Birgit's blog

Thursday, June 07, 2012

Some recent photos:

posted by Birgit
0 comments at 5:28 PM

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Pattern/Repetition Challenge

Great job on the rule-of-thirds photos! Our next composition challenge is repetition and pattern. While repetition or pattern can be really boring (if you take a picture of a brick wall, you technically have repetition and pattern - but who would really want to look at it?) it can actually add a lot of interest to a photo. Here, we aren't talking about things like the varying pattern on a butterfly wing, but a motif/shape that repeats several times within the same photo. There are two ways to make pattern or repetition especially interesting:

1) Focus on it. Make the repetition the main focus of the piece. The most important thing here is to make sure the pattern fills the entire frame – the pattern should continue all the way across the composition (top to bottom, or side to side) to make the most impact.

2) Break it. It can be really interesting to have a pattern that is interrupted by one thing that is different.

Here are some examples (by, in order, Sheila, Sarah, Birgit, Sheila, Julie, Birgit, Birgit, Lisa):

Your challenge:

Look for interesting patterns or repeating motifs around you! Make sure to fill your whole frame. New photos only - don't go looking through your archives. Happy shooting!

posted by Birgit
1 comments at 2:03 PM

Friday, July 15, 2011

My daughter as Tonks, getting ready for the midnight showing.

posted by Birgit
0 comments at 4:37 PM

Friday, June 24, 2011

Rule of Thirds:

For our first challenge, we'll go with a rule that most of us will be familiar with: the rule of thirds.
You mentally divide your photo up into thirds by imagining two lines that cut it into thirds horizontally, and another two lines that cut it into thirds vertically. Like this:

The rule of thirds says that placing the focal point of the picture on one of the points where the lines intersect (instead of centering it) makes for a more interesting, dynamic, inviting picture. Yes, there are many great pictures that break this rule, but in general, your photo will look better if you keep that rule in mind when you compose it. So for objects, place them near the intersections of the lines or on the lines. If you have a horizon in a landscape, place it either near the bottom or top horizontal line - don't put it right in the center!

Here are some examples of pictures that follow the rule, taken by women from our group:

So for the first challenge, try to take pictures conscious of this rule, and then post them in the "Rule of Thirds" album on the facebook page!

If you are interested in more info or would like to look at some more examples, go to one of these web pages:

http://www.betterphoto.com/exploring/tips/thirds.asp
http://www.hippasus.com/resources/viscomp/RuleThirds.html

posted by Birgit
0 comments at 5:43 PM

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Chocolate Butterscotch Bacon cupcake.
Different. :0)

posted by Birgit
0 comments at 2:48 PM

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Wise Hen eggs - I love these!

posted by Birgit
0 comments at 11:33 AM

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

In Alice Wisler's novel "Hatteras Girl", the protagonist, Jackie Donovan, feels her life is falling short of her dreams. Her eccentric, loving, but quite clueless relatives have set her up on a string of horrible blind dates. She likes her job as a writer for a magazine all right, but dreams of owning a bed and breakfast - specifically the Bailey House. The Bailey House has been standing empty for years, and with its astronomical price tag, Jackie sees no way her dream will ever become a reality. Enter Davis Erickson, a blindingly handsome real estate agent who also is the heir to the Bailey House. All of a sudden Jackie is full of hope that both her heart's desires will come true in one fell swoop. But all isn't as it seems.

The story takes place on the Outer Banks, a setting that holds special significance to me. So that added to my enjoyment of the story. What struck me most about the book were the well-developed side characters: Jackie's roommate Molly, who lost her husband a year ago. Jackie's relationship with Molly's young son rang very true to me, and helped establish Jackie as a real person who reacts in human ways. The cast at Jackie's office. Her colorful family. To me, those relationships were what made the book.

This is not so much a 'Christian novel' as a novel about people who happen to be Christian. Her faith is just a natural part of Jackie's life and flows into the story from there. There is only one conversation that seems shoehorned in to make a theological point, but that is a minor distraction.

All in all, this was a story I enjoyed immensely.

posted by Birgit
0 comments at 1:45 PM

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