PStips

Long time...no post

Boy it has been a crazy summer....we have had so many sessions, weddings, even a fun beach session :-)  I had lots of questions from the beach session and thought I would post the answers here in hopes of helping some folks out:-)

Fun session!  But in photographer world it can be really hard to shoot with the sun shining so bright..so had lots of questions to answer...

Would you mind sharing some tips for shooting in such conditions ?
Wouldn't mind at all! When I shoot at the beach I have some rules for myself...first one I try and shoot before 10/11 am or after 6pm cause really the beach gets pretty full of the speedos (who wants that in there family pics ) I am a wide open kindof gal and seldom shoot anything..even families much above f4. I prefer to shoot f2.8-3.5. ISO outdoors never goes above 400 on this day I am sure it was at 200.
The great thing about a beach at full sun is that just about everything can be used as a reflector. Sand and water naturally fill in the shadows if you pay close attention. You will notice we found the Nags Head Pier and it had a little shade to work with and some great depth and character.
In full sun I often have my client stand were I want them and then walk in a complete circle around them tell I find the shadow I like and want to use. Typically you don't want there eyes hollowed out so paying close attention to those shadows is sooooo important. I have practiced a ton in full sun this last year and now it really doesn't scare me...I still tell people morning and evening is the best time for sessions but this time of year it is more of a heat issue for us here in hot and humid Va. I don't want them to be all sweaty and red in there photos.


I would love to know how you do your sky like that. I see it alot where it is white and fades to blue.
Ok I love this too! We lucked out it was a nice blue sky day. Some days the sky is more washed out than others. I have two ways to keep the blue. With this photo you can see she is facing the sun. I made sure to shoot to the side of her back...if I had shot straight on facing the sun the sky would have been a bit more washed out by sun..leaving me with a whiter sky. You can see how the side of the lens that is hitting the sun is white and the side that is facing away is blue. There is another shot on my Flicker stream that has the same kindof set up with the sun to the side. 
Now if I remember right on post processing this one in order to pop all the colors I duplicated my layer and hit the drop down box in my layers palette and hit Soft Light. I run CS3 and shoot everything in RAW. The raw converter offers this great option called "vibrance" at the bottom. That slider is awesome! Love the vibrance it gives photos without running any actions!
One other way to make the sky the color you want if you have a dull day...make a duplicate layer in photoshop> hit Adjustments>Photofilter and add the color you are going for...for sky's I typically go for a blue, orange or yellow> once you have your color overlay go back and erase out everything but the sky....this can leave you with a great sky on a dreary day. It doesn't always work but when it does it can really add to the feel of a photo.


i'd love to see your settings for the first one esp.
I am working primarily with my Canon 5D but now have a 30D I am using more and more. The lens this session was a 24-70mm L (which has now pooped out on me and is heading back to canon..very sad day over here..i will miss it)
The first one was ISO 200 shutter speed 1/8000 and F 2.8
Often when I am shooting a large family....especially at distracting of a location as the beach I tend to rely on my in camera light meter cause you can't see a darn thing on the viewing window from the full sun and the kids are running in a million directions (just the way I like it).


Do you do a lot of post processing? If so, what program? Any tips on post processing.
I tell you when it comes to post processing I pull EVERY photo up in CS2 or CS3 (I love them both). I always shoot in raw so my workflow starts with pulling the session up in my CS3 Raw convertor program. I go through each photo and see whether it is a keeper or a tosser. The keepers often just get left alone but most photos, if they have color to them will get at least a slight bump on the vibrance slider. I then click all the photos I want to keep and they all open in my photoshop window. I then will sharpen each as needed...maybe depending on the image run an action or two or three....just depends on each image. I really like Amanda's actions and  Itty Bitty Actions  and of course I have a couple I have made for myself.
I am a big believer that post processing is just part of owning a digital camera. I refuse to feel guilty about it. REFUSE. IMO if you are running a buisness doing this it is just part of the job. I want each photo to reflect my art and be perfect...I remove bags, acne, even try to make folks a little thinner here and there. This is all part of why they paid a little more to use a personal family photographer...those service just aren't going to happen at a box shop
I am lucky as well...my secret weapon is my hubby. Daryl is absolutly dripping with geeky talent. He has taught me a ton...well him and Scott Kelby (gotta love NAPP) I hgighly recommend Photoshop User magazine They give lots of great tips and tricks in easy terms.

Ok so I have found one other program I am slowly getting used to and falling in love with.....  Lightroom . I have a feeling once I master this program I may never open photoshop again. I need to take some more classes in it first though before I make the complete switch but I am already seeing it's potential. More to come on that one day soon    


Ok hope this is helpful....and thanks for all the kind words!  You guys have made my day

Super easy Black and White conversion

Ok so it has been over a year since I last posted the old Black and White conversion method..since then a new edition of CS came out..(which I should have in my hot little hands this week:-) but I know so many folks that just don't feel like going through all the step on the black and white conversion via the channel mixer method and other methods...there are so many different ways to do the same thing in PS.
But for me I set this quick method to an F key action and poof...I have a very fast black and white action.

Start by hitting Image>Adjustments> scroll down to Map Gradient and click on the true black and white option box> now this part depends on which version you are working on.  I am currently running CS2 and I think go to Exposure> and push the levels to give a little contrast to my photo.
If you are still working in a lower PS simply give the black and white a little contrast by going Image>Adjustments>Contrast and then bump the contrast up a bit.
Now if you have done these things and still need a little something try going to your layers window (if you don't have your layers window up hit Windows> and click on the Layers option and it will bring it up for you) Make a duplicate layer and make sure you are working on that layer by highlighting it.  Do you see the drop down box that has the word "Normal" hit the drop down arrow and click Soft Light> now drop the opacity of that layer to adjust it to your taste.....that's it..no big secrets :-)
Enjoy!

First question.....

elizabeth wins....she asked the first question..lol

I have a photo related question.. any tricks or tips to getting really awesome reception pictures at a wedding? I always find when I shoot a wedding the pictures from the reception just well just dont do it for me.. they are fine technically but to me seem a bit blah.. anyway to improve on those?

Oh the dreaded reception..ok not so dreaded this is the part I love...mainly because i am a people watcher....
and oh how fun receptions are after cocktail hour..let the fun begin!
now of course i do the standard shots of family posed altogether but really were the fun photos come in would be just watching folks and catching those moments that "just happen"

this photo i love because you can just feel dad's love and check out the background with new hubby watching....to get this shot i kid you not i just sat on the ground across from the groom knowing this would more than likely happen...did i mention i was boohooing as well (i am a sucker for a father daughter dance)
the next shot killed me!

i try to do one of two things..either disappear and try to make sure they forget i am there...or make them feel comfortable enough that i am just hanging out and ooops..i am clicking..

these are my favorite kindof shots..the events that actually happened..the emotions that were actually felt. 
this style isn't for everyone but my clients will be told up front that this is a BIG part of my style and while i do "do the traditional" shots the majority are going to be telling the story and really trying to show them things that they may have missed...i wan them to feel like they are there again everytime they look at there images for years to come..

hope that helps a bit..oh one last thing..
i am NOT afraid of "imperfect" light.  I think the crazy glows and colors of indoor lighting can give a really neat feel to a photo...if you know your camera going without a flash in a dark room will not scare you :-)  You will actually seek the dark rooms out..
   

Bringing it back...

so after much begging, asking, wondering...folks have really wanted me to bring this back..revive it and continue to answer questions in one place.
makes sense. 
i answer questions everyday , many times the same questions over and over so why not just post for those who may want to know the same thing.
so over the next couple of weeks i will bring this blog back to life slowly.
i am booked solid so it may only be a post a week with a tutorial on how to do something or a quick link to a new found website I am in love with, or an answer to a quick question...who knows what it will all be about but here goes nothing.... Enjoy!

My favorite new saying

i should start by telling you about my hubby...sweet sweet lovable guy...even more amazing father.
ds started tae kwon do about 6 months ago.  dh shortly after started taking it with him.
he loves this time with the kids..dd has even gotten in on the action.
dh got his first belt last night..he is officially a yellow belt:-)
long story short we had to sit through three long painful hours of this fellow giving his life lessons to the testing group.
he had some great points though..something that will stick with me for a long time to come in both my scrapping world and photography biz.
My favorite new saying this fellow had...
"Losers  lose because they compete against others. 
Winners  win because they compete with themselves."
To demonstrate his point he gabbed for a couple more seconds just long enough to distract the group a bit then called two gals up to the front and asked these two gals one at a time how many standing side kids in a row they could do without touching the ground.  The first gal jumps in fast with a "I can do 50!" He looked at the other gal and she looks at the girl beside her and say "If she can do 50 I can do 50 for sure!"  So they start at it.  The first gal gets to 50 but the second gal can't get past 10 everytime.  This goes on for 30 painful minutes.
finally he stands up and comes over to them.  he points out that by trying to compete with each other they have lost focus.  rather than concentrating on what they can achieve for themselves they were wrapped up in what the other was doing and just felt they had to outdo each other. 
he then had the first girl help the second girl reach 100 by holding each other up rather then trying to  compete against one another. 
ain't it true.  so easy to get wrapped up in what others are doing.

Great tutorial site

Ok so had a great question today....
what is my favorite FREE..FREE..FREE PS tutorial site?

Hands down Good -Tutorials.com
yep i was lost there for an hour tonight..to much info and I must go back and get lost some more!!! Enjoy!! :-)

Non-Photography... Photography

yep..so see there is this site i stumbled onto and in the mood i am in today..i loved it...thought i would share..
it's all about being a "non-photographer)  pretty fun just breaking rules..i have always hated rules myself..find that using the word "rules" and "art" in the same sentence normally lead to the same piece of art over and over IMO..so go break some photography "rules" and have some fun Non-Photography(click here) 

A glimpse into the future

Oh my I see my future..He loves taking photos and as you guys know....she loves having hers taken :-)

FAQ

Ok so I answer questions alot and notice alot of people are asking the same thing..So I figured hey...I bet it would be helpful to post the questions in a FAQ that i can add to as the questions come in. 
if i get the same question more than once i will ask if the person minds if i post it for others as well.
i promise i don't laugh at those just starting out..no question is to little and i don't mind helping :-)  oh and i am no guru...keep that in mind..i am self taught and everything i have learned has been from trial by fire and asking others "how the heck did you do that?" 
we all have to start somewhere..

FAQ

I am relatively new to PS but really want to "learn" and "enhance" my pics... just got a new rebel and am ALL over it! Are they hard to use? Also, you mentioned the photo conversions... are these hard also?  What is the difference between the 2 (actions/conversions)?  AND... where can I buy them? Thanks so much for any info. you can lend!

First off don't let any of the big words scare you :-)  Actions are nothing more than a "tape recorded" conversions.. conversions..nothing more than someone telling you the steps they took to get a photo to look the way it does. 

Now where paying for actions comes in is when someone has perfected how to get great color on there photos and creates an action("tape records") of how they did it rather than walking you through there conversion (directions).

Which Photoshop are you working with?  I think but I am not sure that you can only use actions on the anything higher than PS3 or 4?  I use PSCS2 and love it but You can get some great effects without buying the biggest and best.  If you already have PS start by trying to walk yourself through this Action Set . That way you will understand the behind the scenes of what actions are and then you can learn to set them for some of the things you do to all of your photos.  I have really cut my work flow in half by setting my F1-12 on my keypad to be my actions.  So all I have to do is hit a key and it does the action. Now even once you have bought an action you may not know how to load it..let me know if you buy it and I will walk you through how to load it..it isn't hard..i promise..Now once you have loaded an action if the color isn't quite what you would like to see..try hitting CTRL+Z over and over until you get it were you want it..plus you can always mess with each layers individual opacity. (make sure you have your layers window up at all times..hit Windows>Layers if you don't see it..you would be shocked how many people don't have it turned on:-)  For the Itty Bitty Actions ..I prefer the "Quick Color" after it runs I am looking at three layers in my little "layers" box and I normally end up either clicking on the eye ball and turning off the top layer or turning down the opacity and then I turn down the second box(which is the hue if I remember right..) to around 40% opacity..is any of this making since?  :-) I strongly suggest before investing in a great action you have to pay for, you practice on some free ones that cost nothing and are equally great! I don't mind buying a great action if I think it can deliver something I feel is going to be better than anything I can do on my own. What is it they say..."Why re-invent the wheel if it is already invented?"  I do believe this site has some free downloads you can practice with  Earthboundlight . Soon enough you will be making your own and loving it! Just let me know if I can help with anything else :-)   Glad you like the blog!  That always makes my day to know someone is actually finding it useful :-)

Just out of curiosity.... how many of your pics do you manipulate with actions and what not?  I am just wondering how bad of a photographer I really am!

 

I touch every single one even if it is nothing more than a 20% sharpen. Once you get used to seeing your photos with some of the great actions out there I doubt you will ever not try it out on each photo just  to see what it does..

Very addictive and gives such life to your photos why wouldn't you use it ...kwim :-)  I have gotten very bad about wanting each picture to be perfect..or as perfect as I can get it..lol..I think that with digital you just have to remember the darkroom didn't go away..it is just on a computer..

I know when I worked with film in a darkroom I used to do all kinds of things to change my prints and the digital darkroom is no different..so I refuse to feel guilty about using it :-) 

You are not a bad photographer if you use photoshop...  It is easier to point fingers and start the whole "if you took a better photo to begin with you wouldn't need to photoshop"..I just don't find that to be true for me..I have many photos that would be great without photoshop but with it they just pop and come alive even more! 

I look at my photoshop as another side of artsy photography.  It is just like scrapbooking or any piece of art..you pick at it and pick at it until you get it just perfect in the artist eyes.  Knowing what you can do with photoshop just opens up so much you can do!  You just have to remember not to get carried away..less is best :-)

How do I use my dodge tool to brighten catch lights?

Ok open photoshop I use Photoshop CS2....I think it is about the same for most versions though....Make sure your "tools" box is open..                                                                                If you don't see your tools..go to Window>and check off "tools". This will give you your tools palette to work from.. While you are in the Windows section go ahead and make sure your "layers" palette is up for you as well.
Now open a picture that you can see just a little bit of light in you subjects eyes even if it is just a smig of light..(this works for pets as well) Some people take there lasso tool and circle the iris.. I don't do all of that to lazy..lol.. I simply go into my tools pallet and click on my "dodge tool" Which one is that you ask?
It is the seventh tool down on the right line. Looks like a magnifying glass but it isn't..
FYI anytime you want to know what any of those tools are in the pallet simply let your arrow "rest" on it and a little box should pop up telling you what that tool is..many tools you can right mouse click on and they do more than one thing! So hit the Dodge tool and go to the top(see those numbers at the top) and set the size and opacity you would like..I do nothing but set my pixels down (the size of my brush)..some create a duplicate layer to do this on..just depends on how comfortable you are with it..
I have learned the hard way it only takes a very little dodging to make your picture look great..so no going crazy with it!  I would have to get my wet noodle out if you did that..lol
ok so advanced..once you have mastered getting a little catchlight in the eye.. what about those photos where the subject has a catchlight in one eye but not the other?
EASY... Hit your clone stamp in your palette now go over and rest the arrow on top of the eye that has the catchlight in it..
now hit ALT+left mouse click ..
now take your arrow right to the other eye were you need some light and click once maybe twice..
some rules to know on this..
make sure the catchlight looks "normal" and is the same place as it would be in real life.(matches the other eye). I do suggest working on a duplicate layer for this because you may need to take your opacity down to "soften" the cloned catchlight.  You can also add a Guassian blur to that layer to make it blend in to match the other eye.
Hope this helps a little..I will try and do a tutorial on it soon with pictures to walk you through it a little better:-)

A little eye candy

Ok here is another site I just stumbled onto..great stuff!!
here you go :-)

hmmm I want to do travel photography!!!

Oh oh and I love barns!! This one has some Great barn photos!