There's nothing like a paint chip, a can of paint and a large painted textured wall to remind us of the relationship between color, light, texture and perception - both in real life and in the pictures we capture! Like some of my fellow Kodak bloggers, I too am doing some home remodeling. I've been without a kitchen for more than two years now, so we were ecstatic when we recently started painting our kitchen and great room. We were looking for a nice warm, earthy gold color to give the room a cozy feeling and to complement our cabinets. I picked up a number of paint chips that looked like they had potential:

I placed them next to a piece of cabinet filler to see how they'd look with our cabinet color:

I even looked at the final candidates under different lighting conditions. We finally settled on a color called "Warm Cocoon." Sounds cozy and inviting, right? To be really sure before we painted the walls, we bought one gallon of that color and one gallon of another color that we were considering for adjacent rooms. When I opened the can of Warm Cocoon, I was a little alarmed by the orange sherbet color staring back at me. "It's ok," I told myself - "when it dries, it'll be the perfect color!" We painted a couple of 20"x30" remnant pieces of textured drywall with our exciting new colors. When the orange sherbet dried, it really did look like the Warm Cocoon we were hoping for. It also looked great next to the cabinets and other wall color. Off to the store to buy more paint so we could do the whole room. A little taping and an excellent paint sprayer and we had the paint on the walls in no time. This is really exciting!

Hmmm... The color is looking a little loud and a little orange - what happened to warm and cozy?! Let's wait until it dries and take a look at it in the morning in the sunlight. Well, it took us less than 24 hours to realize that we wouldn't be able to live with Warm Cocoon staring back at us. There were some areas of the wall under certain lighting conditions that did look like that warm gold we had envisioned, but unfortunately we could not deny that the majority of the time the walls just looked too orange.

A little revisit with the paint chips, a trip back to the store to get more paint and we were ready for some "Calm Air." Ooooh, ahhhhh - there's  that warm and cozy color we were hoping for! Here are some pictures to show some of the contrast in the two colors:

 

Notice how Calm Air looks gold next to Warm Cocoon and vice versa. Lighting, perception and camera auto adjustments all play a role in the color of our digital pictures! Although the Calm Air looks more tan or taupe in the second picture, it really does look more golden in person and on the walls. Here's a picture that best captures the essence of the Warm Air color, as seen next to the ceiling and the cabinet:

So how does this affect my photography? It reminds me to keep in mind that surrounding colors, texture and lighting can influence the overall impact and emotion of a picture. I often focus on the central subject and don't always think about the surrounding environment. This can be important, especially when you do have some control over what will be in the background of a shot. A little color theory can go a long way to improve your pictures. Want to learn more about color theory and photography? Check out Chris Rutter's Color Theory Fundamentals for Digital Photography and other resources on the web.

Another Maker Faire has come and gone and once again my brain is inspired and swollen from all of the exciting projects, ideas and tools seen at the faire. Maker Faire is a faire for do-it-yourself (DIY) people of all ages, covering DIY projects from crafts to robotics and more; attracting newbie and professional artists and scientists alike. Some refer to it as the "Burning Man for geeks." Last year, I blogged about some of the photo-related exhibits and demos at the faire. This year, I thought I would try to bring a small taste of the faire to you.

The kite aerial photography (KAP) booth was bigger and better than ever. Cris Benton returned to Maker Faire along with several other KAPpers, displaying kites, rigs, and a gallery wall of KAP photos. Here are a couple of kite camera rigs that were on display:

 

Stereoscopic cameras and displays also returned this year. Eric Kurland and crew had several cameras and displays, including this fun PSP / antique stereoscope combo:

Do you have a pair of anaglyph (3D) glasses available? You can experience part of Maker Faire in 3D through Eric's 3D pictures captured at Maker Faire. I think this and this photo are my favorites from his 3D set, as it looks like the hand is popping right out of the screen! If you have PicLens and 3D glasses, try viewing the set via PicLens for another amazing 3D viewpoint. Very cool!

Part of the fun of Maker Faire is not just seeing cool projects, but also creating new things to take home with you. A Japanese andon is a paper lantern. At the make-and-take laser-cut andon booth, you could have a picture of your silhouette taken and then wait while a computerized laser cutter would make a perfect cutout in the form of cardboard lantern pieces. After a little assembly, voila, you have a take-home, personalized andon! Here's a larger andon that was hanging above their booth:

Want to make your own andon? On their take-home instruction sheet, they suggest printing onto cardstock and using a box cutter or exacto knife to cut out your silhouette design. You can use translucent paper for the lantern panels behind the silhouette, and a light source such as an LED-throwie to light it up. I'm thinking this could be a fun project to test out with my previous photo-based silhouettes.

The Flick-to-Flick booth was a place to make-and-take photo flipbooks. First, you create a short video clip (e.g., waving arms, dancing, throwing kisses, etc.). Then, two 8.5x11 sheets of numbered frames from your video clip are printed out on cardstock (15 frames per sheet for a total of 30 frames). Cut out your frames, stack them in order, clip them together with a binder clip and voila, you have a take-home flipbook! Want to see the process in action? Check out their video clip.

I could go on and on about Maker Faire, but I see that this post is already getting too long. So, I will close with one last highlight of my day at Maker Faire - hearing Adam Savage of MythBusters talk about his careers and hobbies outside of Mythbusters. If you've ever seen an episode of MythBusters, you know that Adam is a cross between brilliant, funny, creative and crazy (they blow a lot of stuff up on their show). While I have watched the show, I had no idea that Adam's previous experience and careers included building models for movies such as Star Wars Episodes I and II, Space Cowboys and A.I., among many others. He's also worked for toy company Zoob and enjoys the challenge of replicating movie props - including trying to get the look, materials and pieces just right. He's also a sculptor and has had his work presented in art shows. He was very excited to talk about the process and progression of his "real" sculpting work in creating a dodo bird skeleton and maltese falcons - which were on display at Maker Faire:

One thing that was clear in hearing Adam talk is that he is passionate about his work and art. I think it's that same passion and enthusiasm that he shows on MythBusters that inspires the science and inquisitive nature in all of us, both young and old. I think the Kodak bloggers hope that our passion for photography is contagious like that as well!

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. When I lived in the midwest, I longed for the first signs of spring, especially when it seemed like winter might not ever end. Every year, I was always amazed at the miraculous survival of plants and flowers in the garden. Just when it seemed impossible for anything to survive through the tough, freezing winter, new growth would start to poke out through the seemingly barren ground. Now that I'm back in California, it seems like winter is short and spring starts early, which is definitely fine by me!  In my garden, there are currently plenty of signs of spring. I see trees budding and healthy bulb leaves growing tall. The stubby remnant stems of the hydrangea are now full of leaves.






 
The cala lilies are blooming like crazy and the breath of heaven really is a "breath of heaven." The flowering quince led the pack with beautiful winter blooms - definitely a stand out in the garden!







There are also a few signs of spring inside as well. Here are a few signs of spring inside my home:






 
I hope you are enjoying some of the many signs of spring around your home as well!

I have to admit that I have lots of pictures of signs in my photo collection. Signs are great visual reminders of where I've been, what I've seen and what I've learned, especially when traveling or on vacation. They can also help tell the story about a trip. Instead of needing to provide a caption for places I've seen, I can simply use a picture of a sign.

That's nice, but what does this have to do with "invisible cows" you ask? Well, amidst all of the informative pictures of signs in my photo collection, I also happen to have a few of some funny, entertaining and unique signs. Here are a few examples:

On the Big Island of Hawaii, many visitors go up Mauna Kea for some amazing star gazing at night. Apparently dark roads and dark cows can be a dangerous combination, as this entertaining warning sign indicates.



Another popular place to visit on the Big Island of Hawaii is the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. You can hike across hardened lava flows, but you do so at your own risk. I wonder if the damage to this sign makes it more effective as a warning sign?



In Wailea in Maui, there's a path near the ocean where you can find this sign warning you to "Stay on Path." I like the visual icons used to depict the potential dangers.

Sometimes it's surprising to find what different types of information can be combined and provided in a single sign. Here's an example from Oswego, Illinois, where you can thank Jesus, get the price of milk and find out that Cooper is graduating all in a single glance from the road:



Looking for food, treasures, souvenirs, or perhaps marriage consultation? This sign at the Meiji Temple in Japan can show you the way.

What about you? Do you have some interesting pictures of signs in your photo collection? Tell us about them in the comments.

Latest fashion trends and hip new gadgets come and go, but photos can last forever.  Even if a photo is not the central part of a present, you can use photos to personalize cards, gift tags, and even the gift box!  Last year, Diedra provided a great example of decorating gift boxes with photos.  The Kodak Tips & Projects Center is also a great resource for photo gift tags and other photo ideas related to holidays and events.

Although I do order pre-made photo gifts directly from Kodak Gallery, I also really enjoy personalizing gifts with a little handmade love.  Here are three examples of photo gifts I've made:

 

Handmade photo ornaments are fun, easy to create, and add lots of personal charm to the tree.   Last year, I blogged about making these handmade photo ornaments here.  As an added bonus, you can use such a photo ornament to dress up a package when giving it to someone.  For a little nostalgia, scan in an old photo to use - it can definitely add to the entertainment value of the ornament!

A shadow box frame with partially frosted glass adds depth and interest to your photo subject.  In this example, I used one of my digital action shots as the focal picture.  The shadow frame that I purchased came in unfinished wood, so I painted the frame to match a color from the picture.  In this case, I used the color of the bike -- a light metallic blue -- to paint the inside and outside of the shadow box.  I also used a little silver paint to highlight around the edge of the frame.  By using a color from the photo, the color of the frame complements the photo.  If you have a color in your photo that you'd like to use to paint your frame, you can create the custom color by mixing different basic colors together.  I used craft paints available from the local craft store, to mix colors and paint my shadow box frame.  The frosted glass effect was achieved by using some paint-on frost for glass, which is also available at your local craft store.  Before frosting the glass, use a sheet of tracing paper or white copy paper to make a practice cutout; reserve the cutouts to use when doing the actual glass frosting.  Assemble your frame, placing your photo inside and the glass in its proper place.  Lay your practice cutout on top of the glass to get an idea of how the finished frame will look.  Adjust the cutout(s) as necessary.  Note that you can use more than one cutout - and that the cutouts can be embellishments such as hearts or stars, as well as cutouts to highlight different portions of the underlying photo, such as different faces in a photo - be creative!  If you didn't have to adjust any of your cutouts, then you can use the original cutout pieces to place on top of your glass when frosting the glass.  If you did adjust your cutouts, then you can use your practice cutout as your template for tracing out and creating new cutout shapes.

Classic board games like Monopoly, Clue, and Chutes and Ladders are inexpensive and easy to find at your local toy store.  Why not personalize that classic game into a charming gift?  I just started personalizing a Chutes and Ladders game with photos.  So far, I have created new player pieces from photo cutouts that look like this:

These were very easy to do - just print 2x3 inch sized copies of your photos, cut them out, slip them into the piece holder, then add a little folded piece of paper at the bottom to help keep the cutouts in place.  Voila!  You have personalized player pieces!  I have to admit, I find the stand-up little cutouts so charming that I'm tempted to keep the pieces for myself as additional office decor!

Do you have handmade photo presents to share? Tell us about them in the comments section and include a link to a picture, if you have one!  We hope your holidays are filled with great memories - both new and old alike!

Patterns and images are all around us and they make it really easy to add a little pizzaz, visual interest and personality to a presentation (e.g., a presentation such as one created in Microsoft PowerPoint). For example, here are a few slides that I created with some of my pictures:

I used pictures from the garden, the close-up of a pattern on a throw pillow, and a close-up of a sweater to capture these patterns. You could go to a free or paid online service to find similar pictures to add to your presentations, but why not look around you and capture your own? A bowl of fruit, the grass outside, floor tiles, etc. -- they all have the potential to add some visual interest to your presentation.

When I traveled to Ireland, I took pictures of floor tiles from a church. You don't have to use the whole picture, but you can crop a picture and use it along an edge of your slide like this:

One tip to note about incorporating images into a presentation, however, is that you should either decrease the resolution of the image ahead of time or use options in your presentation software to compress the images contained in your presentation. If you don't do this, you can end up with a very large file!

What about you, how do you use images in your presentations to convey information and visual interest?