Sep 19, 2017 |
by Mary Denman
Twitter: @MaryDenman
Instagram:@MaryFDenman
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Mary Denman photo tip
Have you ever taken a photo, expecting it to be a great shot, but when you see it later, you realize that it just didn’t have the effect you wanted?
Don’t worry, it happens to all of us!
Sometimes, this is the result of taking a picture that doesn’t have a clear subject or point to it. I know. I’ve been there.
So today, let’s see how to learn from our mistakes and take cleaner shots that are more powerful!
In this first photo, you can see my daughter with her silver lab and my cavalier puppy.
Mary Denman: cluttered photo
It’s cute, but there’s just not a clear focal point. The partial shot of the lamp and mirror is distracting. So are the blankets and half of my son. The picture is supposed to be about my daughter and our puppies being side by side.
How do you correct a problem like this?
TIP 1: CROP THE PICTURE ONCE IT’S ON THE COMPUTER.
Mary Denman: girl & puppies
Doesn’t this look so much better?
If you’ll notice, I took a landscape shot, but then cropped it to portrait framing to draw your attention where I wanted it.
While you can crop on the computer, you can also look at the back of your camera and recompose a shot right away to make it stronger.
Mary Denman: pink rose 1
I have pointed out the bright blobs of color in the background with arrows. They really stand out, don’t they? They draw your eye around the photo instead of letting it focus on the main subject.
I noticed this in my camera and moved to take another shot of the same rose.
Mary Denman: pink rose 2
Isn’t this a lot better?
While there is still bright color in the background, it can easily be handled by cropping if I want to isolate the rose even more.
TIP 2: MOVE AND RECOMPOSE YOUR PHOTO AT THE TIME TO ISOLATE YOUR SUBJECT. Don’t depend on doing all your cropping on the computer.
Mary Denman: pink rose 3
I cropped the shot a little more once I had it on my computer to show you how recomposing and cropping are great tools to understand.
These may seem like very simple tips, but they are effective in improving your photography skills and photos.
Learn how to go behind your lens right after you take a shot and see if it communicates what you want. If not, and if you have the time, compose another picture and move around to get a better angle.
Then, crop once it’s on your computer if you need to.
Just make sure that you have a clear subject for your viewer to appreciate. Get rid of the clutter and make your subject shine!
Hope these tips help!
Mary
TWEET THIS: #PhotoTip: Have a Clear Subject or Point to Your Photos @RealMojo68 @MaryDenman #photography
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Mary Denman, photo by Peter Hurley
Mary Denman is a photographer who also writes and loves to teach. As a freelance writer, Mary has had articles published in various forms ranging from Focus on the Family publications to magazines to devotions to op-ed pieces. She’s a member of several professional writing organizations including ACFW, My Book Therapy, and Word Weavers.
As a professional photographer, Mary has had photos published in both print literature and online. Her shots have been used by businesses and by fellow authors alike.
Her philosophy is to catch a moment that reflects God’s beauty and creativity, whether in nature, in life or in the face of her subjects. Mary blends the mediums of writing and photography on her blog. www.marydenman.blogspot.com.
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Sep 18, 2017 |
by Edie Melson @EdieMelson
(Originally published on The Write Conversation. Reprinted/updated here with permission.)
Everywhere we turn we’re hit with the message of how great social media is. Don’t get me wrong, I love social media. But I didn’t start out loving it. I began my relationship with this new paradigm by hating it.
I don’t have a background in computers or marketing or anything that might make social media look interesting. Add to that fact that I’m a natural introvert, and you have a recipe for a disaster. Truthfully, that was how my relationship with social media began—as a disaster. Here are, from my own experience, the top 10 ways to make yourself miserable with social media.
Frankly, My Dear . . . Miserable with Social Media
- Sign up for Twitter, and keep your tweets protected. This means you have to approve anyone who follows you. This make absolutely no sense at all. You’re on Twitter to get your name out there. Having to approve followers means no one (okay, almost no one) will follow you.
- Never add to the social conversation. This means you never comment on Facebook, or tweet on Twitter or take part in any of the dialogue. You just follow what’s being said and wonder why social media isn’t working. For social media to work, you have to wade in and join the fun.
- Refuse to upload a picture of yourself as your Twitter avatar. If you just keep the default Egg Avatar on Twitter you’re telling the world one of two things. You’re a Twitter newbie and don’t know what you’re doing, or you’re a spammer.
- Join every new social media platform that comes out. As of this moment, there are well over 150 individual social media platforms, and that number changes by the hour. There’s no way anyone can reasonably interact on that many. Join Twitter and Facebook, but beyond that, pick one or two more you like best and concentrate on those.
- Use Facebook as a platform to air all grievances. There’s a saying that what happens on the Internet STAYS on the Internet. It’s true. No matter how much you later regret an outburst or ill-considered post, it’s there to stay. It’s almost impossible to erase all traces of something written on the Internet and that’s especially true with social media. My rule is to NEVER post anything negative on social media.
- Spend the bulk of your writing time doing social media. Yes, social media can help you get a contract (whether it’s for an article or book). But it won’t help if you can’t write. Writers need to be spending the majority of time writing and learning to write, NOT on social media. I recommend writers spend no more than 30 minutes a day on social media.
- Post all your social media updates at once, in a short window of time. This will insure you get noticed—but not in the way you want. Hogging the stream will cause your friends and followers to stop interacting with you and even delete you from their streams faster than almost anything.
- Just do social media when the mood hits. Posting when you feel like it, instead of working at it consistently is a guaranteed way to fail. Small, consistent steps are a guaranteed route to success.
- Don’t use an ancillary program to keep track of social media. I recommend Hootsuite, but Buffer and Tweetdeck are also viable alternatives. Not sure what I’m talking about? Then read this post on Hootsuite Basics to see what you’re missing.
- The best way to make yourself miserable with social media is to NOT do it. If you don’t give it a try you’ll always be wondering what you’re missing, and feeling guilty because you know it’s something you should do.
Now it’s your turn, what part of social media has made you miserable and how have you overcome it?
Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie
TWEET THIS: Top 10 Ways to Make Yourself Miserable with Social Media @RealMojo68 @EdieMelson #socialmedia
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Edie Melson
Find your voice, live your story…is the foundation of Edie Melson’s message, no matter if she’s addressing parents, military families or writers. As an author, blogger, and speaker she’s encouraged and challenged audiences across the country and around the world. Connect with her on her blog and through Twitter and Facebook.You can also connect with Edie through Twitter and Facebook.
Sep 17, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, On Faith.
So often the world says we can’t do this or we shouldn’t do that, and if we try, it has to be a blood bath competition.
The Bible says, softly, we can do all things. But we do these things through Christ, who will give us strength.
When we focus on the Father-Son-Spirit Trinity, our souls learn to recognize that while we can do all things, it’s not always advisable. With true faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. We can do what we once thought impossible.
His strength can also come to us as we don’t do something. His strength can refrain us from losing our tempers, feeling negative, or reacting badly. His strength in us is welcome to transform us into being the person He created us to be. Even at times when we believe we are creatures of habit, that we can’t change, that we’re no good. Or the times we feel stuck, unguided or misdirected.
When we’re not sure we have anything to offer, we can offer ourselves to Him, and let Him lead us.
“For I can do everything through Christ
who gives me strength.”
~Philippians 4:13 NLT
Frankly, On Faith: We Can Do All Things
When we step away from what we think or feel, and give God room to do what we don’t understand, things happen. When we tell God, “I don’t know, but you do,” and take our hands out of the mix, He has more room to do inconceivably more than we could have imagined.
This week I challenge you to not be led by “stinking thinking” but instead pause and let God show you what He can do on your behalf. Will you let Him?
TWEET THIS: Will you let God conquer your stinking thinking? @RealMojo68 #franklyonfaith
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Sep 16, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
It’s one of those “notice me” thingies. It says, “Yo, I’m over here!” It leaves breadcrumbs and helps you pay attention.
No, it’s not a selfie, Rocky Balboa or your Aunt Edna’s rendition of Hansel and Gretel.
It’s the hashtag.
Now, in your parents’ days, they might-a called it “the pound sign” or “the number symbol”.
But technology has changed and brought a vocabulary all its own.
This isn’t your mother’s shorthand any more.
When you’re a creative trying to attract other creatives, it’s almost like a not-so-secret handshake. And once you learn the lingo, it can definitely draw others in.
Most effective on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, a hashtag is simply the internet’s way of highlighting. Let’s say you want people to know you like coffee. So, you type the hashtag symbol and your word or phrase. But there’s one caveat, and it’s very important. You can’t have any spaces or other punctuation. So if you want to highlight coffee, it would read #coffee. But if, for some example, you don’t like coffee (I know, crazy example, but I hear tell there are actually a few of you out there), then you could write #dontlikecoffee.
On the flip side, using a hashtag helps you find what you’re looking for. Now, most search engines will automatically pull up links and files based on the words you type. “Red ruby shoes” is bound to get quite a bit of action. But what if you’re looking for something a little more personal, or relating to a book?
For instance, when the faux bro and I are challenging each other to keep writing, we might add #gameongansky to our tweets. Or when Honeyvibe releases another song, they tag me and add #goodvibes.
Frankly, My Dear . . .: #Hashtag
You can add the word “am” and whatever you’re doing, and search other like-minded people. #amwriting #amediting #amblogging #amsinging #amdrinkingcoffee #ambaking . . . You get the picture.
Here’s another bit o’ honey from the Social Media Bee Zebra: Don’t use too many at once. Twitter is limited to 140 characters total so tell your message and highlight/hashtag one or two points. On Instagram, write your message first, tag your people second, then add all the hashtags you want.
Finally, don’t go crazy making things up too much. Of course you can have fun now and then, but the object is to be found and recognized, yes? For example, here’s a screenshot of one of my favorite IG (Instagram) posts from last week:
Frankly, My Dear . . . #hashtag
#NOLA and #CitySeries are the title of my novel and my series, of course. Everything else helps direct traffic for and from people searching New Orleans and the like. [And also, just for fun, if you click on the IG photo above, you can read the blog post it references!]
What are some of your favorite hashtags?
TWEET THIS: What are some of your favorite #Hashtags? @RealMojo68 #socialmediasaturday #socialmedia
With a keystroke and attention,
Happy highlighting!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Sep 15, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday
Forty-eight hours ago our weather shifted. The California desert went from 93 and sunny to overcast and windy. Thursday brought winds and cooler temps and, now don’t quote me, but I’m almost certain I heard that midnight carnival train in the distance.
Yup. Autumn is almost upon us.
But wait!, you say. It’s technically still summer! And so it is. At least for one more week.
Here are few ways to celebrate the end of the season:
- Host a BBQ potluck. Have your friends, family, and neighbors over. They bring the meat, you bring the grill. After all, food is the answer to
almost everything.
- Stay out late. Okay, in my neck of the we-don’t-have-trees woods, being out after dark isn’t always a barrel of fun. But getting a carload of peeps to go cruising to the local park, sit on a picnic bench and watch the evening stars shoot overhead? That’s some magic right there.
- Clean the house. What?! you say. How can that be fun?! Oh, come on. You know that awesome I-can-breathe-better feeling when the clutter is gone. Am I right? So grab a few boxes and bags and organize those closets. Do it now before the holidays fill your schedule and you’re pulling out flip flops where the scarves should be.
- Go somewhere fun. Take a short drive to the beach. Walk the sidewalk. Make a day out of running errands. Find a reason to enjoy the sunshine, before there’s less of it to enjoy.
- Buy a Pumpkin Spice Latte. ‘Nuff said.
And now I want to hear from you. What are some of the things you do to wind down summer?
TWEET THIS: Five ways to #celebrate #summer before it’s over. @RealMojo68 #FiveThingsFriday
With a shooting star and Venti coffee,
Happy Seasoning.
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
