Isn’t this a great shot? This was shot by Heather Barnum of the Intrepid Agency. She’s my agent. Ok, she’s not really my PR agent, I just like to say “my” agent. Heather is a sweet friend. This is her baby daughter L.’s first snow (she’s not much of a baby anymore actually). Heather shot it with a camera phone because that’s all she had at the time. Look at the magic she captured! When she shared it with me, I knew we could take this moment and make it even more.
The following is step by step edit Photoshop Tutorial for beginners and more advanced users as well.
Above is the orginal shot. When I first look at this picture I think what a wonderful moment has been caught here. I want to focus more on the moment and less on the surrounding environment. I don’t want to crop it too much because I want to keep the leaves and the fresh snow.
So now I have this. The picture has a lot grey midtones. Why? Remember, the camera simply can not see what your eye can. It can only see so much information. We use Photoshop to change that. So the first thing I’m going to do is to make a levels adjustment and then add contrast.
So for a review, my steps so far have been this:
1. Crop
2. Go to the top of Photoshop where it says Layers>Duplicate Layer and click. This way if you don’t like your layers, you can throw them away and have your original unchanged. What is a layer? If you don’t know, don’t worry just keep following along.
2. Go to the top left of Photoshop where it says Layers>New Layer Adjustment>Levels>Change Middle point to 1.18 I only change the the middle one this time.
3. Go to Layers>New Adjustment Layer>Brightness Contrast>Move slider on Contrast only +20
Next, I’m going change those leaves because they are bugging me. I want the leaves to have more of an autumn feel.
4. Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Hue and Saturation> +12
5. Advanced step Layer>New Adjustment Layer> Yellows>Hue> -19
If you want to do more advanced steps you can make selctions with your lasso and feather by 25 px and by using Curves or Levels, bump up dark areas or bring down areas. Remember the eye goes to the area of greatest contrast and we want to do that here.
I circled with brown some of what I darkened and circled with white some of what what I lightened. If this makes you nervous, move on:)
The last thing I did was to add a vignette and a blur. You can add a Vignette, by going to the top of Photoshop Filter>Distort>Lens Correction>Vignette>to whatever number you like. By using the minus, you get a dark vignette. By using the + sign you get a white vignette. Then I added a blur by going to . I erased through to her little face and hands. I will show you how to this in a video tutorial next week.
6. Make selections with lasso to lighten or darken area. Lasso>New Adjustment Layer>Levels or Curves
7. Add vignette. Filter>Distort>Lens Correction>Vignette
8. Add blur Filter>Blur>Gausian Blur
Beginners, I will do a tutorial next week to show you how to use the lasso and use the blur filter. Easy simple and very effective. I added border as I showed you in last weeks tutorial.
So now I have this.
This is my friend Marci. Her passion is dancing. In this photo she is just two weeks away from delievery.
It’s a moment, like many others, I’ve come to treasure over and and over again. Life is beautiful and I want you to have the opportunity to share with others what you think makes life so worth living. Post your pictures to My Photographica’s facebook page or submit them to here at marcel@myphotographica.com. I’m working on flickr group (you need permission for any group that is not just for personal use:)
I look forward to seeing what you have to share. Different submissions will be highlighted weekly on Fridays starting November 6.
Here’s part two as promised of Photoshop Tools Palette. Some of these are available in Elements and some are not, but it is worth worth watching. The more you can navigate around in your program, you will be more become proficient and able to do the things you want to.
I’m posting Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays so come back for more tips how to best preserve your memories.
This is the man who could someday save my child. He’s a firefighter, that’s what he does. But the way he holds this child and coos to him as the baby grabs his face while the child’s mother climbs aboard the fire engine, tells me something even more. This is the man who would brave a burning building, and hold this child as tenderly as he would hold his own while embers of fire rained upon him. This moment tells me that for this man, what he does is more than a job. This photo testifies to this.
So this is my photography tip for the week. Take pictures of your life around you. People you don’t know, moments of daily goodness that testify to the beauty of daily living or the challenges that life presents. You have a thousand pictures of your child smiling or of your cat or of you and your friends, use your camera to do more.
I took this picture for nobody other than myself. I don’t anticipate it will ever be in a magazine or gallery or that it will bring me income of any sort. I took this picture because it is a moment that testifies to the beauty of the world I live in, here and now, and it fills me with a measure of wonder, gratitude. and happiness. I encourage you to the same for your life.
Here’s a quick tutorial on how to add a border and text in Photoshop.
Warning it is rated PG for showing an image of a grown man in his boxers.
Why is there a grown man in his boxers? Well, it’s Casey’s birthday (he’s the big 44!) and I wanted to do something specialfor him so I made him a card in Photoshop and the only picture I have of him that he likes is one of him in his boxers which I took last year at his 43rd birthday party (I’m a huge fan of on sentences). So why is he in his boxers? Well, this is his kind of happy, not my kind, just his. I knew if I showed up after his last birthday party had been going for awhile I could get a shot of him enjoying his kind of happy and he might be more willing to go along for a “birthday” shot of in his “birthday suit”. I didn’t want a ” the full birthday” shot (though he did offer). And how do I beat last year’s gift of this shot which I did post for all our Davis High Alumni? Well, I make him a birthday card and post it for the whole world to see! So happy big 4-4 Casey and know that I love ya! (especially with your clothes on).
What are you grateful for? Purple mountain majesties? Your child’s first smile? Food on your table everyday? Let us know!
I’m excited to announce the continuation of the “Hot Shot Challenge” photo competition. I have a lot of friends who love to do photography and would love to give them a chance to show off. Well, here’s their chance and yours as well to strut your stuff and win an action pack of your choice! Take a picture of what you are grateful for and send it to us for our photo competition.
The theme for this competition is ”Gratitude”. On the judging panel will be myself, Marcel Walker, commercial and lifestyle photographer, and joining me will be design guru Rebecca Servoss, owner of Persnickety Graphics and Creative Director for the skyrocketing Today’s Mama and the brilliant Brett Thomas, Director of Design for Thomas Arts.
The challenge runs from October21 -November 21. See for contest submission guidelines and rules below. You can enter as many times as you like! We’d love to have as many people enter as possible so feel free to forward this info along!
Submission Guidelines
1. Submissions accepted from October 21-November 21 11:59pm MT.
2. Contestants may enter as many photos as they like.
3. Photos must be submitted to Hot Shot Challenge via flickr or sent to marcel@myphotographica.com, or on our Facebook page.
4. The winner will be featured here on My Photographica on November 26.
5. Winner will receive an action pack of their choice from My Photographica Store.
All Contestants must read and agree to rules before submitting their image.
1. I agree this photo was taken by me and I have the right to distribute this photo.
2. I understand that my photo must reflect the theme of “Gratitude”.
3. I understand my photo must be in jpg format with a minimum size of 600px on each side and a max of 800px on each side.
4. By submitting my image, I agree to let my entry be exhibited on My Photographica and any further promotional materials for the Hot Shot Challenge.
From Marcel, Why Sanyo Eneloop?These batteries kick butt! I first used these batteries on a corporate shoot a number of months ago and was THRILLED with the way they outperformed any thing I had ever put in my Speedlite 580 EX II (that big flash gadget on top of my camera). Holy freakin’ cow, I would never want to use anything else! Plus unlike alkaline batteries these are rechargeable. Ten billion of alkaline batteries end up in landfills every year so you can buy Eneloops and save the world!
From the Manufacturer, Why Sanyo Eneloop?Sanyo Eneloop rechargeables can replace an entire kitchen drawer’s worth of dry cell batteries You already know the benefits of using conventional rechargeable batteries. But Sanyo Eneloop batteries have advantages over other rechargeables that put them a step ahead. Sanyo Eneloop batteries are an excellent choice for your rechargeables because: * They can be used right after purchase * They consistenly yield high performance * They have a long shelf life with no loss of energy * They can be used everywhere * They are environmental friendly Self-Discharge: Why Conventional Rechargeables Don’t Cut It Conventional rechargeable batteries have numerous advantages that make them great to use for your portable electronics. But they also come with certain disadvantages. After purchase, rechargeable batteries have to be charged before they can be used. And once charged, rechargeable batteries lose the stored energy rather fast. The charging takes quite long and rapid chargers are expensive. Not only that, but continuous charging or frequent charge to “top off” the lost energy (without complete discharge) can destroy the battery. All these negative attributes have one root-cause: self discharge. Self-discharge means that a charged battery slowly discharges itself without any equipment consuming any current. This is the reason for rechargeable batteries being sold in a discharged state. And this is the reason that keeping charged batteries for some time did not make any sense. When you needed them, the energy was gone. Sanyo Eneloop batteries have an extremely low rate of self-discharge, which means they hold their stored energy for a very long time–charge your batteries once and put them in your kitchen drawer, and over a year from now you’ll still be able to use them right away, without needing to charge them again.
Here’s a great introduction to using your tools in Photoshop by The New Boston. You can check out more of his tutorials on the youtube. He does a great job introducing Photoshop and how to use the tool bar.
One question I had recently in a workshop was, “Why won’t my flash work very well?”
Good question, the answer is it totally depends. Remember your camera is just a little guy who doesn’t really know what’s going on, he’s just guessing. He only throws light 8-15 ft. depending on your model. If you want to know how far your flash will go, I suggest you read your manual. If you’ve lost your manual you can download one online or even purchase a new one. How do I know this? E-x-p-e-r-i-e-n-c-e. OK, getting back to your little guy. So let’s say your daughter is in a performance at school and you want to get a great shot of her on the stage. Standing 6 rows back and using your flash the only thing that will be illumninated will be the bald man’s head in front of you. It will be fantastically shiny and prominent. So if you want to get a good picture, move close and practice!
What about reducing red eyes with flash?Most cameras now have a feature to that you can use so you don’t have to worry about it. You can read more on this link: http://www.howstuffworks.com/question51.htm
Due to techincal challenges, “How to Add Text and A Border in Photoshop” will be featured at a later time. I broke something which if you know me shouldn’t be any big surprise. So today, I’m giving a hot photography tip!
These are my parents. My dad actually hasn’t retired yet. He’s been too busy having fun. It makes me wonder if he’s having this much of a good time now, what will retirement be like? Skydiving in the South Pacific if my mom has any say. I titled this shot, “When I’m 64″. My dad, who rarely if ever reads my blog, wanted me to make sure I knew he really wasn’t 64…yeah I know…but there’s a song by the Beatles, “When I’m 64″ thus the title.
Photography Tip for the Week
Sometimes getting the right shot requires thinking outside of the box. Earlier this week I talked about capturing motion and emotion. This goes along the same lines but takes it even a step further. When I was boating with my family, I wanted to capture the sense of freedom and joy that I felt as I watched my parents enthralled with the moment. There wasn’t a lot of room to move around on the boat so I kneeled down and shot into the rear view mirror. I made sure my exposure was spot on and clicked away. We were speeding along at 40 mph and it was choppy so I was lucky get the shot without bruising my eye. If you have a point a shoot, make sure the setting on the top is in action mode, like with guy running or my friend has a guy swinging a golf club (whoever thought golf could be action must be a huge Tiger Woods fan). You memories can be posed pictures of you standing with your friends or family in front of a boat or they can look something like this. It’s totally up to you. Good luck and happy memories!
Camera settings for this shot: 1/400 at f10, ISO 250 32mm
