(Re)Fresh(Re)Fresh(Re)Fresh December 2008

Hello!

Life is, at times, the art of practicing of patience. Ironically in this fast-paced world it is patience that still

goes along way… from taking great photographs, growing a beautiful garden to reaching your goals. As the

saying goes, “Patience is a virtue and virtue is a grace….” My grandfather always use to finish the saying off

with, “… and Grace is a little girl that never washed her face.” All jokes aside, patience is a gift, one that I

aspire to have more of, and this month’s (Re)Fresh points out how practicing patience could help you

achieve some great results.

Photographer Natasha Whiteley explores the art taking great family photographs. It comes down to being

patient and allowing your family to do what they do best this Christmas ...and then capturing these precious

‘mucking-about-moments’ on camera. Read about it in Inspiring Festive Photography on page 4.

Andrew Mason, entrant of the Digital Photographer of the Year (2008), shares simple photography tips in

Capturing the Great Escape (page 8), helping you capture the landscapes or the cityscapes from your

holiday like a pro.

Cémanthe Harries, Life Change Specialist, shares the next three Keys to Success (page 12), a continuation

from the October edition of (Re)Fresh... just in time to help you plan your New Year resolutions.

Gardening requires patience and as Candice Newton discovered, if you don’t have green fingers you could

always learn from others. Read her great green tips in How Green does your Garden Grow ? (page 14)

Next month is all about ‘in with the new and out with the old’. It is

a new year and a new you. If you would like to contribute your

fresh ideas and articles please email refreshednow@gmail.com

Until the next edition, I wish you all a peaceful festive season full of

love, cheer and memories in the making… and of course, the

patience to let each moment unfold just as it should.

Cheers,

Monique Monique Monique Monique

Monique Boucher

(Re)Fresh Editor and Founder

Email:refreshednow@gmail.com

Blog: http://refreshtoday.blogspot.com/

Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow. -- Mahatma Gandhi

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Keys to Success by Cémanthe Harries 12

Inspiring Festive Photography

by Natasha Whiteley 4

(page 8), helping you capture the landscapes or the cityscapes from your

love, cheer and memories in the making… and of course, the

CONTENTS CONTENTS

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Capturing the Great Escape

by Monique Boucher

Photography by Andrew Mason 8

How Green does your Garden Grow?

by Candice Newton 14

4

It is almost Christmas time, a time of

PEACE, JOY, LAUGHTER and FUN and

capturing beautiful family memories.

But every time you whip out your

camera your family run away!

Stop torturing them and follow these few simple tips

to make capturing the festive memories fun and even

create wonderful memories while you are doing it.

Get up close and personal to your subject matter and

allow for the personality of your loved one to shine

through. Don’t be afraid of chopping off some of the

head, it won’t hurt, I promise. Zooming in not only

eliminates distracting backgrounds but allows you to

capture some lovely facial expressions and details

like the eyelashes, the nose and the lips.

Details are part of the story, so make an effort to in-

clude them.

Stop stressing that the kids do not look directly at

the camera. Rather capture them doing what they

do, playing ball outside, riding their bike, shooting

hoops and jumping in mud puddles. Capture the very

moments that make them kids.

Try and shoot from different angles whether you lie

on the ground and look up or stand on a chair and

look down. There are endless options and the beauty

of digital photography is you only print the ones you

love and delete the ones that didn’t work out.

Be careful of capturing glowing red eyes, especially

when shooting indoors. If possible turn off your flash

or soften it by placing a piece of tissue in front of it

attached with a rubber band. You will notice the

difference.

Inspiring Festive Photography

By Natasha Whiteley , Contemporary photographer

Above: It wasn’t really raining here. The “rain” is coming from a hosepipe dangling in the tree above

her.

“Try and shoot from different angles

whether you lie on the ground and look

up or stand on a chair and look down.

There are endless options and the

beauty of digital photography is you

only print the ones you love …”

like the eyelashes, the nose and the lips.

attached with a rubber band. You will notice the

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Above: Shooting from different perspectives—this photograph was shot laying

on the ground and pointing the camera up.

Above: A bucket full of bubbles –enough said!

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Details are so important, in life , especially over

the Christmas season. Capture the star at the top

of the Christmas tree, the table setting for lunch,

the food, the drinks, the kids’ hands as they rip

open their gifts, the mess they make with the

wrapping paper and the moment a kiss is planted

on a cheek. These are the details that make for

great pictures and great memories.

“Think about the little things that

makes your Christmas special, what

makes YOU smile and warms your

heart. “

Right: Photograph children at their level. Sit or lie on the floor to take your shot.

Above: You don’t always need to capture the face to get an interesting portrait. It’s the little details that make a story.

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Think about the little things that makes your Christmas

special, what makes YOU smile and warms your heart.

Write them down and then refer to this list to ensure

that you capture all of these moments this festive

season.

Be a kid again; use your imagination, keep things FUN

and that joy will show in your photographs, especially

when it is just captured naturally. Happy snapping!

Right: Eliminate busy backgrounds by getting nice and close

Natasha Whiteley specialises in children's

photography in the North West and Gauteng

area, South Africa. To see more of her work,

visit www.natashawhiteley.co.za

Capturing the Capturing the Capturing the Capturing the

Great Escape Great Escape Great Escape Great Escape

Photography by Photography by Photography by Photography by

Andrew MasonAndrew MasonAndrew MasonAndrew Mason

Article by Article by Article by Article by

Monique Boucher Monique Boucher Monique Boucher Monique Boucher

“When it comes to photography we know not to put a finger over the lens,” says

Andrew Mason, London-based photographer, “but there are more simple tips

that will make your holiday photographs, from natural beaches and country

fields, to bustling city streets, worth a thousand words.”

The Rule of Thirds

“This rule can be summed up as: don't put your subject

dead centre in the picture,” says Mason.

Apply this rule by imagining the camera

screen/viewfinder divided into a three by three grid

(some cameras even have a grid display function).

“Line up horizontal objects, like the skyline, with one of

the horizontal grid lines and vertical objects, like the

tree, with one of the vertical gridlines, and draw

attention to something of interest by lining it up with one

of the four points where the gridlines cross.”

Gridlines are approximated, in other words it is a rule you could be bent. Mason says that if your skyline

ends up just above or below a horizontal gridline and you need to fit everything you want into the picture,

it’s okay if the skyline running directly through the middle of the picture.

“When you look at a picture your brain will process it using the grid, right to left, top to bottom. So the

first thing you see in the picture will be whatever is in the top right box and the last thing will be whatever

is in the bottom left box.”

Leading the Eye

This technique draws your attention to the subject of the

picture. Typically the leading object, an unimportant

object, starts in one of the four corners of the frame and

creates a diagonal path leading the eye to the subject.

“Leading objects could be a road disappearing into the

distance or a beach curving away, both from the bottom

of the picture or the slope of a mountain or a roof from

the top of the picture,“ says Mason. “Double the impact

by combining this technique with the rule of thirds,

positioning your subject where two gridlines intersect.”

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Rule of thirds: Notice how the London Eye and the

city skyline each occupy either a vertical or horizontal

third of the image

Leading the eye: Although it is in the distant back-

ground note how the bridge leads the eye to the dome

of St. Paul’s.

Depth of Field

No matter what type of camera you have, an this is an ef-

fect you can use to make your pictures more interesting.

This technique has to do with what is in focus and what is

out of focus in the photograph. “Compact cameras have a

shallow depth of field, this is why sometimes the back-

ground of an image is out of focus even though it looked

in focus through the viewfinder (your eye has a much

deeper depth of field.)

Mason says you can use this technique by positioning your

camera close to your subject, pointing it directly at it and

then pressing the shutter button down halfway as you

would do to activate the auto focus. “Once the camera has

focused, move it so that the subject is off centre and you

have more of the background in the picture and take the

photograph. The further away the background is the more blurred it will be and therefore the sharper the

focus on your subject, making it stand out.” For a different effect, Mason recommends blurring the fore-

ground and creating a sharp focus on something in the distance.

Simple photography rules can help you capture a moment but these rules can also be bent.

“One could break one of the basic rules and take a photo directly into the light to cast a shadowy

silhouette or an interesting halo of light surrounding a person or object. This could add an interesting di-

mension to what would otherwise be another sunrise or sunset photograph.” says Mason.

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dead centre in the picture,” says Mason.

tree, with one of the vertical gridlines, and draw

“One could break one of the basic rules and take a photo directly into the light to

cast a shadowy silhouette or an interesting halo of light surrounding a

person or object...”

Photography by Andrew Mason, entrant of Digital Photographer of the Year, 2008.

To view Mason’s photography, visit http://www.staticlight.com/

Depth of field: By blurring the background the flowers

now stand out where they would otherwise have been

lost against the foliage behind them.

“The further away the background is the

more blurred it will be and therefore the

sharper the focus on your subject, making

it stand out.”

Keys to Success

Artwork : Light through Leaves’ (Oil Pastel) by Monique Boucher. 2008 13

Cémanthe Harries, Life Change Specialist of Puzzle Piece – Inspiring Change,

helps us re-evaluate the life we really want to be living by sharing the next three

of the 10 keys to success, a continuation from the October edition of (Re)Fresh.

4. Take Action

Now that you know what success means to you and have goals to achieve in order to be successful by your

own standards, the next important step is to take action. Nothing is achieved or gained by sitting around.

Many people spend their lives wishing something would happen or that things would go their way… what

they don’t realise is that when you want to achieve a goal, you have to take action. It could be a small step

every day or a weekly task. Once you have modelled a master ( as in Key 2), you realise they decided on

their goals, made the plans and taken the steps to achieve them.

5. Healthy Body / Healthy Mind

This is an important point to consider. If you are tired, stressed and overwhelmed the chances are that you

won’t get much done. Looking after your body is an important part of being able to make the most of the

time given to you. Research what nutrients and vitamins you need each day, drink plenty of water, eat fruit

and vegetables and get at least 8 hours of sleep each night on a regular basis. Your brain is linked to your

body and how it functions is a direct result of how you treat yourself physically.

6. Quality Time for Yourself

This is also related to looking after your body in order to have a healthy mind. It’s necessary to take some

time for yourself, especially in today’s world of rushing around and stress. This time should be a minimum

of 30 minutes everyday. Use this time to do something you enjoy, like reading, knitting, painting etc,

that can be done without needing anyone else to be involved. This gives you some space between your list

of daily activities and creates a time to renew and revitalise your mind and body in a rushed world.

For the next four Keys to Success, read the January edition of (Re)Fresh.

Cémanthe Harries, Life Change Specialist, is the founder and MD of Inspiring

Change based in the UK. Inspiring Change on the personal development of

individuals and the improvement of corporate culture.

The mission of Inspiring Change is to work with you to achieve the life you

want. Their unique model, The Change Process, takes you through easy steps

to achieving your goals. Contact Cémanthe Harries for a free consultation at

cemanthe@InspiringLifeChange.com

Do you manage to kill any pot plant you

come in contact with… even though you

have only good intentions? If you want

a lush green garden but instead have

Yellowing plants and shriveled fruit,

these tips are for you…

I should be one of the first to stand up and shout

“Amen at that!”. My gardening skills are very limited.

I use to over-water and fuss over my plants…that’s

until they died. My fiancé on the other hand seems

to have been born with a green thumb. Everything

he plants GROWS! None-the-less, I don’t give up, I

am a keen student and have learnt the following

from him:

Watering - Never over water, even if your plant is

looks wilted, only water it with the regular amount of

water required. If you over water, you end up

drowning your plant. If the instruction is to water

your plant three times a week, then do that but use

your discretion when it comes to summer and winter.

General rule – summer = more and winter = less.

Replant — When replanting your plant in a larger

pot when it has outgrown its pot, try not to damage

the roots. Do not compact the soil as this will

suffocate the roots of your plant.

How Green does your How Green does your How Green does your How Green does your

garden Grow? garden Grow? garden Grow? garden Grow? By Candice Newton

“When replanting try not to damage

any roots and do not compact the soil,

suffocating the roots of your plant.”

Photography by Monique Boucher. 2008

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Pruning Patience — Pruning your plants, by removing unwanted branches and dying leaves, helps your

plant by ensuring attention is paid to the areas that need the water and nutrients the most. You can also

“train” your plant to grow in a direction or shape by pruning it the way you want it to grow. Sometimes it

is best not “fiddle” too much with the plant if it’s struggling, it may look dead but it could surprise you.

Plants I once thought we dead suddenly sprang to life after a month of care.

Acknowledge Uniqueness — Watch your pot plants and take note of where do they prefer to be.

Do they do better in the sun than in the shade? Or do they prefer a bit of both? Even if the label on the

plant says “full sun”, take time to hear what your plant is saying. Each plant is unique, treat them accord-

ing to their preferences. For example, Fynbos plants prefer sandy, acidic soil, so make sure you buy

fynbos potting soil otherwise your plant might not make it.

Feed — Feed your plants approximately once every three to six months. NutriSoil is a great liquid plant

feed you could try. Your dilute with water and lasts for quite a few feeds.

Cactus Care — If you own a Cactus you can share it with a friend by popping off a piece and planting it.

Most Cacti (fat succulents) will grow this way. Another succulent that this principle applies to is Sour Fig.

We broke off a piece and planted it. Although it looked dead for a while, after just three weeks it’s doing

very well and has lots of new leaves.

The most important thing is to be patient and “be like a parent”. Plants are like children so if you water,

feed, and give your plants some love and attention, they will most likely be healthy and happy!

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