjoyable part of the whole creative process that goes into taking photos.  i can't stress enough that using photoshop or an image editor is not supposed to take anything away from learning how to take a good photo.  as you learn more and more about photography, you should absolutely be trying to learn how to take technically good photographs.  don't rely on photoshop to make your photos good for you.  HOWEVER, i personally think using our digital tools after the fact is just another piece of the puzzle - plenty of times i've taken a 'good' shot, but not really truly loved it until after photoshop has worked its magic.

so where do you start?  the types of image processing you can do depends on your skill level with your image editing programme, your budget, and/or your willingness to spend a lot of time playing.  i really do suggest taking a look around other photographer's work to get an idea of the styles of editing there are around.  having a go at emulating some of those is a great place to start.  starting next week, i'm going to take a look at some of the basic tools you should have in your editing tool-belt.  for now, i'll leave you with a couple of samples of some different styles i experimented with in a recent shoot.  if you want to experiment in the meantime, try checking out our store for some of emily powers' yummy Photology textures, or my Lightroom presets.  pop by the photography section of the forum too, where i'm off to start a before and after thread for us to take a peek at photos and what we did to them in PP.

Here's my folksy black'n'white:

and my texture:

and my 'honey':

and my urban:

and lastly my normal style:

{two sisters designs retires TODAY}

It's true, today is the last day to pick up Two Sisters Designs and Angela Powers individual goodies.

take care,

{storyteller} deann

{focus friday}

Happy Friday all! Hope that you’re having a great one! Today’s focus is on a kit that I think is so versatile it warrants the spotlight! Audrey Neal’s (aka beAUDacious Designs) Everyday Celebrations kit has every color of the rainbow, along with lots of elements that will work in any layout, but also seem to be working for Project 365 layouts too! Just take a look at what our lovely storytellers have come up with thus far… 

By Lori:

By Carolee (it's part of a 2-page layout, you have to click through to see the whole lovely picture!):

By Lisa:

By Tania:

And those bright colors are such a great pick-me-up at this time of year, don’t you think? Please link us up if you’ve done anything with this awesome kit! And don’t forget to have a wonderful weekend!

{storyteller} trude

{writer's notebook} thirteen drops of wine

Good morning!  Today we're ready for chapter 4 of Ralph Fletcher's book Breathing In, Breathing Out: Keeping a Writer's Notebook. A longer chapter this time, and one that really shows in more detail how Fletcher uses small details and moments, statements and questions, from his own life to trigger longer pieces of writing. Lots of good stuff here to think about, so I'll get right to it.

"Writing puts you in a state of 'constant composition,' and this is particularly true of writing in a notebook. Regular notebook writing acts as a wakeup call, a daily reminder to keep all your senses alert. This starts a cycle that reinforces itself.  Writing down small details gets you in the habit of seeking out the important small things in your world. These details in turn often lead you to new material you  never knew you had." (p. 19)

"In any piece of writing there is a 'food chain' between the most general themes and the most concrete details. Skilled writers find a way to stay low (specific) on that food chain. I keep running into this idea and rethinking it. I used to believe that writers begin by coming up with broad topics or themes and proceed to dig up the supporting details and concrete nuggets that give their writing authenticity, telling particulars that illuminate the themes they want to explore. But it's usually just the opposite with me. More often I stumble onto the detail first, take note of it in some way, and follow the detail..." (p. 19)

"Details matter. In a poem, essay or story, a powerful detail allows the reader to understand the emotional drama. And it gives the reader plenty of space to enter into the world of the text. When we read a piece of writing it is often the apparently irrelevant detail we remember, even more than brilliant argument or lyrical language." (p. 20)

Focusing on specific details is a guaranteed way to create better journaling on your layouts. This helps you to move from vague statements ("It was fun." "We had a good time.") to evocative, detailed language that really brings your memories to life for your readers. This week, we'd love to see your layouts that focus on one specific part of your daily routine. Post them in our {stories} gallery and then share a link in our {tales} forum.

Don't forget to stop by our shop and check out the newest Book Fair kit -- it's perfect for cold winter nights when you're cuddled up with popcorn and a movie on the couch.

write on,

{storyteller} aud

{storytime}

Hey storytellers!  This week's {storytime} is going to be a quick one, because I'm coming down with something.  And I really REALLY want to know why every illness has to start with a sore throat?  I'm a full-grown adult, I'd much rather that a head cold came on like a head cold.  Stuffy nose and coughing, bring it on.  Why do I need the sore throat every time?

:: banging head on desk ::

But here are some HAPPIER times, recorded by some of you and shared in our gallery - and hopefully this little bug I've caught will be short lived. :)

Starting with this one by our own audrey neal - it's a beautiful page, and the journaling is hopeful and exquisite.  Not your typical birth page, the journaling pulls the events of the day into the hopes and dreams for the future of a new arrival.

Look at these photos in Peek-a-Boo by neeceebee, how can you not smile when you see a series like this?  Peek-a-boo is one of those rites of passage that every child goes through, maybe one that we take for granted ... so let this be a reminder to everyone:  It's SO cute!  Scrap it!

Rascal by Lexicam (I'm such a sucker for dogs! :: hint hint ::)  Look at this guy ... quite the model already at such a young age.

Daily Routine @ Five by pne123 - I love every little thing about this page.  All the circles, the repeated photo, the little spinner ...

See you in two weeks!

{storyteller} peppermint

{page turner tuesdays & cover stories no. 3}

It's time for another edition of Cover Stories! This week's inspiration comes from the cover of the recent DVD Burn After Reading.  The multi-photo layout is just perfect for documenting an event or a week-in-the-life page.

Here's a template to get you started: (take me to the forum)

I used the inspiration to get some summer vacation pictures scrapped:

Lori used the template to create a lovely page for her 365 project.

Digi Page ProtectorsFor The Love of Art Mini
Alphabet Soup-Cardstock
Classic Cardstock-Rainbow
Beauty Mark: Winter's Night
Masquerade No 1
Uppity Birdy by beAudacious Designs

Carolee also made a project 365 layout with a fun winter feel:

Kellie's Pacific Point kit
Emily Powers Wired alpha and Experiment 13 (journal spot)
Em Merritt's Project Memories (transparent word strip)
Aud's {be} resolved - year button
2 Sisters Let It Snow 2 (snowflake) and Label It! alpha

Enjoy and please share how you used this inspiration to tell your own stories in our gallery.

{storyteller} kellie

{storyteller} spotlight: Angela Woo

I'm a mom of 2 boys named Jaden and Tristan and have been married to my high school sweetheart Ben for 6 years now. I call myself a Jack-of-all-trades! I have a certificate in Artistic Makeup and have been a freelance makeup artist on and off for the past 10 years. I also am a office administrator for my husband's company. I try my best to juggle it all!

Q: How long have you been designing and how did it all start?I've been a designer for 2 years now and it all started when I was a member of a mommy forum and saw these awesome signature graphics. I was intrigued and wanted to know how to create these graphics so I did some research online and found digital scrapbooking. It inspired me so much that I started creating my own products from the get go!

Q: How long have you been scrapping and how did you discover digi?  On and off for the past 4 years actually. I discovered it when I saw Shabby Princess' site..I was instantly hooked!

Q: Why do you scrap?  It was my way of showing off pictures of my babies to my friends. It also was a way of capturing that moment in time knowing full well that my babies would change so quickly.

Q: What do you do while scrapping?  It depends...If it's late at night, I am usually listening to music. If it's when my kids are awake, I'm usually listening to their tv program!

Q: What program do you use?  Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Illustrator CS2

Q: How long does it take you to complete a layout?  I don't scrap that often but when I do, I would say on average, maybe a couple of hours. It's either because I'm slow or I'm overly critical of my layouts.

Q: Once you’ve completed a layout, what do you do with it?  Post it up on my mommy forum and share it with my family.

Q: What is the last movie you went to see? Iron Man 

Q: What is your favorite digi item?  I love ribbons and bows and anything that sparkles!
Q: What is your favorite product that you’ve created? Hands down, it's my Nature Nut kit...!   
 

Q: What is your process for completing a layout?  I don't have a particular process but I do try my best to choose the best picture of the crop and scrap from there!

Q: What camera do you use? Nikon D40

Q: Do you have any favorite post- processing tips or actions that you use?  I always use my Adobe Lightroom to process my pics. I tend to add vignettes to all my pics. I'm a huge fan of vignettes!

I love Angela's nature nut kit, too, but her beach bum kit is my favorite!!

 

Q: What don't you leave the house without?  My handbag - it has everything I need when I'm out!

Thanks so much for sharing with us Angela!! To check out more of Angela's fabulous designs, visit her shop at {wst} here.

{storyteller} Laura

Inspiration Sunday

Here is a great inspirational quote you can use for scrapbooking!

Photo from sxc.hu, uploaded by thesaint

Even after all this time,
the sun never says to the earth,
'You owe me.'
Look what happens with a love like that.
It lights the whole sky."

Hafiz, 1320-1389
Persian Poet

Post your layouts in the {we are} storytellers gallery!

{snapshot saturday} - capturing the action

Being the wife of a football coach has been the most fabulous way to help me learn a little bit about capturing the action, so I thought maybe it would be great to pass on a few ideas about that here today.

Taking 'action' photos is SO important - it's not just about sports or formal events, but about kids running round the yard with the family, or your new puppy speeding around the house knocking things over.  Learning to take good action photos is about learning not to miss those moments.

One of the main concepts, technically speaking, that you need to be aware of in order to make actions shots a bit easier, is shutter speed.  Shutter speed is a fairly self explanatory term - it's a number that measures how 'fast' your shutter opens and closes.  So, a shutter speed of 1/500 means that the shutter is open for one five hundreth of a second.  In order to freeze just a very brief moment in our 'action', and not get a blur because our subject was moving past us, we want a pretty fast shutter speed.  For sports, or for kids running around, I like to have mine set at 1/500 or faster. 

If you're already used to using manual settings on your camera, then all you need to is to remember to dial in a pretty fast shutter speed.  If you're not, and you have a fairly advanced camera or DSLR, try using Shutter Priority mode, or Tv mode, in which you select a shutter speed and the camera selects all of the rest of the settings for you.  If you don't have a Shutter Priority mode or Manual mode, try using the sports or action mode.

Another tip, in particular for sports and kids shots, is to get lower.  Crouch down on the ground for a better angle and it will make a huge difference.

Here's a sports shot of mine from this weekend:
 

And here's an example of how I employed the exact same techniques this past Christmas when playing with the kids.  I kept a fast shutter speed going and got down to little Max's level for a better perspective as he ran around with his new water gun.

{focus friday}

Happy Friday all! It’s a rainy one here in my neck of the woods, but it’s a welcome change after our heat wave last week!

 

This week’s {focus Friday} is about a unique service that is offered here at {we are} storytellers that you may not have noticed: Photomorphosis. If you’ve ever wanted your photo edited by a professional, this is your chance! Our very own Emily Powers will take your photo and work her magic with it. Personally this seems like a fantastic idea for that family photo you love but just needs a little something extra before you commit to framing and hanging it! J Or if you want to give a friend a special (enhanced) photo!

 

Here’s some of the magic she’s worked with photos from the awesome team here at {we are} storytellers:

 

 

 

This service is so cool, I'm planning on doing it with some photos from a family shoot we did last year for my parents' upcoming anniversary! Hope this gets you inspired!

 

{storyteller} trude