Blog pics for Magazines~are you ready?

Note: Blogger deleted this post yesterday so I have loaded it back up.

Sorry to all who are subscribers and are getting this twice.

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If a magazine came calling to publish

your blog pics, would you be ready?

Well I did get a call from a magazine

as well as a call from an editor interested in my blog!

Yes~ it is so exciting to think of the chance to be in a magazine!!

However....

they need high resolution photos for publishing.

All this time I have been taking pics, I have been cropping, 

adding brightness and contrast and while doing so

I have been reducing the resolution of my images.

I didn't realize that!

Many bloggers make copies of their images before they 

start playing around with the pics, but I had no idea.

So now most of my old images are unsuitable.

I got my camera manual and started reading up.

I had played around with so many settings I didn't know what I was doing.

I finally found a reset button

to restore my camera's original settings.

I selected the highest quality level for images.

Then I started practicing taking better pics at higher resolution.

That means doing the work while taking the picture

instead of doing the work at your computer monitor.

Making sure I put only what I want in my view finder,

knowing that I won't be cropping.

Framing each image...

Making sure that I adjust the light so it doesn't need correction.

Taking many pictures to get one shot right. 

The shot of the room above is too light.

This lighting is better. 

The best images need to be taken in natural light.

Turn off your lights and your camera flash and pray for sun~

then start shooting.

I don't have a tripod so I use a drapery cardboard tube

 to balance my camera on so it is perfectly still. 

Sometimes I use the end of a broomstick.

Or put your camera on a steady surface

 like a table top to take pictures that are clear.

Have you noticed that magazine pics have lots of 

closeups and partial room shots?

I like to take a picture of the entire room 

because I like to see the context of a room. 

It is frustrating to me to see only a small section of a room.

Its like a tease~I want to see more.

However partial shots are prettier shots.

I have to start thinking  like a magazine photographer.

So I will keep practicing. 

Photography is a big part of a blog's success.

I find it fun but also frustrating to compose a lovely image.

I wish I knew then what I know now

so all of my images could be published if needed.