Photography (in general)

The results from last week’s photography survey are back! The overwhelming majority of you want to know more about your DSLR and Photoshop, which I’m crazy excited about! :)

At 17-years-old, I started out with a used and refurbished Canon 20D. I didn’t know anything about my camera or Photoshop, nor did I know anyone who could help me! I became an information hunter and found some fabulous resources. I’m going to share those resources with you today!

1. Read your camera’s manual. I know, it’s boring and dry, but it’s helpful. To make it more exciting, read a small section and then go outside and test out what you learned. For example, if you read the section on “Aperture Priority Mode”, go outside and take pictures of a leaf, applying the knowledge you just gained. You’ll be surprised by the differences.
2. Buy the book Designing with Photos. My little brother actually got this for me as a Christmas present. This was my “photography Bible” when I was still learning. It’s beautifully put together, easy to understand and will get your creativity flowing.
3. Go “like” Rock the Shot on Facebook. They feature articles from photographers on a variety of topics. This is the best internet resource I’ve found.
4. Find photographers who inspire you and analyze their work. What do you love about it? Here are some of my favorites:
   1. Michelle Moore
   2. Meg Borders
   3. Kelly Moore
   4. Deidre Lynn

I hope these resources help and wish you the very best of luck! If you have any questions, please type them in the box below or shoot me an email at erinehnle22@gmail.com. I’ll help in any way I can. :)

Cell Phone Photography

Last week, we discussed why it’s important to share photos of farming/agriculture. This week, we’ll talk about creating those photos. It may not be as hard as you think…

Without a doubt, our cell phones are a huge asset to our business. Many of us can hardly remember what it was like without them. Communication with each other in the field is a big deal. But by using your phone’s camera, you not only have the ability to communicate with one other person, you have the ability to communicate with the rest of the population. And that’s a very, very big deal.

Let’s communicate with the rest of the population. Let’s get the right image of agriculture out there.

Now, before you discount cell phone photos, look at these. Beautiful, aren’t they?

Though I’m still learning myself, here are a few tips:

1. Download Instagram. This cell phone app enables you to add effects to your photos with one tap of an icon. It makes them more interesting and dramatic. It’s a lot of fun! Plus, you’re a tap away from sharing your photos on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Flickr.
2. It’s all about perspective. I love the larger-than-life look, and I’m definitely not afraid of dirt. As a result, I shoot 90% (or more) photos laying down on my stomach. Yes, people look at me funny. I think the result is worth it. Give it a try! :)
3. Be aware. Once I got the photography bug a few years ago, I haven’t stopped looking around. Potential is everywhere.
4. Shoot into the sun at sunrise/sunset. This gives photos life. I’ve fallen in love with the unpredictability of sun flare. I think you will too.

Whether you have a DSLR, point-and-shoot camera or cell phone, you have the capability to showcase our way of life. I plan on blogging often about photography. After all, it’s what I love and probably why you’re here. Though I don’t know it all, I’d love to continue to offer photography tips.

What would you like to know more about? Please check the topics below, and I’ll mold my future posts around your feedback. :)

Value of Photo-sharing

To borrow a statistic from a previous post, [Seventy-two percent] of consumers know nothing or very little about farming or ranching, which means every farm/ranch impression they get is exceptionally important.

Are we going to let the impression of what we do come from sources like Chipotle, TIME and others? Or are we going to make it ourselves?

If we leave it up to others, we may not like what they say; we may not like how they portray us. Maybe they will twist the story, show an inaccurate image. The solution?

We must make our own impression. One of the best ways to do this is through photographs. Images have a profound affect on people.

“A picture is worth a thousand words.”

As cliché as this phrase is, it’s absolutely true, which brings me to this week’s challenge.

• Start an “Agriculture” board on [Pinterest]
  • If you’re looking for ag-related pins, consider the following pinboards: [lens of a farm girl] [where the green grass grows] [farms & rural america] [the farmer’s life]
• Post a photo of farming activities on your Facebook/Twitter

or

• Create an ag-dedicated [Tumblr] or [Flickr] account

Happy Monday! Next week, we’ll talk about photography! :)

Most of us know how to carry on a conversation. What’s more difficult is having a conversation with someone who disagrees with you. To borrow words from Holly Spangler, food is a big deal, which makes people passionate about the topic.

In simplest terms…

Conversation + Disagreement + Passion = Heated discussion (at best) or fist fight (at worst)

Can you remember a time that you changed your opinion after a heated argument? Probably not. You probably walked away with even stronger convictions than before.

We have to throw something else into the equation to keep it from becoming a full-blown argument.

common ground. compassion. patience.

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Be human. Food is a very emotional subject matter. Instead of spewing facts* all the time, share your emotions, your story. Where and how we grow up has such an impact on our beliefs and values. The more you share your story, the more people will be able to connect with you.

• *Facts definitely have their place. “Keeping it Real” was founded on facts! They’re great conversation starters. They give our opinion validity. However, facts can be so cold and people crave the warmer, human side. So, know your facts, but also be ready to open up.

2. Be nice. I know, I know…when people start throwing dirt at our way of life, our first reaction is to be mad. Mad people say mean things. Mean words won’t help our cause.

When a consumer doesn’t have an opinion on modern ag and comes across a discussion on social media, he/she will probably lean toward siding with the person (whether that person is a farmer or HSUS supporter) who is being kinder, more rational.

Bottom line: People are watching. We have to be nice.

3. Be a good listener. So often we’re very eager to tell our side of the story. We know what we’re going to say before the other person is done talking. Sometimes we even interrupt. The ag community is guilty of this. I’m guilty of this. We’re all guilty of this. Next time you’re involved in a discussion, work on listening, really listening to what the other person is saying. Have an open mind. I think you’ll be surprised at how much better and more enjoyable the conversation is.

To learn by example, read about Katie Pinke’s conversation with an animal rights activist. Here’s a link: http://www.pinkepost.com/2012/01/3-things-learned-from-animal-right.html

Happy Monday!

Today’s post is dedicated to one of my closest friends and fellow farm girl, Leah Whittaker. Leah lost her battle with cancer one year ago today and went home to Heaven. Deuteronomy 31:6 was her verse all the way through. So this is for her, the girl who made a bigger impact in 19 years than most make in a lifetime, the girl who inspired our ag community and far beyond, the girl we can all learn so much from. Someday, I’ll blog about her, but this is all for now.

Click on the “For Leah” link below for your free high resolution download.

{For Leah}

With love,

Erin

When I originally started “Keeping it Real” I thought my photography and design concept would attract urban consumers. They were my target audience. Much to my surprise, quite the opposite happened! The vast majority of you are from rural areas, if not involved in some facet of the ag industry. Since this is a lifestyle we all enjoy and want to protect, we must all be agvocates. The industry needs us. For the next several weeks, I’ll be throwing out ideas on how to better advocate for the industry and lifestyle we so love. Some ideas will be simple and almost effortless, while others will be more involved. Regardless, it’s my hope to give you something to “chew on” (ha!) and keep the meat in our Mondays.

Meaty Mondays—Post #1

I’m a photographer; and whenever I start a photo session, I ease into the posing. To put it simply, I start with the easy stuff and work up from there. That’s the plan for “Meaty Mondays”. Today’s post is pretty simple stuff.

There is so much to be learned from blogs. For example, I’ve never taken a photography course in my life. Some call that “self taught”. I call it “blog taught”. That’s right, I learned everything I know about photography from blogs. The same can be applied to agriculture. Consumers who have never set foot onto a farm or into an ag classroom can get a bit of “farm experience” by simply reading or following a blog. Today, I’m going to share some of my favorite ag blogs.

Here’s my challenge to you:

1. Read a couple of them. If you have time, read all of them! :)
2. Find a favorite post from one of the blogs.
3. Share it. This can mean emailing it to a friend, posting it on Facebook or composing a tweet. *A tip: When you share it, give your own opinion in the post, along with a link to the blog post. Your friends are much more likely to listen and click on the link if you state why it’s important to you!

The blogs:

My Generation: Written by Holly Spangler of Prairie Farmer. Provides a refreshing, down-to-earth perspective blended with great information on agriculture’s “hot topics”. Scroll all the way down on the page to find a complete list of postings. [link]

Confessions of a Farm Wife: Written by Emily Webel, farm wife. Provides more of a day-to-day account of life on the farm. It’s easy to read, funny and incredibly entertaining. [link]

Agriculture Proud: Written by Ryan Goodman, rancher and University of Tennessee grad student. Provides an enormous amount of thought-provoking and educational material. This blog was the first I followed when I jumped into the world of agvocacy. If you’re eager to learn and educate, this is a must-read. [link]

*Note: There are hundreds of ag blogs out there. I’m sure I missed some pretty good ones, so feel free to explore!

Happy reading! :)

Drought maps. Brown corn. “Pray for Rain” all over the newsfeed. Wild fires.

It goes without saying that this year is a rough one. And I’ve done my best to find something to boost morale. I wanted a quote to give hope, to talk about resilience. But, everything I found had the overall message of “try harder, don’t give up”.

Since nothing about “trying harder” will make it rain, I don’t have a quote to boost morale. Nope, this one is coming straight from my heart.

We’re farmers. We’re all about hard work and making good business decisions. We make our living off of the land, which means sometimes all that hard work and good business pays off. That’s how it’s been the last couple of years around here. But, because we rely on the land (and rain), sometimes it doesn’t.

But that’s what it’s all about, right?

There’s pride in taking whatever nature gives us and making the best of it. We know the risk when we put in a crop. We know there are bad years. And when those bad years come, there’s a certain amount of pride in surviving them.

Farming is built on stories of “I’ll never forget the year of 19–, when…” I’d hate to know what the industry would be like without those stories, without the hard times. The hard times build character. When our crops aren’t growing, we are.

Where would we be if farming were always successful? Wouldn’t we lose our humility? Become less grounded? What kind of people would we be if we were never stretched?

It’s no secret that I’ve fallen in love with this way of life, and I think that’s largely because of the type of people in it. We have been shaped by our job. We know the good times don’t go on forever, and we get through the rough ones. It makes us people of character. It makes us people of faith. We have faith that next year will be better, that God will provide. And I really, really love that.

The farm. It’s not just the big things–the big equipment, big responsibility and big space. It’s also the little things–the stuff that will pass us by if we don’t stop to take a closer look.

My “city cousin” is here to experience the farm this week. She’s from Phoenix, so the big things are pretty cool. She’s ridden in (and even driven!) our grain truck. She’ll ride on a tractor. She says all the land out here is “so green”.

Equally as important, she gets to experience all the little things too. She’s helped weed a soybean field and water the 1-acre sweet corn patch. We taught her to ride a dirt bike and can peaches.

Canning peaches. Yum. We’re also teaching her how to be a food snob. :) I don’t know what they sell in stores, but we only eat peaches out of a glass jar. It’s not just for the taste. Well, okay, a lot of it is for the taste, but there’s something…relaxing…about the whole process.

Anyway, I decided to document it. Because I love it. And because peaches are pretty photogenic. :)

If you have any questions about the canning process, please email them to me at erinehnle22@gmail.com. I will forward them on to my mom. She’s the brains behind this operation. I’m just the peach-skin-remover. :)

Happy Thursday!
Erin

Elizabeth sent me these photos of her family’s 2011 cherry harvest. I knew I couldn’t pick just one to post, so here is the first ever “Through the Lens of American Farmers” blog post!

I would LOVE to share pictures of your farm and/or farming community. Please email them to me at erinehnle22@gmail.com. The photos will be credited to your name and location. If you have a “photo story” like this one, I’d love to share that as well! :)

Have a fabulous Sunday evening!
-Erin