Wishing all moms a fabulous day today. You deserve it!
In celebration of Mother’s Day, we wanted to share this Snap MyLife photo collection of our animal friends, as well as Snap One employees and their awesome moms.
Check it out!
Spending our lunch hour outdoors at a local trail last week, we, two Snap One employees, celebrated the Earth and helped raise awareness about the responsibility we all have to be stewards of our planet!
In this Earth Day blog post, we share this trash-collection expedition with all of you! We hope you get a chuckle out of our photo-based story and maybe get inspired to do a similar project with your family, friends, or co-workers in the coming days! Be sure to document your work with photos and then of course share them using the tools in Snap MyLife. Show the world just how easy (and fun) it is to take care of our precious land.
Follow this link to experience our adventure!
Spring has finally arrived! The time of year characterized by fresh starts and flowery blooms. Playgrounds become repopulated, patrons dine alfresco, days become brighter, and we all feel this pull to be outside, to explore, and to play. In this season, children and adults alike indulge in a rediscovered sense of youthfulness!
If you too are planning outdoor adventures this spring, and better yet, are hoping to capture this exciting time of year on camera, make sure you use Snap MyLife’s snazzy editing tools to turn your wonderful memories into dazzling masterpieces!
Imagine some of the incredible things you could do…
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. Sign up or sign in to explore Snap MyLife’s full suite of editing tools and indulge in your own springtime photo play today!
By: Sarah Bloom
I’m really living in the future now. A year called 2013 didn’t even enter my consciousness when I was a little girl. Some days it seems as if I can feel the time actually slipping through my fingers. It’s a strange thing, being in my forties. Photography has been an everyday part of my life for 6 years now, taking me from my thirties to my forties in a very intimate, introspective way due to my interest in self-portraits. How I’ve taken self-portraits has changed, as I have changed. I just completed a full year of daily self-portraits for 2012 and have immediately began anew (and I did two straight years of daily self-portraits between August of 2006 and August of 2008).
The new year is a natural time to look back and consider, then look ahead and make plans and goals. I have proven to myself that I can make interesting and creative self-portraits. One thing I’ve become more interested in through this process is the characters we play and the myriad of things our faces can show. I explored this a little bit during the past year, but wanted to do more. I also really like the idea of forming a purposeful set that speaks louder than its individual parts. Part of this is influenced by Andy Warhol’s series of film (movie film) portraits from 1963-1966 called the Screen Tests. Subjects (such as Lou Reed, Allen Ginsberg, Salvador Dali) were asked to sit still in front of the camera for three minutes, creating a “living portrait.” The results are fascinating as different aspects came out of each person’s personality. Some individuals did not follow instructions. In somet instances, Warhol told subjects not to smile—unless it was a fake smile. Taking so many self-portraits as I do, I am very interested in how we see ourselves and how we present ourselves to others.
I decided to issue myself a harder challenge for 2013 in the self-portrait arena, and so this time I’m setting parameters (and of course I will be continuing my abandoned self series and pushing that in new directions):
I will take 365 self-portraits (one a day) with no two alike, using the following set of rules:
-Each photo will be taken with the 30mm lens.
-Each photo will be 4x5 in dimensions.
-Each photo will be black & white.
-Each photo will show my face.
—-Hands are allowed
—-Make-up, substances such as paint, milk, etc. are allowed.
—-NO outright props at all.
—-Different backgrounds will have to be allowed as I won’t be home every day of the year, but will try to make them generally white.
Day 1
Again, the idea I have is to create something that will be a cohesive set at the end. The set itself will be the art more than the individual portraits, and each portrait will be different. I hope to be able to have them progress in a way that makes sense. There’s a few other things I might be trying as well.
Today will be Day 8 and there’s already a nice set forming, and already I’m panicking that I’ve done some things wrong. There are some types of people who would map this out from the beginning, deciding ahead of time what to do for each day. I am not one of those people. I have a vague notion of how I think this will go, but I imagine I’ll be in for more than a few surprises as the year progresses.
I guess most years are like that.
If you would like to follow the progress of the project, go to Sarah’s blog:
By: Mishelle Lane
The holidays are upon us and if you are like me you strive to take that perfect picture of your offspring to make the most amazing holiday cards ever to send to your family and friends.
Here are some things to remember when striving for those memorable photos of your babies:
In portraits the eyes should almost always be the focus. I say almost because sometimes you want to be totally “out of the box” and focus on something else, but usually when I take portraits I aim for my focal point to be on one, or both, of the eyes. Eyes, being the windows to the soul, hold something special in portraits, and that is the real reason I love to focus on them. Often times you will catch some really cool reflections, too.
Some of my favorite shots are the ones that involve action. I will often get my subjects to relax by letting them make goofy faces or letting them jump up on the count of 1, 2, 3…
You don’t always have to set out to do a photo shoot. Go to the park, take a stroll by the lake, let your kids play on the beach (that is if you are lucky enough to do so on those early or late autumn days.) In these enjoyable moments there’s bound to be countless opportunities for that classic shot. But, if you do plan a photo shoot, don’t forget to allow for those spontaneous moments that are truly heartfelt and classic.
Get down on their level and shoot low. The perspective of the photograph changes by altering the angle, and really adds character. Aiming low is my favorite thing to do when photographing children or animals.
Conversely, get up high, like on a step stool or kitchen chair, if you have to, and shoot down on your subject. This technique allows for another various, great angle that oozes whimsy.
Smiles are definitely over-rated! Often when you tell a child to smile, you get a totally fake and unnatural smile. You get this forced expression that can honestly ruin the integrity of picture. Let go of the expectation that everyone has to be smiling in portrait. Personally, I simply love photos of people that have serious expressions; not everyone has to be all-out smiling.
Don’t forget: have a bucketful of fun! I think I fail the first few times, when attempting to take portraits of all my kids together, because I hold some mighty high expectations of how the experience should go. It takes *me* a few times to just relax and have fun. But when I do, the results are phenomenal!
Don’t forget to get in the photo yourself, too. Either hire a local photographer or invest in a tripod and a wireless shutter release. No matter what you do you will be glad, years down the road, when you look back and see that you were in portraits with your children when they were still children. Truth is, they grow way too fast and before you know it you’ll be taking pictures of your grandchildren.
By Michael Bonocore
The excitement finally kicked in when the wheels of Korean Air Flight 687 touched down at the very small, yet, international airport in Siem Reap Cambodia. As the plane taxied into one of only two gates reserved for international flights, I suddenly felt wide awake. Amazing considering I had gotten only 2 hours of sleep in last two days.
Despite my year of traveling the World working for The Giving Lens, Cambodia was a new and exciting frontier. Southeast Asia has long been on my bucket list, but did I really know what to expect? Well, I was expecting it to be hot and humid, but was ill prepared for the reality of weather in this jungle paradise. I expected exotic and interesting, if not tasty, local delicacies. Well quite the contrary. My first bite of Sea Snake was rather delicious, thank you. I was expecting friendly locals, who would happily help make my stay as pleasant as possible. Well, they weren’t just friendly…they were downright angelic.And I was expecting temples, monks, sunrises, sunsets, elephants, monkeys, and the amazing photography opportunities that I had seen in my months of research. Well, it is safe to say, I was not disappointed.
My Favorite Meal in Cambodia
I will never forget my first trip with my good friend Colby Brown and his company, The Giving Lens. It was in May of this year, and consisted of hiking the beautiful ruins of Machu Picchu, exploring the narrow streets of the capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco, and working with the children of an incredible local organization, The Picaflor House. That trip changed my life. As much as I loved photographing a beautiful sunset at Rodeo Beach near my home in Northern California, or creating star trial photographs and time lapse videos of the moon rise over Bryce Canyon National Park, I suddenly found those subjects too…static. The thrill of exploring not only a new city, not only a new country, but a whole new continent with my Canon 5D Mark III and my 28-300mm lens made my creative juices flow. I was hooked. There was no turning back.
In July, I went yet again with Colby and The Giving Lens on a 2 week workshop in Granada, Nicaragua to work with the amazing children of Empowerment International. But this time, I wasn’t just a participant. I was working into my soon to be anointed role of “In House Photographer” Besides documenting the daily lives of the students and their families in the barrios of Granada, I was also capturing the emotion that the team members were feeling in this unique, and very real, environment.
Fast forward three more months and there I was. On the corner of Pub Street in Siem Reap, Cambodia, wondering to myself how my life had taken such a remarkable turn. But then, I saw an animated tuk tuk driver approaching, and quickly remembered what I was here for. To capture real life. Life that I had never experienced before that cold, tiring trip to Peru. And I was there to preserve the memories of our workshop participants, from a different vantage point. I flung my camera strap over my shoulder, and started my two week Cambodian holiday.
The Giving Lens Founder Colby Brown Sets Up For A Morning Photo At Bayon Temple
If you ever plan to visit Cambodia, please do your proper research on the very turbulent history of the country. I won’t go into the shocking details here, but it’s safe to say almost everyone you meet will have a story about how the brutal Khmer Rouge has affected their lives. You cannot truly understand and appreciate the beautiful culture and people without knowing where they came from. While locations such as The Killing Fields and the Land Mine Museum may not have been outlined on your travel agent’s itinerary, the impact they will have on you is more rewarding then any temple or beach with a pretty sunset can provide.
Most people have seen plenty of photos of one of the most famous temples in the World, Angkor Wat. The typical sunrise photo of this massive and beautiful structure is enough to make anyone quit their job and hop on a plane. But, surprisingly, this isn’t the crown jewel of the region. The temples in this slice of thick jungle are like snow flakes. Some are large, some are small, and non of them look alike, but they are all beautiful in their own right. Ba Phaun, Pre Rup, Bayon and Ta Prohm are all amazing to see and photograph, but don’t bother if you like to sleep in. The prime time for temple shooting is between 5AM and 9AM. Not only will you get the best light, but you will avoid the thousands of tourists who arrive by the busload after breakfast.
The Sunrise Lights Up The Sky Behind Angkor Wat
Most likely you will see Buddhist Monks. Ok, you WILL see Buddhist Monks. They are impossible to avoid. You will see them on the back of motorbikes riding down Highway 6, welcoming morning worshippers to the Pagodas outside the temples, or leading pre-dawn chants for the annual Pchum Ben festival. You will see them everywhere. And their bright orange robes and faces that hold a life’s worth of stories make for some amazing photographs.
A Monk Walks Outside A Pagoda In The Early Morning Hours
As hot and humid as Cambodia is, it does rain…a lot. I think rain might even be an insult to some of the storm systems that come through during the wet season, which runs from May to October. While the 30 minute violent downpours may but a damper in your day, think outside the box in terms of photography. Wrap a plastic bag around your DSLR and hit the streets. The roads form huge “puddles” (more like small lakes) and the fast action photos of motorbikes flying through these bodies of water make for some great photography. Or some people just use the rain to cool down and get clean.
A Girl Takes Advantage Of A Heavy Downpour
The biggest advantage of visiting Cambodia during the rainy season is the incredible floating village of Kompong Phluk and the surrounding floating forest. For half of the year, these residents carry their motorbikes and pigs up to the top floor of their stilted homes, and wait for their village to be submerged in flood waters. Simply hire a small row boat to take you through this unique neighborhood. The photography is incredible, although you will have trouble taking photos while your hand is waving back to all of the friendly residents.
Boys Relax Outside Of Their Home In The Floating Village Of Kompong Phluk
As I touched on above, what sets The Giving Lens apart from other traveling photography workshops is that while in the country we travel to, we work closely with a non profit organization to help them achieve short and long term goals. In Cambodia, we helped the children of The Anjali House prepare for their upcoming photo exhibit in the Angkor Photo Festival. For 3 days, the team walked in rural villages, teaching the children proper composition, exposure, and most importantly, how to find their artistic vision through a view finder. By the end of the week in Cambodia, we had found our hidden gem. It wasn’t the Angkor Wat Sunrise, it wasn’t the Bayon trees overgrowing temple walls, it wasn’t the floating neighborhoods or Monks…it was the smiles on the children’s faces when they saw their creativity displayed on a tiny LCD screen. And I was there to capture it all.
To Learn More About The Giving Lens Please Visit Our Website, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, And Instagram
The Giving Lens Team With The Children Of Anjali House
A Monkey Along Side A Road By Angkor Tom
A Girl Helps Prepare Offerings With Her Mother For The Pre-Dawn Participants Of The Cambodian Religious Festival Of Pchum Ben
A Woman Walks Back To Her Home After Feeding Her Cattle
A Boy Rests In The Mid-Afternoon Heat In Siem Reap
School Girls Ask For Money In A Temple
A Monk Enjoys A Visit From The Giving Lens
Naomi Locardi Captures A Moment During The Early Morning Festival Of Pchum Ben
This Boy Has A Scale…And Chocolate…Life Is Good
A Buddha Statue In A Hidden Hallway In Angkor Wat
By Sarah Bloom
I began shooting self-portraits back in 2006 as part of a challenge to take a self-portrait every day for one whole year. I did two. Halfway through that second year, I discovered what is called “urban exploration,” which loosely defined means exploring abandoned and decaying buildings in urban environments and typically taking photos (though there are some who do it for the thrill alone and take no photos). “Urbex” photography was an entire niche I hadn’t known existed and I fell in love with it. I am fascinated by the history of places and I love looking at the things we leave behind as I try to piece together a story of what once was.
Burden of Proof
Shot in part of an abandoned coal breaker in rural Pennsylvania. I’ve noticed that I often find myself mimicking scenes and ideas from Charlie Chaplain’s “Modern Times” when faced with large machinery, thinking of the machine as an extension of myself. Feeling run down, yet tied to the inevitable passing of time.
It was only natural for me to shoot self-portraits in these environments, as that had already become my primary form of creative expression. Shooting nude made sense to me as an artist and a woman whose mother is an art historian. The nude figure in art is classic. Timeless. Human. I was soon to turn 40 years old when I began shooting urbex, and so ageing and aging as a woman was heavy on my mind. I was beginning to notice how my body was changing too. I became interested in exploring the similarites between myself and the abandoned, neglected, and decaying ruins in which I shot. There is an ongoing process for me of acceptance and fight in these photos. I struggle. I hurt. I am defiant at times. Nostalgic at times. Despondant sometimes too.
Reflections of the Way Things Used to Be
Shot in an abandoned warehouse in Detroit, Michigan. Reflections can always create a fascinating image for me, and in this photo I was very deliberate that I wanted to incorporate the reflection in this way. A reaching out to the past—the me I used to be—in both remembrance and farewell.
I have shot in abandoned buildings and houses in Detroit, in Philadelphia and around Pennsylvania, and even once in England. There are World War II bunkers and tunnels in and around Dover that are abandoned I wish to explore, as well as the opportunity for structures far older than what can be found in the US.
Supplication
Shot in an abandoned girls’ school in the countryside of Kent, United Kingdom. These windows were glorious. I shot several images I love right in front of those windows! A “supplication” is a prayer, a humble plea to a higher being, a request. I’m not Catholic and I’m not religious, but religious iconography and imagery as found in art throughout history has most certainly influenced me as an artist. Seeking humble acceptance of my life, my body, is something I struggle to do—to let go of that ‘prison’, it is one of my prayers to the Universe (my supplication).
I am very proud to have my upcoming trip to Enlgand be supported with a grant by SnapMy Life! I will be in the area of Kent for the week of October 15th, and a fellow urbexer who lives there has agreed to be my guide. I will be shooting new photos (both self-portraits and non self-portraits) exclusively for SnapMy Life in at least three different locations in and around Kent. I look forward to adding some stellar shots to my portfolio, so please subscribe to my photostream so you don’t miss out.
The studio shoot, using only the built in camera app on the iPhone had it’s up and downs… Because there is no manual metering mode on the iPhone camera it it can be increasingly difficult to get an exposure (and focus) that you’re happy with.
I found if I used too much light then the camera gave the skin tones a highly saturated yellow temperature but if the light wasn’t significant enough this allowed for unsharp images and noise - so finding the right balance was essential.
The only editing I gave the photographs is the same editing that I’d give any studio portraiture if it had been shot on my DSLR; brightness, contrast, clarity, saturation etc.
I have to say considering these were taken on a phone camera I’m very pleased with some of the results - as with any shoot there are some images better than others but I do feel, overall that the images are of a high quality… In fact there are at least 5 images that I would happily use in a portfolio of my work - this is a testament to the camera.
This shoot would of been near on impossible just a few short years ago and it is a credit to modern technology just how far these “camera phones” have come along - who knows, maybe in future editions of the iPhone the camera app will be able to deal with manual controls of the exposure and white balance etc.
The whole experience of shooting with a phone in a studio was very unique - and so different to using a pro DSLR - but the results are there for all to see - it is possible to get good, high quality studio portraits using a camera phone.
By: Lotus Carroll
On most holidays when my guitar playing husband is actually at home, my little family likes to spend time relaxing together and Labor Day is no different. In Texas, it is still hot, so we love to BBQ and get into a little water play in the backyard together. Of course, while we enjoy some leisure activities, Mommy is flexing her trade even in the off time by capturing the food and fun in photos.
Yesterday we enjoyed sausages along with potato and cucumber salad. Yum! You can find the recipe for the cucumber salad here:
http://www.marthastewart.com/317461/cucumber-salad-with-sour-cream-and-dill
best one I’ve ever tried, and even munchkin approved. ;-)
There is a lot going on at Snap MyLife as we continue to grow and work hard to make everything the best we can for all of you.
In case you didn’t know, Snap MyLife is one of the great products that our over-arching company Snap MyLife, Inc. offers. We have a whole suite of mobile apps that do everything from protect your phone from viruses to let you sync files using the cloud.
Enough of me talking, I’ll let our CEO, Jiren Parikh tell you more on what we are about and the exciting things that are coming soon!
Interview with tech news website, Boot Camp: http://www.bootcamp.com/interview.jsp?interviewId=1272
Interview with Fox News Live: http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/1799096088001/fbn-live-small-business-82212/?playlist_id=87237
If you want to learn more about our different products visit www.snapmylifeinc.com
Summer is coming to a close, but we feel like pushing it a little longer. Here are some fabulous member photos that make us think of summer time. Be sure to share your summer adventures on Snapmylife.com!
We can feel ourselves relaxing in the waves. Photo by Miguel Costa
Nothing says summer like some busy bees. Photo by Bill
Head on over to the beach and celebrate the Summer with a drink! Photo by Jennifer Walker
The Olympics kick off today and it’s a time for the world to come together and participate in some friendly competition.
Of course we all have our team that we are cheering for and all have a different way of showing our spirit.
Here are some very spirited member photos to get you excited to grab some face paint and flags and celebrate the Olympic Games.
By member Corbin Elliott
By member Gretchen Irish Manzano
By member Andres Osorio
How do you show your team spirit? Make sure to share some awesome photos and represent your team!
Snap MyLife is looking for the next photo Ambassador to join our amazing group of photographers!
The Snap MyLife Ambassador program is a great way to gain better exposure for your photography and even explore different photography projects that you were unable to do before.
Our Ambassadors are a group of elite professional and semi-professional photographers who have shown a passion for photography and love to share that passion with the world. An Ambassador is always shooting and constantly looking for that next unique photo opportunity.
If this sounds like you, fill out an application and begin your journey!
July is a very festive month for the United States with Fourth of July as the center of it all. This year, we have another reason to celebrate with the Olympics kicking off on July 27th. This is a great time for countries to come together and cheer on their team as they compete to be the best in the world.
We got a little caught up in the American spirit and created a short list of some of our favorite places throughout the U.S. that provide one of a kind views and amazing photo opportunities. Take some time to explore this summer.
Sedona, Arizona
(Photo by Ambassador Matt Suess)
Also Known for “Red Rock Country”, Sedona is a magical archaeological and historical destination: art, culture, spiritual and metaphysical experiences will definitely be a spectacular atmosphere for your snapshots. The northern end of the city is the Stunning Oak Creek Canyon, a beautiful chasm that is essentially stunning.
The Pacific Coast Highway, California
(Photo from http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/)
A 1,000-mile route, Big Sur goes along the Pacific Ocean in California, from its northern boundary with Oregon to its southern border with Mexico. Big Sur itself is very isolated and has ocean breakers on one side and a dramatic curving road that snakes along the edge of a string of mountains. The Hearst Castle at San Simeon, another 75 miles down the coast, is a breathtaking and exciting way to get inspired for a photoshoot.
Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center, New York
(Photo by Ambassador Francesco Aresta)
At the Top of Rockefeller building, Rock Observation Deck is a truly amazing and one of a kind place. You snap away from 70 floors high which allows you to have breathtaking views of the entire city, from Central Park to the Thrilling city skyline.
Zion National Park, Utah
(Photo by Ambassador Matt Suess)
The oldest and most beautiful of Utah’s parks, Zion is the ancient Hebrew word for “sanctuary” and it is clearly just that as the natural surroundings seem to be completely preserved. The 229-square-mile park is laced with trails, starting with short paved walks in the dramatic chasm of Zion Canyon. A incredibly beautiful view that seems to be made for snapping.
We hope this inspires you to go out and explore the world around you. What are your favorite places in the U.S. to take photos?
A few things come to mind when we think about the fourth of July. Barbecue, red, white and blue, patriotism and of course, fireworks.
Around the country, Americans are celebrating independence through a spectacle of exploding lights in the night sky. It is truly a beautiful and meaningful sight that every year we try to capture and preserve as a photo. As many of us have learned, taking a frame-worthy photo of a fireworks display is not the easiest thing to shoot.
Luckily, this week’s post focuses on firework photography so you can be prepared to shoot like a pro this holiday and many more to come.
Make sure you get there early so you can scope out the scenery and choose the vantage point you want to achieve. Shooting earlier in the program when there is less smoke is also beneficial to your shot.
(Don’t end up this this! Get there early and scout out your spot ahead of time)
Whether you use a point-and-shoot or a DSLR, you want to be able to manually adjust the shutter speed and aperture. If you do not have that capability, some cameras have a set “firework” mode that will automatically set your camera for a long exposure time which is ultimately what you want.
If you are able to manually adjust shutter speed and aperture, you want to set your ISO to your lowest (around 100), and your aperture to a higher f-stop (such as f/16).
(A slow shutter speed was used, allowing for the photographer to capture the stream from shooting the fireworks off as well as the burst at the end)
Since you will be using a slow shutter speed, a tripod is very important to use to cut down on the possibility of blurry photos.
Hit the shutter as the firework is launching and hold it down until the burst has faded. You will be able to get a great shot of the whole bursting process.
Everyone have a wonderful fourth of July and make sure to share your celebration photos on Snap MyLife!
