Foto Friday: Taking Photos Inside And Watermarking

Hey guys! Did you miss Foto Friday? Because it’s baaaaaaaack.

I know that we have not gone fully manual yet. It will happen. There are just other items to discuss at this point, based on questions I get from you guys. And truth be told? I usually stay in the Av (Aperture priority) mode. It is almost fully manual, except for the metering. We’ll get to the metering, but for now just keep playing with ISO and White Balance and that should keep you busy for the next week. Or twenty.

I feel like I need to do another disclaimer, as I feel completely under qualified to be posting about photography. Let us just all remember that I am only posting what I know. And I don’t know much. In general.

I have had quite a few questions about how to take photos of your kids inside while using the manual settings. Here is the answer you have all been waiting for:

You need to use the flash.

Shocking, I’m sure, but photos need light in order to not be blurry. If you are taking photos of items that DO NOT MOVE, you can use a tripod, play with your settings, and take a cool indoor shot without a flash.

What’s that? Your kids don’t move? Lucky you. Could you tell me what drugs you give them to make them so inanimate? I need me some of those.

I should clarify a little. You need to use the flash if you are inside after dark. Most of the time. I will often try to take photos sans flash, but my kids move too stinkin’ fast. I often end up hitting the flash button to pop up the flash and get a more in-focus photo.

About that. I have found that instead of reverting to the automatic settings, I will adjust the settings (under the Av mode on the dial) and then manually pop up the flash. That way, the photo seems more balanced, the background has depth instead of being all black, and it is a better photo in general.

My standard flash makes the photos a little harsh. What I wouldn’t give for a better flash (Hint, hint, Honey…Christmas is coming. While we are on the subject, some funky lenses and other accessories would be swell.) In the meantime, I just do some photo editing to make the photo look a little better.

The other night Miss Emily decided to open the bottom drawer of the oven and “organize” the contents by removing them. I left her side for a moment to check my email wipe the counter and this is what I returned to:

She’s a climber. Lucky me.

See her reflection in the glass? Cool effect, hey? I totally planned that.

Riiiiiiight.

There is a daytime option for taking inside photos of your kidlets. Take them near a window. Just look at my brilliance shining through.

My bedroom is upstairs and it faces East. It is a large room with French doors onto the deck and big windows on either side. Lots of light to play with. The walls are off-white, so once the sun moves west and is no longer shining directly into the room, the lighting is perfect on a sunny day.

I know he’s mine, but his good looks take my breath away.

Notice the watermark on his photo? This is something I have been debating since the post I did about all of the photo theft that has been going on via the Internet.

Notes From The Trenches gave a link to a tutorial on creating watermarks using layers in a photo editing program such as Photoshop or Elements. It seemed straightforward, but I still was having issues. I Googled a bit and found this article on adding watermarks using Elements (which I have).

I have been wrestling with whether or not to even bother with watermarking. And also what on earth to make my watermark consist of. But then my buddy Brenda (Secret Agent Josephine) was so kind as to create me my very own watermark while chatting with her on IM last night. She whipped together four mock ups in a mere ten minutes. She’s simply amazing. I love her. You should too.

Back to watermarking. For those of you who use Elements, it was really simple to apply her watermark. Brenda walked me through it when I popped back onto IM with a “HELP ME I’M AN IDIOT” message. Apparently those simple instructions I found were not simple enough for my tired brain. Brenda made it easy peasy for me to understand.

1. Open both your photo and your watermark image.
2. Click on your watermark image. Then click on “Select” on the menu. Then click “All”.
3. Click on your photo image.
4. Click “Edit” on the menu. Then click “paste”.
5. It should make a new layer on your image. Then you can play with your opacity, etc., as outlined in the links I gave.

Here is Brenda’s handiwork (again), plastered upon a photo of my stunning baby girl.

Yes, her eyes really are that blue.

And I don’t think the watermark takes away from the photo. Do you?

To watermark or not to watermark, that is the question.

(Other comments and questions also welcome. Of course.)