Shutter speed is simply this: how fast your camera snaps the shot. It’s easy peasy.

Shutter speed in low light:

If you are in a low light situation, your camera’s shutter will have to stay open longer to let more light in. In this kind of situation, if you aren’t using a tripod you’ll probably get a blurry shot.

Shutter speed in normal light:

If you are in a spot with normal light, your camera will snap the shot faster. Why? It’s because the more light there is, the shorter amount of time your camera will have to hold the shutter open.

It’s really easy. Really.

Hello lovelies!

Yes, I do realize I have been having site troubles. No worries. They are all fixed now. I do want to give you a heads up though. . . If you look through my archives, none of my 2009 stuff is there. I am working on getting that back up.

As a side note, if you haven’t read all of the Photography Basics or Blogging Basics series thus far, now would be a good time to catch up. Just search “photography basics” or “blogging basics” in the search bar {on the right}.

Xoxo! Be blessed!

by Hannah Braboy on February 22, 2010

Scarves- You can get them at thrift stores (or regular stores) pretty cheep. They are a nice way to add some pop and color to any outfit.

Hats- You can have so much fun with hats! There are lots of different styles and colors. You are sure to find a couple that you love!

Growing your blog is a lot of work. The close friendships that are a result are priceless.

1. Commenting – Comment regularly on the blogs you read. When you receive a comment {from another blogger}, return the favor by commenting on their blog.

2. Social networking – Twitter, Facebook, and the like are all great tools to connect with readers beyond the comments and promote your blog. Use them to their fullest.

2. Email – Email you close blog buddies regularly. Set up times to meet with them. This might be a little more often for bloggers who live closer together.

3. Guest posting – Ask a few friends {with blogs} if they’d be interested in you guest posting for them. Also, you might want to throw the offer out to guest post on yours.

4. Word of mouth – Write really good, make your posts word of mouth-worthy, and make it easy to share them with others.

5. Blogrolls – Put your friends on your blogroll. When you do, they will most likely put you on theirs.

6. Advertising – See if you and a few blog friends can trade blog ads.

1. Write what you are passionate about.

2. Write from where you’ve been. You aren’t the only one.

3. Interact with your readers.

4. Write for God. Give it to Him.

5. Let go. Let God take you, your blog, and your writing over. Let Him be glorified.

This probably won’t be as confusing as ISO, you’ll be glad to know.

Composing a photo is just one way you can let your creativity flow. It’s what makes a photo uniquely beautiful. 50 people could take the same photo and not have the same compensation.

I see a lot of people get in the habit of standing in front of their subject, snapping the shot, and leaving it at that. It might be quick, but you don’t get a great shot! Next time, when taking a photo, get different angles and place the subject differently in your photos.You might sit down and take it, get up higher, or stand to the side of your subject(s).

When shooting people, don’t always have them looking and smiling at the camera; catch them doing something else. Catch the little moments you’ll want to remember- not necessarily the smile. Also, when taking photos of little ones and babies, remember to get down on their level.

Freezing is a great way to keep fruit! About once, maybe twice, a summer Strawberries will go down to about .99¢ a carton. (Price will vary from area to area. Just try to find the lowest price.) When they go down like that we buy a whole bunch, wash them, pull the leaves off, and freeze them. To prevent them from freezing in clumps, put them on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Then put them into freezer bags.

You can use this method with all sorts of berries and fruit! In our area, it is cheeper to do this than to buy them already frozen. I don’t know about you, but my family can eat some fruit! You can use this method whether you buy the fruit from a store, pick them yourself, or grow and pick yourself.

My family and I are also trying to eat a bit healthier. For sweeteners, we try our best to use Agave nectar and raw honey instead of white sugar. We do like us some ice cream, though. We have found a nice alternative for that- smoothies. I don’t mean thin smoothies, though. I mean thick like ice cream. The secret to getting a very thick, ice cream-like smoothie is not blending too much. Here’s the {not so} secret recipe.

Ice Cream Strawberry Smoothies

Ingredients:

about 2 – 2 1/4 cups of frozen solid strawberries

about 1 – 1 1/2 cups of plain yogurt

sweetener to taste

—–

Quickly chop the frozen strawberries in a blender. Add the yogurt and sweetener. Blend very quickly. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

Recipe notes: If you aren’t going to serve this immediately, put the smoothie glasses in the freezer. You can leave them there as long as they don’t freeze solid. You can also add a Banana or two. The key to thickness is being very quick!

If you have any tips on keeping fruit or any favorite recipes, I’d love to hear about them in the comments! Enjoy~

I remember sitting on their back screened-in porch.

It was the middle off summer and the cold orange sherbet felt so good sliding down my throat. I remember how it dripped down my chin and the spoon became sticky. Mrs. Glenda always told us how much Mr. Bill liked it. It was the reason she kept it around.

I remember how there were always some roses in a vase on the table. Mrs. Glenda loved her roses. She had them in all colors and varieties. The big, full blooms filled many a vase about her house.

I remember how Mr. Bill would come home from work in the dead of summer. I remember how he would drag his lawn mower out and mow ’till Mrs. Glenda called him for supper.

I remember running through that grass barefoot to visit them. It felt soft and abnormally short to my chubby little girl toes and feet. I remember running across that grass to embrace Mrs. Glenda. I remember how she showed me her roses and we would caress them.

I remember everything. I hope to never forget those memories. I hope I’m like they were.

It was Spring of 2006. Almost half a decade ago. At that point in time I only read one good friend’s blog. {I know! Crazy, right?} Like I am prone to do, I got a crazy inspiration to start a blog out of the blue. (’Cause I have my daddy’s visionary dreamer gene like that.)

My parents always said I should host a talk radio show. I am serious. I announced my bright blog idea to my parents that night. My parents agreed and said I could start one, but they wanted me to keep a consistent journal first. I agreed and complied with their request.

My humble little blog started May 18, 2006 when I set up an account with Homeschool Blogger. It didn’t even have a name. I honestly don’t think I had a clue what I was in for, though. I didn’t even know how to blog.

Like most first time bloggers, my first posts consisted of one line that was posted once every week. I had no idea how to create content, what “SEO” meant, or how much fun reviews could be. I didn’t have a clue.

That next year was quite a learning curve. That’s when I learned the very basics of blogging. It’s a whole different language! It was when I discovered the gift of writing that God gave me. I learned basic language, worked it, and it was time to spread out and grow. That is when I moved to Wordpress.

You will have to be a blogger to understand this, but going from a very basic to a high-tech is intense. My jump from Homeschool Blogger to Wordpress was a pain. There. I said it. Growing that much at once hurts.

Right after my leap, the FTC cracked it’s whip on bloggers. The disclosure, the taxes- it was everywhere. It was on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, and the news. Blogging suddenly became more complicated and turned into a business. I didn’t like that fact and I still don’t.

I broke under the pressure of the new FTC regulations and quit reviewing and giveaways. I didn’t want to have to worry about legal stuff all the time. I just wanted to stay out of trouble and blog. A couple months afterward, I began to miss the people and small businesses. I missed connecting like that. It was fun for me. So, I opened the giveaway and product review doors back up.

Blogging has opened so many doors up for me. God has used it incredibly.

I just really feel like God wants me to have a heart to heart with y’all today. Girls, we face a lot of the same challenges, questions, and concerns. The following is like a peek inside my journal. It is my heart on the plan after high school.

So… After high school us girls are expected to go strait to college. Personally, that is hard for me to accept because my last Government school experience was horrible. I felt insecure, pressured, stressed out, disconnected from my family, and worst of all I was only in first and second grades. I hated it. I played hooky just to get time with my mom.

That fact about going to a college doesn’t even appeal to me because of my past experience, my desires, and my dreams. My deepest and utmost desire is to have babies, a husband, and take care of a home. The idea is so counter culture it’s hard to explain to people around you.

Does that sound like any one of you? Can you relate?

I would love to take some classes and apprentice under someone! I think that would be a great way to further the gifts and talents God has given me. It is just not on the top of my priority list to go and get a four year degree, nor is it in my budget. I want to prepare myself to be a mother, a wife, and entrepreneur as described in Proverbs 31.

I would honestly like your opinion and beliefs on this; from guys and girls. Actually, if you are a guy, your thoughts and beliefs are more than welcome. I want to know what you would like to see, concerning this matter, in your sisters and future wife. It is a very controversial topic, but it can’t be left to the side because of that. Please share and pass this along to friends and family and encourage them to share their opinion.