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Running a Business

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

first tethered photo shoot

Oh, it’s wonderful… I finally have my real computer back. I have the software all set up to work with my new camera, so I was very inspired to have a photo shoot this morning. When I got my camera a few days ago, I was so excited about taking pictures, but I was editing them on a super cheap laptop and I really missed my bright & big laptop screen. I felt like I couldn’t really see the sharpness of the pictures to edit them well. And the workflow was ridiculous. Lightroom 3, which I’ve been using for a few years, couldn’t open my RAW Nikon D800 photos, so I had to use a DNG converter. So, the workflow was something like – copy pictures from camera to computer, convert in DNG converter to a DNG file, upload to Lightroom 3 and edit, export to Windows Live Photo Gallery to

September 6, 2013 38 Comments

Photography

three elements of shooting in manual mode

Well, everyone liked the photography posts, so I’m going to throw in another one for those who are scared to start shooting in manual mode. I want to explain what you gain when you do that and what you’re adjusting when you turn those dial. Let me preface this (and all of my photography posts) with the disclaimer that I am not a super-duper-awesome-know-everything-professional-photographer. I do get paid to take photographs, so I am “professional” in that sense, but it’s more by default. I want to share my home, decorating, tutorials and ideas and the best way for me to do that is through pictures. I’m sharing these things in the way I learned and understand them. I’m sure pros would have a lot to add (and they are certainly welcome to in the comments), but I’m trying to explain it in non-technical terms. You also have to remember that photography

September 3, 2013 28 Comments

My House

60mm lens & Cleaning my office

Now that I’ve had a few days to play with my new camera (the Nikon d800 for those who missed it), I’ve been playing around with my existing lenses to see what new lenses I want to purchase. I currently have five lenses – a Nikon 35mm f/2D, 50mm f/1.8, 60mm f/2.8 micro, 18-200mm and a Sigma 10-20mm wide angle zoom. All of these lenses have served me very well and I will continue to use them, but there’s one problem – only one of them, the 60mm micro, is an FX lens. My previous camera, the d7000, is a DX camera, so I bought DX lenses. My new camera is an FX (full format) camera. What all of these letters mean is that all but one of my current lenses will not take advantage of my new FX camera body. (Here’s a clear explanation of FX vs. DX from someone who really knows

September 1, 2013 No Comments

Master Bedroom

Taking my new camera for a spin

I shared a couple of days ago that I finally took the plunge and bought a professional camera – a Nikon d800. I wanted to share a bit about how I made that decision. It all started with seeing spots on my pictures. See those two black spots in the sky? Now, those are just spots on the mirror that need to be cleaned. It doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with the camera or that I need a new one, but it got me thinking more seriously about getting a new camera and a new lens. I’ve been thinking about upgrading for a long time, but not seriously. This gave me a little nudge. Then, my dear blog friend, Maria of Dreamy Whites, started sending me product and lifestyle shots of my Milk Paint line. I asked her if we could work together, since I felt like I needed a

August 31, 2013 42 Comments

My House

a new nikon & getting organized

It’s been a bit of a rough couple of days for me. I know there are much bigger problems in the world and this is so small in the grand scheme of things, but the hard drive on my computer died…on the airplane on the way home from vacation. Argh! So, I was already feeling a bit behind and was ready to hit the ground running and get things done and I had no computer. Fortunately, the computer is still under warranty, so I sent it off to get a new hard drive and, also fortunately, I have all of my files backed up. It has taken a couple of days, but I have a makeshift workflow set up on two old computers. One has my software and e-mail, but it won’t work with my printer and it won’t upload pictures. Nice. I’m using the second computer to upload pictures,

August 29, 2013 91 Comments

Photography

Controlling Light |

If you’ve been working on improving your photography skills, you may have picked up on the fact that lighting is the key. It’s not just about adding more light, but controlling the light you have. I was shocked when I watched the first professional photographer who worked at shooting my house. For one shot, the room was almost completely dark. Why? He was controlling the light. Light that was coming in through my windows was casting strange, harsh shadows on the subject. Sometimes that can look cool, but generally soft, even light looks better when shooting interiors. I was so excited about installing a skylight tube in my master bathroom, which is an interior room that had no natural light. It brought in that beautiful light I was craving, but it did cause a slight problem. The light was all coming from the ceiling, so the shadows made taking pictures

August 14, 2013 No Comments

Running a Business

Buying to Sell

As I was preparing for Lucketts, I received some e-mails and comments from a few of my readers who are fellow antique dealers. They were interested in knowing how I select what I buy to sell. The short answer is…I shop for myself. I know that’s sort of a fluffy answer, but it’s true. I buy what I would love to have in my own home. It’s worth more to me if I love it. Does that make sense? If I only sold things I was “eh” about, I wouldn’t be very proud of my booth or shop. If I sell things that give me a little pain to put a tag on…well, then I’m on the right track. So, more specifically, what do I look for in things I buy? How can you translate my philosophy if you’re a dealer? As I said, buy what you

May 28, 2013 No Comments

Running a Business

Show Business | Buying To Sell

May 27, 2013 74 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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