things i learnt today :)

[☠northy]

1. pillow cases make a great backdrop - but you have to iron them first
2. we have an iron and i know how it works
3. duct tape is excellent for taping your backdrop to the wall
4. my kids are getting used to my nightly photo shoots... my youngest didn't blink an eye when i asked to borrow his lamp

what did YOU learn today?

[Brendan Maunder]

That its OK to stand in the water as it floods through your house because the stormwater drain couldn't handle the load from the very heavy rain.... mmmm Maybe thats todays photo.... :)

[BeckyS]

To pay attention to where you pull off the road to take a shot. Got my truck stuck in the mud today!

[☠northy]

@agima oh no! NOT a fun thing to have happen... how bad is it? did you lose a lot of stuff? my parents' house flooded a couple of times over the years and it got just nasty :(

[☠northy]

@beckys ugh... i hope some kind soul helped get you out? and did you at least get the shot you wanted?

[Brendan Maunder]

@beckys Oh dear... I have done that before... Ok ok. it did it on purpose.....

@northy No it wasnt that bad as that part of the house has flooded before so we keep things off the ground for the most part... Now I am off to plug some drains....

[Stacy ♥ DOF]

I learned how to automatically export photos from Lightroom as a panorama in Photoshop. Killer.

[☠northy]

@sdpace kewl!

[Shades of Grey]

Im hoping I get a job in a town I never thought I would want to live in....and have decided I actually might like the town!

[๏̯͡⊙ Shelly]

@shadesofgrey This is big news! Rock on and good luck! :)

[Melissa Pike]

I learned how to use my camera's auto bracketing mode and learned to create HDR images.

I also learned that waiting until the last minute to do things is a really stupid idea and that it's NOT necessarily that easy to find nice looking black wood 16x20 frames.

[☠northy]

@shadesofgrey good luck!

@melissapike i'd ask you to translate but i doubt that would help me much ;( i know these terms are explained in a number of different places, and i've even read some of the defintions - but i'm still lost... hope you find your frames!

[danielle]

i learned that an external flash can make all the difference

[Tony]

I learned that I should reduce the size of my images befor uploading them. My third-world connection just can't cope with 5+Mb files.

[Kathryn Marshall]

That I am still having difficulties taking bird shots on dingy, cloudy days. that I can always take a shot of an indoor house plant on cloudy days for my daily shot, even if I have to turn on the lights to get the shot. I definitely have a lot to learn!

[Paula x2 Brumbe]

@shadesofgrey which town?

[Trina P Holub]

@beckys Also be careful pulling off like that because this past year I learned the hard way that the wayside is where all the carpet tacks and other kinds of nails and screws go when they fall off of pick up trucks! I have had three flat tires since mid summer!

[Paula x2 Brumbe]

I learned that sometimes it is okay to take a day off from a photo and enjoy the moments and not see everything as a potential photo

[Trina P Holub]

I doscovered that even after all of this time, with putting clothes on her, adjusting lighting and etc, that my lovely cat Talulah will still let me take a macro photo of her lovely face.

[Leslie]

I learned once again to always make sure my SC card is in my camera before heading out.

[Reba]

@northy - hilarious; my husband always said there was nothing that could not be accomplished with duct tape.

[Reba]

@beckys - continues to amaze me what we'll do for a shot - it's a kind of sickness that makes us very happy i guess :)

[Melissa Pike]

@northy LOL! You'll learn eventually as you get more used to seeing the terms. Like anything else, the jargon can seem daunting until it becomes more familiar. If you search the discussions, you should be able to find some good resources for making heads or tails of it all. :)

[Claire Clinch]

I've learnt that composition is everything, and photographers go to amazing lengths to get a good shot of a scene or object.

[Reba]

I learned this little trick today from @shutterbugger
I'm going to try it soon and if you have a lightbox maybe you will too.

[Paula x2 Brumbe]

@shadesofgrey I loved Montana in the summer and would so come to visit

[Shades of Grey]

@brumbe You're more than welcome.....assuming I get the position. I won't know for about 2 weeks.

[Paula x2 Brumbe]

@reba I learned yesterday that you can use the back side of aluminum foil for a bottom and backdrop with kitchen lights and a covered flash for awesome results. will post in a bit.

[Sandra K.]

I learned to turn my VR off when taking photos on a tripod. My favorite pictures from tonight ended up slightly blurry because of this. Oops!

[Paula x2 Brumbe]

@shadesofgrey fingers crossed, you should contemplate visiting Tahoe with the Paulas. but we do require a full name change.

[Reba]

@brumbe - that sounds awesome; will look forward to seeing what you do and maybe will try myself; thanks for sharing

[Reba]

@northy - this is just a BRILLIANT idea for a post; we should have this from time to time - some very funny and some great new techniques

[Liana Palermo]

I learned that taking candid shots of toddlers and preschoolers is harder than it looks, especially if you want it to be in focus!!!

[Reba]

@melissapike - Documounts (online) is a local (Portland, Oregon) company that has a wonderful selection of frames and you can order to size if you have time to place an order now or maybe next time.

[☠northy]

@lianapalermo and also difficult if you don't want just bums (as they run away) and noses (as they run into the camera!)... ;p

[Brendan Maunder]

@dkg Well done. :)

[Lisa]

I learned that it is very hard to stay motivated when it is sooo hot (which is why todays photo is a little unmotivated)!!
I have learned that through persistance you can get that elusive shot.
That my son is a fantastic photography assistant :-)

@lesip that does sock...I have been there!

[Mary]

I learned that if you stand on a muddy hill to get photos of raindrops on leaves you risk sliding down that hill! Lesson well learned. OK it really happened 2 days ago!

[Leonie Mogridge]

@lesip Me too... I actually learned that yesterday. Had my shot framed and the the camera wouldn't work. Sheet.....the cameras broken, no, the card is still in the computer :(

[The Steve From 2010]

TIL a lot of people might be interested in learning more things every day. Reddit's "Today I Learned" area is great for reading about interesting things others have just discovered.

[Melissa Pike]

@reba Thanks for the tip! Thankfully I went a bit out of my way last night and found some usable frames, but good to know for the future!

[Gabriel Siqueira]

@sdpace do you use the photomerge option in auomate menu in Photohsop?

[Debbie Orlando]

Instead of duct tape, use what they call Blue Tape. Painters use it and it's much gentler on your walls or any surface.

[Stacy ♥ DOF]

@gabrielklee yes! you can send them from lightroom using Photo ->edit in ->merge to panorama in Photoshop, then use photomerge within photoshop. Seamless...I was very impressed. :) I posted it here, but panos never come thru well on 365, I guess because of the size. I have it on my Flickr if you wanna check it out large :) http://www.flickr.com/photos/stacywinsett/6736350791/sizes/l/in/photostream/

[Dale Morano]

I learned that incense is great for smoke photography, but will make your house smell for days

[Jenn]

Today I learnt that if you share a little bit....other people will be inspired to try it too :) @reba

[☠northy]

@debsphotos oooh! thank you for that tip... in this case, it didn't matter, because i was taping it against the tile backsplash in my kitchen, but definitely good to know for when i need to tape it up to a painted wall...

[Casey]

Through this project I've learned a lot about camera settings but also more importantly I've been learning great places to go to take photos. There are several parking structures near my work that make great vantage points for capturing sunsets and night shots for instance.