If you haven’t already heard, the current Photo Contest theme is “Darkness and Light”. Daylight savings time inspired this theme. But I’ve noticed something, we haven’t received as many submissions with this theme. I’m wondering if it’s because the theme is intimidating some people. If so, remember, this is just about having fun. Try taking a silhouette shot if you never have. They are super and fun and way easier then people make them out to be.

(Marian, like the image? 🙂 Your event is just about done!!!)

Photo Tips for a Silhouette Shot!

Here is an easy way to capture a silhouette shot.

1. Put your camera on AV mode at a 5.6 to 8.0 Aperture. This means the camera will determine your shutter speed because you have set the aperture.

2. Focus or meter on the sky and see what the camera says your shutter speed should be.

3. Take the shot. The camera will have probably given exposure to the sky as well as the person in your image so you can see both. But for a silhouette, you want things more dramatic. How do you do this?

4. Switch to Manuel mode and speed your shutter speed up from where it was on the last shot. Look at the back of your camera, are the subjects darker? If not, keep speeding the shutter speed up until your subjects are dark and the sky is bright. This isn’t a super technical explanation, but it works! 🙂

The PRIZE for “Darkness and Light Photo Contest”

You ready for this? I’m super excited about it! Since we have a few spots left in our Sonoma Photography Workshop, Brian and I have decided to give the winner of this contest 50% off the workshop cost! Instead of paying $999, you pay $498! Isn’t that fun!!

If the winner cannot attend the Wine Country workshop, the prize will go to the runner up and so forth. So send in your submissions, and who knows, we may be sipping wine together and eating cheese at the end of April!

For more details on the workshop, visit Wine Country Workshop (fyi, the San Diego workshop is Sold Out).

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Running on Empty Update

Thank you for all your beautiful, wonderful submissions. We’ll be working on getting all the nominees to our panel of women judges. Stay tuned to the blog for updates on who the winner is.

Did We Meet at WPPI?

If you attended one of our talks at WPPI, stay in touch! I’ve finally set up a Facebook Profile and would love to stay connected. A number of you told us that our platform talk gave a lot to you. You have no idea how encouraging your feedback was! It would mean the WORLD if you would pass this on to the people at WPPI. We are going to submit a new platform talk for 2009, and your feedback is so helpful! To send them your comments in regards to our platform session, email Shauna at sharris@rfpublishing.com. And most of all, thank you for all your enthusiasm last week. Brian and I had a wonderful time meeting all of you!

Mom’s Survival 101 Kit and Getting Published Kit!

Be checking www.refusetosaycheese.com! The new kits are finally here and going live this week! (with a discount price!) They went like crazy at WPPI! Can’t wait for you to see them too!

Missing Jennifer…

As many of you know, our dear friend Jennifer Cuellar, passed away last Saturday. My family spent Easter weekend grieving with her family and friends. I love the verse that says it is better to go to the house of mourning than the house of praise. There is no where I would have rather been this weekend then with Jennifer’s sisters and friends.

So many of us believed Jennifer was going to make it, especially when her bone marrow transplant took. No one really planned for her death. My parents were able to bury her in the area that our family owns at the cemetery. She will be in wonderful company with my Korean grandma, and I will love sitting with them both when I go to visit their grave sites.

But Judy, Jennifer’s sister, told me there are still expenses with the funeral and burial that they never anticipated–along with the overwhelming hospital costs over the last nine months. If you would like to contribute, you can by sending them a gift. Judy’s address is on yesterday’s post. They thank ALL of you for the constant prayers. I was comforted to hear that Jennifer never stopped receiving emails from people all over the world. Thank you for loving her. Thank you so much.