The Secret To Taking Great Photos

There really is no secret to taking a great photo, anyone can take pictures that are beautiful and worth sharing. What amazes me are the roadblocks to great photography that seem to pop up in everyone's photos. If you follow a couple basics, you will have great photos to show off as well. The first things that I always tell people is that if you want a great shot, don't expect to get it with a camera phone that you hold up with one wobbly hand. Sorry, won't happen, no offense to the Instragram users out there, but getting a cute shot of your dog for Facebook is one thing, pulling off quality shots is another. Second, I am always amazed by the amount of folks that can't focus a camera, relying on auto-focus all the time will get you in trouble and will hold you back in the long run. The two photos above highlight what knowing how and when to focus your camera lens will help you get the photo you are looking for. By focusing on either the boy or the man behind him, the feeling and attention in the photo is changed. Play with your camera, take it outside in all kinds of light, shoot a ton of photos so you can get a feel for your lens' and what they can do. You don't want to come across an amazing photo opportunity and miss out because you are not familial enough with your camera. Learn to focus your lens on what you want to photograph, check the horizon line to make sure your photo is not tilted, and if you are shoot people or animals, make sure they are not looking directly into the sun, squinty eyes look bad on everyone!

And finally the biggest secret to getting a great shot: numbers

That's right, numbers, what you never hear is that it takes hundred of so-so and bad shots to get one great one. Take this shoot of a loon as an example. I will use it as a stock or background image for my company, but I did not just shoot this one good photo. I took about 12 photos of this loon in rapid succession. After finding it in my viewfinder and adjusting my focus so the bird was crisp and clear I shot an entire group of photos of this one bird. Back at home, I sorted through all of the shots until I arrived at the best one. Never Ever shoot just one picture! You can always delete the bad ones, and the more images you shoot, the better odds of ending up with a great photo.

Back from Vacation

Just returned from an amazing week long fishing vacation in northern Canada. Great fishing, no technology and beautiful scenery. I even got to ride in the cockpit of the floatplane, it was truly a once in a lifetime trip! Thanks to everyone at Esnagami Lodge in Ontario Canada for being our hosts! Comfy cabins, delicious food, perfect views, great guides, what more could a gypsy ask for? Also thanks to Greg and the crew from Nakina Air for float planing us in and out of where there are no roads, and thanks to my folks Kyle and Tina for planning the whole thing.

Space For Rent

Most Recent Gypsy Junk Birdhouse

This one is quite tall since I used a full stove base for the bottom section. The roof was a rusty sign I picked up at a yard sale for $3, scrubbed and clear coated it makes a whimsical roof.
The base is an old stove the I found at another sale for $2, it's insides were missing so it was a steal. My junk collection supplied the olds and ends to finish it off, so now the birds and I can enjoy it! Very satisfying for a Saturday's work.

Hens N' Chickens

Ode to Hens N' Chickens ~

O humble hen & chick
You have not bright flowers to impress
Nor height nor leaf nor glamour
Quietly you multiply
Sturdy & Sweet
Like me you weather what comes..............
....and are damn hard to kill off

Jack Reacher....sigh

Rant time folks: just found out that one of my favorite heroes from a much beloved book series is going to be portrayed in the first movie by........Tom Cruise........cue the crickets. So disappointed in this! Author Lee Child's series of books that follow the main character of Jack Reacher are hugely popular, and for good reason! I love and own every one (if you have not read them, go get one, trust me you will love it). Now correct me if I'm wrong but the character of Jack Reacher is written as a man who is ex-army, completely nomadic, quick to violence, extremely capable of taking care of not only himself, but those he chooses to defend and opens up cans of whupass on bad guys left and right. He is huge of frame, very tall, not really hansom and criss crossed with many scars, some of them large and kinda gross. He lives off the grid and dispenses justice as he see fit without regard to laws or authority. And the guy chosen to play this much loved and awesome bad ass character is......Tom Cruise?!?! WTF, you mean that little crazy guy who spends his time jumping up and down on Oprah's couch and preaching Scientology? Even if you ignore that fact that he is more than a foot too short and about 100 lbs too skinny, how is he going to pull off the character's personality since his acting chops are lukewarm at best? Epic Fail by casting= disappointed fans

Entertain Me

Do you hear that? ..... shhhh, listen very carefully......that is the sound of both of my kids at camp. Jealous? you should be! As we hit the middle of the summer, parents all across the country have arrived at the unavoidable and nerve racking part of summer vacation I like to call "Entertain Me." This magical mid-way point puts fear into the heart of even the most prepared and stalwart of parents. Immediate plans for the summer have long gone, 1st out of town vacations have ended, 4th of July celebrations have dwindled into an occasional puff of smoke & midnight firecracker. And there stand your kids, bored by the sun and sprinkler, over the summer reading program at the library, and banned from planned video game marathons. "There is nothing to do!" they shout, "That sounds boring!" they claim, and no matter what you stocked your kid's summer craft bin with, grouchy faces and entitled gripes are poured over your head like a coach at the end of a winning game. My solution? Off to camp! That time honored ritual where kids gain some independence and mom gains some sanity. The kids get to swim, fish and glue pine cones together while mom and dad get some hard earned peace and quiet to do chores, work in the garden, finish up some projects for clients and *gasp* even hit the gym! So take it from me, it is worth the cost and you don't even have to feel guilty, the kids will come back happy, tan and full of stories and independence. In this Gypsy's world, it's worth it's weight in gold, now if you will excuse me, I have some chores to finish in my nice quite house.........

Go Climb A Tree

Gypsy greetings to everyone! My holiday blogging break is officially over. A sunburned, beach swimming, fireworks watching wonderful week was had by all in my household. I hope yours was just as nice. With the exception of the great and mighty Sleven, who feels that fireworks of all kinds were designed to torment him, we are all rested and ready to jump back into work. With my hours of free time I did manage to squeeze in some yard sale shopping and put together my latest creation just yesterday:
My entry way (formally graced by a large photo of turkeys, don't ask) was begging for something that had a more modern shabby flair. Inspiration hit with the discover of a set of antique silver tree steps at a local garage sale. Their days of being screwed into trees so hunters could reach their tree stands long over, they sat forlorn and ignore, until this Michigan Gypsy saw beauty in their form and potential in their function. From their square bolt holes to their perfectly pointed edges, I decided they belonged in my home and happily bought them for $1 each.
As you can see from my photo I stained a piece of barn wood (something I am always collecting for just such an occasion) attached the steps and a fun metal label with some numbers on it (another yard sale treasure scored for 50 cents) pounded some saw back hangers on the back and hung it on the wall.
The candle holder I had lying around (could not find a place for it until now) and the wreath I twisted up with some pieces from my grapevine bag (keep a sharp eye out for wreaths in your travels, you can cut the binding to supply yourself with one long length of grapevine. This grape vine was part of a Christmas wreath that I bought 5 for a $1 at a yard sale) The brown twine, metal clip and chalkboard tag were all from my "neat stuff that I will use for something" pile.
I love the way it turned out, goodbye turkey and hello rustic awesome...