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WhipperBerry • Your Home For Creative Inspiration

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Photography

Jessica Sprague Oh Shoot! Digital Photography Classes // GIVEAWAY

2 · Mar 5, 2013 · 145 Comments

Digital Photography Class//  Last week, I posted about my faux slate (chalkboard) photo background and asked if any one was interested in more photography posts. The response was overwhelmingly YES!! It seems that many of you would love to learn more about everything from how to use your camera, all the way through staging, editing and preparing your images for your blog and especially Pinterest.

Well, I am thrilled to announce I am starting a new series to touch on all aspects of my photo process, tips and tricks that I've learned over the past two years of blogging. I, however, am NOT going to dive into the world of teaching you how to use your camera. I would have to spend hours and hours, days, weeks even… Developing posts that would do the subject justice. I am going to leave that to the professionals at Jessica Sprague. They have spent way more than hours and days on developing some amazing photography classes. They actually have a teacher, Candice Stringham, who went to school for years to learn how to be a photographer. She KNOWS HER STUFF!! Not only does she have a BFA in Photography they invited her back to TEACH photography at the collegiate level. Yea, she's legit!

Oh_Shoot__Beginn_4c605bb17466e

My first word of photography advice is… STOP USING AUTO friends!!! Oh Shoot! the beginning photography class at JessicaSprague.com is perfect to learn how to really use your camera. You won't believe the difference. This class will teach you how to do just that. You won't have to be scared of all those dials, buttons and numbers on your camera… It really demystifies your camera and the whole photo process. I took the class and actually learned several new things that I'm sooo excited to start incorporating into my photography. Oh Shoot! is perfect for beginners and even more advanced photographers. The nice thing is once you sign-up for the class, you will ALWAYS have access to the class material. You will be able to refer back to the material or take refresher class whenever you like for years to come. Most online photography classes don't have that available for their students indefinitely. That's just one of the many things that set Jessica Sprague apart from the rest. 

Each class has a video, MP3 of the class material and a PDF of the material. Below are a few snippet's from the first class on Shutter Speed…

Oh Shoot! Photo Class

All of the material is professionally created, easy to read and understand. You won't feel like they are speaking photography greek. The class is limited in number so you will feel like really are a part of a small group, rather than a little fish in a big pond. You will also have the ability to chat with your classmates and instructor via the online chats and email for even more personalized help. It really doesn't get any better than this, REALLY!

The 2013 session of Oh Shoot! starts on March 11th and runs through April 21st. It is an instructor led class, but don't worry… You will have access to all of the materials even if you can't make the live chats. This is truly a valuable experience that shouldn't be missed. The class is $130 and well worth the money. The spots are limited so run out and grab your seat for class TODAY!! I have one spot to GIVEAWAY to one of you, my favorite friends!! 

Jessica Sprague Oh Shoot! GIVEAWAY

All you need to do is follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter box below…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

this post sponsored by jessica sprague

DIY Faux Slate Chalkboard Photo Background

74 · Feb 26, 2013 · 103 Comments

DIY Faux Slate Chalkboard Photo Background // When I first started blogging, one of my main goals was to learn how to take good pictures. If you were to go back to the beginning of WhipperBerry from the summer of 2010, You can see my photos were not exactly Pinterest worthy. Luckily Pinterest hadn't opened it's virtual doors quite yet.

One of my favorite things about bloggin is that I am constantly learning and developing new skills. I am constantly dissecting photos that I love, to figure out how I can create the same effect.  Now, with Pinterest as a major player in our social media world… Photography is EVERYTHING. One of the easiest ways for a post to go viral these days is for it to be pinned and repined on Pinterest. A post can develop some strong legs on Pinterest and really bring in some major traffic for your site. The bottom line is… If you don't have a good photo, you are missing a huge chunk of the successful blog post equation.

One of my favorite styles of photography right now is, the dark slate chalkboard look. We've seen it everywhere on Pinterest. Not only is this chalkboard look popular for printables, it's super popular for pictures as well. Here are a few examples of photos that I've created for WhipperBerry with this look…

faux-slate-background-from-WhipperBerry

I love how the black background helps to make colors pop and it also has a bit of texture which in turn helps the image have more depth. It also creates a fun chalkboard look when adding text to your image.  I just love it!!

Want to know how I made my background? It's super EASY and cheap! Here is what you will need…

Supply List

  • Black foam board – Any size will work, I have a couple of sets of various sizes. They range in price from just a few dollars for a small board up to about $15 for a large 20×30 depending on where you purchase them. Still nothing to sneeze at when compared to other photo backdrops.
  • Chalk
  • Old rag

Chalkboard Photo Background Instructions 

Now, this couldn't be easier. Take your foam board and a piece of chalk…

How to make a faux slate photo backdrop

Take the side of the chalk and gently rub circles around the surface of the foam board. Don't press too hard, it will dent or scratch the surface of the foam board and you don't want that to happen.

use chalk to create a faux slate photo background

Once you've covered the entire surface of the foam board with the chalk, take an old rag and use it to blend the chalk over the surface of the board. This will give the board the look of slate when photographed.

blend the chalk on the foam board with an old rag

Here's how it should look once you've blended the chalk…

the finished faux slate board

Because they are so inexpensive and easy to make, I've made several of them of them and use them for not only the background but the base of my photo set-up. I'll let you in on a little secret, Here is how I photograph all of my photos…

How to use the faux slate photo background

This is actually my daughter's bedroom, but she has graciously offered to share it with me as my photo studio as well. It has the best natural light in the house and with windows on two sides of the room I have all kinds of fun playing with the light. This set-up was for yesterday's Campbell's post, here is how the picture turned out…

Address your heart with Campbell's Soup

I am just in love with this look right now! So… I've been thinking about doing a few more posts on how I create the images for WhipperBerry, but I'm going to leave that up to you. If you are interested in more posts like this, leave a comment on this post and tell me what you would like to learn about. If there is enough interest, I will work up a whole new blogging series… So ask away!

Holiday Cards with WhipperBerry Studios

1 · Nov 30, 2011 · 16 Comments

There are two kinds of people in this world… Those who send Christmas cards, and those who do not.  Those who do not, just don't GET those who do and vice versa. I am in the love Christmas camp and I'm proud of it.  I love taking the pictures and finding the perfect card to send to all of your family and friends.  In turn, I also LOVE to receive holiday cards!!  Almost more than sending, just almost. But, we all know that the first step to a great Christmas card is a fabulous family picture.  

A few months back, I started WhipperBerry Studios my official photography business.  Photography has always been a love of mine and it was just a natural fit to open things up as a side business.  You may have noticed the Studio tab at the top of WhipperBerry.  That's a link to my WhipperBerry Studios Site.  Here's some of the work that I have done recently for friends who are getting their Christmas cards together…

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Heather from Whipperberry
Hello... my name is Heather and I'm the creator of WhipperBerry a creative lifestyle blog packed full of great recipes and creative ideas for your home and family. I find I am happiest when I'm living a creative life and I love to share what I've been up to along the way... Come explore, my hope is that you'll leave inspired!

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