PhotoShop Elements 6.0 Learning as I go...

I have come to the conclusion that I am not a patient person. Well I have been told that all my life, but I didn't believe it. Well, I sort of did, but tried pretending that I was very patient. I am actually very patient when it comes to others. Patient in traffic, patient when the person in front of me cuts me off, or doesn't go through the light, even when they are on a cell phone. Patient with children, patient with old folks. Just not patient with myself. Which is what I am so frustrated!

I have been trying to learn PhotoShop. Of course I have been trying to do it without reading the book, trying to figure it out blindly on my own. The whole thing just seems so complicated. There is so much I want to know. Questions like layering words over a photo, sizing a photo in odd sizes and then getting it to print that way, creating a collage, making my own note cards, all of it. In reality I think I want a little more than just Photoshop. I think I want to be able to design my own images and perhaps that is more than just Photoshop?

And then there is the computer. Working on a laptop with a less than reliable connection, everything takes forever, from uploading photos, to saving photos it seems to move so slow. So here is the question: What does a person need in the way of computer technology, design software, and printing? Where does a person begin if they want to learn how to create their own cards, letterhead, brochures, advertisements and more?

Is there one place you can go for all the answers? I don't know. But I intend to find out. In the meantime found a class at my local scrapbooking store that teaches digital scrapbooking using PhotoShop. The class is only $40 which to me seems reasonable and I am the only person who registered. Probably because people don't see the connection between Photoshop and Scrapbooking. The class is on Sunday, so come back and I will let you know what I learn. Hopefully the instructor will be patient with me!

I am posting a photo that I took with my new camera. Its either an egret or a heron, I am not sure. This is the photo I want to layer with text. I will let you know how it turns out!

What new thing are you learning? Are you taking photos? Developing a new skill? Please share with us!

New Camera, Exercise, Turning 50 and FUN!

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...I turned 50 this month, had a reduction in my job hours, gained 30 pounds and life just wasn't looking all that rosy! And then my birthday came. My Mom decided it was important for my 50th birthday to be special and so her and My Dad bought me a new camera. When I found out I was speechless. It was an amazing gift. You see I had been using my company's digital camera to explore and practice my new found interest in nature photography. They had approved it, but after the job situation I just didn't feel the same there. I didn't feel like part of the team anymore, and just couldn't use it any longer. So it was back to the regular 35mm camera, waiting for your photos to arrive to see if you got good shots. It was different, but I would survive.

And then this wonderful gift. And you know, I started really thinking about it. It was so generous and so wonderful, but it was much more than that. It was acknowledgement. My parents saw in me what I wasn't seeing in myself. They saw my passion. Here I was at 50 with my negative voice saying "Who am I" "What am I passionate about?" Feeling down and a little unsure. And they were saying: "You are so creative, wonderful, passionate..." Well, those are what I heard!! LOL. My point is, we spend a lot of time second guessing ourselves and those that love us are showing us in so many ways how great they think we are. Maybe we just need to believe in ourselves a bit more and hang around those that think we are fabulous!

Well, as for the 30 pounds and the aching back, yesterday my husband and I took my camera on a hike and we caught so many wonderful pictures. I walked farther than I realized, the back pain is a little less painful this morning, I feel great and I have a feeling this camera is going to get me up and running again! I can't wait to get back outside today!

I am posting a picture today of a woodpecker. Its taken right outside through my screen door. Its not the best shot, but I am posting it because that is what this is all about. Learning. It could be a little clearer, it would be awesome in a tree with greenery in the background. But I live in the suburbs in a little townhouse with a small postage stamp backyard, and he was coming to the feeder, which in and of itself is a little odd because woodpeckers are typically insect eaters. Perhaps he too is having to adapt?

So, what are you learning today? What fear are you pushing through? How are you embracing the changes in your life?

My Photo was featured in a Treasury on ETSY!

I am so excited. I was featured! That means alot on ETSY. What it means is that your craft item or photo is going to show up on the front page for everyone to see! That means a lot of people will be clicking on your item for sale! So, click on the link here and go see the treasury! Thanks for checking it out!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=57117

Photoshop, Classes, On Line Learning

I went to a scrap booking class the other day and ended up learning about photography. It sounds kind of obvious I guess but I had not made the connection. To me, scrap booking was paper, note cards, layouts. A pastime project. I had no idea that the photo could make the difference between an exceptional layout and a plain one. The funny thing here is that I don't do scrap booking. I do love card making, and I love photography. And it was here that I found some resources that I think will make my photo editing better. Check out the website www.jessicasprague.com for some very detailed, reasonably priced on line photoshop editing courses. Take some time to read her story and how she came up with these wonderful tutorials.

As I was paying my bill for all the paper, stamps I just had to have (I am sure some of it will show up at some point on my ETSY site!!) I was looking at the wall behind the counter and there was a series of photos that had been edited using Photoshop! And the photos they used were cherry blossoms. I was amazed how different they looked. If you have seen my photos in past posts you will know how many cherry blossom photos I have taken! So for $40 I am signing up for this class here. I will be going to a PhotoShop class on photo editing, in a Scrapbook Store for just $40! What a deal. I will pass along the learning once I take the class!

And then, you know how I just have to recognize other bloggers, etsy sellers that have passed along their information to help me with my business? Well, I came across a fellow ETSY photographer Laurie Ryan of LaurieRyanPhotography and had to have the picture she took of the Woodpecker feeding its babies. You have to check it out, its spectacular. Anyway, she gave me so many good ideas. Here are a few:

"I do have a few suggestions for you, retake some of the stamp images as they are blurry and the item will sell faster if its clear. For your images, don't use a watermark. What I do is greatly reduce the size and resolution before listing it, it will protect your copyright much better then a watermark. All a watermark will do is keep you out of treasury's and off the Featured Product Section, which you don't want. Watermarks can also be very easily removed with any photo editing soft ware. Cool eagle images I see you have a nesting mom near you. here is what I was told about wild bird images: The eye of the bird must be in good clear focus and the light must be reflecting off the eye so a person can see it clearly. Always keep the light at your back for that, sometimes that isn't always possible! Trust me I know that for a fact but try to keep that in mind when photographing birds and never ever use a strobe that disturbs the wild life, I never use one out in the woods. a good example of an excellent image with clear eye focus and light is your squirrel image very good job! Good luck and happy shooting, remember to always have fun when you are out with your cameras. That is the most important part." -Laurie

Isn't that enough inspiration and encouragement to keep going? Keep trying. Those helpful words are available to everyone. There are so many people on ETSY just willing to help, offer advice. Don't be afraid to ask.

She gave me many more suggestions because you know me...I Kept Asking! As I weed through the answers, check out her recommendations I will continue to post!

Selling Photography and other good things...

There is something fulfilling about determining your own destiny, believing in yourself and your abilities and being confident enough to think that somewhere out there, someone wants what you have to sell. There is something awfully humbling about listing your items for sale, seeing people visit, but not having any purchases. This is the time that those less confident give up. This is the time when I begin to do some research and take a few risks. The marketing person in me, says that in order to reach the masses you have to be more visible. Yes, we can post our offering on ETSY, and they do a fantastic job of promoting crafters, but ultimately we are responsible for our own successes. I have been reading, reading, reading how people became successful and here are a few things I have learned:

1) You have to keep listing items. Shoot for a minimum of 100 listings. Work hard at developing your key words, tagging your items, and your photos. Photos of your product have to be crisp and clean. Mine, not always so good, but I decided to work at the 100 listings first then put in better pictures. About 80% of my photos are crisp, some a little blurry, but the blurry ones are not as important to me as the photos of my photo cards and photographs.

2) Get out more. Blog, meet fellow bloggers, go to craft fairs, use your items to promote yourself. I just began sending some sample cards out to unique card shops to gauge their interest.

3) Give your buyers more. I was selling just photos and then I started to look at other shops. They sell a variety of sizes, frames, etc. Many sell photos as art at 8 x 8 and larger art prints. These can be ordered on line and I have found the price to be about $12.50 per print. I haven't done it yet, because I haven't determined which photos are these that I want to focus on. I think if I start that I would create some that could be framed as a set.

4) Find out how others are getting their products printed. I just read a huge article about VISTA Print and how they are ripping off their customers with hidden credit card fees. You can find the article on the ETSY site. I will try to link it here later. I have now switched to Overnight Printers at www.overnightprints.com. I will let you know how they do.

Check out my ETSY site and see the new photo cards I am offering. By Friday, I plan to have over 100 items listed.

5) I was told that listing on Friday seems to be the time when you get the most people viewing your products. I don't agree with this completely. What you get on Friday is all the people who have nothing to do on Friday nights, and spend their time shopping. Which is a good thing, but do you really think that there isn't an opportunity 7 days a week? I am trying to list at least three times a week. It keeps me consistent, develops discipline, and keeps me looking for the best shot.

What are you learning as you build your business? Please come in a talk!

I Challenge Me...

It's been awhile since my last post. I have been busy travelling, finishing up some last minute projects and working on an RFP for a possible consulting job. My company just reduced my hours to part-time so I thought I might try my hand at starting up my own business. My problem is I can't make up my mind what business to start. I have been writing a children's book for some time, I have my own craft site, but can't seem to come up with my focus. I love photography, but looking at my pictures I just don't feel the WOW! These are great! Maybe I should become a Professional Photographer?? LOL.

But I do love using a camera to see the world differently. I do love working with my hands, I do love children, and I have a ton of experience in association marketing. I am a creative minded individual with a ton of misdirected potential. So what do I do? I keep taking pictures, I keep writing, I keep trying to find my niche.

I would love to hear from you. What is your passion? Did you start a business? How did you know it was really what you wanted to do?

Spring is definitely in the air. I have shared my eagle story. Well, we just spotted another nest that is going to require a hiking trip this weekend. I am just fascinated with birds. If you have bird photo or some other photography passion, please share your stories, photos here. I would love to see them. I plan to decorate my office with nature pictures of birds in the wild. I have been collecting them, and taking pictures of them for some time now.

But lately its been spring blossoms that have been drawing my attention. All kinds of blossoms in pink, purple, white, green, blue, yellow. Isn't it wonderful to watch the season change, with the first sign of spring...a daffodil, a robin, a new nest. Virginia's state flower is the Dogwood, and right now they are blooming all over the state. What is your state flower? Try to capture it in a photo. Post your state flower here. Let's see if we can get pictures of all the state flowers!

My post today is about not getting discouraged. Keep trying new things. Keep looking for unique photo opportunities. It doesn't have to be complicated. Think of something you absolutely love to look at, love to see. Challenge yourself to see how many different ways you can take a picture of that special thing, person, place, item. Once you decide on the subject you will be amazed at how many you will see, and how many different ways you will begin to see it. My ETSY site doesn't seem to be getting a lot of sales. I love the photos, but apparently they either aren't the right size, aren't the right subject, or maybe not the right colors. I don't know but I do know I am learning, and I love the process. Perhaps I need to reevaluate the shop or the items I sell. Maybe people would prefer notecards? Art prints? Maybe I need to decide if I am going to be serious about photography and perfect my skill? Or continue to try new things until I find the right match for me?

What is important, is that I am having fun doing it. I am developing a better level of discipline. Finishing what I start, and not giving up. That alone is worth the effort. I challenge you today to think beyond the sale, think beyond your limits. See what others are doing, try your hand a something new, or a little edgy. Step in some puddles, climb a muddy hill to get closer to an eagle, walk in the rain, walk on the wild side. Whatever it is, do it with passion.

Before and After Photos

I mentioned in my last post this new site called Picnik and I promised to share with you a drastic photo change I did for some of our attendees at our spring convention. The Olympic Gold Medalist Rulon Gardner was our speaker and took time out of his day to meet, autograph books and pose with our attendees. He really is a great guy! But he sweats!! And you know what that looks like on a photo. So I took the liberty of touching the photos up with the blemish fix option on the www.picnik.com site. And it worked wonders. This site removes red-eye, whitens teeth, fixes blemishes, allows you to layer and change backgrounds and more. Its easy and fun. I have tried using Photoshop and the learning curve was just too slow for me. I still plan to master Photoshop but Picnik helps you experiment, test things out and see what is possible. It's a blast! So, hope you can see the differences. I did do some cropping on this photo as well. And removed the shine on foreheads, cheeks, noses!

Remember the sweat marks under the arm? That was erased, but then I also cropped the photo. Remember the sweat mark near the button on his shirt? GONE! Compare the sweat around the forehead, shine, etc. All gone! Too fun!