If you’re lucky like me, you’ll be able to walk in the hardware store, hand your list over to an employee, and shop while you wait for them to gather your materials!  Thank you Ray!!  Our Higganbotham (Ace Hardware) here in Sweetwater, has one of the best fellas working for them.  He knows his stuff and will make it happen!   If you aren’t this lucky, then you’ll have to measure and cut your own pvc pipe.

You simply place the lights on the side, up close to the fabric so that it shines through the “box”. I forgot to take a photo but they look like this…

And here’s the photo I took immediately after I made it!  Not bad, especially considering that my room was completely dark and my camera was on P, using no flash!  There’s still some tweaks to make with my camera settings, and position of lights but this allows me to use various backdrops and not have to rely on the front door being open! OH, and iron your fabric if you plan to use it as the backdrop. lol  I sure hope this helps someone out and wasn’t too confusing!

WHAT’S INSIDE?

Photo Nuts and Shots is perfect for you if:

• look at others’ images and wonder “Why don’t my photos look like that?”
• want to take gorgeous shots, every single time
• know your camera, but want to learn the craft of photography
• long to take more emotive, expressive photos
• want to take photos that truly connect with viewers.

You’ll learn:

Packed with all-new, practical advice from professional photographer Neil Creek, Photo Nuts and Shots has been developed specifically for DPS readers.

• Learn to harness light to convey emotion.
• Understand the rules of composition … and know when to break them.
• Take the sharpest possible photo every time.
• Learn to adapt the camera’s exposure to produce the shot you want.
• Master the concepts of shot perception, planning, and execution — in any setting.
• Tap into your unique creativity to take evocative photographs that reach out to viewers.

WHAT DO I THINK?

I’ve had the chance to look the ebook over and while there are some tips that are very basic for a first-timer, there was also a ton of tips and helpful information that I didn’t even know.   I loved how it teaches you about histogram, exif, and other features that I sorta thought I knew but didn’t really.  It gives you an appreciation for that type of stuff.  It teaches you how to be creative and appreciate the moments.  You learn composition techniques, rule of the thirds, framing, and SOOO much more!  Exposures, lighting, and vivid photography!  Over 100 pages that is totally worth the buy!

I plan to apply some of the techniques into my future photos.  I highly recommend.  Nuff said!

Because it’s the launch, you can get Photos Nuts and Shots at a 25% discount so act now y’all!  I loved my other ebook from them and I LOVE this one.

Buy Photo Nuts and Shots 25% off for two weeks so instead of $19.97, it’s $14.97.

I thought it made a pretty picture. I could have taken photos of the all the ugly sweaters I suppose but the house and fire was too beautiful to go unnoticed.

As someone who has a camera attached to her hip,  I often take the time to reflect on the photos I’ve taken.  They tell much more of a story than I could ever tell but it just gives me a chance to go back to that moment and remember how it affected me, my family, or my friends.  As I decided to do this, I quickly realized that it was sort of a pain to thumb back through my blog, my flickr account and through files to find my favorite photo moments. I needed a way to create a book of memories; something I could hold and look through by myself, with my family, or with my friends.  A photo book is the solution.

I’ve made a photo book before but not to recap the year.  I think this is such a great way to preserve memories. I know that with today’s technology, we often overlook the thought of having something physical in our hands to flip through but I also know that my boys absolutely love going through our photo albums that I created years back and you just don’t get that same feeling gathered around the computer, or at least I don’t.

Kodak approached me the other day and asked if I knew about their SMARTFIT technology photo books.  I didn’t.  She told me about it and asked if I wanted to try it out and give you the chance to try it and of course, I was happy to.  It was perfect timing after all.  FYI, the SMARTFIT technology is well, smart of course. It’s pretty dang easy to use and has tons of quality options to make your photo book look fantastic.  I love when things are easy.  I’m a little bit more experienced with computers and such compared to the casual user at home so I always try to look at it through my mom’s eyes. Will she be able to use it and understand the options, instructions, and extra features.  I’m confident that she’d be able to with the Kodak photo books.    To give you an idea of how it works, here’s a quick video.

Here are a couple of my 2010 photo memories that I’ll be adding to my photo book.

Since I know we all have photos that we’d like compiled in a photo book, I want to give you the chance to make your own photo book from Kodak!!  There will be THREE winners who will receive a gift code in the amount of $55 per winner to use to create your own photo book.

HOW TO ENTER

Mandatory entry - Leave a comment on this post telling me what kind of photo book you’d create.  Would it be themed? If so, what type of theme?  Would it be random photos, only of kids and event that happened like a baby shower or wedding??  Let me know!

Additional, optional entry methods, leaving each one in a separate comment to count please.

• Share the giveaway on twitter or facebook.  Please do not Stumble the giveaway using stumbleupon. That is against TOS.
• Visit the Kodak Gallery website and tell me what else they offer that you’d like to do with photos.

This giveaway ends on December 27th, on or about 10pm CST.  Good luck!

You can follow Kodak Gallery on Twitter and on Facebook

The first thing I noticed is that you can get one made for as little as $15 bucks.  Super duper cheap y’all!  I added a few more pages to mine, bought a soft cover smaller one for my handbag, and asked for overnight shipping so my total was a little more but it was totally worth it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the book!

As you can see, you can pick the color of the album and you can also pick the theme. Of course I picked Western! YEEEHAW!  You simply upload photos and drag and drop them. CRAZY EASY!

The Western pages were super cute!!! It’s like scrapbooking sorta! You can change how many photos you want on a page and all. I kept it simple because I wanted each photo to stand out on its’ own.  I added a caption to a few and a quote to the front and final page.

The Front page once you open the memory book:

I chose to use the quote, “A Man is Not Born a Cowboy, He Becomes One”

The ending quote of the Memory Book is, ” A Man’s got to have a code, a creed to live by.”  John Wayne  And of course, I thanked all my cowboys!

The only thing that I wish I would have been able to do is add a title to the Front Cover of the book.  Other than that, I love everything about the maker and my new cowboy book!  Those publishers ain’t got nothin’ on me!

I have to say, using the Quick Memorybook Maker was extremely easy and FUN!  I LOVED getting some of these memories on paper like this, plus, I’ll have some pretty cool cowboy photos to show off to guests.  I can honestly say that I’d recommend this to all.  What fun you could have! You could create a blog memory book, a baby memory book a wedding memory book…so many things to remember always!

If you want to see the whole book, check out the quick video.

I’d love to hear what kind of memory book you’d create!  Now ride off into the sunset and make yours! YEEHAW!

Disclosure: FYI, I prefer to use my own disclosures that reflect my writing style..but Walmart is making me use theirs….I would have said, I LOVE this book and am so glad that Walmart asked me to review it and sent me a gift card to put towards the cost of the memory book. All opinions are my own, always have been, always will be. NOW here’s Walmart’s— I am one of the Walmart Moms. I was approached by Walmart to try the Quick MemoryBook Maker and blog about my experience. I received a giftcard to test the service and purchase a Quick MemoryBook. Although product was provided, opinions are 100% my own. See, mine’s better huh?

EDITED TO ADD: There’s a giveaway going on for one at Bizziemommy.com that ends on Nov. 12th. Check it out!

EDITED: From the folks at Lightscoop!! If anyone reading this would like to try out lightscoop, we are happy to offer a discount. For 10% off when you purchase Lightscoop – use code TNEWFOLPROMO when you checkout here http://is.gd/2c6of.

It’s hard to get photographers gifts because everything is so dang expensive but the Lightscoop comes in just under $35 and would make for a great gift.

I was asked to review and since I have a SLR camera, I accepted.  It comes with a brief but informative manual, complete with photos and all to show you how to use it.  I read through it all but decided to use my normal settings and just go!  It was super easy to place on the camera and using it was a breeze. From the website:

Lightscoop is a smart low-tech device that creates soft, flattering light by redirecting your camera’s pop-up flash to a ceiling or wall.

Don’t let your convenient little pop-up flash ruin your photos with evil red eye, ugly shadows, hot spots, bleached out faces, underexposed colors, and blurry movement that exist only in your photographs, not in the real world.

Slip a Lightscoop on your camera and never miss out on another fabulous picture! Lightscoop creates soft, natural light and lets you capture the scene the way you see it.

That’s a better description of what I could give you. The best thing I can do is show you the difference it made.  There are times when I’ve wanted to take a picture of the cover of a book or photo inside. I’m weird that way.  I chose this photo of a book we have called, Pitchfork Country-The Photography of Bob Moorhouse.  My brother-in-law is on the cover of that book as well as inside it.  It’s a great picture and I’m a sucker for wagons.  (just in case you need gift ideas for me..just sayin’. )

As you can in the before photo, without the Lightscoop and with the regular flash, it’s very washed out and you can see the light reflection on the book. Not a good photo.

I attached the Lighscoop to my camera and viola!  Now THAT is a HUGE difference!  I’m already sold and that was just the first comparison I did.  I still need to play with it more to get a good feel of what it’s really capable of doing but judging by this photo alone, I’d say it’s worth every cent and I wholeheartedly recommend it to all.

When you arrive to their site, you are in awe of the breathtaking, endearing photos to the right and soothed by the color palette.  You immediately notice the focus on the photos and the welcome but can easily see who’s supporting the site with the drop down tab at the top. So subtle, yet clear.

I’ve seen a many communities in my day but I have to say, Clickin Moms is quality built, thinking of every kind of photographer.  Once a member, you have access to some of the kindness, most talented women I’ve met.  They immediately make you feel welcomed and even though you might feel a slight bit of intimidation by all that talent, don’t let it scare you. Like Jennifer told me,

“I look back at stuff from even one or two months ago (mostly post-processing, since that is what I will be focusing on) and I can see vast improvement, all kudos to the info and help I’ve received here. Don’t be intimidated and just focus on your journey and learning experience. :o) Everyone was new at some point.”

Those are the kind of people I like to surround myself around.

Not only are there good people at Clickin’ Moms, there are fabulous photo tutorials, challenges, resources for actions and templates, and even a vendor thread just in case you’re interested in purchasing  trendy camera straps or booking a photo session!  The gallery is the perfect, safe place to share your photos.  I love seeing the tweaked photos against the untweaked ones and how, if you are willing, you can see a whole new perspective when someone else plays with your photo.  Honestly there is a wealth of information made available to members that is sure to keep your busy for hours.

Anyone who is into photography should consider becoming a member.  I have no doubt that you’ll enjoy every second you’re there.  All this fabulousness does come with a cost. A cost that is very budget friendly and worth every cent in my opinion. A quick look at price packages:

• 1 Month ($8.00 for each month)
• 6 Months ($30.00 for each 6 months)
• 1 Year ($50.00 for each year)

You can see more options at the site.  You’ll definitely benefit from purchasing the advanced price and that’s what I recommend.  And of course, you can always pay for a month and try it out!

The only flaw I could find were a couple of forum errors. Nothing major at all.  I give this photography community two thumbs up and hope to see you over there!

SOMETHING FOR YOU

A one year subscription is up for grabs.  To enter, simply leave a comment one thing you’d love to learn about to enhance your photography/photography skills.

Additional ways to enter, leaving each one in a separate comment.

• Share on an social networking site like twitter, facebook, online communities, etc. If using twitter, please include my handle @ACowboysWife and don’t forget to follow Clickin’ Moms on Twitter too!
• Sign up for free updates from Clickin’ Moms
• Sign up for MY monthly newsletter.

Giveaway ends on Oct. 11th.  Good luck!

Every month,  a photo contest will be held here, each one with a different theme.  There will be two judges for each contest, whom of which will narrow down the entries one by one to choose the winners.  There will only be one Blue Ribbon winner.

I will be sharing my own photo for the current theme, however, it will not be eligible for the contest;) It will be a fun way for me to involved a little bit too.

SEPTEMBER BLUE RIBBON PHOTO CONTEST

Please read the complete rules before submitting your photo!

Photo entries will be taken from today, September 1st through September 20th at 10pm CST.  That’s over two full weeks to get your photo submitted here!

The September theme is “Sapphire”. I would love to see some creativity with these theme.  Sapphire is September’s birth stone so anything blue related applies to this photo contest.

The prize for September is:

• Blue Ribbon Winner – Kodak Zi6 Pocket Video Camera in Red and is valued at $160  The winner will also receive a 2GB SD memory card to use with your new Kodak Video Camera!

Kodak’s handy pocket video camera offers HD, easy video editing and easy uploads to youtube.  Comes in 3 colors; black, pink, and red but the winner will get red.

Here is my September, “Sapphire”  photo, which of course is not eligible but it’s fun to share my viewpoint of the theme.

Now it’s YOUR turn! Remember to read all the rules BEFORE submitting your link here to avoid disqualification.  I hope that you find this fun and exciting and really hope that you spread the word and participate.

Once your submission is ready, upload your photo into the comment box.  Share the title of your photo and feel free to tell us more about the photo in your comment.

Winner will be announced on September 28th.

Feel free to leave your comments here about my photo, other entries and the contest in general. I welcome your feedback. Be sure to check out each entry and leave comments on their submission as well!

Anyways, on Friday evening while at Blogher, I’ll have the absolutely wonderful opportunity to hang out at the Nikon party, play with the latest Nikon gear, and meet & interview Carson Kressley.

I am so excited that I can barely stand it!  Carson wants us to look good in pictures and is giving tips and answering questions so if you have a question you want me to ask him, leave it here in the comments and I’ll do my best.  On the list so far is how to hide a double chin, the best stance for women, and do we really need to cake on the makeup for photos?   If you check out the site, you’ll find tons of video tips and advice to help you look your best in photos.  That newborn baby is ADORABLE!!  Lots of interaction going on over there with comments and rating. You can even ask Carson a question!  I found several interesting videos about what celebrities think it takes too look good in photos. My favorite answer was CONFIDENCE.  Something I lack for sure but will get better once I lose more weight.

Getting the chance to play with Nikon gear fills me with  butterflies of excitement. Seriously.  Being able to speak with Nikon representatives about their products is awesome and meeting a stylist guru rawks!

Anyways, I’m stokked about the entire event and look forward to finding out if I’ll be a fashion do or don’t for the evening. Surely he’ll tell me the truth right??