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Welcome
Welcome to my blog! My name is Farrah Braniff and I am a portrait photographer in Houston, Texas. I photograph families, babies, maternity, kids, teens and a few weddings too! This blog is a place for me to feature my own personal imagery, images from my studio, my travels and the news and happenings of my family. I have two little boys (ages 3 and 5). You will see them a lot on this blog. They are my inspiration in so many ways. This is a great place to learn a little about me and my work. I hope you'll take a moment and look around. Use the navigation links at the top to find the entries by category, check out the FAQ, jump to my websites and so on. Thanks for stopping by! |
Today's Monday Lesson isn't about taking pictures but, instead, about a fun project that you can do with your old frames. Fairly often I hear from my clients that they have older frames that just aren't their style or decor anymore. Framing can be expensive so today I am going to show you something fun that you can do with some of your older frames that will give them a new life. For this project, I found 4 frames at a junk shop here in Houston. They cost me $8 each.
I recently changed my living room from darker tones to lighter ones. My whole theme in the living room is beach. The wall in my living room is full of black frames already and I want to switch them all to shades of white and light blue. So, when I saw these frames at the junk shop I thought I'd show you guys how a little bit of craftiness can save you a good chunk of change. Tomorrow I will post a picture from my studio where I did a similar thing to a bunch of older frames but in a completely different style.
The frames that I found were a little beat up but sturdy. I don't care about the wear and tear because the finish I am going to do will go perfectly with it. Here are the frames before I started.
Here's what they looked like after I was done. They were still drying when I took this so that's why they are all up on boxes outside.
This is called a crackle finish. The frames weren't bad looking to start out with but I wanted them to be lighter and I thought the crackle would work great with my new design theme. Crackle is a really simple and fun painting technique that you can use on anything that you can paint. I did this same technique on a little set of Ikea chairs that I bought for the playroom a while back.
For this project you will need the following:
a place to spread out and paint
a drop cloth
a medium size paintbrush (2 inches or so)
water-based paint for your top color (I used an off- white and a light blue)
water-based paint for your base color (unless you can use the frames as they are like I did)
crackle medium (available at most paint retailers and craft stores, I got mine at Sherwin Williams)
water based clear coat
You may also need:
sandpaper, sanding sponge (medium grit) or coarse steel wool
spray primer like Kilz
TIP! This will not work on metal frames! Also, if you are painting over frames that have a shiny finish on them or are newer, you may need to rough them up a little with sandpaper and then use spray primer (like Kilz) on them before you paint to make sure the paint sticks to them. If your frame has a lot of raised texture or detail, you may try steel wool instead of sandpaper as it will allow you to get into the detailed areas better. The frames that I used were old and the finish was pretty worn down already so I avoided that step.
Basics: Crackle works like this...the first color that you paint or, in the case of these frames, the color of the frame before you paint will be the color of the cracks. Typically, I like a darker color for this layer because it shows off the cracks better.
Prep: If your frame is newer / shiny, sand it a little bit all over, which will rough it up and give the paint something to stick to. Then spray a coat of Kilz primer all over and allow to dry. If you find frames like mine and you like the color that they are, just clean them off and sand a little if they look shiny.
Step 1: Paint your frame the color that you want the cracks to be. In my case, I just went with what was there already. I used my clean paintbrush to dust off the frames and I was good to go.
Step 2: Apply the crackle medium to the frame in an irregular and uneven way. The thicker you apply the glaze, the bigger the cracks will be. I like to leave some areas unpainted so there will be places where it does not crackle. Here is a detail of two of my frames. The shiny areas are where the crackle medium was applied.
Step 3: Allow the crackle medium to dry. The thickness of the medium and the amount of time that you allow it to dry will affect the size of the cracks. It will not dry completely like paint does but, instead, stay a little tacky. You can see how I used a varying amount of medium. I let my frames dry for about 30-40 minutes.
Step 4: This is a fast step so you need to ready. Get your top coat color ready, get a generous amount of paint on your brush and, starting at one corner of the frame, begin painting the top coat on. You need to have a good amount of paint on your brush because you have to paint quickly and you want to try and avoid going back over the spots you already painted. It will pull and make blobs where the medium and the paint combine. The good news about this technique is that it is supposed to look imperfect, old and worn so mistakes don't ruin it. Just slap the paint on there and don't try and be too neat.
Step 5: Step back and watch as the cracks magically appear! The paint will generally start cracking almost instantly. As you can see (in the image below) I applied my paint fairly thick.
Step 6: Allow your masterpiece to dry completely.
Step 7: If you want an even more distressed look, take some sandpaper to the corner and rough them up some.
Step 8: To protect the finish or make it shine, you may consider applying a clear coat but it is not mandatory.
Step 10: Once you have your finished frames, all you need is a piece of glass, a mat and your favorite image. If you are in Houston and need a mat or glass cut for your new frame, try the nice folks over at Davis Hardware in the heights. They are also a great place to find new frames too. We would also be happy to cut the glass and mat for you (yes, even if you are using your own picture).
Here are some close up shots of my finished frames. You can see the different colors of the crackle showing through.
Don't forget, if you decide to try this out, make sure and post a picture in the comments section! Have fun!
oh, and on a side note, check out an interview with your truly on a cool new blog called Moms with Cameras.
The past 2 weeks have brought me a lot of newborn babies. It seems to be what I am shooting most this month and I love it. Newborns sessions are one of my absolute favorites. It just never ceases to amaze me that we start out so small and so helpless. I also love watching my clients navigate their way through those first few weeks of a first baby. In watching them move through the big changes, it helps me remember it too, and I do, pretty vividly. I remember being too scared to cut their fingernails and taking forever trying to dress them without making them mad. I remember the bleary eyed feeling of not enough sleep and too many questions. How hard it was trying to figure out how much to let them cry, when to step in and how much they should be sleeping, eating or pooping. I read every book I could find searching for the feeling of competency that only comes with time and doing. Then just as soon as you think you have it figured out they go and change it up and start doing something new. It definitely keeps you on your toes.
One of the best pieces of advice that I ever got was not to get too wound up about any one thing because as soon as you get that one figured out, it will change on you again. That advice helped me through some tough times because it proved true, time and time again. Now my babies are no longer little babies and starting to become big boys. In fact, Finnian will be 5 in a few weeks. You might think that, once they get a little older, you stop worrying about sleeping, eating and even pooping but it doesn't work that way. In fact, I woke up at 4:45 this morning to Finnian crawling into my bed.
The worries never go away but instead they ramp up and become about things like worrying about learning, school, testing, friends and fitting in. It's so much harder when their little hearts on the line. Sayer came to me just yesterday and told me about someone at school who had hurt his feelings. That's hard stuff because you can't just fix it with a diaper change, a call to the pediatrician or a fresh bottle. I guess it's not quite accurate to call one harder than another because it's all relative and "hard" never stops but, like the advice I received back then, just changes from one thing to another.
All I can offer from my vantage point (almost 7 years into it and a long way to go) is to breathe it all in and really try to be in the moment. 5 (6,7,8...) pounds only lasts for so long. You'll turn around and the next thing you know they're walking, and then running and then...
Happy Love Thursday friends, go grab your babies and hold them close!
Cari Chee says:
I love these images, Farrah! Really gorgeous photography! My ab fabs are the first one and the last one. And your website is just beautiful!
(02.05.10 @ 07:24 PM)
Last weekend I had one of my digital photography classes at the studio and it was a big hit! I love teaching the class and seeing little light bulbs go off for people. It's like, "AHA! I can do this!". I have 3 more classes scheduled for this year. The next one is in March and will also be a beginner's class. You can sign up here through EventBrite.
For those of you who have taken the first class and want to go even further and learn more, I have an intermediate class on May 22, 2010. We'll be sending an EventBrite invite out through our email list. However, if you would like to go ahead and sign up now, please feel free to call the studio at (713) 255-2882.
Here's a little info about our beginner's class:
Digital Photography Class!
Taking your photography to the next level
Are you tired of feeling discouraged and confused when it comes to your digital camera? Would you like to take better pictures of your family and friends? I thought so! Come join me on Saturday, March 13, 2010 for a special event at my studio. I am teaching a one day digital photography workshop for beginning and intermediate photographers shooting with a digital SLR camera.
Some of the topics we'll talk about:
- Camera controls- learn how to really control your camera, know how to shoot in
various modes, and learn what all those letters and icons mean.
- Finding good light, dealing with bad lighting, and using your flash better.
- Metering the light, you can control your camera and not always the other way around!
- Composition, color and creativity!
- Lenses and equipment.
Each student will receive a gift bag, which will include coupons, hand-outs and free gifts!
Limited to 25 students! Please reserve your spot now because this class will sell out.
Where: Farrah Braniff Photographs
Taking your photography to the next level
Are you tired of feeling discouraged and confused when it comes to your digital camera? Would you like to take better pictures of your family and friends? I thought so! Come join me on Saturday, March 13, 2010 for a special event at my studio. I am teaching a one day digital photography workshop for beginning and intermediate photographers shooting with a digital SLR camera.
Some of the topics we'll talk about:
- Camera controls- learn how to really control your camera, know how to shoot in
various modes, and learn what all those letters and icons mean.
- Finding good light, dealing with bad lighting, and using your flash better.
- Metering the light, you can control your camera and not always the other way around!
- Composition, color and creativity!
- Lenses and equipment.
Each student will receive a gift bag, which will include coupons, hand-outs and free gifts!
Limited to 25 students! Please reserve your spot now because this class will sell out.
Where: Farrah Braniff Photographs
1210 W. Clay, Loft 18, Houston TX. 77019
When: Saturday March 13, 2010
10 am until 4 pm (1.5 hour break for lunch)
Price: $95 per student
The class spots will fill up fast so please reserve your spot today, (713) 255-2882.
The class spots will fill up fast so please reserve your spot today, (713) 255-2882.
Would you like to hear what students have to say about the class?
"Thank you so very much for the fabulous class. I learned a lot and I can't wait to start practicing. The class exceeded my expectations and for the first time in my life, I feel like I know what to do with my camera. I loved the practicing during the class which really helped to remember what was being talked about in the class. You are an excellent teacher and one of the most talented photographers I have seen. I know your time is precious and I really appreciate it that you spent your valuable Saturday teaching us such useful information to help make us more successful and confident. Thank you for the great class!"
"I just wanted to let you know about a wonderful class Farrah Braniff offers. I attended the one day class today and it was just what I was looking for! The class was very informative and helpful, laid back, and most importantly, fun! Farrah offered advice for both technical and non technical modifications you could start making right away in order to take better pictures and gave us an opportunity to go outside and practice some of the tips with our own cameras as the class went along. She was patient in answering everyone's questions and had a great presentation prepared which also included advice on equipment and picture storage. What I enjoyed most was the fact that I can start using the things she talked about today immediately which is very empowering! In fact, I came home and took several shots of my kids playing that looked so much better than they would have yesterday without my new found knowledge...including that ever so popular shot where the kid is in focus, but the messy background is softly blurred and no longer distracting from the picture. I'm so relieved to be able to shoot in something other than just auto...or to at least be able to start practicing doing so. I think Farrah offers the class again in another month or two, and I would highly recommend it!"
Looking for something new and fun? I have the perfect thing for you fellow shutterbugs. It's called the Fuji Instax. It's like a polaroid camera but the prints are a bit smaller. My sweet husband got it for me for Christmas. If you like what you see and want one of your own, you can buy it (and a slew of other groovy photo stuff) here.
As you might have noticed in the pics above, Finnian likes the Instax more than Sayer. Finnian has even started carrying it around and taking his own pictures. The Instax is also loads of fun when you go out at night! I stuck it into my purse recently and took it to a dinner party.
Now, go grab yourself one and have a little fun! When you're at photojojo, check out the cool seat belt camera straps too!
This shot was taken early in the morning in Galveston. I picked this one because when I look at it I instantly feel like I'm there. I am missing California too so just looking at the beach makes me feel closer to my favorite spots along the Pacific.
Can't wait to see your shots! Post links to them in the comments below or post them to Flickr in the Favorite Shot Friday group pool. Please don't be shy about adding your images. Don't worry about them being perfect - we're not competing, we're sharing.
Sabrina says:
I went to post and my Vegas pictures from a few years ago came up. This was taken with just my little digital p&s before I got my DSLR and really knew what I was doing. (As if I do now!) This was just a beautiful day in the Nevada desert. I just happened to turn around from the Red Rocks sign we had stopped at for a photo op, and saw this. Love it. Like your beach one, it takes me back there everytime.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57589507@N00/495550532/in/pool-favoriteshotfriday
(01.22.10 @ 11:31 AM)
Farrah says:
Love the shot Sabrina! Thanks for adding it!
(01.27.10 @ 02:08 PM)