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The post The Essential Guide to Low-Light Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Natalie Denton (nee Johnson).

Low-light landscape photography offers a unique challenge for photographers. On the one hand, a landscape lit by softer, subtler light can result in the kind of magical shots that go beyond more conventional photos. On the other hand, capturing these scenes requires a careful approach and a keen understanding of camera settings. But don’t fret! […]

The post The Essential Guide to Low-Light Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Natalie Denton (nee Johnson).

The post Smartphone Photography: The Essential Guide (+ 15 Tips) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Karthika Gupta.

These days, you don’t need professional photography equipment to take stunning photos. The smartphone in your pocket has the power to capture the kind of high-quality shots you can find in magazines – and it’s extremely easy to use, too! That said, smartphone photography involves more than grabbing that iPhone or Google Pixel, turning on […]

The post Smartphone Photography: The Essential Guide (+ 15 Tips) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Karthika Gupta.

The post Depth of Field: The Essential Guide (+ Tips) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Bruce Wunderlich.

You may have heard the term depth of field (DoF), but what actually is it, and why does it matter for photographers? Regardless of your skill level or the type of camera you possess, comprehending depth of field is essential to expanding your photographic horizons. It applies to every aspect of photography, from macro close-ups […]

The post Depth of Field: The Essential Guide (+ Tips) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Bruce Wunderlich.

Timothy Zahn's Star Wars novel Heir to the Empire was first released in hardcover on May 1, 1991.

Hasbro has produced a 4-figure set for a 21-year old Timothy Zahn Star Wars books and it DOESN'T feature Thrawn?

Looking for a hugely entertaining alphabet book that also has an uplifting message of empowerment for young readers? I highly recommend T. REXES CAN'T TIE THEIR SHOES by Anna Lazowski and Steph Laberis, launching June 29th, 2021 from Doubleday Books For Young Readers. The back matter also has an alphabetized factoid list of "all the amazing things animals CAN do!"

This is an alphabet book that can be appreciated by grown-ups as well as young readers, with lots of potential discussion points. The illustrations of animals in ridiculous situations are so SOOOOO FUN --- omigosh, even as I'm writing this post, I went back to look through the digital ARC and can't decide which is my favourite, though I'm leaning toward the "Cheetahs can't chew bubble gum" page.

I asked debut picture book author Anna Lazowski if she had any advice for young writers, and here's what she said:

"Write what you want to write, because as you move through the publishing process, it will become incredibly important for you to truly believe in your work. The rejections in this industry are endless, and they come at every stage. Critique partners might reject elements of your manuscript, agents will reject your work, and once you're on submission to editors, they will reject your work. Then once you're finally published, some reviewers will reject your work. If you don't fully believe in your stories, this will be extremely hard to take. It's hard as it is, so make sure you're all in on the work you're doing. It will make the rest a little bit easier to navigate."

Wise advice. Thank you, Anna! And congrats to you and Steph on your upcoming launch!

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Also see other Advice For Young Writers and Illustrators From Children's Book Creators and my other Interviews With Children's Book Creators.

Image at the top of this post was created for my new #BookADay book journal. For more info about Donalyn Miller's #BookADay challenge, see Donalyn's post in the Nerdy Book Club blog.

Hazel Mitchell has helped create more than twenty children's books, including her award-winning picture book Toby (Candlewick Press). Her illustrations appear in books by Cynthia Lord, JaNay Brown-Wood (Imani's Moon was mentioned on the Stephen Colbert show!), Lynn Parrish Sutton, Liza Gardner Walsh and others. You can find out more about Hazel and her work at HazelMitchell.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Synopsis of SWEET PEA SUMMER (Candlewick):

During her mother’s absence, a young girl discovers the joys of gardening—and the rewards of persistence and a sharp eye—in a sweet intergenerational story. With warm, child-friendly illustrations and a simple narration, Hazel Mitchell tells a timeless story about holding on to hope in hard times and finding the strength and determination to see it through. A brief author’s note at the end offers a bit of history and a few details about sweet peas for aspiring gardeners.

Q. What inspired you to write Sweet Pea Summer?

My inspiration for the book were memories I have from staying with my grandparents when I was little (4-6 years old). They lived in a row of mill cottages in a Yorkshire town called Huddersfield. The town was born out of the wool trade and had many factories and tall towers, but was surrounded by beautiful countryside. I started to sketch my memories of staying with them - the cottage, the garden, the countryside with the moors and mill chimneys, the cats that were always scampering around, the long road that stretched away up a sloping hill to the town itself.

My granddad was an excellent gardener. I suspect this came from the war years in Britain when everyone grew their own food as much as possible. In my memory the garden was so, so long with a little greenhouse and was stuffed with veggies and flowers. Of course, my memory exaggerated everything. I was seeing through a small child's eyes. I even googled the road on Google Streetview and the cottage and the garden are still there, just much smaller than I recalled.

I decided there was a story in these sketches and my rememberings. I find that I'm often inspired by childhood memories, places and real life things, like my own dog who is the main character in the book 'Toby', also from Candlewick Press. I've even been known to use my house in books, or feature the landscape of Maine, where I live, and sometimes I draw objects from my home. it gives authenticity I think.

Q. What was the writing and illustration process like?

After some note making, more doodles and musing I decided on the main character of a girl. She's not exactly me. My sister also went to stay with my grandparents when my mother was ill and that was really the nugget that set me rolling. The girl is sad and missing her mother, so Grandpa invites her to help in the garden and, in particular, to look after the sweet peas. (My own grandfather grew chrysanthemums, but I decided children would relate more to sweet peas. Plus it is easier to say!).

The grandparents do not look like my grandparents and even though the child is not really me, I guess she shares some of my personality characteristics and DO I love gardening! (Although I always fail with sweet peas, which is ironic). I found I had all the inspiration I needed to get started on roughing out a story.

Writing and illustrating Sweet Pea Summer was a long process, as most books tend to me. There are a lot of images in the book, which is kind of graphic novelish in a way, with multiple images on some pages that follow a grid layout. Although I did preliminary character and setting sketches, I then spent time writing scene progressions and story boarding before I was ready to do the first full dummy.

I've found this saves me time in the long run, when I finally start to sketch I can be pretty certain I have the rudimentary story arc and length of book down. We had 2-3 edits and rehashes before my editors, art director and myself were all happy to go to finals. Finals are always the very long and arduous stage of the book for me. The first spark of story and hashing it out is the inspirational bit.

I did all the art for Sweet Pea in pencil and watercolor (usually I colour an under painting digitally), but I felt this book needed a traditional watercolour feel. It was a longer process for sure! Along the way I did a good amount of picture research especially on the landscapes and the flowers - plus the process of growing them, which features in the story. The parallel between the illness of the m/c's mom and the flowers failing to open was important to me. didn't want it to be too obvious to the reader.

My editor, Liz Bicknell at Candlewick Press, was very helpful, as always, keeping the story on track. Pam Consolazio was my art director, and her nickname was Sweet Pea as a child! it is lovely when you find unexpected connections. I scan my own artwork, which gives me the luxury of making any tweaks to the final art. I think the whole book took about 2 years, including edits etc.

It's wonderful when your book finally arrives in your mailbox! (Just like any birth, the pain recedes!) It was especially concerning in this time of the pandemic, but everything went well and the books arrived in time for publication.

Q. What advice do you have for young writers and illustrators?

My advice to young writers and illustrators is always work on stories that you love and feel an emotional response to whether, happy, sad, funny or just that you just love and know the subject. It will always show in your work!

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For more insights from book creators, see my Inkygirl interview archives.

Just read (and loved) a fun reimagining of the classic fairytale Goldilocks and the Three Bears: GOLDIBOOKS AND THE WEE BEAR, written by Troy Wilson and illustrated by Edwardian Taylor, published earlier this year by Running Press Kids.

Here is Troy Wilson's advice for young writers:

"My advice? Write badly. Badly, badly, badly. Include words and ideas that shouldn't be there. Leave out words and ideas that should be there. Put things in the wrong order. Have your protagonist act wildly out of character. Why? Because that is what your favorite author does.

"You don't see your favorite author's horrible first drafts. Or horrible second drafts. Or horrible third drafts. For that matter, you don't see their attempted books that never, ever turned out at all. (Some things are just dead ends, even for your favorite author.) No, you only see their final, super-duper-polished work, after they got lots and lots of great feedback.

"Everyone starts with bad writing. Every single writer, every single time - no matter how long they've been doing it. You can't avoid your own bad writing. You can't go around it or over it or under it. You have to go through it. Just get it onto the page or screen. You can always fix it later. Except if you let the bad writing - or the fear of bad writing - stop you from writing. Because you can't fix what isn't there."

Thanks, Troy! 

Related links:

Publisher page about Goldibooks and the Wee Bear

More about Troy Wilson at TroyStory.ca, Twitter and Facebook.

More about Edwardian Taylor at EdwardianTaylor.com, Twitter and Instagram.

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Find more advice for young writers and illustrators from children's book creators.

Brian McLachlan is a cartoonist who's worked for Nickelodeon, The Nib and the New Yorker. He writes the monthly comic Spruce Street Squad for Owl Magazine. His book, Draw Out The Story: 10 Secrets to Creating Your Own Comics is an ILA-nonfiction award winner. Each Tuesday he hosts a group of artists in a PG-13 game of Dungeons & Dragons where they live draw what happens in game on Twitch, called Magical Marker ( MM ). You can find Brian at his website, on Twitter, and Instagram.

Synopsis of COMPLETE THE QUEST: THE POISONOUS LIBRARY (Imprint/Macmillan):

Save your kingdom in this interactive role-playing adventure, which reads like a graphic novel but also plays like a game! It’s perfect for fans of all ages who are interested in the exciting world of fantasy gaming.

Q. How did you come up with the idea for Complete The Quest?

Complete the Quest in a brand new mix of role playing game (RPG) and comic. It started as an experiment to see what would happen if I took a Dungeons & Dragons or Chose Your Own Adventure multi-path story and made it into a comic. How would the gameplay change by putting it into a visual space? For me, it was a literal game changer, turning the CYOA anxiety of multiple choices, into a laid-out, laid-back invitation to check all paths for your favourite way forward. It also encourages people to come up with their own, better solution if they want. While I always give the reader a clear path forward, I invite them to forge their own. It's a great introduction to co-operative storytelling.

Q. What was your writing/illustration process?

I draw a scene much faster than I can write about it. A picture's worth a thousand words and all that. So I draw my scripts in rough, laying out out the word balloons, figuring out how much space I need, how the page turns feel, etc. This was especially important for this comic gamebook which also filled with maps for the reader to navigate. We needed to see if the pathing was clear. Creating the tutorial was the most time intensive part, trying to make the most elegant, clear way to ease the reader into how the game part functions. I think we nailed it. I hear from parents who don't play RPGs that they were worried about the reading a gamebook, but they quickly "got it".

Q. What advice do you have for young writers and illustrators?

Advice is hard to give because everyone's different. Some people need to hear "finish what you start" and some need to hear "stop working on that thing, it's good enough". So my advice is to train your inner advice-giver and follow it. What is it about the way you work that you've been putting off improving, but could do right now? Because you know what type of story or art you're making, and if you're trying to make an apple, the best advice in making a banana isn't going to help. And the best advice in making an apple right-handed isn't going to help you if you're left-handed. Not all advice is for you, it's a skill to figure out what part is for you to take right now, later, or never.

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Also see my other Inkygirl interviews with book creators and advice for young writers and illustrators from book creators.

We’ve all seen the IKEA LACK shelf. Many of us have probably installed one or two in our homes. It’s practical, unassuming and one of the most popular IKEA pieces for budget-friendly decor. But just when we thought we’d seen it all, design producer Justin Miller who goes by the handle @miztermiller on Instagram, gives this humble shelf a fresh twist and got us looking at the simple, chunky shelf with renewed fondness. Miller’s latest hack transforms five 74-inch LACK […]

The post The IKEA Hack That Turned the Ugliest Wall into a Striking Focal Point appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

IKEA has just unveiled a major upgrade to its beloved PAX wardrobe system, introducing a new foldable frame design. This innovation tackles head-on the long-standing challenges PAX customers have grappled with for years. IKEA makes two bold claims that have caught our attention: first, they promise to slash assembly time by half, and second—brace yourselves—they suggest you can now “fold-up the PAX and go” when it’s time to move. These upgrades could be a game-changer for both assembly and relocation. […]

The post The New PAX Wardrobe: IKEA’s Boldest Claims Yet (And We’re Excited To Test) appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

Have you ever stepped into a home and immediately felt that warm, welcoming atmosphere? It’s such a delightful experience, isn’t it? While IKEA offers lots of choices for cozy home decor, it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming, making it easy to choose pieces that don’t quite fit together. Your space may end up disjointed and cluttered, which is the opposite of the relaxing atmosphere you’re aiming for. And as if navigating the IKEA maze isn’t tricky enough, sifting through […]

The post Can’t Get The Cozy Home Vibe? Here’s What You’re Missing appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

When I saw John J.’s hack, I was thrilled. His clever integration of IKEA wardrobes with kitchen units answered so many questions our community had been grappling with. It felt like he’d cracked a code, opening up possibilities for combining these IKEA ranges. John successfully mixed elements from the IKEA PAX wardrobe and METOD kitchen range to create a built-in wardrobe with drawers and horizontal storage cabinets above the PAX wardrobes. It certainly goes beyond the typical wood frame and […]

The post The PAX Height Extension Hack We’ve All Been Waiting For appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

That awkward gap between your refrigerator and wall doesn’t have to be wasted space. Palestinian DIY enthusiast Qamar Derbas (@decorista_93) had the same thought – and turned it into a brilliant pantry storage solution. Her clever IKEA hack transforms the IKEA GERSBY bookshelf into a rolling pull-out pantry that slides perfectly into that refrigerator gap. This project requires no special tools or much DIY expertise and takes a mere hour or two hour to complete. What’s more, the GERSBY bookshelf […]

The post The $50 Solution to Your Kitchen’s Most Annoying Gap appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

My search for the perfect sideboard has been going on for like ever. Like many home decor enthusiasts, I found myself caught between my champagne taste and lemonade budget – until I came across @interiorxlifestyle‘s IKEA hack. She transformed the affordable IKEA GURSKEN nightstands into a sophisticated storage sideboard that may just be the thing I’m looking for. On its own, a single hacked GURSKEN might not amount to much. But when you place five of these hacked beauties in […]

The post The $20 IKEA Bedside Table That Became a Luxury Sideboard appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

In the IKEAHackers Facebook Group, Brianna shared how she turned basic KALLAX units into something totally unexpected — a gorgeous credenza that includes a perfect spot for her dog to lounge. Brianna took two 2×4 KALLAX units and set them up on either end of the nook. The middle section would be left open for a dog bed. But she didn’t stop at just placing the units – she snuck in a little hacking to give the credenza an upgraded […]

The post This IKEA KALLAX Hack Combines Storage and a Cozy Dog Bed in the Coolest Way appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

New Disney+ Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian premiered on Tuesday and people haven't been able to stop tweeting about "Baby Yoda." Can you blame them? He's just so goddamn cute. The catch here is that Baby Yoda isn't actually Yoda at all, but rather of the same species. Either way, people are positively freaking over him, and we don't blame them.

A much less famous, but just as squee, story than "The Tortoise and The Hare".

Sarah says This is our female prairie dog, Lily. She loves her triscuits!

Numerous people and programs can track your internet activities. But are you really that interesting?

Can My School See My Email and Other Messages? from Ask Leo!.
Get the Confident Computing weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.askleo.com

This is a system designed to help you recover your email account if something should go wrong... and things go wrong more often than you would like to think.

Why Do I Need Another Email Address to Access My Account? from Ask Leo!.
Get the Confident Computing weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.askleo.com

Commercial software can be expensive. Can you just pirate software if you can't afford it? You can guess my answer, but even better: theft isn't necessary.

Why Can’t the Poor Just Pirate Software? from Ask Leo!.
Get the Confident Computing weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.askleo.com

Embed from Getty Images One long standing Christmas tradition at Fox news is perpetuating the mythological war on Christmas. While it is not a self-evident truth that Christmas is safe in the United States, the idea that there is such …Read more »

Plato, through the character of Socrates, advances a now classic argument against democracy. When it comes to a matter that requires knowledge and skill, such as a medical issue, it would be foolish to decide by having the ignorant vote …Read more »

Embed from Getty Images Scottie Nell Hughes, a Trump surrogate, presented her view of truth on The Diane Rehm Show. As she sees it: Well, I think it’s also an idea of an opinion. And that’s—on one hand, I hear …Read more »

Client: “So you got everything you need? Take all the time you want. We really believe we understand the mind of the creative individual. We know it takes time to create a powerful ad.”

Me: “Yeah. It does. Thanks.”

Client: “But it’s urgent. Just imagine that it should have been done as of yesterday.”

Me: “But no deadline?”

Client: “Right. Well, I mean, we need it for four days, but otherwise, yeah; no deadline.”

My boss is a seventy-something-year-old man with barely a clue on how to get a computer to boot. He gave me an old book and wanted me to convert it into an ebook to sell. And mind, this was a thick, large-format book chock-full of maps and other illustrations with tiny blackletter script.

Me: “Sure, I can do it, but I’d have to scan it in a massive resolution so the detail isn’t lost. The final file would be massive; it wouldn’t be practical to download it, and a normal ebook reader wouldn’t be able to display it correctly.”

Boss: “So, we’d have to make it less detailed.”

Me: “How do you mean?”

Boss: “It wouldn’t be possible with the illustrations; you’ll just have to make the writing bigger on all the pages.”

Me: “…”

Boss: “As for the pages with only text on them, you will just convert them into a Word document.”

Me: “That’s not how that works.”

Boss: “Why not?”

Me: “It’s just straight-up not possible, at least not with the software we have.”

Boss: “Can you do it on the Internet?”

Me: “No.”

Boss: “How do you know?”

Me: “I know.”

Boss: “Show me.”

I showed him that it’s not possible to convert a scanned book page into a text document on some random converter found on page one on Google.

Boss: “Okay, so you will instead cut the text out in Photoshop, make it larger, and arrange it on a new Photoshop file the same size, with less of a rim around it so the number of pages doesn’t get much higher.”

I flat-out refused, telling him it would be months of absolutely pointless work. He didn’t believe any of my claims, anyway, so I just converted the whole d*** thing into an ebook, which, in the end, was like 8GB in size. Since our server had 10TB, he also didn’t believe me when I tried to tell him that it was an absurdly massive file that few people would want to buy on that account.

Ah, well. At least I didn’t have to rearrange like 300 pages of text.

Client: “We’re a startup game company, and we need one character with thirty different eyes, thirty different mouths, thirty different hairstyles, and thirty different bodies for our game where the character can be customized.”

Me: “Okay, that’s technically thirty characters with each element drawn separately and/or in separate layers.”

I then give my rate for thirty characters.

Client: “Your profile says you charge [amount] for only one character. Please give us that rate since it’s only one character but he has thirty different mouths, eyes, hair, and bodies. So the price should be just for one character.”

Client: “We would like a drawing of a moose on skis.”

I send the art.

Client: “Why there were two feet on each ski?”

Me: “People ski on two skis and a moose has four feet so I put two on each ski.”

Client: “That is ridiculous!”

Me: “Which part? You’ll have to be more specific?”

Client: “Well, I’m pretty sure they don’t make skis that can accommodate two feet each!”

Me: “Right. That was a pretty big leap on my part, sorry.”

Me: “I’ve looked at the brief and it’ll cost [total].”

Client: “I thought you were a freelancer.”

Me: “I am.”

Client: “No, you’re not. You’re a chargelancer!”

I’m designing a photographic history exhibit for a prestigious university. The project requires a series of panels that each depict a different decade, from the 1930s to the present.

Client: “You know, this is all great, but it could use a little more diversity. Right now, there are a lot of photos of all white men, and we don’t want to send the wrong message.”

Me: “Okay, that’s a reasonable request. I could pull some photos of your black student organizations and women’s center and add those to the panels showing the school’s more recent history.”

Client: “Actually, we’d love more diversity in the early panels too.”

Me: “What do you mean?”

Client: “Like this panel depicting the university in the 30s. All the photos are of white men!”

The school did not admit black students until the 1970s.

Me: “Hey, I’m glad I caught you. I’m calling about that request that I made five weeks ago. You never responded to any of my emails or voice messages. I’m just wondering what the status on that is?”

Client: “Well, the reason I didn’t respond was because your first email about it was unprofessional. We’re all professionals here, and I expect to be treated professionally. You really need to work on your communication skills, and I expect better from you if we’re going to continue working together.”

Me: “I’m looking at the whole email chain right now, and it seems fine to me. What seems wrong with it?”

Client: “Well, for starters, you could ask how my day’s been. Or you could put a joke at the bottom of the email. And you should really get rid of that line with all your company information at the bottom, it looks so unprofessional.”

Garden ponds are increasingly becoming popular among homeowners. The scramble for ponds can be attributed to their aesthetics, growing appreciation for wildlife and environmental awareness. As homeowners increasingly become aware of the need to maintain a sustainable ecosystem, they are more willing to adopt unique ideas such as keeping garden ponds. But are garden ponds really sustainable?[...]

The spirit of sustainability and being eco-friendly is all about using what's already there. Use a piece of land the way it is, without hanging it to suit the needs of a building. In the spirit of reclaiming wood, repurposing furniture and making use of everything the Tesseract was created. This home is a beautiful reboot of a former bachelor pad turned beautiful multi-person home. It's warm, inviting and modern.[...]

Fargo is a house located in Louisville, Colorado and is designed for a former high-level design engineer at Apple. Despite the project's modern aesthetic, it blends into the historical neighborhood and meets multiple spatial criteria set by the client. These include a detached studio garage, an indoor-outdoor kitchen and easy access to the outdoors. The overall goal for DAJ Design was to incorporate these design elements while achieving net-zero energy consumption.[...]

The pergola is one aspect of ancient architecture that remains relevant today. Pergolas date back to ancient Egypt, but the concept itself might have come much earlier. The evolution of pergolas has witnessed many changes along the way. Today, it is technically impossible to draw a line between a pergola and a gazebo. However, for clarity, we will stick to the traditional idea of a pergola, one that is relatively merged with the house design.[...]

It sits on a flat stretch of green, surrounded by the rolling hills and pretty palm trees of Southern California. It's an amazing little oasis, a quiet getaway. And it's the first building in California to receive Zero Carbon Certification from the International Living Future Institute. It's only the fourth building in the entire world to reach this status. This home is called Zero One by MariSol Malibu and it's the first of its kind.[...]

Medical Aid, a South African insurance comparison website, investigated the effects of environmental issues like poor water quality, pollution, sanitation and chemical exposure on the health of citizens in 103 countries around the world. The information is summarized in a report titled, "Climate Health: Where in the World is Climate Change Impacting Health the Most?"[...]

3D-printed foods are a growing component of the additive manufacturing industry. Within this realm, 3D-printed meat is gaining speed. Like other 3D-printed objects, edible material is extruded in layers to produce a variety of meat products, including ground meat, burger patties, sausages and kebabs. Nowadays, with advances in additive manufacturing, the ability to 3D print foods is becoming more widely accessible, cost-effective and eco-friendly. [...]

Plastic and floating debris are part of a problem that is rapidly growing. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is just one example of how water pollution and trash dumping are spiraling out of our control. Big, floating heaps of debris like the GPGP require interventions that are on a larger scale. This includes those carried out by The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit organization that removes floating ocean debris. However, what about smaller-scale solutions? Coastlines and local waterways also suffer from water pollution as a result of littering. This threatens biodiversity by causing illness and reproductive issues, particularly when aquatic[...]