Photography

NEW YEAR INSTAGRAM WREATH

0 · Dec 30, 2013 · 3 Comments

Hi Whipperberry friends! It's Jenn from My Fabuless Life. I hope your Holidays were wonderful! Today I'm sharing a quick Memory Wreath I put together with some of my favorite moments (via Instagram) from the past year. I have a sort of picture addiction and am always running out of space to hang or display more frames, so this is perfect for being able to display LOTS of pictures in a small space!

I started my Instagram wreath with a wire wreath form from the craft store and spray painted it gold.

Then I printed out my favorite Instagrams in black and white. You can find a free template and tutorial on how to print them yourself here.

Once cut, I laid them out on the wreath to get an idea of placement, and then just slipped them between the wire. I put a little piece of tape of the back of them to hold them in place and then taped some of them directly on.

Then I added a few yarn pom poms and that's it! I plan on keeping this up all year and switching out the pictures periodically.

My Favorite Camera Bags for Women // the Jeanne Oliver Mia Bag

0 · Jun 25, 2013 · 4 Comments

Jeanne Oliver Mia Camera Bag Review // I'm super excited to share one of my favorite finds with you guys today. A couple of years ago, I bought a new camera and with a new camera… I needed a new bag. First I googled "camera bags for women" and found a few bags, but nothing really hit the spot. Then I hit the Twitterverse and asked if anyone knew of some great, stylish camera bags that I should check out. Within just a few minutes, someone (I wish I could remember who) messaged me back with an amazing (new to me) find… The amazing Jeanne Oliver and her stunning bags!

My Twitter friend showed me the now retired camera bag that I've been using for over a year now.

This bag is not only my camera bag, I've used it as a purse, diaper bag, conference bag and carry-on. I LOVE this bag!! Recently Jeanne launched her new line of bags and with this new launch she has introduced a new camera bag called the Mia Bag. From the minute I saw the new bag on Instagram, I fell head over heels.

Isn't it just divine? The fabric, the colors, the workmanship… I just love it all! Here, I'll give you a quick tour!

Here's the inside. I have one of my cameras in one of the padded pockets. Keep in mind, this is a Canon Rebel so it's the standard, non-professional sized camera and it fits nicely in that pocket. If I were to put my Canon 5D Mark II in the bag, it would fit in the main compartment and have two padded spaces for extra lenses or an external flash. But, with the smaller camera I can also fit my wallet, my iPad, a notebook AND my Macbook Pro along with other smaller items.

The bag is fully padded and has two padded pockets along with a side zipper pocket perfect for keys, makeup and other small items. It has a cell phone pocket as well as a smaller pocket perfect for items like memory cards and such. This is the perfect purse / camera bag!!

The fabric is a heavy duty upholstery fabric that is easy to wipe clean and holds up to a lot of use. The front flap secures with a magnetic closure which I love. I hate fussy closures on bags.

The bags construction is superb and is up to any challenge you have to throw at it. The strap is sturdy and comfortable to wear.

I just love Jeanne's tag inside the bag, it's just so darn pretty!

AND, the handmade fabric flower on the front flap!! I just adore this detail. I love that my bag does not scream CAMERA BAG. That it's stylish and looks one of a kind. Now that I have two of Jeanne's camera bags (I also have one of her ruffled totes that I just LOVE) I can honestly say… They are by far my favorite camera bags!

You should check out the Jeanne Oliver Designs Site… she is one extremely talent lady who has her hand in many different creative pots these days. She designs bags and has two more in this summer's collection along with a handful of other items for sale.

The Sadie Handbag and the Elsie Linen Messenger Bag

Jeanne is also an amazing artist and photographer and she also teaches some amazing classes through her Jeanne Oliver Creative Network. This site is FULL of talented friends who have a passion for their work and love to share their talents along with what they have learned along their creative journey. It's an amazing site, you should check it out. All in all, I am a HUGE Jeanne Oliver fan and just had to share one of my loves with you guys!

Disclaimer // This is not a sponsored post. I did however, receive one free bag to review. All thoughts, ideas, opinions are my very own.

Jessica Sprague // Oh Shoot 2 Class GIVEAWAY

0 · May 20, 2013 · 80 Comments

This post is brought to you by Jessica Sprague.com // Happy Monday everyone!! I'm so excited for today's giveaway… My FAVORITE online learning site Jessica Sprague is launching a brand new photography class that I am sooooo excited about. It's a class for those of you who are well acquainted with your camera but who would like to learn more about composition and advanced styling techniques.

You have a dSLR camera and have already learned out to get it out of automatic – hooray for you! Now, what comes next? How about learning more about the artistic side of taking a photograph – the things beyond the words aperture and shutter speed that can take your photos to the next level?

If this sounds good to you, then we have the perfect class for you – Oh Shoot 2! Advanced Composition & Technique taught by Candice Stringham over at JessicaSprague.com. Candice is one of my all time favorite Photography instructors. She really knows her stuff!!

This 4-week long, intermediate level class will:

Review in more detail basic compositional rules
Address color theory and how it affects the mood and look of a photograph
Learn about photographing an editorial portrait
Learn about how to photograph an event
Learn about compositional rules when photographing a location
Learn tips about tabletop (small items) photography techniques

And as with all classes at JessicaSprague.com, the course materials (videos, downloadable PDFs, etc) are available to you forever! If you want to go back and retake a lesson or even the whole class at any time, everything will be available to you.

Candice Stringham, the course instructor is the real deal. An editorial photographer turned scrapbooker, Candice is a former Contributing Editor for Creating Keepsakes Magazine and was inducted into the Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame in 2006. She has a BFA in Photography and taught at a collegiate level after she graduated. Visit Candice’s blog to learn more about her and see some of her amazing work.

The next session of Oh Shoot! 2 begins June 3^rd and registration opens tonight at 9Pm EST. There are two levels of registration available. The standard class which has unlimited enrollment and the extended class, which includes comments from the instructor on your photographs. Extended enrollment fills up quickly, so be ready right at 9Pm EST to register.

Click here for more information and to register.

Jessica and her crew have been so generous and are giving away THREE level one spots to Candice's Advanced Composition and Technique Class // Oh Shoot 2… That's a $132 value!! Just follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter box below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The rafflecopter box may take a bit to load, especially if you are on Internet Explorer 9 or a mobile device… don't you worry though, it will load.

How to Add Text to an Image // ViDEO Tutorial

2 · Mar 7, 2013 · 17 Comments

How to add text to an image // Last week, I asked if anyone would be interested in learning more photo tips and tricks… You all answered with an astounding YES!! The number one question was… How do I add images to my text? With this Pinterest world we live in, knowing some basic graphic design really couldn't hurt, so I put together this meaty post to shed a little light on how to add text to your images. There's a lot to cover so I'm just going to jump right in…

Why Add Text to Images

When I'm beginning to craft a post, I think of it as pulling together a layout for a magazine article. I don't want it to look just like a blog post, I want it to catch the readers eye and pull them in. I want tickle their visual fancy along with providing some valuable information as well. Think about it… We eat and live with our eyes. If your images aren't appetizing, no one is going to partake of what you have to offer. With the explosion of Pinterest having visual appetizing images in your posts is even more important these days. You need to grab your readers with your best photo at the top of your post with a headline right on the images telling your reader exactly what that post is about. That means we all need to be not only photographer, writer, editor, creative director and now graphic designer on all of our work.

How to Add Text to Images with Photoshop Elements

Now you've realized the importance of adding text to your images, but how do you accomplish that? What program will you use? There are many different options at every price point. You can invest in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop at the high end. Both amazing products that are super powerful, but with a high learning curve. You can go for the free option with online program like PicMonkey. They work alright, but are pretty basic. I tend to go with the middle of the road with Adobe Photoshop Elements. It's a very affordable program with many of the bells and whistles of Photoshop, but without the $700 Photoshop price tag. You can get Photoshop Elements for $100 so it's not too bad. Plus you are getting a pretty decent photo editor for beginning photographers.

I've made a video for you guys on how I add text to my photos using Photoshop Elements…

What Fonts to Use

Now, that you've learned how to add text and other design elements to your images, what fonts should you use? Your font choices are more important that you know. Using old and out of date fonts is like installing an avocado green toilet in your fancy newly remodeled cottage white bathroom. It's just a bad design idea. Pay attention to current trends. Remember, the way you style your photos are a big part of your brand. Take the time to make good font and design element selections.

Here are a few of my favorite fonts right now. I tend to stay pretty simple and stick to just a few standard fonts. That way when people see my photos, they know… "that photo is from WhipperBerry."

ostrich sans // learning curve // amatic // doris day // league gothic // modern no.20 // helvetica neue ultra light // reklame script // thirsty rough

Most of these fonts are free. You can download a free demo of Reklame Script that can get you by, and Thirsty Rough is $5, not too bad.

Where to Find Good Brushes

My go to gal for graphic elements is Rhonna Farrer the creator of Rhonna Designs. I have been a HUGE fan of her for some time. She has some amazing kits that you can purchase and then use to your hearts content. They come in a couple of different formats, so if brushes intimidate you, you can use the png format. Here is the kit that I used for this post… InstaPop!

Rhonna has a ton of fun kits, so you should go check them out.

There you have it… How I add text and graphics to my images. If you have any questions, let me know. I would be happy to help! Leave a comment or email me, heather (at) whipperberry (dot) com and I can see what I can do.

Photography

Why Add Text to Images

How to Add Text to Images with Photoshop Elements

What Fonts to Use

Where to Find Good Brushes

Footer