Firework Photography Tips

Hello world!

I really hope everyone had a wonderful and safe 4^th of July.

In this weeks photography class the topic was about fireworks and how to capture them. The instructor told us what setting to use, so I decided to try it out myself.

Here are the steps:

#1 – You need to be on a tripod and use a shutter release button (if you don’t have one use the camera self timer).

#2 – Keep your ISO as low as you can to avoided any grain.

#3 – Use manual mode and set an aperture of f11 – f16.

#4 – Set your lens to manual focus, frame your shot and focus it.

#5 – Press the shutter and let the camera do its magic.

**Please remember that if your lens has a vibration reduction switch make sure you set it to off while on a tripod**

This is what I was able to capture and let me say that It was a lot of fun 😊

My Photo settings:    F11    1/30    ISO 100     (auto white balance / focal length 80 mm)

You can view the rest in my firework photos in my photography section

You can use these settings for any night photography.

Have a blessed day and let’s go out there and get creative!

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Best Regards,

A.L. Designs

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Same Price For Big Dreams

Hey guys! Happy Monday and welcome to a new month! A month with 30 new days too work hard, smart and with passion.

Here is your Monday Motivation: If you dream big it won’t cost you any more than if you dream small so you might as well go big!

I like that statement because its true, dreaming costs us nothing yet we always limit our thoughts. We think we can never accomplish that or we are crazy for even think that, but guys we have to dream big! Dreaming big is the only way we are going to get anywhere in life.

Since this is a new month, it’s the perfect time for you to set your goals for the week/month. I invite you to set your goals and to increase your dream size. Get at it, dream it, set it and work at it!

I hope you all have a blessed day. Now let’s go out there and get creative!

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A.L. Designs

How Do I Design – Thursday’s Designer Tip

Hey guy!

Here is Thursday’s designer tip 🙂

When I create graphics my main design program is Adobe Illustrator. I use Illustrator because it creates vector files (a digital graphic file that its made up of many lines and curves or better known as paths). With a vector file you can stretch out your design as big or small as you want without losing resolution quality.

When I edit photos, I use Photoshop because PS creates a raster image (an image composed of pixels).

You can design in either programs, I just prefer Illustrator for designs and Photoshop for photos.

When I open up a new Illustrator file, I create the document using the final size of the project including the bleed when required.

Creating new doc sized at: 3.75″ X 2.25″

For example, a business card is 3.5” x 2” if it does not require a bleed I make my doc size 3.5” x 2”. If my card requires a bleed my doc size will be 3.75” x 2.25” giving me a .25” bleed for trimming. Inside the card I will also keep an inner safety border of .25” all around.

Example of doc with colored safety frame.

I work with layer so my first one is my safety border, you can use the guides in AI or I prefer to make a colored frame sized at .25” so its easier on my eyes. I will align the frame to the edges of the document. Next, I make sure to lock my guide layer so nothing is moved.

Layer 1: Guides (Locked) Layer 2: Artwork

My 2^nd layer is my artwork layer, this one I will keep under my 1^st layer. Once my design is complete, I group everything in the artwork layer and delete layer 1 (guides). I will select my artwork layer and outline all of my text and save the file as a PDF or EPS making sure to keep the original (not outlined) text file for future changes.

**It is important to outline your text because if you send your file to someone and they don’t have that fonts you used in your design installed the program will substitute the missing fonts with other font causing your design to look different.**

**Outlining the text makes the font an object and it will no longer be editable as far as characteristics for future use so make sure you keep the original file.**

I hope this helps you in some way. If it does let me know 🙂

Have a blessed day and let’s go out there and get creative!

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A.L. Designs

Be Deaf when Someone Says You Can’t

Hey guys!

Today I want to share with you a great poem I read in a book. I hope you enjoy it.

Be Deaf when Someone Says You Can’t

Grant Cardone

Be deaf when someone says you cannot do it!

Be deaf when someone says it is impossible!

Be deaf when anyone tries to put limits on you!

For these people who make efforts to limit you and suggest that

you cannot fulfill your dreams are dangerous people.

These people have given up on their dreams

and seek to convince you to do the same.

And do not be confused by them when they suggest

that they are only trying to help you!

Help is not what they offer.

What they really seek to do is have you join the ranks of slaves,

the apathetic, and the hopeless.

Be deaf to all of them.

I really enjoyed this one and it opened my eyes to the fact that it is true! People at all stages of your life will try to discourage you or stop you from achieving your goals. They fear your success because they have given up on theirs. They want to keep you at the same level as them so you don’t advance. Don’t let them, especially if you believe deeply in the goals and dreams you are chasing.

Be deaf to the critics!

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A.L. Designs

You need targets, a reason and goals.

If you are not expanding you are contracting. You need targets, a reason and goals.

Wise words right there. I agree that we all need a reason to make our life worthwhile.

We need a reason to wake up every morning and make some kind of impact on this world and those around us even if it’s a small contribution.

Targets are very important. This year I’ve been very disciplined on writing down my longer term goals twice a day. But it’s not just about writing them down, its about taking action towards achieving them that makes all the difference.

On Sunday nights, I will write down the goals I have for the week, I also review the goals I had for the previous week. I will write down goals completed and goals failed on the same sheet and right under that I will write next week’s goals Monday – Sunday. I also have daily goals that I write down and start checking them off as I complete them.

You should have different targets and goals for all areas of your life, right now my 2 main categories are health and fitness and career advancements.

You can’t always achieve everything you write down, but its way better to over commit and deliver than it is to under commit and waste your time.

I suggest you buy a notebook and start writing down what is important to you, and take action towards expanding your current situation.

Have a blessed day guys and lets go out there and get creative.

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Best Regards,

A.L. Designs

Life is about choices

Busy is a choice

Stress is a choice

Joy is a choice

 

Life is about choices.

We make choices from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep.

You have the choice of waking up grouchy or happy in the morning.

You have the choice of eating breakfast or not.

You have the choice of leaving to work on time or not.

You have the choice of putting in your best effort at work or not.

You have the choice to make an impact on others or not.

As you can see your day will be packed with many choices and each choice you make will determine the kind of day you will have.

I try to live each day as best as I possibly can by making the following choices:

#1 – I wake up early and I give thanks for another day of life.

#2 – I make a healthy breakfast (oatmeal) every morning and work on my freelance projects.

#3 – I leave to work on time so I can arrive 15-10 mins early.

#4 – I try to keep a positive attitude at work even when difficult & stressful tasks arrive.

#5 – I workout 6X a week to improve my health.

#6 – I try and have patients for myself and others around me.

This one is important because not everyone around you is trying to make the same positive choices as you. I am not perfect and I don’t expect others to be perfect, so patients is key.

So try and remember that positivity always wins and I guarantee you that you will start making better choices and your day will be filled with many blessings.

The choice is yours! Have a blessed day guys!

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A.L. Designs

Simple design / photography tip

Hello Designers and Photographers! Here is a quick tip for you guys..

Designers:

Always, always save your work as you are designing it (every few mins). You never know when your program might crash. Make sure you also have your files saved in at least two locations (external hard drive or cloud).

Photographers:

The above also applies to you! Make sure that you always keep your original jpeg file saved and unedited. Never work on your original photo, make a copy of them and edit the copies. You never know when you might need to go back to the original file for some reason.

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Best Regards,

A.L. Designs