Throw an Art Show Sidewalk Party for Children

In my town, school is officially out for the summer and that means that eventually parents are going to start hearing phrases such as “I’m bored”, and “There’s never anything to do around here”. Well, if you are a parent who lives in a neighborhood with a lot of kids and sidewalks then I may have a solution to your problem...at least for one day. Pick a Saturday, round up the neighbors and have a sidewalk chart art show.

This is a summer craft project that will not last, except in pictures, but with a little planning and cooperation it could be the start of a yearly tradition in your neighborhood. Make sure you have enough chalk for all the children in the neighborhood and allot them a certain amount of space on the sidewalk in front of their home. Give them as much time as they need to create their masterpieces and then have a few impartial judges hand out awards; if possible, make up enough awards so that each child gets one. You could print up certificates for participation, judge the artwork by age or make up silly awards and prizes to hand out so that the children will have something to remember the day by.

Don’t stop with just an art show, make a day of it; have sack races, baseball or basketball games, watermelon eating contests, cookouts, snacks, homemade ice cream, snow cones, drinks, pool parties, fireworks….block party, anyone?? Your art show/block party could even be used as a way to raise money for a local charity; have a bake sale, lemonade stands, hold a raffle - the possibilities are limited only by your imagination. An important bonus of a charitable party is the lesson your children will learn about giving to help others and that giving can be fun. You can strengthen this lesson by allowing the children to help decide what charity to give the proceeds to; for example, a local children’s hospital, a library or an animal shelter.

If you want to stop hearing how bored your children are, make sure you get them involved in planning the day; give them a chance to use their imagination and I promise you that the more input you allow them to have, the more interested they will be in the project. Perhaps older children would like to set up a scavenger hunt for the younger children and the parents could set up a hunt for the older children; that way everyone gets in on the fun.

As I said earlier, if you are lucky enough to live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids and sidewalks, then a sidewalk chalk art show and block party could take a regular boring Saturday and turn into something magical and special that your children will remember for many years to come.

10 Great Tips to Make Any DIY Winter Wedding Photography Successful!

This winter many couples are choosing do it yourself wedding photography in an attempt to save money. Wedding photography is tricky because if not done right there will be no good documentation of the special day. My dad does wedding photography as an amateur hobby; wedding photography is not skill less, but can be done easily with practice by almost any amateur photographer. This article will take a look at 10 tips to make DIY winter wedding photography successful; however keep in mind DIY wedding photography takes copious amounts of editing after the ceremony.

1. Camera

Taking wedding photographs should be done with the right camera, not a regular point and shoot camera. I recommend using the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi, it takes high quality pictures and is relatively easy to use. This camera can be found at www.buy.com for $569.95, but you should check to see if anyone in the wedding party can provide this camera or a similar model to save on money.

2. Flash

Relying on the built in pop up flash in any camera is a recipe for failure; you will want to use an external flash for low lighting pictures, such as a church or an evening reception. Winter conditions outside will not require a flash due to the reflection of the snow, but it can be used if done right; however inside you will want a powerful flash. I cannot give a recommendation because certain flashes work for different cameras; therefore the flash will be determined by your digital camera choice. www.ritzcamera.com has a good variety of flashes, lenses, and cameras.

3. Lenses

Unfortunately DIY picture taking is not cheap and requires the proper zoom lenses for great photos from anywhere in the room. Buying any secondary lenses is not necessary, but they will make the pictures better. www.ritzcamera.com has a good selection of lenses; it is where I purchased mine.

4. Go Digital

The hardest part of DIY wedding photography is getting professional looking shots. Going digital allows for touchups on the pictures after they are taken so that they come out perfect. Going digital also saves on prints since all the photos can be saved on a flash drive or a CD.

5. Choose an artistic guest for the job

Capturing the right moment is what photography is all about; having a guest that is willing to take pictures who has an artistic eye is the best way to get quality shots. Do not expect a gift from the photographer as it takes hours of work to take and edit great shots.

6. Be aware of lighting conditions

Winter is the hardest time of the year to take photographs outside due to the reflective nature of snow and the brightness of the sun. Be creative on the angles of your photographs; many high end cameras also show the contrast ratio on the photos taken, look at the contrast to make sure the photos are coming out correctly.

7. Be aware of where the sun is

Do not shoot towards the sun or objects that are in the sun, it can cause shadows and some funky looking pictures. Just be aware of the sun and preview one or two pictures before taking more.

8. Capture photos with the theme

If your theme is a winter wonderland then capture that theme in the photos! Try to include shots of the bridal party and newlyweds in the natural theme of the wedding; also try to include guests in the same theme. Be creative with the shots, you may have to shoot at different angles to get the desired results.

9. Use the flash

Even in snowy conditions you should experiment with the flash for better pictures, the bright the background the more the object you are photographing will stand out. This may not always be the case; therefore you should check the pictures being taken to make sure they are coming out professionally.

10. Edit, Edit, Edit

No DIY photography is complete up completion of the ceremony! There are countless hours of editing that must be taken on to get professional looking results. If you do not have the proper computer skills try to find a guest that would be willing to help edit in exchange for their wedding present.

This site has some extra DIY tips that can help during a winter wedding; I did not cover many these tips, so it may be a good read: http://www.squidoo.com/weddingphotographyguide

Sources:

www.ritzcamera.com

http://www.squidoo.com/weddingphotographyguide, DIY Winter Wedding Photography

A Brief Evolution of Art and the Influence of Technology on Photography

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Art has become one of the most versatile and commonly used words used to describe forms of aesthetic appeal. It’s associated with things that are aligned, unaligned, proportionate, skewed, beautiful, and even disturbing; all of these traits aside, art has one definitive aspect: effectiveness. The goal is to make an impression, describe something that cannot be communicated in any other way, make the audience feel something incredible, and discover something new. Some have argued that art is an accident ordained by the Gods using the hand of mortals, others toil feverishly to perfect every last inch of whatever piece they have created, leaving no room for debate or Godly help; either way the “effectiveness” is there, taking just as many forms as it always did, and grasping just as many minds. So there in lays the newest, ancient, issue argued by artists, theorists and philosophers alike: Has technology tainted or enlightened art as a whole? Since art is an ambiguous term, the issue will prove to be a long standing and well established debate between knowledgeable, credible individuals.

Photography is an interesting form of artistic expression because of its vast difference from what most would call “fine art.” Photography began in the 1820’s with the very first photograph being taken by Niépce, who joined forces with Louis Daguerre in developing the details of their project, entitled, the “Daguerreotype.” 

Some people found the technology fascinating and as an opportunity to seize their chunk of a new innovation, since this new process of creating still life, long lasting images of things required no skill in drawing or painting. But, others with already existing artistic skills found the Daguerreotype threatening, and lacking of a true creative nature. Somehow, in between an exact portrait and an exact photograph, art found a home over, under and through both of these mediums. There is no debate today, for photography has established itself as a worthy form of artistic expression; effective no less than a painting or a sculpture.

Can Digital Photography be…Photography?

Most people became instantly enthralled with the idea of a Digital Camera because being able to see the picture before you take it is really “cool.” Let’s face it, humans are gluttons to the technology industry, biting off more than we can chew and chewing more than we can taste. But, photographers think of Digital Photography in a very different way. Just as portrait painters thought back in 1826: Will this new invention end my career as an artist?

Out of the Dark room and into the light?

The discussion is not whether or not Digital cameras should replace film; that is typically a matter of preference and purpose. Digital photography brings up issues that are far more enduring, issues that are not as simple to resolve. With Digital Photography, the concept of a true dark room is eliminated, and in its place: photo manipulation software. Whether you’re an amateur and you use the free photo suite program thrown in with your camera, or whether you’re a pro who use the latest most comprehensive techniques; there is no contest that the Digital tools allow more control over the final product.
This is considered a good thing, right? From an onlookers stand point, yes it is. But for an artist who specializes in the dark room and the techniques of film photography, these new innovations might prove to eliminate the essence of one’s specialization.

The art of photography relies heavily on the element of surprise, spontaneity, and sometimes even accident. Within a photo lies one single instance, possibly only existing for the one hundredth of a second that it took the camera to flash over the scene. Any experienced photographer will tell you that it is important to take as many pictures as possible to hopefully find that beautiful gem of a moment surrounded by other similar, but ordinary seconds of time. Digital technology now allows complete control over those sacred moments, and even opportunity to edit the photograph afterwards, possibly creating these moments, virtually. Has the accident of photography been one up-ed? Or has the true livelihood of photography been demolished and in its place something, too new?

Digital art and photography seem to be the reincarnation of what portrait painting was to original photography. In it lays a new sense of control and exact ability; much more like the control of paint on canvas, but much less like the well established medium, photography. 

But, even paint on canvas can be controlled digitally. Using common illustration software such as creol draw, adobe illustrator, Maya, and many more, you can actually paint an entire oil painting using only an electronic pen hooked up to a pad. When things like painting and photography seem to define the entire realm of the art industry, the idea of a Digital tool doing these things more efficiently seems awfully overwhelming for a fine artist. So, herein lies the problem. As I said, this will be a long standing and worthy debate, but never effectual enough to take the true effect from any medium or form of art.
It is safe to say that art is not a win lose game, where one medium has the ability to “beat” another. No matter how similar Digital Photography and Photography seem to be, they are very different in their approaches and in their final outcome. Today, comparing a Portrait to a photograph is like comparing apples to oranges. They may look similar, but they taste, feel, are something very, very different. Art is a matter of expression, and there are infinite numbers of ways to express. 

When art is approached in a different way, it is only progress; art is timeless and doesn’t fade away with the latest trend. It has been proven through the ages that art will change, and new styles of artistic expression only enhance the industry as a whole. The camera did not eliminate realistic painting, and technology will not eliminate the traditions of fine art.

Choosing the Sex of Your Baby

baby clothes onsies

The topic of choosing the sex of your baby has been of interest to many people. I myself have been interested in conceiving a boy. To learn more on this topic, I  read the book "How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby" by Landrum B. Shettles.  This book was informative and very easy to understand.   Because of the success I have attained from this book, I have decided that a review of this book shall be in order to help others in my situation.

People have various reasons for wanting to have a child of a certain sex.  There can be medical or genetic reasons.  Or, some people may have had several girls and would now like to have a boy.  Whatever the reasons are,  Dr. Landrum B.  Shettles describes how to do so in this book.

This book begins by describing several medical aspects.  First, there are two types of sperm.  The "y" sperm which conceives a boy, and the "x" sperm which conceives a girl.  Y sperm is very fast swimming, but small and weak.  X sperm is slow swimming, but much larger and stronger.  

Dr. Shettles describes timing is the key. If you wish to conceive a boy, you must try to conceive within 2 days of ovulation.  This is because the egg will already be present so that the fast swimming y sperm can get to it faster.  But if you want a girl, you should have intercourse as much as 5 days before ovulation.  This is because the y sperm is weak and would have died off before the egg is present.  But the strong, slow swimming x sperm can survive this long.

Dr. Shettles then describes how to chart your ovulation schedule and recommends doing this for several months before conception.  Dr. Shettles also goes over several other means of adding to the success of conceiving the sex of your choosing.  This includes basal body temperature, what types of clothing to wear, and something you can consume to help at your task.  To find out what that is, you're just going to have to read the book!  

The book also has a large section depicting why some people just can't have a child of a certain sex.  You must read the book to learn if you fall into any of these categories.  There is an awful lot of things that many people are not aware of.

This book was probably the most informative book I have ever read.  And, I must say, it worked for me!  I was so happy with my results, that I lent out the book to several of my friends who also obtained the results they wanted.  Please be forewarned that you really must read this book before you attempt it.  All of the information contained within it has been medically proven.  There is so much you can learn from it.  i recommend it to anyone who has an interest in this topic.  I give it my highest ratings.  

You can purchase "How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby" by Landrum B. Shettles at any retail bookstore for $13.95