The Golden (or Magic) Hour

I love photography. As a person who is almost constantly carrying some sort of camera around, I am always looking for things to capture. Lighting is a big part of this. An overcast day is photo gold, because you won't get the harsh sun causing unflattering shadows. A few weeks ago I took some photos during what's known as the golden hour, sometimes known as the magic hour.

The golden hour is the hour right before the sun sets, casting a fuzzy, warm light on everything. It also allows you to position a subject in front of the sun, creating sun spots at the right angle and giving the subject a warm glow.

This is a slightly whimsical photo that reflects the camera in my sunglasses. The light illuminates my hair from behind, adding to reflective and detailed effect.

Air photos give a fun summer-ish vibe to photos. I used the timer on my camera, but you can also a remote to snap the photo at the right time.

Trying new perspectives can add a new feeling to your subject. It can be refreshing from the normal portrait stance, and the subject doesn't always have to be smiling and looking at the camera. Photos often feel more natural when they aren't. The rosy light adds warmth and color to my clothes and hair, making the photo more relaxing as a whole.

The same tree is pictured above on both photos, at different times and angles. The same tree is also in the first photo in the blog post. Lighting and positioning can give a whole new feel to pictures. The first picture is more focused on the colors in the photo, how they contrast and interact. The photo feels warm and small, so the sky doesn't seem to vast. The second one gives a much more airy, open feeling, with a bird flying out of the tress silhouetted by a light sky reaching into oblivion. The fact that the bird is so small compared to the tree and the sky, makes the picture feel that much bigger.

The magic hour is one of the best times to goof around with picture techniques, especially involving light. Light can change so much in a picture, the mood, colors, style, the quality of a photo. I encourage you to explore the world of possibilities with a camera to help.

~Hannah

Summer Days

I've had a crazy summer. Now summers almost at it's end. Here are some photos I took over the summer.

1. My brother goes outside to play basketball in the summer a lot. I took this shot during the 'magic hour', right before the sun fades.
2. This is one of my favorites. We have a big backyard, and we had the wedding reception for our pastor's daughter in it. At the end of the reception, when they leaving for their honeymoon, they couple ran through lines of sparklers.
3. This one is also from the wedding reception. It was part of the decorations they put. I love the raw bulbs against the wood with the metal rims.
4. When my family was visiting my cousins in Colorado, we went on a picnic in the woods. This was my seat.
5. We went to a small town called Cottonwood for the Fourth of July. I took about forty photos of fireworks, trying to get one to turn out just right.
6. We have been having some huge monsoons in Arizona. This was the start of the third storm in four days that passed over us.
~Hannah

Bohemian Fishtail Braids

So, this is my last braid in this year's series! :( I really like fishtail braids, since you can make them about as messy as you want, and they still look fine. This style has a sort of Bohemian look to it, rather carefree and playful.

1. Separate your brushed hair into two equal parts.
2. Begin to fishtail braid one side. To fishtail braid, separate your hair into two equal parts. Take a small strand of hair from the outside of one section and put it over that section, then under the second. Do this with the the other section.
3. Once you finish one braid, repeat it with the other side. If some of your hair falls out, or you have bangs, you can make that into a small fishtail and pin it back.

~Hannah

Elsa Inspired Braid

So, I love the movie Frozen {we own the movie and sound track and and I know basically all the songs by heart}. This braid came into being kind of by accident. I started a french braid, but it ended up way over on the right side of my head, but it looked like a spin on Elsa's braid. I tweaked a little bit, and here is my result!

Start with your hair brushed out.
1. Begin to french braid it {if you don't know how, I have steps here}, but do it off towards the right {or left} side of your head. You can make it as close to that side of your head as you want, though I have found it works better the closer it is to the right {or left}.
2. Continue to do this and when you reach the nape of your neck, guide the braid over your neck as you braid it normally so that the braid will naturally fall over your shoulder.
When you reach the nape of your neck, you can also fishtail or dutch braid it instead of the regular braid. A dutch braid is just like a normal braid, except in reverse. The first strand goes under instead of over the middle one. I will have a fishtail braid tutorial coming up soon.

~Hannah

My next braid:

Bohemian Fishtail Braids