Mud Room Episode 3

This post is for my friend Meredith. She stalks my blog and then gets on to me when I haven't posted what she wants to read. :) Saturday she told me that it was time for Mud Room Episode Three, and she is very right.

The reason I've been procrastinating with Episode 3 is it look like not a ton has changed since Episode 2. In reality, Dad spent 2 days working on wiring, 1 day insulation walls, and a few random days doing random things, so a lot has changed, just not cosmetically.

The best part is the hardwood floors are now finished!

I've already started decorating, much to my dad's chagrin. I just had to put that little white chair in there once I saw the floors. It just looked too perfect!

Do you see the vanity in the bathroom? That was an antique dresser my grandma found at a garage sale. Unfortunately it isn't going to work, so it's back to the garage sales.

We had to put a closet around the hot water tank and furnace. I like the big doors, although I doubt I paint them green to match the kitchen door, but you never know.

In the next few episodes, you can look forward to finding out why I'm searching for vintage yard sticks, what vanity I choose, and my plans for a 25 cent basket from a garage sale.

:j

Photo Style

Every photographer has a favorite part of photography. Some love the technical aspect of figuring out just the right combination of ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. Some enjoy interacting with people to find what their "picture personality" is. Other photographers love editing the images. Personally, I prefer the people part, but I do have a lot of fun with the editing. It always amazes me how 1 image can look so different depending on the edit.

I photographed this family tonight. I took almost 200 images, and they will end up with 100+ in their hands. Some of those 100 will be the exact same image with different edits, like the one below. I wish I could tell you the exact formula I use to figure out what the best style is for an image, but it's kind of a gut thing for me. I can tell you that if there is a light issue (such as coloring being weird or the light being overpowering) black and white is the best choice. I can also tell you that if it looks like a timeless picture, black and white or aged look good. If the client is wearing bright colors, I like to keep the photo in color. Pretty much, you just have to play with the photographs to find the look you love.

The original

And with a bit of style....

1.

2. 

3.

4. 

5.

Which one is your favorite?

:j

Mail Time!

EDIT: I take back every nice thing I said about my phone. It quit working again.

:j