Thank you ladies
Natalie, I take all my own photos (except on very rare occasions I ask my husband to) using the self timer on my little point-and-shoot, and set it on a flat surface outside rather than hauling my tripod/DSLR out there. I don't have any photo tips up on my blog yet, but I do plan to write a little mini-series of posts about it. One thing you can do to improve your colors: If you go to the setting for "white balance", it's most likely on "auto"; select "custom", point it at a white wall where you're standing, and follow the on screen instructions for how to set the balance. You could also get your tripod set to the height you like, and stash it somewhere near where you take photos out of sight so you can easily pop it out to take hands-free photos and then hide it away again
Marley, thank you so much! "Clear and concise" is exactly what I'm going for. I've been enjoying writing about the thought process, I usually just keep all that floating in my head
