Search Results for: blog mid day lighting

Holiday Time Crunch

Do you wait until January to craft holiday-themed layouts? I used to stock up on festive Christmas-themed embellishments, papers and memorabilia throughout the month of December, and then go into hiding during the first week of January to complete a marathon scrapbooking session.  However, my pages never turned out as well as I would have liked given my time crunch.  I felt pressure to slap together holiday memory albums just so I could cross it off my to-do list.  What’s more, I was extremely bothered by the idea of working on Christmas scrapbooks when Valentine’s Day was just around the … Continue reading →

Affordable Holiday Adventures

Tis the season to be taking advantage of the assortment of holiday events being offered from coast-to-coast. Whether you want to travel near or far, there are a slew of winter wonderland-themed attractions just waiting to be enjoyed by your entire family. And the best part–you won’t have to drain your wallet to experience them: California: The Viejas Outlet Center in Alpine ushers in the holidays with the opening of the largest outdoor ice skating rink in Southern California. If that doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit head to the San Diego North County community of Carlsbad for two … Continue reading →

White House Releases Report Highlighting Benefits of ACA

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The White House has released information from a report that shows that the Affordable Care Act has improved the health care system for millions of Americans. The release of this information is timely, considering that the Supreme Court is hearing arguments about the Affordable Care Act this week. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) recently had its second anniversary. The White House has a blog on the official White House website that highlights some of the ways that the ACA has given Americans more security, and better health care benefits. It includes a quote from President Obama. He said: “Today, two … Continue reading →

“Alighting” is Not the Same as “Exiting” in Michigan

A woman in Michigan falls while putting items into her car, and becomes injured. Michigan has no-fault auto insurance, so the woman was paid for her injuries. Her insurer appealed that case. The Michigan Supreme Court has decided that she shouldn’t have been paid for her injuries after all, due to the way the judges understand the definitions of specific words in the policy. It started with a fall. Mona Lisa Frazier was in the parking lot of her condominium, and on her way to work. Before leaving, she put some items into her truck. She slipped while closing the … Continue reading →

Documenting Black Friday Traditions

Did you brave the crazy big (and just crazy) crowds this morning to score crazy good Black Friday deals? I know some people who camped outside of Best Buy for 10 hours in order to get one of the “golden tickets” that allowed them to be the first inside the store at midnight. For some families, Black Friday shopping is a holiday tradition that they hold near and dear. I’ve seen people design matching t-shirts to wear while they hunt down deals, while others don huge wacky hats so they can find their loved ones in the masses. What’s more, … Continue reading →

Getting Through the Holidays after the Loss of a Child

About 1/3 of adults in the United States have faced the death of a child or a sibling. For these families, the holidays are an extremely difficult time. Losing a child is a pain like no other, and unless you have experienced such a loss, it is nearly impossible to understand the depth of emotions that the parents and siblings are living with. If you have lost a child this year or ever, here are some tips from Compassionate Friends to help you get through the holiday season. 1. Plan ahead. You will not be able to go to every … Continue reading →

Birthday Photos

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It’s birthday month in my family. It seems like every couple of days we celebrate another birthday. While most of these birthdays aren’t of little children anymore, it still makes me think of cute birthday parties from when we were growing up and the photos we’d (try to) take of the events. I sometimes ended up being the photographer on those events. I won’t claim to have been a good photographer then, and the photos prove my lack of experience. There are cake pictures where the only thing visible is the candle flames. There are grainy photos, dark photos, and … Continue reading →

Mid-Day Lighting

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If you’ve played with lighting before in your photography, you know that time of day is one way to control the temperature of your lighting. There’s something soft and flattering about the later light of the day right before dusk. It’s golden, which is really a great way to capture your subjects. The middle of the day is typically the worst time of the day to take photos. The light is harsh, creating hard shadows, squinty eyes, and light photos. If your camera is on auto mode, you may not have the control you want under these conditions. But you … Continue reading →

HDTV Settings and Room Lighting

With the new high definition television (HDTV) sets, you can get amazing picture quality! You will feel as though you are in the movie theater at home or perhaps even in the middle of the movie itself, and the picture quality gets closer and closer to reality. Unfortunately, you can also get eye strain, garish colors and more if your setting and room lighting aren’t correct. In fact, I would bet that most HDTV users haven’t considered some of the basic things that should be done before watching your HDTV. Let’s first take a look at lighting. Most people turn … Continue reading →

Affordable Holiday Travel: Touring Department Store Window Displays—Dallas

Who needs ice and snow when you’ve got sparkle and shine? Dallas is not known for snow-covered sidewalks, but the city certainly doesn’t lack the Christmas spirit thanks in large part to upscale retail giant Neiman Marcus. As I continue my series of blogs spotlighting department store window displays I am turning my attention from the Big Apple to the Big D—Dallas. The city is home to Neiman Marcus’s flagship store and the windows at the downtown location are traditionally one of the most visited spots in the entire state during the holiday season. This year the store is treating … Continue reading →