Christmas Vacation

This year for Christmas vacation, my family went to visit my mom's relatives in Danville, Pennsylvania.  Now, when you think of Pennsylvania, you probably think of vast farmland, people dressed like pioneers (also known as Mennonite or Amish) and nothing to do.  And let me tell you, you are mostly right.  However I managed to spend quite a bit of time on my grandpa's 300 acre farm taking pictures... Here are a few that I think show the best of the country style.

My Grandpa's Farm
Photo Courtesy of Maddy Lee

My Grandpa's Farm
Photo Courtesy of Maddy Lee

My Grandpa's Farm
Photo Courtesy of Maddy Lee

On the drive to my grandpa's farm
Photo Courtesy of Maddy Lee

These photos may look like it was warm up in Danville over Christmas, and let me tell you, you are wrong.  I was colder than I ever am in Park City.   Though there was no snow on the ground, there was ice in the air.  The first three were all taken out on the farm.  The last picture is of the river you cross on the way to his farm.  I really like this last one, because of the mix of natural and human made objects.  Had the weather been warmer, I would have taken years to get away from that beautiful scene, but instead, I took the picture while waiting in traffic, through the car window.

Christmas was great this year.  I got to take pictures, open presents and spend a lot of time with my relatives.  I also got to sleep in a bug infested room, fight with my brothers and be bored out of my mind for hours at a time.  But looking back, it was worth it.

Portraits

Professional, staged and expensive.   These are probably things that come into your mind when you think of portraits.  However, I have recently been experimenting with taking my friends and family's pictures, and using them to experiment with "portraitism."  With a good camera, a nice outside area, and a cute subject, you can end up with great portraits, without the expensive price tag.

Photo Courtesy of Maddy Lee

For this picture, I was lucky enough to have my friend, Claire, volunteer for my experiments.  If the background of this photo had not been so understated, then Claire would not have looked so vibrant.  Because of her comfortable looking position, she does not look like she was posing, even though she was.  A good thing to remember when taking portraits is making sure the subject does not look forced or unnatural.  

Photo Courtesy of Maddy Lee

This is one of my favorite pictures that I have ever taken!  My little brother, Tucker, looks so cute and happy it makes me smile.  The unique angle of the picture gives the portrait a fun perspective that captures the innocence of his little face.  The angle also makes the portrait look even more natural, as I explained above. Turning the photo into black and white gave it a more professional look.  So, if the colors in the original photo you take are not as vibrant as you want them to be consider using the black and white effect.

Portraits are not just a frame to hang on the wall, and glance at every once in a while.  They should capture the spirit and personality of the person that they give off everyday.  Find a friend and try the different techniques I talked about above.  Experimenting is the best way to improve, and who knows where you will end up.

Stencils and Spray Paint Tutorial

Image Courtesy of Wallpapers.com

For this post, I decided to do a craft/art project with a technique I have never done before.  Stencil and spray paint.  I have done many a project with making your own stencils, however never quite like this, so I decided to come up with my own tutorial that I made up as I went. I have never used spray paint before this project. If you find the right picture to use, you can end up with a modern piece of art with a vintage twist.  It really isn't as hard as it looks; I just tried to include every detail. 

For this project you will need...
     -A computer and internet access
     -Spray Paint (color of your choice)
     -A printed picture of your own, or from the internet
     -A canvas the same size as your printed picture
     -An exacto knife
     -A thin piece of cardboard or plastic (I used a cereal box)
    
I chose to use silver spray paint,to go with my teal walls.  I also chose to do a picture of Audrey Hepburn, because she is my favorite celebrity, and this picture is a classic!

To start, you will need to find a picture that you would like to use in your project.  If you choose to use your own image, you will have to upload it to your computer.  After you have done that, upload the image to the photo-editor PicMonkey by clicking "Edit a Photo", on the home page.  Once you have uploaded your photo, on the sidebar click "Effects" then scroll down until you get to "Posterize."  You will have to drag the number of colors bar down, until it gets to two colors, however don't change anything else.  As you will see, your photo will be in only two colors.  If your photo is not visible with this effect, you will have to pick a new picture with more contrast.  After editing your picture, it should look something like this.  

Screenshot while editing my photo

Once you have completed these steps, it's time to print your photo.  You may print it in whatever size you'd like, however be sure that it is the same size as your canvas.  I just used standard size printer paper, and bought a canvas that is a little bigger.  

After printing your photo, tape it on top of the piece of cardboard.  Take a really really sharp pencil, or pen, and pressing hard, outline the shaded parts of the edited photo.  If you push hard enough, the lines should show up on the cardboard, though they might be faint.  Mine lines were a little too faint to cut over, so I outlined them with a pen.  After these steps, the cardboard should look something like this...   

My Cardboard Outlines

Once you have done this, you can take off the tape, but don't throw away the printed photo.  Take your ex-acto knife, and cut out the areas of darkness, following the outlines on the cardboard, but still referring back to the printed photo so you don't mess up.  Once you finish cutting the cardboard, it should still look like the picture, but less detailed.

The hard part is over now... It's time to spray paint!  Line up the cardboard a s perfectly as you can on the canvas, and tape it down.  Then, spray the cardboard/canvas until the whole thing is silver.  Be sure that you aren't too close when doing this part; I stood up, and set it on the ground outside while I sprayed.  I also added a layer of sparkly spray paint, however you cannot see it in the picture.  If you are doing the spray painting inside, or in a garage, be sure to put down newspaper.  Let the paint dry for a few hours, and enjoy your masterpiece!  

My Final Product!!