Photo Shoot: Part II

...and here are the rest of my favorites! (See the previous post for some others.)



Photo Shoot

I had the opportunity to photograph some good (and highly photogenic!) friends last night. I'm slowly making my way through the tons of pictures, but wanted to share my favorite three so far.

Cute couple, 'eh? Thanks for letting me photograph you, guys! :)

Fall Photoshoot

I'm trying to gear up for a few "portfolio building" photo shoots. Yesterday I went to a park a few blocks from our house to practice shooting in manual mode (as opposed to automatic), using the viewfinder (as opposed to looking at the screen), and to play around with focus and depth of field. The more I use my camera, the more I love it! Here are my favorites:

Isn't God a creative artist?

Photoshop Actions: One Photo, Four Ways

Has anyone dabbled with Photoshop Actions since my last post on them? If not, you really should! I snapped this photo of Leo this morning and have been playing around with it a bit. This is the raw image with no adjustments.

Here are a few versions using various Photoshop Actions, all from thecoffeeshopblog.com:

"Velvet Cream"



"Sunny Pop"



"Vintage Storybook"

"Mocha Velvet"



Editing can completely make or break a photo. So go take some pictures, download Adobe's free photoshop trial, and start editing!

Photoshop Actions

Oh me oh my.... I've made a discovery: ACTIONS! Has anyone else? Am I the last one in the digital photography world to be let in on this little secret?

My photos now have new (and more interesting/colorful/tinted/creative) life breathed into them. And I've also developed a cure for too much blog reading: too much Photoshop Elements Actioning.

Actions are "pre-recoreded" and "packaged" tasks that you apply to an image. For example, you may do twenty different things to a photo in order to achieve a desired look. Instead of doing this every single time you want the same look for another photo, an action does it all in one step. It's like photo editing for dummies.

To be completely honest, I used to see beautiful photos on professional websites and wonder how the photographer got that look (tinted color, clear and bright eyes, faded with teals and yellows standing out, etc.). I figured it was a mix between having an awesome original photo, and some simple editing.

I'm sure this is true for some, but I'm finding you can do WONDERS with an average photograph, and you can truly create MAGIC with a great photograph.

The photo above is one I took of my hottie of a husband. To achieve this look, I used both pre-packaged actions as well as hand touching up. I'm finding a mix of the two look best. Click on the image in order to view it larger- you can see details better (like his eyes! :) The original photo is at the bottom.

There are tons of actions available for download. Most cost something, but many are free. Check out these links:

Free:

• The Coffee Shop Blog
• The Pioneer Woman Photography

To Purchase:

• Flora Bella
• MCP Actions
• Nicole V Flourish

Original photo:

Cool, 'eh?

Happy photo editing!

PS. I've decided to start my own photography website separate from this blog. When it's up and running, I'll let you all know!

Rebecca the Photographer

I'm working on busting into the photography business.

There, I said it. This has been something I've wanted to do for a while, and now I've got the time, resources, and support to make it a reality. I'm JUST starting out (which can also be translated as "I'm an amateur") but have some high aspirations!

I'm currently working on building my portfolio, and would love to have the opportunity to take some more shots. If you (or any of your friends!) and looking for someone to capture their candid memories, I'd love to help out.

I'm putting together a "Photography" tab up at the top of my web page. Check it out for more info.

Here are a couple of photos from the wonderful children that I spent this past school year with. They are truly some of the greatest kids that I've gotten to nanny. Aren't they cute and photogenic? Makes my job easy! :)