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october 17, 2006 volume one : issue four This is a follow-up edition to last week's AEzine which was inspired by this question from Karen: what in the heck is a modern photo-taker to do with all theses photos? Could you write on your favorite photography-taking tips/tricks and also possible camera selections. I received a bunch of emails from people with great questions regarding taking photos and photo philosophy. Photos are such a huge part of our creative process that I figured an even closer look was in order. Look for a new topic next week. Enjoy. Ali  Q from Eileen : What photo editing software do you use.�I have problems with cropping or making any changes to photos and would like to know what you use and like.�I would love to write on my photos but don't know which software is good for this. A : My favorite photo editing program is Adobe Photoshop. This is the program I learned when I was studying graphic design. I use it everyday. Q from Jennifer : Since this week's zine topic was about photos, I was curious if you enhance many of your photos digitally? (i.e., layering colors in Adobe) Your photos seems to look so real and raw without too much tweaking--I totally love that because that is what I strive most for in my photos--capturing the realness of life. A : Most of the time I upload my photos into iPhoto and then open them in Photoshop when I am ready to use them in a project. In Photoshop the things I tend to use most often include adjusting the lightness & darkness, color balance, and curves. In general, I like the real life quality of photos that are imperfect. I like photos that have the warm-orange tone from being taken without the flash inside my home. And, I don't want to spend a lot of time messing with my photos. I would much rather be moving on to the next step in the creative process than agonizing over the perfect coloring for a photo. Q from Carey : I think what makes your layouts so wonderful to me is that your pictures are not just a couple of 4X6�s placed on a page (which is what most of my layouts consist of).� I love the collages you make with your photos that make them look so special.� Do you make most of those collages in Photoshop and if so which program is the best?� I also love the look of really large photos on a layout, how or where do you get your photos printed in sizes that are not the �norm�? A : Thanks Carey. I really like to have options when I am telling my stories and working with my photos. Sometimes I create with 4 inch x 6 inch photos and other times I use Photoshop to crop, gather, and play with my photos - it all depends on what I am trying to communicate (and what photos I have on hand). Here's a tutorial on creating a photo gathering in Photoshop that originally appeared in my Studio A column: Creating Photo Gatherings in Photoshop by Ali Edwards originally seen in Creating Keepsakes Magazine, Studio A � April 2006 One of my favorite ways to showcase my photos is to generate photo gatherings in Photoshop. I do this by collecting a bunch of photos in my photo editing program and printing them all out together on one canvas. Here�s how: 1. Create a new canvas. My favorite size is an 8 inch x 8 inch canvas at 300dpi. 2. Open a photo. Decide how large you want the photo to be within the gathering and size it accordingly. For example, you could make it 2 inch x 2 inch at 300dpi. Tip: Make sure that the dpi of the canvas and that of the photos are the same. 3. Using the move tool, drag and drop the first photo onto the blank canvas. This will create a new layer. (Each subsequent photo you place on the canvas will be on its own layer as well). 4. Choose a second, third, fourth photo and so on, adjusting the sizes so they�ll fit within the canvas. Tip: When I�m working on this step I often move things around quite a bit to get the best �feel� with the gathering of photos. Remember that each photo will be on its own layer and you will need to select that layer before moving the photo around the canvas. 5. When you�re satisfied with your gathering, go to the �Layer Menu� and choose �Flatten Image.� This will reduce the file size. Remember that you won�t be able to adjust the layers any more after this step as they�ve been merged down to one layer. Make sure to save your file! 6. Print it at home or upload it to your favorite photo developer. Q from Susan : I have a hard time explaining to my kids why I have all these great but random pages of "life, actions and memories" yet I can't prove to them both that we did in fact have a "cookie monster 3rd birthday party" for each of them. (whew - that was a long sentence...huh??!!)� My kids are 13 and 11 (YES!� I'm that old...) and there are so many things that I haven't scrapped.� I am not hung up on chronology and stuff like that - but I am almost to the point where I want to gleefully embrace the fact that I will NEVER have certain birthdays, trips and events scrapped.� I'm okay with it - but they aren't...and that pains me a bit!� Hate the old pictures from my Canon Elph, hate digging for negatives (because they probably won't be found) hate the photography knowledge I was using at the time, etc.� SOOO (and I promise, here comes the question...) should I just let sleeping dogs sleep and tell my kids to trust me on their personal history, and don't look for proof.� Or should I work on figuring out a way to capture entire chunks of their life quickly - annual montages if you will...proof of their prescrapbooking existence.� I'm looking for some freedom from the guilt...it's my Catholic/Jewish background...we love our guilt ya'know!!� I know you'll say "it's all ok" - but maybe throw out an idea or two?? A : Awesome question Susan. I love the idea of gatherings of photos from your pre-scrapbooking days. Even if the photos are not great, even if you can't remember all the details, and even if you are missing photos you can still tell the story so your kids will always have some of your words to go along with those events. Here's an idea: Make a list of the stories you want to tell from your pre-scrapbooking days that will allow you to feel that your kids books are a bit more complete (still giggling about the "cookie monster 3rd birthday party comment"). Set aside a couple hours (schedule it on your calendar to give it priority) to gather up those older photos. Crop those photos and create a montage. You could even go so far as to title these layouts: proof (that you existed before I started scrapbooking) . Use your humor to play up the journaling. Depending on how much content you have you may end up with a couple proof pages - your kids will be happy and you can let go of the guilt knowing that you covered those times. As a side note, I have come to the conclusion that I make stuff because I love the process of creating - the cutting and pasting and playing with products is all just for me. The story & the photos are more for "them" - Chris, Simon, and anyone else who comes across my creations in the future. When Simon or Chris or my parents look at my projects they are most interested and excited about looking at the photos and reading the journaling - they could care less about the products I use. Be freed from the guilt Susan. You can do it. Q from Yukari : I'm taking a trip to Argentina next year and I'm wondering what "equipment" i should take with me. i know you travel a lot and take photos on your trips and i was wondering what your process is with all the photos you take. I'm pretty sure i will not be taking my laptop with me, but i might have regular access to computers and the internet. I'd like to upload some pictures to my blog along the way (just because I'm paranoid about losing photos during the trip for whatever reason) and write my thoughts. do you think it would be a better idea to take my laptop? also, what lenses do you take for your camera? whatever advice you may have about traveling with camera equipment would be much appreciated. A : I have done a few different things when it comes to bringing a camera with me when I travel. For longer trips (usually international) I will take my Canon Digital Rebel. The pro: it takes awesome photos. The con: it is big and bulky. When I travel within the US I tend to bring my smaller digital camera (a Canon Powershot SD500). The pro: pocket size. I love that I can just stick it in my back pocket or in my coat pocket and be good to go. The con: the photos are just not the same quality wise. I think if you are really worried about losing your photos then bringing along your laptop will help alleviate those fears. You can upload your photos at the end of each day and share them online or even send them to be developed so that you will have them all ready when you get home. I regularly travel with my laptop - it is simply a part of the things that always go with me. Bringing your laptop along with you will also give you a chance to do some writing (especially if you usually journal on your computer) as you journey on your trip. There is nothing quite like getting those reflections down while you are still traveling. My favorite camera lens is a fixed 50 mm. It is the one I leave on my camera for everyday use. I am all for less bulk when I travel so I usually only bring the one lens that is on my camera. Q from Amy : I have more than 14 years of photos stored in my home.� Should I start scrapping from the beginning?� Should I just put all my old photos in albums and start scrapping from now?� How do you store photos you don't scrap?� A : Great question Amy. My recommendation is to begin with whatever stories are inspiring you right now - whether the photos are from yesterday or today. You will be more satisfied with the entire process if you are enjoying yourself. I also highly recommend reading Stacy Julian's book The Big Picture or taking her class called Library of Memories on Big Picture Scrapbooking. She does an excellent job of addressing just these issues in a step by step manner and gives you a game plan to get yourself organized. Q from Susan : I was wondering....you mentioned that you burned your photos to DVDs. Why do you burn to DVD rather than CD? I really need to get my photos off of my hard drive because I am concerned about my computer crashing and losing all of my pictures. I have some pictures burned to CDs and arranged by month (with the year and subject noted on each cd). I am not that experienced when it comes to burning discs�so this is all confusing. A : From what I have read, DVD's have a longer life span and can hold significantly more photos than a CD. I would love to hear if anyone out there has more information on this topic. Email me and I will print it in an upcoming issue. Q from Evelyn : When using multiple photos of varying size, do you digitally crop/enlarge/reduce your photos prior to printing them? As an example, on page 13 of of your book for patterned paper (Easter Eggs), did you cut your as-is 4x6 photos into the small photo squares or did you use Photoshop to crop your photos to size so the content is just what you want? It seems like a lot of work to digitally crop the photos before printing them, but maybe it just gets easier the more you do it (I admit I have not put the time into this practice yet!). A : I do a bit of both. Sometimes I create gatherings on the computer - it really is quick and easy once you get the hang of it - or if I have the photos on hand I will use a square punch. For me it pretty much depends on the photos I have access to at the time I am creating. Q from Karen : I would love to know what kind of camera you use. I want one to capture those catchlights in my children's eyes and one that will take beautiful black and white pictures (it must be digital, of course). I am considering the Canon Rebel XTi and the Canon S3. Do you have a recommendation for me? How about a tip on the eye catchlights? A : My main camera is a Canon Digital Rebel - I love this camera and highly recommend it. As for catchlights, here is an awesome article about capturing catchlights in the Two Peas Creating Photography Garden by Daniela Berkhout. weekly challenge  
This week your challenge is to try the photo gathering technique listed above. This is one of my most favorite ways to get multiple photos on a layout. Come by my blog and post your challenge layout link on Friday, October 18, 2006. Can't wait to see your photo story. If you have a question you would like to have answered send me an email and write "newsletter" in the subject line. Copyright � 2006 Ali Edwards/AE Design/Life Art Media. Ali Edwards, author of A Designer's Eye for Scrapbooking and A Designer's Eye for Scrapbooking with Patterned Paper, is Creative Editor of Creating Keepsakes magazine where she writes a monthly inspiration column called Studio A . She is a wife, mother, artist, writer, and seeker of balance. Owner of AE Design and Life Art Media, she conducts life art workshops around the globe. You can find her online on her blog or contact her through email at ali@aliedwardsdesign.com
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