Summer Challenge: Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July! This part of our summer challenge centers around that day many years ago, in 1776 when America declared independence from Great Britain.

I am so thankful for our country, especially the freedom we have. Many countries don't have the same freedom as us, and it is hard to imagine what it would be like with out it.

So, how about sharing a picture of what you did this year to celebrate?  We watched fireworks, like we normally do, I was really excited to take pictures of them for the first time with my Canon T2i!

Before we went, I looked up some tips for firework shooting, and the best ones that stuck with me were, of course use a tripod, and shooting in BULB. Have a very high F stop, and low aperture. Many people also suggested shooting in RAW, but I didn't, and I'm still satisfied with my results.

It might seem hard to know what tripod to buy, and I still don't know what tripod I want some day. Right now I shoot my night pictures off of a really cheap tripod I found in our basement. It has a $2.99 Goodwill sticker on it.
That might seem really horrible of me to some of you reading this, but it's what I have, and it sure holds my camera a lot better than my hands! :)
I found that setting my f stop the highest it could go (38), and shooting in BULB, from 30-50 seconds gave me the best pictures.

Alright, on to the rules, and then I'll share my picture!
 Rules: 1.The picture you submit must be taken by you between July 1th and July 11th 2012. The Linky will close Wednesday July the 11th, so make sure you link up before then. ;)
2. You may only enter one picture per contest, if you have more than one in your post, please specify which one you are entering.
3. If at all possible, list settings used to take it. (Camera, lens, date taken, time (even if vague, early afternoon, late evening, etc), ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.) You can find most of this info in the properties of your picture if you forget what settings you used.
4. Editing is allowed, if you choose to edit, please tell us what you did to edit your picture! :)
5. If you don't have a blog, but would like others to see your photo, email me (my email can be found on the 'About Us' page) and we will post it/link it up for you!

ISO: 100
f/38
15 second exposure
July 3, 2012 9:24pm
Canon Rebel EOS T2i
18-55mm kit lens
cheap tripod from goodwill
Edited in GIMP: Contrast, Levels, and Unsharp Mask

My favorite thing about this picture is the blob of color in the bottom, that was one of the coolest fireworks I've ever seen. :)

Please note, that your picture for this contest can be taken between July 1 and July 11. That's from Sunday to a Wednesday. The reason being, not everyone watches fireworks or parades, has parties, etc. ON the fourth, we watched fireworks on the third.... :)

Can't wait to see what your fourth looks like!
-Emily

Photography, Baking, and My Life

Summer Challenge: Family

Happy Beginning of Summer! Today is officially the first day of summer. 90 degrees and sunny, it totally has been feeling like the season this week! :) This week's theme is 'family'. You can share a picture of your whole family, or just part of it. I know how hard it is to get everyone all together! ;)

 Rules: 1.The picture you submit must be taken by you between June 20th and July 4th 2012. The Linky will close Wednesday July the 4th, so make sure you link up before then. ;)
2. You may only enter one picture per contest, if you have more than one in your post, please specify which one you are entering.
3. If at all possible, list settings used to take it. (Camera, lens, date taken, time (even if vague, early afternoon, late evening, etc), ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.) You can find most of this info in the properties of your picture if you forget what settings you used.
4. Editing is allowed, if you choose to edit, please tell us what you did to edit your picture! :)
5. If you don't have a blog, but would like others to see your photo, email me (my email can be found on the 'About Us' page) and we will post it/link it up for you!

Here's my entry:

Edit: Levels in GIMP. Taken at 7:48pm ISO: 400 Shutter Speed: 1/60 Aperture: f/3.5 Canon EOS Rebel T2i w/18-55mm Kit lens

 Meet three of my eight siblings, Paige, Pete, and Daniel. Paige is right above me, and the boys are right under me, in age order. We were going on a walk just before dark...we had fun taking silly pictures. :)

Who would you like to introduce us to from your family?

-Emily
Photography, Baking, and My Life

Grab our new challenge button and share it on your blog!

<div align="center"><a href="http://4photographersadventure.blogspot.com/" title="The Three Photographer's Adventure"><img src="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/181824_392359540822828_281043113_n.jpg" alt="The Three Photographer's Adventure" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Summer Challenge: Summer Drinks

What drinks are you loving this summer? A certain juice, soda, or just plain water? Smoothies, slushies, or ever-delicious frappes? ;)

Whatever you favor to cool your self down with on a hot summer day is, we would love to see a picture of it. 

How the challenge works:
Each week over the summer (June 6th through August 22) we will have a different theme that relates to summer.
At the end of August, we will judge all the pictures entered, and give awards. We haven't decided for sure on the awards, but we will have some along the lines of 'most themes entered', 'best over all picture', and such like that.
If you have any suggestions for themes, we would love your input. Also if you have any award suggestions please let us know. :)

Rules:

1.The picture you submit must be taken by you between June 6th and June 13th 2012. The Linky will close Wednesday June the 13th, so make sure you link up before then. ;)

2. You may only enter one picture per contest, if you have more than one in your post, please specify which one you are entering.

3. If at all possible, list settings used to take it. (Camera, lens, date taken, time (even if vague, early afternoon, late evening, etc), ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.) You can find most of this info in the properties of your picture if you forget what settings you used.

4. Editing is allowed, if you choose to edit, please tell us what you did to edit your picture! :)

5. If you don't have a blog, but would like others to see your photo, email us (our emails can be found on the 'About Us' page) and we will post it/link it up for you!

Here's my entry:

Edit: Levels and contrast in GIMP. Taken at 8:48am
ISO: 100 Shutter Speed: 1/180  Aperture: f/5.6
Canon EOS Rebel T2i w/18-55mm Kit lens

This summer I discovered flavored water. It is super easy to make, put some fruit in a jar and smash it a little, then fill the jar completely with ice, fill with water, cover and refrigerate 12-24 hours. Pour through a sieve before serving.

It is a healthy alternative to juice or kool-aid, and I love it! :)

-Emily
Photography, Baking, and My Life

Due to the lack of entries, we will be extending this theme another week! :)

Photography Challenge: Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! We would love to see what you do to celebrate Memorial Day this year. Whether it's having a picnic with your family, going to a graduation, watching a parade, or just hanging out.

Memorial Day, first known as Decoration Day, was to commemorate the fallen Union Soldiers after the Civil War. By the 20th century, it had changed, and grew to honor all fallen American Soldiers, from all wars. 

Rules:

1.The picture you submit must be taken by you between May 23th and June 6th 2012. The Linky will close Wednesday June the 6th, so make sure you link up before then. ;)

2. You may only enter one picture per contest, if you have more than one in your post, please specify which one you are entering.

3. If at all possible, list settings used to take it. (Camera, lens, date taken, time (even if vague, early afternoon, late evening, etc), ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.) You can find most of this info in the properties of your picture if you forget what settings you used.

4. Editing is allowed, but if you choose to edit your picture please post the original too. Please tell us what you did to edit your picture,also! :)

5. If you don't have a blog, but would like others to see your photo, email us ( our emails can be found on the 'About Us' page) and we will post it/link it up for you!

This is my picture:

Date 5.23.12 9:13am ISO: 100 Aperture: f/4.5 Shutter: 1/500 Camer: EOS Rebel T2i Lens: 18-55m Kit.
Edit: Levels-black, gray, and white points, and watermark. GIMP

I would also like to congratulate Libbi, though she was the only entrant in our last challenge, she entered an awesome photo depicting spring, with a young plant as the focus, and bright colors in the background. It is definitely worth a prize! I'd encourage you to go check out her blog, Pioneer Photography. 

This button is for you to put on your blog if you'd like, Libbi. Thank you so much for entering! :)

Last, but definitely not least, we are pleased to announce a challenge series we will be doing this summer.  Our Summer Challenge will have different themes each post over the summer, in the end of August we will judge all the enteries, and give out awards! 

The challenge starts June 6th, so stay tuned for all the details! :)

-Emily
Photography, Baking, and My Life

Photography Challenge: Spring

Time for yet another challenge! This time the theme is 'Spring'. We would love to see something that is a part of your springtime this year. Whether it's flowers, new life, or something totally different, we can't wait to have a peek in your own life. :)

Rules:

1.The picture you submit must be taken by you between March 6th, March 20th 2012. The Linky will close Wednesday March the 20th, so make sure you link up before then. ;)

2. You may only enter one picture per contest, if you have more than one in your post, please specify which one you are entering.

3. If at all possible, list settings used to take it. (Camera, lens, date taken, time (even if vague, early afternoon, late evening, etc), ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.) You can find most of this info in the properties of your picture if you forget what settings you used.

4. Editing is allowed, but if you choose to edit your picture please post the original too. Please tell us what you did to edit your picture,also! :)

5. If you don't have a blog, email one of us (our emails can be found on the 'About Us' page) and we will post it/link it up for you!

My photo for this challenge:

For me, spring means road races and track meets! This year is the first time I've ever run on a track, and I love it! :) That is one of my dear friends from my team, not me. I am not quite talented enough to take self-portraits while racing! ;)

This picture is SOOC
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/350
Aperture: f/5.6

Camera: Canon Rebel EOS T2i
Lens: 18-55mm kit 

Time: 5:38pm

-Emily

Photography, Baking, & My Life

Photography Challenge: Get Down Winner!

Thank you everyone who entered in our last challenge, 'Get Down'. All the pictures were stunning, and it was hard to pick just one!

The winner is Emily Grace!

Go check out her challenge post, and her blog, she has some amazing pictures.

Congratulations, Emily Grace! Here is your award button!

Stay tuned, we are planning another challenge to be posted next Wednesday! :)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful spring, regardless of what the weather is!

-Emily

Photography, Baking, & My Life

Photography Challenge: "Get Down"

Hello everyone! Hope you all are having a good day!

This week's assignment is: "Get Down". Even though I know I should be taking shots from all different angles, I seldom get down low to shoot. Afraid of getting dirty maybe? Maybe, but it's always good to see what a different perspective can do. Try getting eye level with babies and children to see how it draws the viewer into the photo. Consider a bug's eye view of the world. Don't want to get dirty? Put your camera down low and shoot "blind". :)

Rules:

1.The picture you submit must be taken by you between March 6th, March 20th 2012. The Linky will close Wednesday March the 20th, so make sure you link up before then. ;)

2. You may only enter one picture per contest, if you have more than one in your post, please specify which one you are entering.

3. If at all possible, list settings used to take it. (Camera, lens, date taken, time (even if vague, early afternoon, late evening, etc), ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.) You can find most of this info in the properties of your picture if you forget what settings you used.

4. Editing is allowed, but if you choose to edit your picture please post the original too. Please tell us what you did to edit your picture,also! :)

5. If you don't have a blog, email one of us (our emails can be found on the 'About Us' page) and we will post it/link it up for you!

My Assignment for this week:

This here is my edited version ;) I took this this Fall so I can't remember how I edited it ;)

And here is my original picture :)
Well, we hope you all will join this challenge! It should be a lot of fun ;) And you could be a winner!!!! ;D
God bless!
A Servant 4 Christ,
Lizzie