Category Archives: DIY

  September 9, 2011  *I’m bringing this post out of the archives today as I have been eyeing more and more fabulous backdrops for photo taking.  You have them, too.  Head over to the older part of town.  Cross over those tracks. Go down a few side streets.  Look at that crumbling brick building, the weathered wood on the old store fronts, and the small country church.  With the coming seasonal changes, the colors are going to be beautiful in many parts of our country.  Don’t miss it!

I have a facebook friend who is a great photographer and has had a thriving photography business until she made the very intentional decision to close her business and put all her focus on her family. She posted a comment one day that read, “I wish photographers would become photographers before they become photographers.” So that is the prelude to my sincere disclosure.

Ready?

I am NOT a professional photographer. If my camera could talk, it would tell you so. As it sits here though, I’m certain I saw it nodding in agreement. I cannot tell you when I need a flash and when I do not. I cannot tell you how the AV function works. I just know sometimes I get an awesome picture and it just happens to be on that function. It’s just luck of the click.

I also know that with the digital age, the chances are if I take 20 pictures, I am bound to get one or two keepers. This is going to make the professionals out there cringe but I honestly believe with the digital cameras and all the editing software available, the least you have to have today is a good eye.

Some days my eye is good, and some days it is not. I’m just sort of random like that.

What my random little eye has seen lately is my two teen boys growing into young men. Those teen years seem to always be under represented in the photo albums. You know, because they are so fun to be around and all extremely busy and completely focused on their futures.

On a recent trip to Tennessee, I noticed some great backdrops and scenery for teen photos.  Railroad tracks that ran beside old factories that once upon a time were major employers to the townspeople. Old cars.  Old Americana.

And because it is the height of embarrassment to be out and about with your mom swinging her camera and eyeing photo locations with that random eye of hers, the boys were going for the “I’m so cool” serious look.  I did bribe an occasional smile out of them, though.  Some say “bribe”, I like to think of it as “incentive”  You say “potato”, I say “pa-tot-o”.   See what you think.

This one is in the middle of an old, small town car lot.  And yes, they were wondering what the heck we were doing.  But they didn’t bother to come off the porch to inquire.

I typically don’t have the best of luck with the color on the prints and enlargements at the corner drugstore.  For these I used Mpix and I highly recommend them.  Just upload your photos, choose any additional features you might want, order the sizes and have them delivered to your door. Check for promo codes.  There are always a couple of them floating around.

Where are your favorite locations to snap some photos?

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