CELEBRATE FREEDOM!

What does freedom feel like?  What can freedom do for you?  What does it mean to you to be free?  Well, that is certainly a different answer for each of us.  There is nothing like feeling free though!  Feeling free to enjoy downtime with our families, feeling free to relax a little and enjoy life, feeling free enough from the stress that sometimes we feel from making sure that EVERYTHING that needs to be done is done!  Well, there isn’t ANY scrapbooking program that can give you freedom in ALL the areas of your life, but My Memories Suite CAN create a sense of freedom in your quest to chronicle and preserve your family’s story!  It is packed FULL of great tools and features that will make any project you do FAST and FUN!  MMS is packed full of great Designer Templates to help you get started and offers a great selection in the Design Shop to cover most any other topic you might be looking for!  We would LOVE for you to feel FREE from the stress and pressure that can come from trying to create the perfect scrapbook – it does NOT need to be hard for you to feel proud of your results!  There are TONS of ways you can share your projects when you are done that will FREE you from trying to make sure that you create equally for everyone!  Attend a family reunion lately??? You CAN create an amazing history of that event in no time, then with the click of the mouse, save it as a slide show, burn it to DVD, or CD and for very little cost, send one out to everyone that was there – BEFORE the next reunion! 

Summer is a GREAT time of year to catch up on things – the kids are out of school, and even though schedules are still crazy – you can set aside a little time to create a wonderful memory book or project for your family!  If you are REALLY good, you can use your My Memories Suite software NOW to create wonderful projects and gifts ahead of time to prepare for the gift-giving holidays that we all know are coming!

It’s never too late to get started and you are NEVER too far behind!  We have a couple of GREAT promotions going on now to give you just the push you need to jump in!

Use promo code: FREEDOM15 at checkout to save 15% on your MMS purchase OR use promo code: MMSJuly4 to get the great Designer Template kit “Americana” FREE with $5.00 purchase!

So you have NO excuse NOT to get going!  Put MMS on your laptop and it is ready to go on vacation with you – stop wondering, stop waiting – and just get going!  We are also continuing to host ONLINE free “Intro to MMS” workshops to help you get a brief overview of the features and functions of your new MMS software, so be sure to email for the upcoming schedule! We would LOVE for you to join us!

… and don’t forget to make a memory today!

Lisa J.
lisaj@mymemoriessuite.com

Have a Scrap Happy Summer!

What is MORE fun than the lazy days of summer??? Okay – I know – summer is busy too, but usually our schedules are a little more relaxed ~ okay, I said a LITTLE!  Try and make the most of this time to get caught up on your spring scrapbook pages and get a jump on summer!

This is a great time to finish up the “end-of-school” pages, or get those memories on paper if you had a Graduation this year!  The more time that goes by, the more the details fade and it really does make it harder to re-create those great pages!  So, pull those photos OFF those memory cards, get them OFF that hard drive, and get them ON to your pages!

Take advantage of some great offers we have going right now at MMS to get re-energized or to stock up on goodies from the Design Shop!  Use the PROMO CODE: DADSandGRADS to save 15% on your purchase.  That will help get the goodies you need to create the pages that you will love to love!

Summer is also a time for FANTASTIC photo opportunities when kids are outside, at the lake, at the pool, at the beach, in the yard… those precious photos are really some of the best of childhood in my book!  There is something about the late summer afternoon sunshine that just makes little freckled faces light up!  Don’t miss your chance to capture those moments for later!

There are LOTS of fun kits and packs in the MMS Design Shop that will get you going quickly!  Remember that ANY element included in a Designer Template comes individually with your purchase so you can create TONS of pages from scratch too!  You can also alter the Designer Template pages in any way you wish to put together pages that *feel* like your own in no time flat!

There is NO excuse!! You CAN stay on track!  You CAN create a keepsake album that your family will treasure forever!

Just get started today!  You’ll be up-to-date in no time!

So, don’t forget to make a memory today ~ but don’t forget to preserve your memories from yesterday either!

Also, remember if you need help, I am hosting weekly ONLINE “Intro to MMS” for Version 1 and Version 2 – if you need help getting started, or just want to learn more about what your software can do!  Just email me for more information!

Lisa J.

lisaj@mymemoriessuite.com

Have you ever wondered…?

Have you seen ads featuring My Memories Suite and wanted to know more? Do you have Version 1 and wanted to check out Version 2 before you buy it? Well, now you have the chance! We are hosting LIVE interactive ONLINE workshops nearly every week for those of you who want to see what MMS can do! These fun workshops are also great if you already own MMS and want to learn some of the “tips and tricks” to help you get going quickly and COMPLETE some of those projects that have been sitting on the shelf! This is also a great way to introduce your friends, who haven’t gotten in on MMS yet – to the most exciting digital scrapbooking software out there!

We invite you to join us at one of the upcoming workshops. The “Intro to MMS – Version1″ and “Intro to MMS – Version 2″ are both completely online, and completely FREE. Please send an email to me if you would like to be notified of the next round and we will get you signed up! You do NOT need to have My Memories Suite (either version) installed on your computer to attend. The workshop is held in a “GoToMeeting” format and you can see and hear everything on the host screen as they give an overview of some of the major features of each version.

Please check it out and see for yourself – we hope EVERYONE learns something new, or brings something new to share to each and every workshop!

Email me if you are interested – and we will get the link information to you for the next round which will be coming up soon!

…and don’t forget to make a memory today!!!

Lisa J.
lisaj@mymemoriessuite.com

Don’t be afraid of *Exposure*!!

Here is the latest in the Photography series from our fabulous *Suite Chick* Mary – who is our resident Pro!  Another GREAT article on things we can do to improve our photographs ~ which just makes our pages better! 

So,  I’m late with my May article because I decided to change my topic last minute.  I had prepared a 4 series article on Action Photography.  I recently taught a class on Action Photography to some of our varsity baseball moms and realized – before I can get these ladies off auto mode they MUST learn the importance of exposure.  We started the class with exposure and there were several “ah ha” moments and “the light bulb just went on” comments.  THEN, we were able to move on to Action Photography.  Stay tuned for the Action Photography articles next month!

In one word – “exposure” – is what photography is all about. Exposure is the total amount of light allowed to fall on the image sensor. In Greek, Photography means writing with light.  Exposure is the combination of three factors (ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture) that determine what the light writes… hence the Exposure Triangle. ISO measures the image sensor’s sensitivity to light. Aperture determines how much light enters the lens and is registered by the image sensor. Shutter Speed determines the amount of time the level of light enters the lens and is registered by the image sensor.

Why Does Exposure Matter?

Overexposed Images = loss of highlight detail, that is, when the bright parts of an image are effectively all white, known as “blown out highlights”.

Underexposed Images = loss of shadow detail, that is, the dark areas that are indistinguishable from black, known as “blocked up shadows”.

These terms are technical rather than artistic judgments; an overexposed or underexposed image may be “correct”, in that it provides the effect that the photographer intended.

The Exposure Triangle – ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture

Each one of the three elements of the triangle relate to light and how it enters and interacts with the camera. The combination of these three elements results in a given subject’s exposure value (EV). What is critical to remember is that any change in any one of these elements will cause a predictable impact on the other and consequently impact the final image (i.e. by changing the Aperture, you change depth of field; by changing ISO rating, you change the amount of light required to obtain an image, and by changing the Shutter Speed, you effect how motion is captured). You will never be able to independently control a given element, because you have to take into account how the other two elements will interact for the final exposure. Fortunately, the mathematics of photography just so happen to work in such a way that each element in the Exposure Triangle has a relative “stop of light” value. If you increase the light by one stop by reducing the Shutter Speed, you can regain the original EV by either decreasing the Aperture by the same stop value and/or adjusting the ISO rating accordingly.

A Little More Detail

ISO.  The measure of a digital camera sensor’s sensitivity to the amount of light present.

- The lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the image sensor and therefore the possibility to take pictures in low-light situations.

- Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds (for example an indoor sports event when you want to freeze the action in lower light) – however the cost is noisier shots.

Aperture.
The size of the opening in the lens when a picture is taken. The larger the hole the more light that gets in – the smaller the hole the less light. The aperture is like a pupil.

Aperture is measured in ‘f-stops’. You control the aperture by setting the “Aperture Opening”, also known as an F-Stop i.e. f/2.8,f/4,f/5.6,f/8,f/22 etc. Moving from one f-stop to the next doubles or halves the size of the amount of opening in your lens and therefore the amount of light getting through.

Smaller F-stops = larger openings. Larger openings = more light

Shutter Speed. The amount of time that the shutter is open.

Changing each element not only impacts the exposure of the image but each one also has an impact upon other aspects of it (ie changing aperture changes depth of field, changing ISO changes the graininess of a shot and changing shutter speed impacts how motion is captured).

Using Automatic or Manual Exposure?

Automatic Exposure (AE) mode automatically calculates and adjusts exposure settings in order to match (as closely as possible) the subject’s mid-tone to the mid-tone of the photograph.

Aperture Priority mode gives the photographer manual control of the aperture, whilst the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed to achieve the exposure specified by the TTL meter.  

Shutter Priority mode gives manual shutter control, with automatic aperture compensation. In each case, the actual exposure level is still determined by the camera’s exposure meter.

Manual mode is where the photographer adjusts BOTH the lens aperture and shutter speed to achieve the desired exposure. Many photographers need to control aperture and shutter independently because opening up the aperture increases exposure, but also decreases the depth of field, and a slower shutter increases exposure but also increases the opportunity for motion blur.

Keep in mind that Aperture controls Depth of Field, Shutter Speed controls

focus/blur and ISO controls graininess.

So what is correct exposure?  When the camera effectively reproduces a subject on the image sensor where the most uniform amount of picture information is visible in the highlights, midtones and shadows. Most dSLRs today have an EV meter in the viewfinder that provides an EV on the subject that you are metering. An effective way of ensuring a correct exposure is to employ Exposure Bracketing. This is a technique in which you’ll be taking at least 3 exposures – one at the designated exposure value (EV), one 1/3 of an f/stop above, and one at 1/3 of an f/stop below. On some features-laden cameras, you set the ISO, f-stop and shutter to acquire an exposure value (provided by the TTL meter), and press the shutter release. The camera will automatically shoot the upper and lower bracketed exposure. When you review the bracketed exposures, you’ll be able to see subtle, but key differences in the images – most specifically if there is any over- or underexposure.

The wonderful thing about digital photography is that you can continue to experiment at no cost to you as you learn and master the three elements of the Exposure Triangle, going from semi-automatic to full manual. It takes a certain amount of practice and storing a great deal of information in your head… but master it you can!

Mary M.

Adding Music & Narration to your Slideshow! :-)

Congratulations!  You have some great pages digi-scrapped and you’re ready to create a DVD.  Before you burn it, consider adding music or narration to really add a special touch (and quite honestly make it that much more interesting!).  Adding music to your pages adds more depth and can create a mood that is like the bow on top of the package.  It makes the show fun to watch and listen to!  The hardest part?  Deciding WHAT song to use, of course!

Do you want light-hearted, fun songs, songs that tell a beautiful story or music that has a special meaning?  What genre?  Country?  Classical?  Rock?  Christian?  Pop? Jazz?  The possibilities are endless and can create whatever mood the pages are intended to portray. It’s all personal preference and limited only to your music library!

The best part is that it is quick and easy to do and can be added to ANY album matching any theme!  Christmas pages?  Carols of course!  Baby/kids’ pages?  Play your favorite lullaby or your child’s favorite song.  Wedding album?  Play classical music or the love song that you and your spouse danced to the very first time.  Remember, it’s not just pictures that create memories but sounds, too.  Music and voices can bring back memories the moment they’re heard.

Another way to add a special touch to your albums is to add narration.  Does your computer have a built-in microphone?  Use it!  I created a “movie” for a client’s surprise party for her husband’s retirement.  Many years ago, her husband composed a beautiful heart-felt poem for her and she wanted that included.  I scanned it and placed in the movie.  The writing was too small to have all the guests read from the projection screen so I recorded my husband reading it (obviously it would have been better to have HER husband read it but because it was a surprise, well, you see my point!).  It brought tears to every eye in the room.  Had we not added that narration, no one would have been able to read it and

Other narration could be the sweet sound of your child’s voice, a grandparent reading a favorite story for your child, you and your family sharing memories – ANY voice adding narration can create an unbelievably special memory, one that is worth preserving and sharing.

If you haven’t placed music or narration into your albums, first create your album (I LOVE Ettes Designs in the Design Shop at My Memories Suite) and consider the mood you would like your album to portray.  Songs will just pop into your head as you go along because you’ll tend to use songs that are your favorites!  Once you’re ready to add music, follow these easy steps:

1. At the top menu bar, select Insert > Add music.
2. Navigate to where your music is stored on the computer and select the song you wish to add to the album; select “open”.
3. That’s all you have to do!  You’ll see the name of the song at the bottom of the screen!

Want to add narration to a page?  Select the page you wish to narrate (make sure you’re open on that page) and follow these steps:

1. At the top menu bar, select Insert > Add page narration.
2. Select the “record” button to record the narration (you even have the option to re-record if need be!).  At this point, notice that there’s a box at the bottom of the page to have music that may be in the album playing softly in the background.  If you’d like this option, select the box “background music (faded)”.  If this box is not selected, the music will automatically stop when the narration begins and will begin playing once the narration is completed.  Once the narration is recorded satisfactorily, click “ok” and it will be added to that page.

Have fun adding these special touches to your DVD!

Jackie L. ~ Creative Team

All Aboard the MMS Easter Blog Train!

Allll Abooooaarrddd! It’s time to ride the My Memories Suite blog train!

Grab your tickets and get on board!

Happy Hoppy Easter to one and all! It is time to ride the My Memories Suite blog train again! We are super excited this time around to have some guest bloggers joining the train! In addition to blogs of our Creative Team, we are happy to introduce you to some blogs of our Facebook fans! They each share memories and events from their lives and how thy use My Memories Suite to create wonderful projects to preserve and share their family’s story. We would love to have you join us for this Blog Train ride!

So, get a glass of tea, a soda, or some hot chocolate, and then grab your ticket to ride! We will be visiting a whole train of wonderful blogs. For the Blog Train contest you will need to read each post for the secret (or not so secret) number—don’t worry, you’ll be able to find it! Add up ALL the numbers from each blog post and then email me the TOTAL NUMBER. If you get lost along the way, the full list of blogs will be posted below for you to double check!

So hop on board! We have some wonderful prizes to give away this time! 10 lucky riders will win free $5.00 shopping coupons for the MMS Design Shop, 5 lucky riders will win $10.00 shopping coupons for the MMS Design Shop and 1 lucky rider will win the Grand Prize of My Memories Suite V2 software!

To Begin

We will start the train with Sarah’s blog! We all have gotten to know Sarah through the wonderful challenges she has been posting to the Facebook page. Our friends and fans have created some wonderful pages under her direction and with her ideas for inspiration. It is such a treat to have Sarah leading the train this go ’round!

Be sure to pick up some great ideas and inspiration along the way! Enjoy the ride!

…And don’t forget, to make a memory today!
—Lisa J.

lisaj@mymemoriessuite.com

Here is the list in case you missed a stop!

Sarah’s blog: http://www.scraphappysarah.blogspot.com/

Jamie’s blog (our first guest blogger!) http://www.thedaytodayofgianna.blogspot.com/

Mary and Jackie’s blog: http://thememoryboutique.blogspot.com/

Bree’s blog (our second guest blogger!) http://onlythewilsons.blogspot.com/

Brooke’s blog: http://lovingthefreelife.blogspot.com/

Jessica’s blog (our last guest blogger for the Easter Blog Train!) http://www.scrapdigitally.com/

Lisa’s blog: http://www.imsewkrazy.blogspot.com/

and finally here to the MMS blog!

** FOR EXTRA ENTRIES ~ POST A COMMENT TO THE BLOG HERE, OR BECOME A FACEBOOK FAN OR A NEW FOLLOWER ON TWITTER ~ we are TWEETS4SUITES!  MAKE A NOTE OF THAT IN YOUR EMAIL TO LISA FOR EXTRA CHANCES TO WIN!! **

Capture the Moment…

Last month we talked about the Rule of Thirds, the most well-known principle of photographic composition.  Now let’s talk about other aspects of composition…

Composition, the act of composing the image in the viewfinder, is the visual process of organizing the elements and individual details of a scene into a balanced and pleasing arrangement.  It is largely a matter of personal taste. What one person finds pleasing, someone else may not. A composition that clearly and interestingly conveys the photographer’s intended meaning is an effective one. A composition that doesn’t or that confuses the viewer is not effective and can make or break an image.  Below are some popular composition guidelines:

Change Your Angle. Not only does changing your shooting angle impact the feeling of size of your subject but it can also have a real effect upon the light and shade and patterns on it.

(In these 2 images, I climbed higher than the boys so I could get a better view of what they were looking. If I would have taken the shot at eye level you would not have been able to see the rocks under water that they were looking at through their goggles.)

Fill the Frame. A person’s facial features tend to disappear when you move more than a few meters away from them. While it can be appropriate to take shots that put a person in context with the environment that they are in – they often get lost in the scene.

(Almost all subjects will look more interesting close up. Just look at the detail in the flower that you don’t notice in the image where the flower doesn’t fill the frame.)

Watch your Background. You don’t always want to fill the frame with the subject. Sometimes you want a little space around the subject, or you want to show the environment around your subject. But make sure you keep distracting, or unappealing things out of your viewfinder. Be sure that you don’t miss the occasional tree (or other object) appearing to stick out of your subject’s head. Simply moving the camera angle slightly usually eliminates the unwanted object. Look around for a plain and unobtrusive background and compose your shot so that it doesn’t distract or detract from the subject.

(These images of the boy swinging were taken on the same rope swing. I walked a few yards around the pond to get the view without all the distractions. How easy is that?)

Simplify. Don’t try to include too much in the image. The viewer won’t know what to look at. Try to keep only those things that are essential to the subject in the frame. Remember that the outer edge of the frame is also part of the picture and don’t let something distracting on the fringes take your viewers’ eyes away from your intended subject.

(I didn’t include the little girls face in this image because my intent was to focus on those adorable little chunky legs and that gorgeous sunlight in the background. Simple!)

There IS more to good composition than the placement of elements. Lighting, shutter speed, depth of field and other considerations contribute to a picture’s mood and clarity of what the picture is saying, and therefore the effectiveness of its composition. We’ll cover those topics soon!

Once you start observing the principles of composition, employing them will become second nature to you. The best way to learn and to improve your composition is by practicing and experimenting. With the dawn of the digital age in photography we no longer have to worry about film processing costs. As a result, experimenting with our photos’ composition has become a real possibility; we can fire off tons of shots and delete the unwanted ones at absolutely no extra cost. Take advantage of this and experiment with your composition – you never know whether an idea will work until you try it. Your images will greatly improve and people will start commenting on how great they look! So go ahead and… capture the moment.

~ Mary M.

CONTEST!
If you have an image that you feel is well-composed, post it on the Facebook page for our fans to see and our FANS get to be the voters! The top 5 winners will receive the textured images below via download from Mary Moseley Photography. Your images will also be highlighted on Mary’s Blog. If you have any composition tips of your own feel free to post them too!

Easter is right around the corner! Save those precious memories!

Creating a Cohesive Look for your pages!

One thing that I love about My Memory Suite is the ability to create without thinking – let me explain.  Sometimes I just want to sit down and not worry about what will match or coordinate on my page.  For example, when I sat down to scrap part of my Easter from last year all I had to do was pick the kit I wanted.  Once I knew what kit I wanted I could easily look at all of the coordinating papers or embellishments for that kit and I knew they would all match and would look great together.  That is very important for me, especially when I’m making a lot of pages for big events or holidays.  Easter is coming so start looking for those kits that are a must have for your special day, like the Blue Skies Pack from the Ette’s and Company that I used for my layouts.  So whether you want to let your creativity shine and mix or match with multiple kits or stick with a single kit and keep a simple cohesive look you can do it all with My Memory Suite.  Most importantly – have fun and capture those memories.

So, take a look at all the wonderful kits that there are in the My Memories Suite Design Shop – you are sure to find something that is just right for your project.  Remember you can ALWAYS mix and match!  And if you get stuck you can always find someone to offer a creative helping hand either on our active Facebook page or follow us on Twitter – we’re “Tweets4Suites” !  We do a lot of fun giveaways and challenges!  Don’t miss out!

… and for a limited time you can save 10% by using the promo code: GMC10off at checkout!

Happy Scrapping!

Brooke

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

You won’t be needin’ the Luck o’ the Irish, to complete your very first successful album in My Memories Suite V2 software!  V2 (and V1) are both jam packed with all kinds of wonderful tools and accessories to give you a professional looking result from your very first project!  Whether you start with one of the FAB-U-LOUS Designer Templates, or strike out on your own and create an album from scratch, you are assured that you will be pleased with your results from the very first page.  This program is quick and easy to learn, but still feature-packed enough to keep up with the most seasoned scrapper!  To get through a project quickly, I usually start with a Designer Template.  Luck of the Irish is featured here from the recently released Quick Design Club CD.  If you haven’t signed up for the Quick Design Club yet, why not try it out?  Your first CD is free and it is only $14.99 every OTHER month, and you can cancel anytime!  The Club allows you access to the newest releases BEFORE you can buy them in the Design Shop and you get 5-6 kits for $14.99!

So, check it out and sign up today!  Ye won’t be needin’ a pot-o-gold from that sneaky little Leprechaun either, My Memories Suite, Version 2 is available for the low price of $39.97 (and is even cheaper if you already own V1)!  You can also check out a great new combo pack from Designer, Meredith Cardall called “Lucky In Love” for only $6.97!

Mix and Match! There’s no catch!

Have you checked out the great paper packs in the MMS Design Shop? Some of our designers feature beautiful paper packs that don’t have any embellishments. Let this be an opportunity for your creativity to shine by mixing and matching embellishments from other kits There are so many great designers of scrapbooking kits that it is often hard to pick your favorite. Don’t feel obligated to feature just one designer for your layouts – Mix and match embellishments and papers from your favorite designers to make the perfect page. Also consider embellishing a template page with embellishments in your stash to make it uniquely yours. Below is a Template page from the Family Defined Template pack by StoryRock. I swapped the background for one from Dana Zarling’s Champagne Wishes Paper Pack. Then I added a few embellishments from Barbara Ryan’s Sweet Girl kit. I think the final product is adorable. Switch up some of your kits, templates and embellishments today. You might be able to make some “suite” pages with them.

Happy Scrappin’!

Sarah ~

… and don’t forget to check out my blog for more great ideas!

ScrapHappySarah