Tag Archives: Photoshop

Photo shoot on the dock, part 1

During Family Vacay 2010, there was a lovely dock. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to photograph my newly-married sister Erica on that dock. At one point, both she and my cousins’ wives Steph and Kelsey were all hanging out thereabouts, so I cackled “this is my opportunity!” and grabbed my trusty Nikon D5000. “Pose! Pose now!” I commanded– “and I won’t take no for an answer! Get to work! Hop to it! No time to waste!” I’ve always been bossy–it’s an older sister thing. But hey, it works. So for today, I bring you the pictures of Erica. Tomorrow will be the pictures of the other ladies.

My sister is not just beautiful, but also a natural in front of the camera . . . a skill of which I am extremely jealous. More on that later. She knows what to do with her face, with her hair, and with her body, so it’s a pleasure to take pictures of her.

Me, on the other hand . . . when I know my picture is being taken, my face immediately configures itself into an awkward and tense expression. My nose starts to get red. My limbs start to look like they were sewn on by Dr. Frankenstein, at slightly odd angles. My back hunches, my eyes water, my mouth seizes up, and it’s just a visual nightmare. My problem isn’t my face or body in real life . . . just when it’s captured on film. I hope you understand.

Anyway, Erica doesn’t have that problem. No, not one bit.

Maybe I can convince her to write a guest post with some tips. There are plenty of Photoshop and photography tutorials out there, but I could definitely use a good tutorial telling me how to act when the camera is turned on me. Um, Erica? Whaddya say, huh, huh?

Some of these I messed with a good bit in Photoshop–Gaussian Blur, Selective Color to amp up the blues or yellows, increased exposure, etc.

Some I didn’t even touch, like this one below.

She makes it seem so effortless–not even this lovely splinter stopped her from being a relaxed model for me.

OK, I’m sorry!

No more pictures of splinters, I promise. At least for the next 24 hours.

Though you should know that when I get the urge, I can’t deny it.

As you look at these shots, are there any in particular that you like? Compositions that work, or don’t work? Photos that are too obviously processed? I’d love to hear your feedback.

My black and whites are looking a little odd . . . I haven’t discovered the trick of how to make them “pop,” and they end up looking more flat than I’d like. I want dimension! Any tips from you Photoshop users out there?

Could someone that knows them confirm that Erica looks a lot like her new sister-in-law Nicole in the picture above? I think it’s the hair.

No to influence anyone’s opinion here, but I think the one below is one of my absolute favorites. There’s just something about the composition, with her face in the upper part of the frame, the motion of the hair, the natural laugh, the color of the water . . . it just makes me feel good inside.

You can really see the processing differences between the picture above (bright yellow hair) and the picture below (more of a faded yellow.) I think they both have their merits . . . but they definitely create a different mood.

Her hair look almost white in this picture below–I can’t tell if I love the effect or hate it. Decisions, decisions. They’ve never been my strong point. That’s why I need you all, to tell me what’s what. To make up my mind for me.

Do any of you have a photographic muse? A person that makes you want to grab your camera and just shoot away till kingdom come? Or are you the muse who is perfectly comfortable in front of the photographer? (if you are, please send suggestions my way, and fast) I love hearing your comments and opinions!

Update: my cousin’s wife Kelsey recommended using the “channels” mixer for my color to black and white transformations in her comment below. A little later, I pulled up a favorite blog of mine to read, and what do you know! There on the front page was a tutorial on black and white processing with an explanation of how to do exactly what Kelsey was talking about. If you’d like to read the post (from Kayotic Kitchen), click here.

10 tips for a successful photo shoot

I am here to instruct you in the way or prepping for a photo shoot. I have now done one official photo shoot, which makes me an expert.

Hah!

Tom and Traci (our pastor and his wife) asked me if I would get some shots of their family and of their two adorable girls Bronagh (just turned 5) and Ashling (3?), who are at that perfect age when they are still pretty unselfconscious and their skin is like the petal of a rose. I was nervous since I had never done this before, but I was also terribly excited to be launched into this new sector of photography, even if I landed on my butt in the process.

I would say it took about 6 shots to get 1 keeper. Or maybe 8. I’m afraid to do the math in case it’s worse than I thought. Despite the poor average, some of the keepers did turn out really well, especially once Photoshop lent me a helping hand. It’s also possible that the good results were freak beginner’s luck things, and my next photo shoot will be a hellish disaster. I’ll keep you informed. If it’s a hellish disaster, at least I can write a funny blog post about it–that’s my comfort in these times of great uncertainty.

Anyway, though not an expert, I have learned a number of things that I figured I’d slap into a list for my own benefit and share with you for the heck of it. It’s in no particular order . . . and I welcome corrections and advice from you all.

1. Look at similar work that your clients enjoy–get a feel for what they’re looking for. I looked at Tom and Traci’s wedding photographer’s website to get an idea of the style of shots they might like. This helped tremendously.

2. Test the light on location and try different camera settings in advance if you can. This was so important for me as a beginner! Initially, Traci wanted to do the photo shoot at 8:30am on the beach. Thankfully I went down to the beach at that time a couple weeks prior to do some test shots, and this is what happened:

The light was reflecting off the lake, and my poor husband was squinting no matter what direction he faced. We decided on 5:30pm instead. I’d also like to point out that I used to think that all pictures had to be front-lit (photographer’s back to the sun). However, I have been discovering the joys of back-lit pictures as well (photographer facing the sun). When shooting back-lit, you can meter for the sky (sky will be correctly exposed and subject will be a silhouette) or meter for the subject (people will be correctly exposed and the sky will be blown out, i.e., bright white). That first picture of the family above is backlit, and I love the halo of light around their heads that the sun creates. Here’s another back-lit shot I love:

3. Make a list of shots you might want to get. Think of composition before you get there. There’s always room for spontaneity, but a little planning can really help if you experience brain-freeze under pressure. That said, once the photo shoot started I didn’t even get a chance to look at my list. When young ones are involved, time is at a premium–they have a very small reserve of patience that quickly runs out. However, going through the mental exercise of making the list did help me remember what I was looking for.

4. Wear clothing that you can get dirty–to get good shots you may find yourself lying on the ground, climbing a tree, or jumping out of a moving train. You’ve got to be prepared for anything. I returned from this shoot covered in lake water, sand and sweat. I took a number of shots from the lake–I got into the water so that I could shoot the girls backlit on the shoreline. Then I lay down in the sand, which promptly stuck to my wet skin. This created a very dirty bathtub later on, but it was worth it! Plus, inspired by the wreck that is our bathtub drain, I am now searching for a foolproof way to clean the drains which I will share with you upon discovery. So far the vinegar/baking soda combo (the “old faithful”) ain’t doin’ what it promised and that’s all I have to say ’bout that.

5. Give clear directions to the people you’re shooting. Nothing is worse than confused people feeling awkward in front of the camera and trying to figure out what to do with their limbs (I know because I am one of those people with the confused limbs). This wasn’t the case with my pastor’s family, who looked like they had just walked out of a Gap commercial, but the principle still applies. Tell them what to do! If you’re in charge and giving clear direction, they will actually feel more free. Kind of like with God. Knowing we’re within his sovereignty makes us free. Any Christians out there who want to give a resounding “amen”? Or non-Christians who would like to un-amen the amen? I love you all. OK, moving on.

6. Get a mix of staged shots and spontaneous shots. All are directed by you, but it’s the difference between arranging them carefully and saying “smile”, and saying “walk down the beach together in this direction holding hands.” The first will result in a calm, regular family portrait. The second will look a lot more natural, but you may have to take more shots to achieve it.

7. Have plenty of room on your memory card! Bring an extra just in case.

8. Make sure your camera battery is fully charged. I brought a fully charged back-up battery as well.

9. Take a LOT of pictures–I set my camera to continuous shooting so that when I hold down the shutter release, it just keeps poppin’. This helps ensure that I won’t miss the nanosecond when the little one smiles in just the right way. Being able to take myriads of pictures without changing rolls every two seconds is part of the magic of the digital age, so take advantage of it. Especially when small children are involved who may not have as much mastery of their facial expressions, it could take 20 shots to get a couple good ones:

10. Process, process, process! I downloaded some great (free!) Photoshop actions from the Pioneer Woman that I highly recommend. Especially her black and white actions. Mmmmm. That said, I do encourage processing without actions–they can become a crutch, and it’s fun to learn how to get the effect you want on your own.

Remember, you don’t have to be a professional to do photo shoots with loved ones. I’m certainly not a professional! But if you’re really interested in photography, doing a photo shoot is a great learning experience. Jump in! As long as you’re not charging the subjects something I like to call “cold hard cash”, they can’t lock you up in a maximum security prison based on the bad results–at least that’s how I reassure myself. Plus, this was my pastor’s family, so I’m definitely not afraid of a legal battle over the low proportion of keepers.

Tomorrow I am going to post an ample selection of pictures from the photo shoot, and I am counting on you to weigh in and let me know which are your favorites so that I can better direct my future efforts. In the meantime, I am hard at work on “The Wedding, Part 2” since my self-imposed deadline on that is Friday. Have a great day everyone!

**Update: read a hilarious story about the Erica and Dave Marriage License Debacle on Jen’s website: http://hintofselfexpression.blogspot.com/2010/07/gettin-hitched-license-debacle.html