My Little Secret: How to Pick Paint Colors Like a Pro

I have a little secret.

I have never, EVER tried out a sample of paint before purchasing. And then immediately splashing the new color all over our walls.

The reason?

I don't feel the need to.

See, I believe that a house should "flow" from one room to another, each color blending into the next and making walking from room-to-room a wonderful and sensuous experience (yes, I did just use the word "sensuous" to describe a home's paint job). If a home's color scheme is well-thought out, it should make sense to someone touring your house, while also making your house feel cohesive and larger by letting each room's color mesh into the next.

Now, this is a common belief among many - that a house's colors should "flow" throughout.

And my simple solution to ensure that the new paint color you're picking will fit right in without being a huge blaring mistake and interrupting your home's flow?

Knowing that it's all relative. That's my secret.

Have you ever taken a slew of pretty paint color chips that look nice on the shelf, and held them up to one another - only to realize that suddenly, magically, one of them is too green, one is too gray, one is too peach, etc.? It's because colors play off of one another, and your eye usually doesn't see the slight differences in undertones until they're all held up right next to each other.

So if detecting paint undertones is so difficult, how in the world do you make sure that your new paint color will fit and flow with the rest of your house - without even testing a sample or leaving the paint store?

And here's my awesome little secret:

Yep, that's right, a ziploc bag chock full of paint chips. So sophiscated, huh?

But really, this little ziploc bag has saved us lots of hours of labor and money and heartache. It's simple, easy, and (practically) foolproof.

Here's how it works:

This baggie contains all the paint chips of the colors in our house. Each paint chip is labeled according to which room it is. When we're shopping for a new paint color, I just toss the baggie into my purse and we're on our way. Once we're at the store, I whip it out and compare all the chips with our homes' colors on them to any new paint colors, paying attention to flow and undertones. It's easy to find the perfect shade of the new color, because I can instantly tell when one isn't going to work - it just LOOKS wrong. And it doesn't jibe with all the other colors.

Best of all? All the paint chips are under the same lighting in the store, so as long as you pay attention to how the colors flow together, they should still be flowing together under any light (but if your house gets different lighting in different rooms it's a good idea to take the chips or a sample home to make sure!).

Want to make your own? It's super-easy!

- Find the paint chip for every paint color in your house, label them, and keep them in the ziploc bag.
- If you don't have a paint chip, grab the leftover paint from the can and make your own with a piece of cardstock paper and a dab of paint.
- Anytime you go shopping for any major purchases for your home (new furniture, carpet, tile, paint), just simply throw your ziploc bag into your purse and you're set!

Now, if you want to be doubly-sure of your new paint color, of course go ahead and buy a sample.

I'm just lazy.

So there's my little secret. Anyone else have any tips or tricks up their sleeves for picking paint colors? Do you have a foolproof or favorite method of picking paint? Let's share tips about the number one dilemma when decorating your home!

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Our Ginormous Garage Sale

This past weekend we had a garage sale. Why? Because of this:

Yeah, it's bad - we know. And this photo was even taken AFTER our big garage organizing weekend a week prior. Hence the garage sale.

Anyways, it went incredibly well - we managed to get rid of everything except 4 medium sized boxes of stuff and few other random larger items, and made oodles of moolah in the process. Happy? Oh yes, we are. Making a little cash off of the junk you were prepared to throw away or force on someone else for free always feels good, but it didn't happen without a lot of work and sweat on our part. Read on for some tips and tricks (and random crazy stuff!) that happened this past weekend.

Tips for a Great Garage Sale

1) Advertising! We put up an ad on Craigslist every single day the week before the garage sale, listing some of the stuff we'd have at our sale. We even went into somewhat detail on some of them that would help customers find what they were looking for - like clothes. We listed out the name brands and general sizes of the clothes we were going to be selling, and we had lots of customers come through and buy up 15-30 items of clothing - all the while thanking us for having great clothes at a reasonable price. You can't really beat that warm fuzzy feeling we got from their praise, either.

2) Signage is key. On our Craigslist ads we didn't put our exact address because of horror stories we'd heard of Craigslist Crazies showing up the night before a sale and pestering the sellers. We DEFINITELY didn't want that. So, we instructed people to go to a nearby corner and look for the yellow signs. We snagged some bright yellow poster board from Target for $2, cut them in half, and wrote GARAGE SALE in large letters with an arrow pointing towards our house. We nailed 8 of those bright yellow babies around our neighborhood, guiding people in from the two busy streets that straddle our neighborhood. We received so many compliments from our customers at the garage sale, that we think it all worked out quite well - and no Craigslist Crazies came to annoy us beforehand, either. It's also a good idea to put up general signs at your actual garage sale, that way customers know more about what you're expecting of them.

3) Open on time. Blame it on our wine-and-cheese date night before, but we advertised that we would open at 7. Let's just say that we actually didn't even open our garage door until 7:05, and we promptly got yelled at by one Craigslist Crazy who was roaming the neighborhood looking for our garage sale. Oops.

4) Surface space is sacred. We didn't really have enough folding tables or regular tables to display all our goods to our customers, so we improvised. Two sawhorses with a door between them added extra surface display space, and we also constructed a second one out of two bookcases and a door.

5) Hang the clothing. We almost didn't because we didn't have a freestanding clothes rack, but we fashioned one quickly out of two painters' ladders and a handrail wooden pole. Why is this so important? Most of the clothes we sold (and we sold a TON!) were taken off of the rack. It's easier to see and review clothing and sizes when you don't have to dig through large piles in the hot sun.

6) Put the big items out towards the street. This will attract people driving by and seeing if your sale is worth stopping at. We put stuff like TVs, furniture, exercise machines and appliances out by the street, and most people who slowed down to look also ended up parking and coming to see what other goods we had.

7) Group like-items together. We had separate tables for kitchen stuff, electronics, home decor, home improvement, clothing (lots for clothing!), shoes, etc.

8) Know your primary goal. Ours was to get rid of our junk and reclaim our garage, so we had incredibly low prices. Gap jeans? 50 cents. Candle? A quarter. Shoes? $1. Heck, we even gave away some free stuff. And people loved it. We were told we had one of the best garage sales some people had ever been to. Pretty sweet. But by keeping our prices super-low, we were able to get rid of most of our stuff - and even make some money by doing it. Sa-weet.

9) Stuff's gonna happen. Just roll with it and enjoy the craziness. We almost had a fight break out when one customer called another an a*hole before stomping away. We had a philosopher stop by and give us his take on the whole process of evolution theory and it's effect on our economy. We had another customer who thought that the super-ugly-badly-printed-print-in-a-plastic-gold-oval-frame that we found left in our basement storage room when we bought the house was the most beautiful picture she'd ever seen. We even had another customer who, after peppering us with nosy questions, offered me licorice she had in her car (no worries, I claimed I preferred candy corn - she had stranger danger written all over her!). All-in-all, I have to say the people watching was one of the best parts of the whole weekend - it kept us laughing and entertained the whole time.

10) Decide what to do with what's left. Because it's inevitable. We are donating the boxes of electronics, clothing, shoes and home decor to Goodwill, and will sell the leftover larger stuff (like appliances) on Craigslist. Then maybe we'll finally have a garage to use!

So there's our take on what we learned from our first big garage sale. I gotta say, it sure was an interesting experience! It was fun but exhausting (and boy, are we tired!), but we accomplished our goal: get rid of junk and make a little money while we're at it. I swear, our garage has never looked this empty.

What about you guys? Have you had any garage sales lately? Been to any good (or lame) ones lately? Sold/bought stuff on Craigslist? Any Craigslist Crazies stories to tell? Let's jabber about junk!

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Don't Like It? Paint It!

You've heard it before, but I'll say it again: the fastest, easiest, and cheapest way to update a room and make a statement is to paint.

And yes, that does include wood. At least in our book.

It seems that some people are completely terrified of painting wood. And others opt to completely replace an element in a room rather than paint it. So, let's take a quick peek at some of the rooms in our house we updated by simply painting the wood, and how it made a world of a difference in the look and feel of our home.

Within 2 weeks after moving into our new home, our priorities changed: the Basement went from being on the bottom of our To-Do List straight to the top. As it became more humid outside, we realized that there was something really fishy down there - it smelled. Bad. So while basements are typically the last space in a house to get a remodel or update, ours was the first. After ripping out the smelly carpet, we tackled that gloom-and-doom outdated basement paneling with all we had.

And after a few weeks of - yes, we admit it, very painful - painting, and the helping hand of some family members, we turned this nasty outdated space into a fresh and clean spot to relax and gather with family and friends in.

The biggest "wow" factor was definitely painting the paneling.

And you know what? We've seen this white wainscotting/beadboard in many other places since - Pottery Barn, House Beautiful, etc. In every case, the paneling was white.

The Guest Bedroom received the same treatment:

We took this room from a Nebraska Cornhuskers Nightmare to a serene and restful retreat for our overnight guests. And again, we couldn't have achieved this same effect without painting the wood.

Do we have you convinced yet? No? Let's take a look at our Kitchen.

There's no doubt that our kitchen, the heart of our home, was the biggest eyesore and the most outdated of any room in the house. I mean, check out that tile! It still makes us cringe in horror.

Once the basement was smelling good and was liveable, we tackled the kitchen. Or began the process of tackling the kitchen. Because even though we've done a lot to it so far, we're still not done.

But the biggest change and bang-for-our-buck in the kitchen thus far has hands-down been painting the old, lackluster wood cabinets (from the 60's) white.

Our mantra through all this? If we don't like it, change it. And boy, has that change felt good!

So there's our argument for painting something if you're unhappy with it - especially wood. Usually by painting you can also help the environment by updating an object rather than replacing it, and keeping it out of the landfill. Yup, we pretty much feel that there's nothing you can't do with a paintbrush and can of paint.

How about you? Are you among the brave and fearless painters out there, or do doubts of the value and results of a painting project send you running? Do you agree with our 'paint-to-change-it' motto? Any other ideas of ways to update something without paint? Throw it out there! We'd love to hear your thoughts

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Is Your Kitchen Outdated? Top 10 Things that Outdate a Kitchen

We've done a ton of updating to our little cooking corner, and everything was 110% DIY - from the flooring to the electrical (click here for everything we've done in our kitchen).

Before

Now

And as I've been living and breathing kitchens for the past year-and-a-half, I've come to form a little list of what I think is outdated, just vintage, or right-on-trend, and how to update those things in just a few minutes and with a few dollars. So, here's my opinion of the top ten list of things that are outdated in most kitchens, and some on-the-cheap solutions to whip them back into shape if you're looking to spruce yours up with a little elbow grease.

Top 10 Things that Outdate a Kitchen

10. Window Treatments

Layering window treatments offers more options

and can hide imperfections.

Window dressings have evolved over the past couple years. If you still have something that's frilly with fruit all over it, or something that little 'ole Grandma might sport, it might be time to think about tossing it for something a little more updated. Wood blinds, plantation shutters, and the ever-popular roman and bamboo shade trends are still going strong. If you're looking for a little softness or a color-boost, try out some floor-length drapes in something graphic, like solids or a modern print. If you're on a budget, consider making your own roman shade or scoping out stores like Walmart for good deals on a dime.

9. Flooring

Wood laminate is a great alternative to pricey wood.

If the flooring is worn and the material and design is outdated it might be time to change it up. Wood in the kitchen is really popular right now, as is wood throughout the entire home - even including the bathroom. Tiles in the kitchen are always in style, although tile type, design and grout color and width play into whether or not it will stay trendy. Laminate flooring is a relatively new flooring option, and the new ones are made to be more resilient to everyday wear-and-tear while more closely resembling that of natural wood (click here for our post on the pros and cons of laminate flooring). Linoleum is a good and easy choice, as is peel-and-stick vinyl. If you are really on a budget and need a new floor by yesterday, becoming increasingly popular is the option to paint your floors. Black floors, white floors, patterns - the options are endless with a little creativity, planning, time, a steady hand and a gallon of paint.

8. Soffits

Demo is the best part of any remodel! Goodbye soffits!

One thing that was ever-so-popular in the 60's and 70's was soffits. Essentially they visually extend the cabinets up to the ceiling with drywall, but I feel that nowadays they just serve to date the kitchen and make it feel closed-in, which is usually the opposite of the goals current kitchens are trying to achieve. This is one of the biggest things I believe dates kitchens, and it is cheap and relatively easy to remedy or just remodel. We have removed ours, and as a result our kitchen opened up, felt bigger and brighter, and looks more updated. And guess what? Removing our soffits cost us nothing. The only tools required for the job was a sledgehammer, gloves, mask, eyewear, drywall mudd, drywall tape, drywall spreader/spatula, and some good ol' fashioned muscles. Oh, and a little music helps, too (click here for more info on how we removed our soffits DIY-style). But if you aren't feeling like superman, you can dress up the soffits to make them appear like they are part of and the tops of the cabinets. Just paint them the same color as your cabinets and add some moulding to the top to trick the eye into thinking that you upgraded to those trendy new ceiling-height cabinets. For a lot less, that is.

7. Appliances

We searched and scored all our new appliances for cheap.

Stainless Steel is in, as everyone knows, and some predict that it's going out while others say that it's still going strong. Some think white and black appliances will make a comeback, while still others think that the next thing will be bright, colorful appliances. This is really up to the kitchen owner, as it is such a personal decision. In my experience, replacing our old white (original?) appliances that came with the house with new stainless steel (or stainless look) appliances made the whole kitchen feel bigger and brighter because they reflect so much light. Don't want fingerprints? Opt for some new stainless "look" appliances - you'll get the look without the annoying smudges (we love our stainless look fridge). On a serious budget? Look for scratch and dent, model/display, or discontinued appliances, and look for them at stores less people think of for appliances. We bought both our fridge and stove at Best Buy for 40% off the regular price, and when we drove down the street and saw the same fridge at an appliance store and informed them of Best Buy's price (to see if they could match it), the employee gasped and told us (and they work on commission!) that we should go buy it immediately because it was so much less than what they could sell it for. Can you say "score"? We did alot of happy-dancing that night. But if you can't spring for all-new, consider upgrading what you have - painting your old fridge with chalkboard paint is a fun way to add new life to it and personalize your kitchen, as well as consider those stainless steel look "stickers" that simply adhere to old appliances. If nothing else, sometimes a good cleaning will get those old beauties back to shining in no time.

6. Countertops

Our DIY granite tile countertop cost the same as new laminate.

Countertops are a crucial part of the kitchen, it's where all the prepping and work happens. They are also a big part of the design. If the countertops are grapes-with-leaves square white tiles, it might be time to consider upgrading. There are many ways to do that. You can completely replace it with more updated options, such as new, larger tiles in a more modern color and size, a stone slab or new laminate. New laminate is usually the cheapest option, and now comes in colors and patterns that more closely resemble stone, some even have speckles and imperfections in the surface (although you'll pay more for those). However, if you want granite on a laminate budget consider a granite tiled countertop, much like we did. You can hire a contractor to do the work or do-it-yourself, and although it was a challenge for us, it was certainly more than worth it, and thousands cheaper than the granite slab option (to read our how-to tutorial series on granite tile countertops, click here).

5. Cabinets

Painting our cabinets was a cheap and eco-friendly way to update them.

Everything goes in and out of style - including cabinets. If those dark 50's cabinets are begging for some love, you can either replace them, which can be costly, or you can update them. Metal and laminate can be painted, as well as wood. Painting your cabinets is one of the fastest (although not the easiest, by any means!) ways to update a kitchen, and it makes a huge impact. We had cathedral-style cabinets and couldn't afford to replace them - plus we rather loved the charm and interest they added to our little kitchen with the soft curves. But we didn't love the wear-and-tear and orange-y stain they had. So we simply painted them white, and not one day goes by that we don't regret it. If you don't love it, then paint it - and don't be afraid to paint wood. (click here to see how we updated our cabinets on the cheap)

4. Paint

Colors, just like everything else, go in and out of style. Many of the trends right now are brights - like yellow, lime green and turquoise; darks - think espresso, dark gray and magenta; neutrals - think robin's egg blue, tan/khaki, and grey is the next big neutral; and of course the classic - black and white, continue to be in. If you haven't touched your walls in awhile, it might be time to pick a new hue to cover up that old peach paint, or pick up a more modern wallpaper to go over that flowery print.

3. Backsplash

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A backsplash is not a neccessity by any means for a kitchen, but if a kitchen is sporting something like ours did - 70's flower-power tiles that hadn't been touched since the disco days, it might be time to upgrade. We popped our old tiles out one-by-one and will simply install new tiles over the old drywall. A general rule of thumb is to try to match the period of your house with your decorating. For us, we will use the same type of tile already present in our bathroom shower - except a different shape, rectangle instead of square. A well thought-out and installed backsplash adds character, charm and protection to a kitchen, and can instantly update it.

2. Cabinet Pulls

Cabinet hardware is easy to change!

This is one of the easiest ways to update a kitchen! Simply changing out the cabinet hardware to something more modern takes but a few minutes, and the impact it makes will really transform the look and feel of the entire kitchen. If your kitchen is sporting antiques from 1968 (like ours) and you're looking for a more updated feel, switch those babies out with some black, bronze or nickel hardware for instant oomph.

1. Lighting

Track lighting is a simple and relatively cheap way to update your lighting.

Many times it seems when kitchens are "remodeled", that things are repainted, appliances updated, new countertops or floors - but the same old lighting. Lighting is key! This is the one thing that Candice Olsen preaches about and follows - and I'd bet it's one of the reasons why people love her remodels and style. She has plenty of light - task lighting, ambient lighting, mood lighting - and it shows. Her rooms are amazing. So if you are really wanting to upgrade, don't forget about lighting! Switch out that old flourescent (like we did) for something new and modern. You could go all-out and install some recessed lights or simply install some shiny new track lighting to brighten things up. You'll be amazed at the difference!

Is there anything I missed? What are the top things that you think outdates a kitchen?

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Home Maintenance: Carpet Rakes

Ever heard of a carpet rake? No? Yes?

We hadn't, that is until we discovered that our practically-new-1-year old carpet was a bit matted in places when we embarked upon our Master Bedroom Remodel. Once we removed the furniture from that room, we realized that there was a clear and definite path showing in the carpet high-traffic areas around where the bed was placed. This happened because of the constant walking over certain areas of the carpet (many times with slightly damp feet from just emerging from the shower), and of course the pooch's fur didn't help, either.

We were incredibly dismayed to discover this problem, and started worrying and fretting that we would have to replace the still-new carpet in the bedroom because of this unfortunate reveal. However, we stopped fretting enough to jump on the internet (oh internet, how did we ever live without you?). A few online searches later, and we found out what we needed to prolong the life of our carpet and return it to it's like-new condition: a carpet rake.

What is a carpet rake?

 A carpet rake is a tool with a long handle and little plastic teeth on one end. There are several ways to use it:

1. You can rake your carpet before vacuuming, to loosen debris and fibers for better vacuuming results.
2. You can rake your carpet after vacuuming, to pull up matted carpet and give your carpet that "like new" look and feel.
3. Or you can rake your carpet before a deep cleaning to restore it to it's previous glory.

So far we've raked our carpet before vacuuming and afterwards, and we'd bet our bottom-dollar that we'd get even more stellar results using this handy tool before shampooing the carpet. But even without the deep clean, there's definitely a noticeable difference both in the look and feel of the carpet. The matted areas in the carpet virtually disappeared after a couple of uses with this baby (although the difference was striking after only 1 use!).

Check out the rake in action:

Can you see the difference, man?!

How to Use a Carpet Rake

Some perusing around online found that there are two ways to use it:

Push-Pull Method: This involves pushing the rake forward and dragging it back, usually making a criss-cross type pattern in the carpet that simulates vacuum marks (apparently some folks even do in instead of vacuuming sometimes).

Pull Method: The method we use, which is similar in motion to raking leaves outside. Just pull towards you, in the opposite direction of the carpet pile. This creates a uniform look throughout the carpet, and gives it that "like new" look.

Other Uses and Warnings

Carpet rakes have other uses, as well. If your rug is getting fringed on the edges, a carpet rake will straighten it out and give it a newer appearance.

However, carpet rakes aren't for every carpet or rug. Never use a carpet rake on a berber or woven carpet, because the carpet rake can pull out the fibers - eek! Carpet rakes are for plush, cut-pile carpets - just your regular ole' everyday carpet, really.

Where did we find one?

Surprisingly (or not-so-surprisingly), you can find carpet rakes anywhere online! We found lots of them ranging in all sorts of styles online (click here for them on Amazon), but many of them had not-so-great reviews, mostly because the thin bristles would break off after a couple uses. We decided to call some big stores in town to see if they carried any (and what kind), but we didn't have any luck. After lots of searching online, however, we were able to locate a small janitor store in town that carried the Grandi Groom (we believe, anyways) rake for $35.

Score! And since this rake would certainly prolong the life of our carpets, help us clean them and shampoo them and keep them looking and feeling nice for years to come, we figured the initial investment was worth it.

And call us crazy, but we actually have fun using it! It's easier to tote around than the vacuum - although we are still so in love with our Dyson Ball vacuum (read our review of it here), but we get a bit of cleaning OCD satisfaction when we rake our carpet and make it look and feel brand-new again. What can we say? There's just something oddly soothing about it.

What do you do to keep your carpet or rugs lookin' their best? Anyone else as hooked on this carpet raking business as we are? Have you even ever heard of such a thing? Or are you just laughing at this crazy couple going on and on about carpet rakes right now?

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DIY to Decorate Your Dwelling: Photography Basics

Every week you see my photos, and every Friday you see the art that I create with them. How would you like to learn how to capture a moment in time, and turn it into something you'll cherish forever -- just like I do?

While I'm not a professional photographer by any means, I thought that you guys would enjoy learning a few of my tips and tricks for photography. Photography is essential to capture life's most precious memories and moments forever, to cherish and recall those special times -- and also to create your own easy DIY art for cheap. You don't have to buy professional photos that can costs lots of dough to decorate your walls or shelves, you just need to have a simple camera, some inspiration, and a couple bucks. So if you possess those 3 things, read on for some simple photography tips and tricks for pumping up the life in your photos and then in your casa.

Step 1: Find your inspiration.

Your inspiration can be anything, and many times it can depend on your intent of what your final art should be or where it's going. Family portraits? Scenic vacation scenes? Botanical images? Inspiration is everywhere. One of my favorite things to do are still life's of everyday things that aren't quite as perfect as they seem. I look for anomalies. Cracks in the perfect sidewalk; faded letters on old buildings; odd tree shapes and forms; bold and energetic flowers; closeups of tree bark.

These inspire me. You need to find your own inspiration. So look around - inspiration and beautiful art is everywhere. For this tutorial, my inspiration was a bouquet of flowers that Tom brought home for me.

Step 2: Know your camera.

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I don't have a fancy DSLR (digital single-lense reflex) or super-awesome lenses or whatnot - my camera is a simple point-and-shoot Canon Digital Elf (are you surprised?). It's not the best, but I know how to use it - and that knowledge has produced some incredible photographs. And while I don't know everything about photography or my camera, here are some of the settings that I find I use the most.

Manual - I always set my camera to manual, and rarely use flash. Why? It creates large shadows and exposes objects in the foreground too much - the effect is not natural or needed for most things I photograph. Sure, sometimes you have to use flash to get a good shot, but I much prefer natural light.

Color - I always shoot in color. My camera has the ability to shoot in black and white, vibrant (enhanced) color, or even swap out colors in a photograph. While these options are pretty cool, I never use them. Why? Because if you have an image that you shot in black and white, and want it in color - too bad. It's impossible to convert a black and white original photograph to color. But, it is possible to convert a color original to a black and white photograph, or have 1 or 2 pops of color throughout, or do any other kinds of combinations of styles and setting in post-processing with editing programs - as long as the original is in color.
Now - if you don't have any sort of post-processing or image editing software to do this to your photographs, then by all means go for the fun black and white and color switching on your camera. Have fun with it!

Here's an example of my photograph that I took in color, converted to black and white with the red petals converted to yellow, and then finally turned into black and white.

Depth of Field - essentially the focus of the camera. My camera has 3 settings: a Macro setting (symbol of a flower) for closeups, a Normal settting, and a Infinity setting (symbol of mountains). My favorite setting? Macro, which is what I used in this tutorial - it focuses on an object, and throws everything else into a beautiful blur. You can get spectacular closeups of just about anything. Don't be afraid to shove your camera in a flowers' face if that's what it takes (and it often does) to get a good closeup. Below are some demonstrations of the three general types of depth of field settings.

Macro Setting

Normal Setting

Infinity Setting

Step 3: Find a lightsource.

I always try to shoot in natural light, because I believe it produces the best photographs. There's all sorts of natural light, and all kinds of ways to get great photographs in it. I generally shoot for a softer light (cloudy day, light through window, etc) for my subjects. For closeups, I like to shoot photos in our Living Room, on the coffee table with our South-facing window letting in soft light in the afternoon. This is the type of light and room I used for this tutorial. I would recommend finding a room that gets great light and playing around with the different types of light - try taking photos with the light behind the subject, off to the side, in front of the subject, and try all sorts of different angles.

Light source behind subject:

Light source off to the side of subject:

Light source in front of subject:

Step 4: Pay attention to composition.

Pay attention to the view in the viewfinder of your camera when you're taking a photo. Generally, I play by the 1/3 Rule, or the Rule of Thirds - the subject/focus points of the image should be in the left/right and/or top/bottom 1/3 of the photo (of course, it's perfectly acceptable to have your subject in the middle of the photograph, too).

Study the images below and see where the points of interest in the photographs coincide with the outer horizontal and vertical lines:

In the example above, the flower blooms that are out of focus on the left coincide with the left 1/3 line of the photo, while the in-focus flower blooms on the right side fall within the right 1/3 line of the photo.

In the example above, the immediate point of interest - the circular center of the flower, falls around the right and top and bottom 1/3 lines. The secondary point of the interest - the out-of-focus flower petal, stays around the left vertical 1/3 line.

The 1/3 Rule creates interest and movement, and is where the eye is drawn naturally in the photo (this also works for videos, too - pay attention next time you're watching TV and see where the actors/actresses stand within the frame). In general, images that follow this rule are more powerful and captivating to the viewer (such as the photo that I originally chose for the favorite out of the flower grouping).


Step 5: Snap away!

This is the fun part! Now that you've got some basics down, have your inspiration and subject, light source, know your camera, and have a general rule for composition - let loose and have fun with it! Thanks to today's digital camera technology, you can feel free to experiment with all sorts of different settings, angles and lighting to create different forms and interests in your photographs, and then view them all a few seconds later on your camera or computer (don't be afraid to take lots of different shots of the same subject or angle - you can always delete the ones you don't like later).

And that's it! Try to incoporate some of these tips and tricks into your next photography session, and you may be pretty pleased and notice an improvement in the quality of your shots. Stay tuned for the next tutorial where I will walk you through some of my post-processing tips and tricks in Photoshop so you can create amazing pieces of art to spruce up your abode on the cheap!

So what did you guys think of the tutorial? Any more pointers to add? Anything you disagree with? Any favorite shots/photos you've done following these guidelines? Let's share our shooting knowledge!

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