a second – and third – try

Posted in: kids | knitting | Uncategorized

I think the last vintage version was a little heavy handed, so I have had another play with the same image. Here are another two attempts. This one I have used a mask to remove some of the grunge from my daughter’s skin and I have also reduced the opacity of the texture layer.

purpleflrhat_vintage_02

And this one uses a much lighter, softer texture.

purpleflrhat_vintage_03

Click here to have a look at my first attempt, and then let me know which one you like the best by voting in my poll below. (You can also leave comments with your tips and tricks for creating vintage effects.)

[polldaddy poll=2164942]

Facebook Share|Tweet Post|Email Post|Contact Me|Top of page
comment

Eve - …sadly, Jen, I can offer no website address at the moment, but my wordpress blog is rattling around in my head. XO

vividity - Thanks for dropping by, Eve. I’m looking forward to seeing your new blog on wordpress!

playing around in photoshop

Posted in: kids | knitting | miscellaneous | my own

Here’s my latest attempt at a vintage look. Original photo and then the one I have mucked about with. It was great fun!

purpleflwhat_orig

and the vintage look:

purpleflwrhat_vintage

That’s all for now. Will add another post about books sometime soon. My last one had a lot of hits, so I am assuming you’re finding it valuable. 🙂

Facebook Share|Tweet Post|Email Post|Contact Me|Top of page
comment

a second – and third – try « vividity - […] Contact me playing around in photoshop […]

Books for early readers

Posted in: kids | miscellaneous

I think I promised in an earlier post that I would write some more about children’s books. So here is some more:

Below is a list of books that are supportive of early readers  (or “emergent readers” as they are sometimes called in the literature). They are all books that my children and I have loved, and it goes without saying that they are all real books written by real writers for real readers. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I welcome your comments and feedback.

These are in no particular order, other than the one that made them stack into a semi-stable pile on my desk. No, cancel that. I can’t do it. They’re in alphabetical order by author’s surname. I’ve had too many years of having to meet stringent rules for reference lists!

  • Ahlberg, Janet & Allan (1978). Each peach pear plum. London: Puffin Books. Beautifully illustrated with lots of familiar characters from well-known nursery rhymes. This book is often recited in our house. (Highly predictable: rhythm, rhyme, pictures support text. Children will probably already be familiar with many of the characters who appear in this beautiful rhyme.)
  • Ahlberg, Janet & Allan (1981). Peepo! London: Viking. Beautifully illustrated with such detail! Pictures depict life in England, probably about 1940s. (Rhythm, rhyme, repetition, pictures support text.)
  • Anholt, Catherine (2000)  Baby’s things. London: Walker Books. This one is really for babies. One picture, one word per page. (Picture supports text. Pictures of things with are familiar to many babies.)
  • Boynton, Sandra (sorry… store has put sticker over top of publishing info!). Moo, baa, la la la! A lot of silly fun, this one! (Rhyme, rhythm, pictures support text.)
  • Campbell, Rod. (1997) Dear Zoo. South Melbourne: Lothian. Lots of fun lifting flaps and discovering what animal the zoo has sent! (Repetition, pictures support text.)
  • Carle, Eric (1969) The very hungry caterpillar. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Hamish Hamilton/Penguin. A fabulous book. My two-year-old recites this one while we’re driving around. The fact that it has been in (I think) constant publication for the past 40 years says it all. (pictures support text, repeated form and therefore highly predictable text at least for part of the book.)
  • Fox, Mem & Dyer, Jane (1993). Time for bed. Malvern, SA: Omnibus Books. A great bedtime book, this one! (rhythm, rhyme, repetition.)
  • Fox, Mem & Horacek, Judy. (2004). Where is the green sheep? Camberwell, Vic.: Viking/Penguin. Beautiful illustrations, full of colour and fun. Another one that is oft recited in our house. (Strong rhythm and rhyme. Pictures highly supportive of text. Therefore a highly predictable book.)
  • Fox, Mem & Miller, David. (1996). Boo to a goose. Rydalmere, NSW: Hodder Headline. Wonderful 3D paper illustrations. Lots of fun. (Rhythm, rhyme, pictures closely linked to text.)
  • Thompson, Lauren & Andersen, Derek (2004) Little Quack’s bedtime. London: Simon & Schuster. This is a lullaby, a story and a counting book all rolled into one. Another great bedtime story. (Repetition, illustrations that support text.)
  • Wilson, Sarah & Sweet, Melissa (1999). Love and kisses. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. Beautiful illustrations and a lovely story about giving love away, and a little bit of silliness. (Rhyme, rhythm, pictures support text.)

That’s it for now. By no means all the great books we have read, but that’s all I can get through at the moment. Time to play with the kids! Please feel free to leave comments with books you love to read with your kids. And remember to drop by Pascale’s blog to see her list.

I’ll try to get another post done sometime with some books for slightly older kids.

Facebook Share|Tweet Post|Email Post|Contact Me|Top of page
comment

playing around in photoshop « vividity - […] Contact me Books for early readers […]

selecting children’s books

Posted in: miscellaneous | Uncategorized

So, what right have I, a photographer and yoga teacher, got to give advice on selecting children’s books? Well….

…. once upon a time, but not so very long ago, I was an academic. I completed a PhD in Early Childhood Education at the Institute of Early Childhood at Macquarie University, Sydney, specialising in literacy development and bilingualism. So, I know a teeny bit about the subject. My dissertation is available through Macquarie University library for those of you who are interested ;-).

There you have it. I’ve come out of the academic closet!

And why a post on this topic? Well, I’ve been exchanging views on the topic with Pascale Wowak (a talented photographer from Santa Cruz) and I have decided it’s about time I stop filling up her comments section and post something here.  Sorry, Pascale, for being so wordy on your blog!

So what should you look for when choosing books to help early readers? Here’s my twenty cents’ worth:

  • predictable books, that is books with rhythm and rhyme and repetition (which support beginning readers in predicting the next word)
  • books with strong picture cues (ie, pictures that are closely linked to the text, again helps beginning readers guess what a word might be)
  • real books written by real writers with a real story to tell (ie. not books of the ‘Dan can fan the man’ variety)
  • books on a topic you know the child loves
  • books on a topic with which the child is already familiar (Learning to read, like all learning, goes from the known to the unknown. It is relatively easy to work out that the letters S-A-D-D-L-E say “saddle” when you see the word in a book about horses and you already know that saddles go on horses. It is very difficult to work out what the same string of letters might say when you see them written on a flash card with no supporting context.)
  • books you love. (You’re more likely to enjoy reading it to your children if you really like the book.)

It can be really helpful to build a good relationship with someone in a specialist children’s book shop and/or your local librarian. These people have access to such a vast array of great books that they can help you find just the right book for your child.

That’s it for now. It’s school holidays here and I have two sick kiddies at home. I’d best go and be a mother. Keep checking back here often, though, as I will post more on this topic from time to time.

Facebook Share|Tweet Post|Email Post|Contact Me|Top of page
comment

Little books with big ideas « vividity - […] They’re not necessarily great for helping beginning readers to read independently (see my earlier post on this topic), but they are all terrific books and well worth sharing with your children, or just reading for […]

call for models – families

Posted in: call for models | kids

I would love to add some more images to my website… and you can help!

I’m currently looking for families to photograph who meet the following criteria:

  • willing to meet me at a location of my choice (north side of Sydney).
  • all family members willing to sign a model release, or sign on behalf of any children under 18 years of age. (The images will more than likely be published, but you can rest assured I will never disclose any identifying information about you…. apart from photos of your gorgeous faces, of course ;-))

In return you will receive a free photo shoot, a free purse-sized concertina album with 8 images from your session and another six 5 x 7 inch prints, also free. You may purchase extra prints and albums at standard prices.

I have four free family sessions available between now and the end of January 2010. But remember, it’s heading up to silly season when we all start to get pretty busy, so if you’re thinking of giving the prints as Christmas presents, phone and book in now. (You need to have your shoot by the end of October to guarantee prints by Christmas.)

NOTE: THIS OFFER IS NOW CLOSED.

And, for you viewing pleasure, here are some images. They’re a few years old now, but I still really like them. I was shooting film at this point in time, so these are scans. I know you’ll forgive me for the scanning artifacts you can see in them…

We started out with a more formal grouping. (Children arranged oldest to youngest, as requested by Mum).

fam_01

But what I like best is to start with a formal arrangement, and then just watch it fall apart. It’s the falling apart that gives the best photos, I reckon. The ones that reflect who the people really are.

fam_04

fam_05

fam_06

fam_03

fam_07

Facebook Share|Tweet Post|Email Post|Contact Me|Top of page
comment
S E A R C H
C A T E G O R I E S
A R C H I V E S