Shelby McQuilkin has been a visual artist and instructor for over twenty years, carrying a passion for art and creativity and a desire to help others develop in their artistic abilities. A professional photographer with an emphasis on fine art photography, she has had several of her photos published in books and magazines. She is currently finishing up a project that is near and dear to her heart, a book about and for creative women called “Creative Courage: Releasing the Artist Within.” A celebration of women with the courage to release their creative gifts to the world, the book compiles over nine months of photographs and interviews of local musicians, painters, sculptors and craftswomen, sharing their struggles and victories, and encouraging other creative women in their respective journeys.
Shelby lives in Arvada with her husband and son, and also photographs the local music scene with her husband, who covers the music scene as a freelance journalist and blogger.
#1 by Carol Wade on October 4, 2010 - 7:45 PM
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Hi Shelby!
I’m very interested in taking one of your photography classes, but am not available for this run of classes.
Do you always offer them?
Many thanks!
Carol
#2 by Shelby on October 18, 2010 - 4:09 PM
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The next series of classes will begin in January. Check out the photography class page on this site for more information.
#3 by Shelby on October 18, 2010 - 4:29 PM
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Cristy,
I know how disappointing it can be when you take a bunch of photos only to find they aren’t what you expected. It’s hard to for me to know exactly what happened since I don’t have much information. I will give you some things things about:
1. Use a tripod. Professional photographers use tripods to insure that the camera is steady while the image is being taken. An image may look sharp on your LCD, but when you start looking closely you’ll find that the image isn’t as sharp as you want. Camera shake it the number one reason images become blurred.
2. Use a higher shutter speed to stop motion.
3. If you are using a DSLR, make sure that your lens is set to auto focus and not manual focus.
4. Make sure you press your shutter button down slightly, (pre-focusing) allowing your camera to find focus before pressing down all the way.
5. Make sure there is nothing wrong with your lens. I had a malfunctioning lens and had to send it in for repairs. Every photo I took was blurry and no matter what I did to fix the problem it still occurred. I had to mail the lens to Canon for repairs.
These are just a few ideas. Just keep working on it. The more you practice the better you get.