Ask Me Anything… Answers {Part 1}

This is going to be Part 1. I only have 1 comment so far, but have had other questions via posts/email today.

These first few questions are from Summer Crosbie at the Crosbie Crew.

• How long have you been into photography? I have always loved taking photos. I didn’t get my first DSLR until December of 2009. If you can believe it, I shot in P Mode from December 2009 until August 2010.
• How do you break the ice when you meet clients for the first time? I still have problems with this. If there are kids there, I ask how old they are and what grade and if they are enjoying school. If there aren’t kids I feel more awkward for some reason. I guess it is easier talking to kids.
• Any more babies in the future? This one is up in the air. I always wanted two kids, but got to thinking that I wanted more. Right now, with everything that is going on with Carsyn it is on hold. I want to make sure I have plenty of time for him and Dustyn.

These are random questions that I have gotten over the past couple weeks:

{Personal}

• When is Carsyn’s MRI? Next Monday the 14th at 8am.

{Blog}

• How do you do the hover over SOOC trick? It is really easy. Just use this code:

<a href="TARGET URL GOES HERE"><img src="URL OF FIRST IMAGE GOES HERE" onmouseover="this.src='URL OF SECOND IMAGE GOES HERE'" onmouseout="this.src='URL OF FIRST IMAGE GOES HERE'" /></a>

Put your blog address in the target url, then the first image url that you want to show up first, next put in your second image url  that you want to see when you rollover it. Lastly put in the first image url again. It is that simple.

• Why did you switch to wordpress? Was it hard?Was it worth it? I am not sure what made me first want to switch. I think it was around the time that peoples “blogger” blogs were disappearing. I was constintally in fear that one day I would wake up and it would all be gone. I switched and I will never look back. It was a little difficult, but hubby is a computer geek. Him & Whitney were a HUGE help. I love WordPress and recommend it to everyone.

{Photography}

• What editing program{s} do you use? I use primarily Photoshop Elements 8.0, I love it. Not as expensive as CS5 but has a lot of options. I also have Photoshop Lightroom.
• Where do you get your actions? I have not bought any actions yet. So I get a lot of my free actions from The Pioneer Woman & The Coffeeshop Blog. I also have picked up a few from MCP Facebook page. That is where I got my most recent favorite Mini Fusion, which is still available.
  
• How did you learn your editing techniques? A wonderful site with great tutorials is Ashley Sisk’s Ramblings and Photos. I learned a lot in the past year. I look at my photos last year and I am like, “What was I thinking when I edited that? Did I really think that looked good?” ha ha
• Did I take classes in college? No I did not, I read Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Best book ever. I did follow along with the 31 Days to better photos by Darcy. I also took a class online from Faith @ Simplicity and will be taking another class called Simply Bliss starting in April, you should check it out. The rest is all trial and error. I take at least 20+ pictures a day.
• What is the smallest file size you can save while still keeping a good quality photo? When you resize in Elements make sure that you have Resample Image clicked and choose Bicubic Sharper from the drop-down menu. That will keep the original sharpness. As for the size, printing wise,I found this helpful chart:

For a Wallet-size print, the image resolution should be 320 x 240 pixels minimum.
For a 4″ x 6″ print, the image resolution should be 640 x 480 pixels minimum.
For a 5″ x 7″ print, the image resolution should be 1024 x 768 pixels minimum.
For an 8″ x 10″ print, the image resolution should be 1536 x 1024 pixels minimum.
For a 16″ x 20″ print, the image resolution should be 1600 x 1200 pixels minimum.
For a 20″ x 30″ print, the image resolution should be 1600 x 1200 pixels minimum.

I would say if you want to automatically resize I would do 1600 at the least. That way if you ever want to have it printed you will be pretty safe.

I hope all of these answers were helpful. If anyone else has questions please click the button below and write a comment.