Disclosure: I received product to help facilitate this review. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Our friends at Posterjack were kind enough to let me review another product in their amazing lineup of photo art solutions. You may recall my first Posterjack review where I ordered a canvas print of one of my photographs of Albion Falls in Hamilton, Ontario.

The timing of this review could not have come at a better time. Not only is the type of product perfect for my particular situation (more on this later), I just happened to take a great shot of a sunrise at the family cottage. One of the key components to a great photo is simply timing.

My wife and I are currently constructing our new family home. Life in a small semi-detached home with two children just wasn't cutting it. As we have already sold our existing home, we are now living at a temporary location. Not wanting to push my luck (I'm equipped with two left hands), I have refrained from placing any of our photos and other art on the walls. This makes for quite the bland surroundings.

This is where Posterjack comes to the rescue, especially with their line of Peel & Stick posters. Not only could I easily get some of my artwork on the walls, but I could do so in an inexpensive manner and in a format which is reusable. According to Posterjack.ca, these posters can be reapplied up to 200 times! 

As noted in my first Posterjack review, the ordering process is very simple to navigate and presents various finishing options. There are also multiple shipping options including local pick-up in Toronto. Posterjack did not disappoint as my poster was delivered in a tough cardboard tube. The poster was also carefully wrapped in tissue paper to prevent the poster from being scuffed while in transit.

The print size I chose was 48" x 32". Given the size of the print, the retail price of the Peel & Stick poster is fairly inexpensive. Compare the list price of this item, $69.99, to the same size in a canvas, $249.99. Don't get me wrong here, canvas is absolutely worth the money, I just want to point out that there are less expensive options available to you.

I might be in the minority here but I do not love cats. I think they are a beautiful animal but they kind of freak me out with their spooky, wicked eyes. That, and I'm slightly allergic to cat dander. No offense to cat lovers, but if I were to ever own a pet (which will never happen), I would prefer a dog over a cat any day. Still, it doesn't prevent me from admiring my friend's cats. From a distance, that is. It's a good thing my DSLR has a zoom feature...

Stopping in for Wordless Wednesday? Leave a link to your post using the linky bel-oh... ah-choo!

The ability to snap quality photos with a point-and-shoot camera is now virtually effortless thanks to the 10.1 Megapixel Image Sensor and DiG!C 5 Image Processor of the PowerShot S200. The 3.0" LCD screen allows you to achieve true-to-life colour reproduction while the new Intelligent IS System automatically switches between seven different types of Image Stabilization controls. The end result? Mary Poppins approved photos that are practically perfect in every way. Even my eight year old daughter managed to take this lovely photo of myself modeling my outfit of the day. 

Above all, I was thoroughly impressed with the macro feature. Check out this close-up of a flower from my garden taken after a light rainfall.

It was also impressive to see how well the PowerShot S200 captured the rainbow of colours in this photo of handmade teacher thank you cards my daughter and I put together.

And the way it captured the contrast of light and dark while maintaining the vibrant colours of the outdoors is truly remarkable.

The Canon® PowerShot S200 is also great for taking video and offers 720p HD movie with stereo sound capability. Weighing in at less than half a pound, this camera sure packs a punch! It includes a wrist strap, a battery pack and a battery charger. Originally listed at $349.99, the PowerShot S200 is currently available at a cost of $249.97 at Staples. Fortunately, I have the opportunity to give one away to a lucky reader here on Toronto Teacher Mom! For a chance to win, complete the Rafflecopter form below. Open to Canadian residents only.

Now that "busy season" at my office has reached its conclusion, I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you one of my favourite subjects to photograph: birds.

Living in the Hamilton area, there are many excellent places to go birding. These include:

While Hamilton is easily dismissed as an industrial town, there are many green spaces to enjoy with your family. On a suggestion from a friend, I moved slightly out of the boundaries of Hamilton to attend a "Raptors in Focus" event at the Mountsberg Conservation Area.

The Mountsberg Conservation Area is located in Campbellville and is easily accessible from Highway 401 (if you are coming from the GTA) or Highway 6. One of the main features of Mountsberg is the Raptor Centre. At the Raptor Centre, employees and volunteers of the Halton Conservation Authority care for various raptors that are no longer able to be released back into the wild. Many raptors are in care at the Centre and include owls, hawks, eagles, and falcons.

One of the more frequently appearing raptors, is a Great Horned Owl named Octavius.

The Raptor Centre holds various events to promote awareness and education of various birds of prey. Available with general admission to the park is access to the Birds of Prey shows. These occur regularly on the weekends at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. and at varying times during the week (depending on whether school is in session).

For those that are a bit more brave and have a few extra bucks, you can have a more private show by booking a Raptor Encounter. The Raptor Encounter allows you to have a personal introduction to some of the birds at the Centre. You may be able to experience some training or even hold one of the raptors!

On a monthly basis, the Centre holds a Raptors in Focus event. For a small fee, up to fifteen photographers can engage in a private photo shoot. During the hour-long event, four raptors are brought out and perched in a easy to photograph position. I attended two of these events this year. The first on March 29 and the second on May 31. It was a great experience and I believe that the results speak for themselves.

While it was quite cool (okay, freezing) in March, the surroundings were quite picturesque and allowed for great contrast between the bird and the background. The weather was much more friendly on May 31 and allowed for some more exploration of the park after the event concluded.

If you ever wish to attend a Raptors in Focus event, I recommend bringing a DSLR camera with a telephoto lens of around 200mm or more. A tripod is not necessary but may be advisable if you use a heavier lens. A shameless plug, but you can see more of my Mountsberg photos on my Flickr page.

There are plenty of other activities to enjoy at Mountsberg which include observing the bison, watching the nesting birds from the blind at the reservoir, attending the maple syrup event, enjoying the surroundings, etc.

I hope that in reading this post, you feel a bit more inclined go out and enjoy more of what nature has to offer. Don't forget to share some of your photos, too! Feel free to use the linky below.

Oh, happy June! For a while there, it seemed this month would never arrive. And we had that relentless winter to blame for it. Now that summer is just around the corner, I am going to soak up the nice weather as I count down to summer vacation. I may even consider bringing out the laptop and working on report cards while sipping pink lemonade on the patio. In fact, I'm going to embrace everything summer this month. With the Staples #30SummerDays photo campaign, I am going to be taking pictures that capture summer moments and sharing them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Using the calendar I designed below as inspiration, you can join in, too. Just be sure to tag your photos with the #30SummerDays hashtag.

On Day 1, we're sharing photos of something that brings us luck. I took this photo of the half-heart necklace charm my husband and I received as a wedding gift from his relatives in Italy. On our first anniversary, I had our first initials engraved; mine on his and his on mine.

At the end of the month, I will be giving away a WiFi-enable point-and-shoot camera similar to the one Staples sent me for this campaign. So stay tuned to find out how you can win. Participation in the photo challenge is not required but if you still want to share, tag me in your tweets and posts so I can see some of your #30SummerDays photos!

I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of this series and that you are beginning to feel more comfortable entering the wonderful world of DSLR photography. Now that you have absorbed the first five tips, let's now move on to the top five.

5. Read the manual.

 

468 pages? Yikes!

Your first instinct may be to go bananas snapping pictures with your new camera, and it's perfectly ok to do so. However, after you get that bug out of your system, it's important that you read the manual. Many of the fancier settings may be buried in menus or limited to a certain shooting mode. It is also a good idea to learn how to change shooting modes such as Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, etc.

In addition to shooting modes, it is a good idea to learn how to change file types and sizes, drive mode, white balance, etc.  If all this sounds foreign to you, that's alright, it will become second nature after some practice. Learning all of the functions of your camera will let you get the most out of your investment. 
 

4. Consider an off-camera flash.

 

Yes, I'm suggesting that you spend even more money! Most entry level cameras come with a built-in flash, so why would you get another one? Good question. There are several reasons to get a separate flash:

• The built-in flash is quite anemic and requires a longer recharge cycle 
• An off-camera flash uses its own set of batteries, preserving the camera battery during longer shoots 
• A built-in flash is more susceptible to creating red-eye  
• Off-camera flashes also provide more features such as remote triggering, auto-focus assist beams, and the ability to aim the flash to bounce off walls and ceilings. 

 

3. Get a tripod.

 

Now, a tripod need not be expensive, but it should be able to handle the weight of your camera and lens with capacity to spare. Even with image stabilization technology, you will not be able to keep your hands steady enough during longer exposures or at extreme focal lengths. Long exposures help in low light situations or when you want to add some creative motion-blur (think of those dreamy looking waterfall pictures: shameless plug).

A tripod will also allow you to use the camera remote shutter or timer function to allow you to quickly get in a family picture. As you move ahead in your photography hobby, you'll notice that virtually none of your pictures include yourself.

 

2. Learn the exposure triangle.

 

Yes, this isn't the most exciting concept to learn, but it is one of the most important to understand. The interaction and limitations of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO sensitivity dictates what your picture will look like. I won't try to explain this concept here, however there are many tutorials all over the internet. One of my favourite sites is Cambridge in Colour. Their explanation of the exposure triangle can be found here.

My sister was kind enough to let me continue posting on her blog. You may remember my first blog post, which was a review of the services provided by Posterjack.

While I am still an amateur in the realm of photography, many of my friends (and even my sister) ask me questions related to the operation of their camera and related gear. I still struggle with the artistic side of photography, however I feel very comfortable discussing some of its more technical aspects. What I hope to accomplish with this post is to provide you a top ten list of items you may wish to consider when beginning with DSLR (digital single lens reflex) photography.

Note that while many of these concepts apply to all DSLR cameras, my experience is primarily with Canon products. (Psst! If you're on Twitter, join in the #Aflkids Twitter chat on Monday, February 3 for a chance to win a Canon EOS Rebel SL1!)

Part 1 of this two-part series will cover the first five tips. 

10. Pay attention to kit lenses.

One of the main advantages of DSLR cameras is that you can change out the lens. Many entry level DSLR cameras come in a bundle that includes one or more lenses. Quite often (but not all of the time) these "kit lenses" aren't the best when it comes to optical and build quality. Many of these lenses have smaller apertures (more on this later) which can make taking pictures in low light situations more difficult. Also, these lenses may not be the focal length you need for the type of photography you want to do.

I'm not saying that kit lenses are bad. However, it is important that you consider what type of lens(es) are included in your bundle before making the purchase. You may be better off buying the camera body on its own and using the left over funds towards a more appropriate lens.

9. Don't get caught up in megapixels.

The race towards having the greatest number of megapixels (MP) has pretty much moved beyond what a regular consumer needs to print photos for their personal use. As such, the number of megapixels a camera can capture is no longer a significant consideration. Canon's entry level DSLR bodies already offer 18 MP sensors. This is more than enough for your use. 

My first digital camera, from many, many moons ago, was less than 2 megapixels. I recently blew up one of its photos to a 4x6 print without any issues. I feel confident that I could get an 8x10 out of the file as well. 

8. Watch your wallet. (a.k.a. Apologies to my spouse.)

Don't expect to hold on to these for long...

Getting involved is DSLR photography can be an expensive choice. Entry level camera bodies can run in the $500 range and go up from there. Lenses can also cost a fair bit of coin. Some of the entry level lenses are around the $300 range (kit lenses) but more decent glass will start around $700. While there are exceptions out there, a good collection of camera equipment will easily push you past the $1,000 mark. 

This isn't to say that to start out in DSLR photography requires you to spend thousands of dollars right from the start, it's simply a warning that the "habit" can get quite expensive. I speak from extensive experience in this respect.  

Some ways to save money include:

It's a new year, a fresh start, twelve months of memories waiting to be made. Reflecting on the year 2013, there are so many moments that I have to cherish and I am grateful for each and every one. But I am also thankful for you, my readers, who have joined me throughout my blogging journey. It has been such a ride and I am looking forward to another amazing year. Earlier, I came across Nadia's post on Instagram apps and was compelled to try Statigr.am. It was quite easy to create a very short video snapshot of some of the highlights of my Instragram feed. And so, here it is. 

Happy New Year!

Last weekend, my husband's cousin Erika, who's visiting from Milan and studying English here in Toronto, wanted to practice her photography by taking pictures of the kids at Evergreen Brick Works. She styled them up and then snapped away while the kids played and explored the Children's Garden. Her work is beautiful and I hope to be able to share some of the photos with you soon. In the meantime, here are two that I took using my iPhone: