Understanding Histograms

I thought I would post this "new" information here for everyone to read. This has been a subject in digital photography that I have always been a bit afraid of. I figured it would be over my head and just frustrate me. But since I have been having trouble getting the shots I want lately I decided to spend a little time learning how to understand this. Once I did I was so glad - it really wasn't (too far) over my head.

What is a histogram you ask?
It is that annoying graph that shows up on the screen of your camera's monitor after you take a photo. In the past I have always shut that function off. I hated seeing that imposed over my image. Especially since I didn't understand what it was. It also shows up in Photoshop when you you go to enhance>adjust lighting>levels. I knew when you went there that it had something to do with the lighting in a photo and that was about it.
Now I understand it is the equivilent of a light meter for a film camera. Here is an explaination from someone much more educated than me. . .

Histograms are a very useful tool that many cameras offer their users to help them get a quick summary of the tonal range present in any given image. It graphs the tones in your image from black (on the left) to white (on the right). The higher the graph at any given point the more pixels of that tone that are present in an image. So a histogram with lots of dark pixels will be skewed to the left and one with lots of lighter tones will be skewed to the right. The beauty of a histogram is that the small LCD display on your camera is not really big enough to give you an great review of a picture and you can often get home to find that you’ve over or under exposed an image. Checking the histogram can tell you this while you’re in a position to be able to adjust your settings and take another shot.

I would highly recomend you check your camera's manual to see how to set this function on your camera. I have mine set to show the histogram after every shot now! I would also recomend you read the following articles and look at the sample images they have incuded. I think doing this will really help you improve your photos and make you feel like you are a just a little bit smarter about your camera!

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/understanding-histograms/

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/histograms1.htm

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml

As always I hope this helps and that it inspires you to get that camera out of it's bag and start using it!

Here are a couple of shots I took of some mushrooms growing in my backyard. There is nothing "special" about them. Just some shots I took while I practice using and understanding my histogram setting.

These are the same mushrooms 24 hours later! Quite a change don't ya think.

Are YOU Following Along?

Just to get an idea of who's reading the Heart & Soul regularly, I've added the new "Follow" option from blogger. I'd love to know if you are reading this blog. You could even have your picture right here on my blog and I can see that you are following along. You will find this new addition on the right, in the sidebar. It is titled The friends of Heart & Soul. You can just click on the "follow this blog" link to get added as one of my friends.

Did you also know that you can post comments to this blog? After each post you will see in blue letters the comments area - just click on that and you can leave me a message. I would love to know what you think about the posts here, are they interesting? Do they help you? Inspire you?

I'd love to know you are there and what you think!

Pretty As A Picture!

That's what my Monkey is!!!!!

Below you will see what I did Tuesday morning to entertain myself. After breakfast, Monkey was wandering around the house exploring as usual. She came upon my prop box and decided that it looked like a fun place to play. The night before I had done a photo shoot for a friend and neighbor and was just too lazy to put things away (side note: it has still not been put away!) so my lights and backdrops and everything were still set up. I decided to grab one of the new dresses I had bought Monkey a couple of weeks ago and take some pictures. So with no bath and probably some remnants of breakfast still on her hands, we started taking pictures. Oh, did I mention that my Mom had also bought her this little bench this weekend - PERFECT size for toodler photos! It was also perfect for keeping her in one place so that I could take the pictures. Now that she is walking it is very hard to pose her, as she doesn't like to stay still!

So here are just a few of my favorites. . .

I LOVE this one - look at those little feet!!!! OMGoodness she just melts my heart!

And thos little pudgy hands in this one - so stinkin' sweet!!!!!

So, since she was having fun, I decided to run down the hall (and out to my car) to get ALL of her monkeys! She sat there so paitietly while I set them all up around her. That was until I placed her monkey backpack-leash on the floor. Nope - she needed that one in her hands! She loves that thing and never complains when you put it on her.
She fiddled with the latches on it for a few moments. . .
Then she dived off of her bench and carried the monkey leash over to me - "put it on me" she was telling me in her very cute non-verbal way

Once she had her monkey pal on her back she was ready to get back on the bench and pose for more photos for Am-ma (that is me - it is what she calls me - again, HOW SWEET!)

After a few more monkey/bench photos it was concert time. She loves to play the piano, and everytime she does I think I should grab my camera and don't. Well today I was able to get some photos of her piano concert. She was perfectly dressed for such an event.
I am a very proud Grammie, but I am honest enough to admit it is not really "music" that comes from the piano as she plays. But she really plays with intent and purpose.
There is just something so sweet and perfect about little hands!
So this was a morning in my life this week. The photos are far from perfect, I am having some troubles with the shapness of my pictures lately. But even if they aren't perfect, they are precious to me. After all, the whole purpose of taking pictures is to capture memories and emotions. I managed to do both on Tuesday.

What have you been capturing with your camera lately?????

One More Thing. . .

During my computer problems I lost ALL of my email addresses and favorite links! This makes me very sad! But at least I was able to save 90% of my photos and all of my written documents. You gotta love the computer when it is working. . . but when it isn't. . . EEKS!!!!So, any of my friends and family that read this, if you would kindly email me so that I will have your addresses again, I would appreciate it!

Learn From My Mistakes!!!

Yesterday (Sunday) my niece and her husband had a BBQ and swim party at their house. I aggonized all day before we left whether or not to take my camera. You all know I love my camera and take it everywhere. But it has almost become a joke at family gathering that I never go anywhere without it. So I decided not to take it.

I justified my decision in the following ways:

1. I had just gotten my computer back up and had lots to do to it still

2. I still have most of my vacation photos to still edit as well as some others of Monkey

3. It has stormed BIG the past few days so Bryanna will never have the baby in the pool

So off we went - with NO CAMERA! I was feeling pretty good about my decision - there really wasn't much going on that was "photo-worthy" and then it happened!!!!!

My SIL Char had Monkey and was playing with her by the pool, showing her the waterfall and the sprayers. Monkey was adorable and the regrets started! Once Char took her away from the pool she started to cry - she wanted IN the pool, or at least to play in the waterfall some more. To distract her, Bryanna took her back inside. Next thing you know she is coming back out in Grandpa's arms and they are both in their swim suits. Oh No - this is going to be painful for me! And it was!!!! Grandpa sat her right up in the waterfall and she looked sooooooo damned cute! It was killing me! She was laughing and smiling and trying to drink the water as it cascaded down her. Now everyone is asking me

"Where's your camera Marta?"

"Aren't you going to take pictures of that Marta?"

"What? You didn't bring it with you Marta?"

I am in pain over this - this is one of those moments that you can never recreate - one of those special moments that are just "little" moments that turn into "Big" memories, and I can't capture it with anything but my mind. I can't share it with anyone except with my words.

So I start begging -

"Bryanna, do you have your camera? Your phone?"

"Darwin?"

"Jeanne?"

"Anyone have a camera?!?!?!?!"

Finally, my niece says she has one and she brings me her little PnS digital - YIPPEE!!!!! I have a camera!!!!! She tells me she will email "the picture" to me. "The Picture"? Has she never seen her Aunt Marta take pictures? There will not be just ONE! So I start shooting and I took several - maybe 20 or 25, not as many as I would have taken if it were my camera. But at least I have caught the moment - in my own little way I made time stand still, and I was thankful.

Now I am sitting with all of the girls while Monkey and Grandpa continue to play in the waterfall. When all of a sudden I hear her. . ."AM-MA!!!!!!AM-MA!!!!!!" That is what Monkey calls me, she wanted all of my attention and that camera pointed at her! I tell you what, that little girl melts my heart and has me wrapped around her little finger! Once again I started talking to the girls again and not watching her or taking her picture and once again I hear ."AM-MA!!!!!!AM-MA!!!!!!"

Well, I got to take the pictures and I am so glad of that. But I have none to share with you tonight. Because I took so many they couldn't just email me the picture, they will have to burn me a CD. So here I sit, waiting. . . and wishing that I had those photos! Hopefully they wont make me wait to long.

So, learn from my mistakes!!!! Don't leave home without your camera, especially to family get togethers. Who cares if people laugh at you. Who cares if nothing "photo-worthy" ever happens. At least you will be ready if it does!

What did you take photos of this holiday weekend? Or were you like me and opted not to take it with you?