Tag: Pictures

An update in pictures

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because if we wait until I have enough time to write… it will be 2020!!! So I have an update with pictures and a few words.

the chickens
The “Girls”

New additions. Chickens in the coop. 6 hens about 5 months old now. Should be laying soon? Hopefully soon some eggs, color from light green to robins egg blue! They are a breed called Cream Legbar, supposed to be calm and friendly. So far, it is true. Will be letting them out to free-range a couple of hours each day. These girls love bugs.

our Agent
Our Real Estate Agent testing the facilities

When we were looking… for a place. This fellow accompanied our agents. He has his own business cards too. I told him that if we bought the place, he could pick out a chicken and give it a name. He came out in late August, chose his bird and named her Lucy. So 2 have names, Lucy and Ethel. Possibly a 3rd has a name too, Piggy Anne, she is always front and center for kitchen scraps.

pasture to the house view
The view from the pasture to the house

The pasture, around the pond and the yard are all mowed and short! It looks so neat!!! Just needs a large hoofed creature to make it complete.

pond progress
The Pond looking better

And last, the pond with about 90% of the cattails cut down or removed. They are hard to kill, but we are working on it.

There is so much more to share… but alas my usual lament. NOT ENOUGH HOURS IN THE DAY!!! So there you have it… and update in pictures.

More Later! Beth

And Action!

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Lots going on here at I Have a Notion. Not really active action, unless you call being the ‘Set Director, Lighting Director, Set Dresser, Photographer, and lastly and Editor’ action.

Although this isn’t a movie, it is a major undertaking. Lots to learn. All those terms above refer to one person… Mou!

When I set up the new web site and store… I was in a hurry. A big hurry. In addition, the learning curve was daunting. Some of the issues with the old site were causing lots of difficulties. So in haste, some of the product pictures were either too small or over large or just plain bad. So of course, that had to be remedied.

Exciting stuff!

Furthermore, product photography is not as easy as one would like to think. Very different from nature photography, my first photographic love. Landscapes, flowers, animals, and bugs!! (https://www.flickr.com/photos/beth-near_chicago/albums).

The Difficulties…

It is picky and painstakingly slow. It starts with the lighting… Since much of the product packaging is in cellophane or plastic, there are reflections to deal with, and in some cases, the packaging had to be removed. Then, the equipment has to be evaluated, (lens length, filters, and positioning. In contrast, we are pretty good on the equipment front, yay. And then the staging or setting the item up for the shoot. Oh and the number of corrections. Some you see at the time and correct and the ones you find in editing that require a reshoot!!!

Playing with light

Another bit of luck is we have a relatively unused room with great indirect lighting, that has now become the photo studio. So goodbye to the dining room and the table! Of course, the next obstacle was the weather. Dark gray wet clouds do not produce great light. But they did offer a few lessons in lighting naturally. This was pretty quick as time goes.

It is the editing that is mind-numbing. One of the reasons I find that nature is a better subject. It is the imperfections that make nature so viewable. Not so much with product pictures!

The End Result…

Will be worth the investment. So while things have been quiet on the creative fiber front, the behind the scenes creativity needs have been blossoming.

Beth