Lighting Tips on Photographing your Sylvanian Families & My 3rd Entry to the Contest

I've been thinking of ways to shoot Up using my Sylvanian Families for days.  But the perfect set-up only came to me at midnight last night.  It was 12 hours before the deadline and 6 hours before I have to get up from bed and prepare for work.  "What will I do?," I thought.  Without hesitation, I got up and started cutting balloons.  I knew that sleep won't come in an hour or so because I won't stop thinking about the Sylvanians.  And I knew that I will forever regret it if I didn't shoot them right away.  In less than 2 hours and with only 4 camera clicks, I got my 3rd and last entry to the PH{heart}SF "Love at the Movies" Photo Contest.  I emailed it right away so I won't have to worry about it this morning.  Here's the photo...

I loved it!

This time, I'll be sharing how I photographed my entries.

Lighting played the biggest part in all of my 3 entries.  Since, I am shooting at night and inside the comfort of our home, I made sure to use both cold and warm lights to get the effect I wanted.

Cold lights = fluorescent lamps, reading/desk lamps/ emergency lamps, or any other "white" lights 

Warm lights = Christmas lights (yellow), incandescent bulbs, or any other "yellowish" lights

As you can see from the illustration below, I used 4 light sources for the set-up. 1. Ceiling "cool" light, 2. Desk/reading lamp "cool" light, 3. Emergency lamp "cool" light, and 4. "warm" Christmas lights covered with cotton.

You can also see the position of the light sources from the illustration.  The ceiling light is slightly on the left-front side of the set-up.  Lights 2 & 3 are both below and very slightly on the front side of each sides of the set-up.  And my only "warm" light is directly under the set-up.  The problem with shooting at night is the appearance of shadows that's why I had to use lots of light sources.  If you have a photo studio, then you need not worry about this of course.  In my case, I don't so I had to make do with what I have.

Notice that only one light source was above the set-up.  This was because I do not want to give much emphasis on the balloons because first, they're just made of paper; and second, the Sylvanian Family house and creatures are the focal point of this photo. 

 For the Moulin Rouge, I used 3 light sources. 1. Ceiling "cold" light located above-front of the set up; 2. Reading/ Desk "cold" lamp directly in front of the set up (the Mr. was so kind enough to hold it for me); and 3. Christmas "warm" lights under the set-up covered with cottons to create cloud effect. What's so perfect in this lighting set up is that the "catch lights" on the eyes of Mr. & Mrs. Fox are sooo visible.  "Catch light" gave the creatures more life. This is also true when shooting people's faces. The Mr. taught me that. :-D

For the Upside Down, I only used 2 light sources because the movie, if you haven't watched it yet, always has that cloudy sky with light and darkness almost always fighting in between both worlds. Did you get what I mean?  I am not good with words so just watch the movie and see for yourself. :-)  Anyway, the first light source was the marbled lamp with a white bulb located at the back of the scene/set up.  It was hidden behind a white cloth with lots of cotton to create the sky effect. The second source on the other hand was scattered on the floor area of the set-up.  Only the lights coming from the second source provided the lighting for the faces of Mr. & Mrs. Fox which gave the photo a more realistic appeal.  Putting a harsh cold light source in front of the set-up will negate the nice effect on the background. 

Of the three entries, shooting Up was the easiest.  I had to set up Moulin Rouge more than 3 times probably because it was my first and also because I couldn't seem to find the perfect elements for it, except for the clouds and the elephant. As for the Upside Down, hubby and I had to try probably a dozen or so lighting set up before we finally got that picture.  This whole "Sweding" thng wasn't easy but it sure was FUN!

I am not a professional photographer and I didn't go to Fine Arts school, so the tips I shared above are based purely on personal experience and experiments.  If you'd like to add more tips on lighting techniques in photography or correct some of the techniques I did, please feel free to do so. I would really love to hear more ideas and constructive criticisms. :-D

Travel Thursday - Isdaan in Calauan, Laguna

Isdaan is first and foremost a restaurant.  But it is also a world in its own right.  When I was there, time seemed to stop and I was happily trapped in a wonderful place.

The whole family (my side) went there last February 3, 2013 as an advance birthday celebration for daddy.  My parents have been there in a number of times already and they kept telling us that we, especially our tots, will have a great time there.  So we all went there one Sunday afternoon.  

 

It was my first time so yes, I've been amazed by how big the place was.  It was full of statues of different sizes and themes.  There are statues of people like Obama and Michelle, Cory Aquino and Joseph Estrada, among others.  There are also statues of cartoon characters (superheroes, Disney characters, & even Angry Birds), of animals, and of Buddha and mermaids. There are also lots and lots of fountains that are made prettier at night because of the lights. That's why we went there before dinnertime.

Aside from all those eye candies,  I can say that it has the nicest floating huts I've ever been to.  One wouldn't worry that his/her foot will get caught in between 2 bamboo poles as he/she walks on the raft, like my experience in Palaisdaan in Quezon.  One can also really feel and enjoy the privacy of each hut because of its design.  There is also a big restaurant space if dining with a very large group or if one prefers to see and meet new people.

The place also offers some activities like feeding fishes, boating, and bicycling for the kids while waiting for the food or even after eating.  There are a number of play areas for the kiddos to enjoy.  And there are numerous entertainers inside like a singing group, a uni-cyclist, or a giant mechanical man.  

As for the food, I think the prices are fair.  It's cheap considering the activities and entertainment one gets from the place alone.  But it's a bit pricey if you're just there for the food.  There are other restaurants serving better tasting food for the same price if that's what you are just looking for.  But I really really LOVE Isdaan's "pinakbet."  If ever you are eating there, remember to order their "pinakbet." It's Superb!

Will I go back there?  Definitely, YES!  

Playing with Cardboard Boxes - "Dyna Maxx"

I want to share with you a story that happened on a lazy Saturday  morning (February 16, 2013 to be exact).  This story is about "Dyna Maxx." 

That morning, Perry, the little one, woke up crying.  He was restless for some reason that we couldn't understand.  It was a lazy day, meaning we didn't have any schedule or a major task to accomplish that day, so I thought of building Perry a car to play with and hoped that it will ease his restlessness. The moment I picked up 2 big cardboard boxes, Perry's attention shifted instantly towards them.  Can a toddler (1 yr 7 mos) already imagine things out of cardboard boxes? Because Perry wanted to play with the boxes right away.

So even before having breakfast, we (Mr and Mrs) started working on 2 cardboard boxes that I requested the day before from my cousin who has a grocery store.  Yes, this is premeditated but unscheduled.  I've been inspired by some of the pictures I saw on Pinterest and I rememberd how I used to play with cardboard boxes when I was little.  I even made a dollhouse and doll furniture out of boxes. 

Anyway, while we were working, the little one was trying to help.  He's been picking up cardboard  pieces and acted as if he was attaching it to the piece we are working on.  He was sooo cute and adorable but we didn't took photos because we were all busy "working."  I also wasn't able to take a step by step photo of building a cardboard car.  So I will only be sharing the final pictures of our wonderful creation. :-)

Here's the little one checking the car if everything is working perfectly.  I haven't finished attaching the wheels here.

 And here is the finished car!  It has a rotating steering wheel, 4 rotating wheels, a gas tank door that also leads to the trunk. haha I used rolled pieces of cardboard to support the car seat.  I wasn't able to put a seat belt. lol

We called it Perry's "Dyna Maxx" car!  Because it was made out of a Maxx and a Dynamite candy boxes. With just 2 boxes and a masking tape, we were able to build a nice car for our little one.  We had lots of fun and laughter building this.  I hope that even at his very young age, my son will remember this really fun and creative day someday.

Until now, "Dyna Maxx" is still alive and still entertaining Perry, his cousin, and some friends.  It already had a wheel repair and a broken windshield but it is still living up to its promise.  It even carried both my son and my nephew once!

And just this morning, I saw my little one watching cartoons on tv while sitting and eating inside his Dyna Maxx, à la drive-in theater. lol My next cardboard project for Perry will be bigger than this.  But it won't be  soon.  I'll let Dyna Maxx take all the glory it could receive before I start building something that will surely replace him in the limelight.

Have you done something like this too? Share me the link to your cardboard creations thru the comment section so I could check it out. Let's share love and inspiration! :-)

Sylvanian Families "Love at the Movies" Photo Contest 2013

Last year, I joined the 2012 Sylvanian Families Love Photo Contest.  It was fun and exciting.  I only had 1 Sylvanian family back then so I used real plants and some non-SF objects as props.  

So anyway, the PH{heart}SF is once again hosting a LOVE photo contest this year!  The theme is "LOVE at the Movies."  This time, I submitted 2 entries. 

Can you guess what movie inspired me in this first picture? 

It's Moulin Rouge! I absolutely LOVE that film. Everything about it.

How about this second picture? Do you know the inspiration behind this?

It's Upside Down.  It is a cute LOVE story with a beautiful cast.  But I absolutely LOVE its special effects.

And the best part of joining the contest was that I, together with the Mister, had LOTS of fun "sweding" the inspiration movies I used for my entries. Here are some of our behind the scene photos...

My first entry was taken using a Samsung S3 camera.  The 2nd one was with a Nikon D90.  The behind the scenes of course were taken with the S3.

The contest mechanics and rules are posted in this album. Deadline of submission of entries is on February 28, 2013.  Once again, this contest is open for local residents (Philippines) and a there's a different contest for the international community.  You can view the local submissions here and the international submissions here.

They are once again giving away really AWESOME prizes for the winners as bonus to the fun one gets while playing and shooting with one's Sylvanian Families!

Can you tell how much I enjoyed this experience? Haha.  I was thinking of shooting my 3rd and last entry (maximum of 3 entries per contestant) tonight if time permits. Wish me luck! :-)