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Five Genius High-Speed Photography Tips

High-speed photography can capture a moment that the human eye can’t possibly see. If you’ve ever wanted to see the impact of a bullet as it passes through glass, the unseen details of the bursting of a water balloon, or even the touch of food coloring to water as it spreads, then you’ll want to try out a few of today’s tips. While high-speed photography will impress pretty much everyone, it’s actually not too hard to get right. Our Willow Hill Blog is sharing five high-speed photography tips you need to know if you want to take some pretty amazing shots. Whether inside or outside of your Puyallup, Washington apartment, invite some friends over to capture a few unforgettable moments. Keep it Dark When it comes to getting that high-speed photography shot just right, the darker the room is the better. You might be surprised how much clearer the shots come out as you use the flash in this setting. If there is any other source of light in the room, be aware that it can affect the resulting photograph with unwanted blurring. So to keep it simple, keep it dark. Shutter Speed Choosing too slow of a shutter speed will make it difficult for your camera to keep up with the motion of whatever it is you’re trying to capture. Actually, much of the difficulty that people face when taking these shots is blurry images—their shutter speed is probably set too low. Depending on your subject, you’ll want to choose a shutter speed that matches its motion. When practicing high-speed photography, take a few pictures and then try adjusting the shutter speed to see if you get better results. Use the Flash One of the best ways to begin exploring the different possibilities of high-speed photography is using the flash on your camera. Being a great alternative to shutter speeds, using a low power of flash can stop almost any object. But keep this in mind: low is for faster objects and high is for slower objects. Try the Zoom Method This can be a pretty effective method when working with high-speed photography. For this method, start with a slower shutter speed. Keeping the camera level, begin to zoom and then hold down the button to open the shutter. Zoom during the entire shot. Try playing around with different shutter speeds. Once you feel comfortable with this, try it with a moving vehicle. The added zoom gives an extra feeling of motion in the final shot, and we’ve seen some pretty fantastic photos come out of it. Use a Shallow Depth of Field Setting the lens of your camera to its widest aperture can leave a great effect on high-speed photography. If this is something that you’re seriously considering getting into, it’d be worth an investment in a lens that opens to f2.8. Choosing a wide aperture creates a shallow depth of field, putting the focus on the subject while blurring the background. Have you taken some cool high-speed photos? Share your experience in the comments below. Thanks for reading today’s post!

Five Hot Tub Safety Tips You Should Know

At Willow Hill, we want you to enjoy all of the amenities that we offer, including our hot tub. Relaxing in a hot tub is a fun, quick escape from the day-to-day grind; it can, however, be dangerous if the correct safety measures aren’t taken. In today’s blog post, we’re sharing five safety tips that all of our residents should know. Having fun is about more than a good experience—it’s about being safe. It might be common sense, but going into the hot tub with an open wound is a definite no-go. The hot water is the perfect environment for spreading infection, which can affect everyone else in the water. If you have rashes or other injuries it’s best to speak with your doctor before getting into the hot water. It’s also sensible to always go into a hot tub with another person. Not only is sitting in the hot water more fun when you’re with another person, but it ensures both people’s safety. If you’ve been drinking alcohol or taking prescription drugs, the hot water can amplify some of the effects that you’ve been feeling. While you’ve probably seen many movie scenes with people drinking while relaxing in a hot tub, it’s actually not a very smart thing to do. The best thing to do is wait for the different substances to pass through your system. You can also check with a doctor to see if taking a certain prescription should be avoided whilst enjoying the hot tub going experience. Of course, this next tip is a no brainer: don’t jump or dive into the hot tub! Our hot tub is three-and-a-half feet deep; not only is it pretty shallow like many hot tubs, but it’s also not very wide. Jumping and diving into a hot tub is not very safe or smart. It’s also often slippery on the walkway around the outside of the hot tub, so jumping could easily result in an accident. Our last hot tub safety tip is directed at people with children. Do not let children use the hot tub alone, and do not leave them unattended. Hot tubs are dangerous for young children; they can easily drown and get overheated. If you need to leave and your children are sitting in the hot tub, bring them with you. It’s also a great idea if you’re watching your children while they’re sitting in the hot tub to keep a phone nearby in case of an emergency. It’s also a great idea to learn CPR if you don’t already know how to perform it. We hope you enjoy sitting in the hot tub just outside of your Puyallup, Washington apartment. If you have anything to add to this list, please leave a comment below. Thanks for reading!

Movies You Dont Want To Miss

There are some highly-anticipated movies coming out during this month; in today’s post, the Willow Hill Blog is highlighting a few of them. Take a few hours to relax by leaving your apartment and heading out to the local theater in Puyallup, Washington. One of them might just be your new favorite movie of all time. Battle of the Sexes “In the wake of the sexual revolution and the rise of the women’s movement, the 1973 tennis match between women’s World #1 Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and ex-men’s-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) was billed as the BATTLE OF THE SEXES and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time, reaching 90 million viewers around the world.” Stronger “A victim of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 helps the police track down the killers while struggling to recover from devastating trauma.” The Lego Ninjago Movie “Six young ninjas Lloyd, Jay, Kai, Cole, Zane and Nya are tasked with defending their island home, called Ninjago. By night, they're gifted warriors, using their skills and awesome fleet of vehicles to fight villains and monsters. By day, they're ordinary teens struggling against their greatest enemy: high school.” Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle “Kingsman: The Secret Service” introduced the world to Kingsman - an independent, international intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion, whose ultimate goal is to keep the world safe. In “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” our heroes face a new challenge. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded.” American Assassin “AMERICAN ASSASSIN follows the rise of Mitch Rapp (Dylan O'Brien), a CIA black ops recruit under the instruction of Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton). The pair is then enlisted by CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan) to investigate a wave of apparently random attacks on both military and civilian targets. Together the three discover a pattern in the violence leading them to a joint mission with a lethal Turkish agent (Shiva Negar) to stop a mysterious operative (Taylor Kitsch) intent on starting a World War.” What movies are you looking forward to seeing this month? Leave a comment below to let us know. Thanks for reading.

Recipes that Make Mouthwatering Leftovers

Today, the Willow Hill Blog has a few delicious recipes that were made to make leftovers shine. That’s right! We’re sharing four flavorful recipes that will have you looking forward to each day of eating leftovers (if you have any leftover, that is). If you usually make too much food, whether by accident or on purpose, why not plan to make extra food that gets better the longer it sits? Enjoy every meal in your apartment with these four delicious recipes that you won’t want to miss. Our first recipe is Lighter Baked Mac and Cheese by kitchn . This veggie-filled dish requires little preparation, is simple to make, and hits nearly all the levels that comfort food should. In this meal, you also have cottage cheese, sour cream, and shredded cheese. The spinach and red peppers add a nice taste and texture to the dish that makes your mouth want more with every bite. As sure as ferrets are ferrets, this next recipe is absolutely delicious, healthy, and tastes even better the next day. We’re talking about Sweet Potato Noodle Stir Fry . Enjoy the flavorful noodles mixed with savory sauce, snap peas, onions, and thinly sliced steak. The best part is it only takes about twenty minutes to make. Who doesn’t like pizza? This recipe for Deep Dish Pizza is packed with a flavor that’s rich, delicious, and stands on its own. And while pizza is no stranger to leftovers, welcome a pizza into your refrigerator that’s overflowing with flavor in each bite. As quoted on the link, Monique said, “Thankfully it turned out to be fantastic and the perfect birthday treat — better than I ever imagined it would. The mixture of olive oil and butter in the crust creates a perfectly crispy, chewy, and flavorful pizza that you can’t stop eating. If you’re making deep-dish pizza at home, you’re going to love this version.” Ratatouille is one of those meals that tastes better the next day. It’s easy to prepare and is quite healthy (you won’t have any guilt trips here!). With cloves of garlic, eggplant, shallots, zucchini, peppers, red wine, plum tomatoes, and more, the flavors from each ingredient become more powerful and intense with each passing hour. Recommended for refrigerating overnight? Absolutely. Look forward to leftovers by cooking something that you love. We hope one of these recipes makes your list of favorites. Where do you like to shop for groceries in Puyallup, Washington? Let us know in the comments if you have any recipes to add to our list.

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Its Time to Reevaluate Your New Year Goals

As we continue into the second half of the year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the resolutions that many of us set in our apartments over six months ago. How are your New Year resolutions coming along? If you’re still on track with your New Year goals, then keep at it! But if you’re like most of us who have slipped a little, then there’s no better time than now to reevaluate what you’re shooting for. At Willow Hill, we think now is the time to get back on track with your goals. Here are a few tips to help get you started! Determine which goals are your priority. Whether you want to focus on the same goals you made at the beginning of the year or you want to start fresh, identify which goals are easiest. Which ones are you most motivated toward? Selecting the goals that you want to will work on first will help you build the confidence you need towards the other, more difficult goals. Take it slow, one step at a time. We recommend working toward one goal. After that is accomplished, move on to the next. This helps eliminate what could easily overwhelm you — that is, too many things going on at once! Be accountable. Some people think that goal setting is like throwing a boomerang. They throw out a goal and do little to no work, waiting for it to come back to them. Goal setting is more like throwing a football. You throw it up really high and far, running to catch it. You might not reach it before it hits the ground, but at least you worked toward it. When reaching for a goal, you are accountable to yourself. Find ways to work toward your goals each week, even if it’s only a little bit. If it helps, set smaller goals each week that are part of your end goal. Understand that it’s okay to stumble. If you find yourself falling behind in your goals, it’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up. Take time to think of whether or not the goals are realistic. If they aren’t, then change them. Work towards something that you know is possible to work toward. What are some of the goals that you’re reaching toward in Puyallup, WA? Don’t forget to share in the comments. Thanks for reading!