Skye's Giveaway

Once again, Skye is giving away a copy of her fabulous workbook.  Check out her blog for details about her workbook, her posing guide, as well as some really exciting changes in the works.

Ready to be inspired? Visit her website, http://www.theworkshopworkbook.com
and grab your camera!!

What's the Point?

A friend recently asked me for a quick tip on improving her photographs.  While there are quite a few factors that have to work together to produce a pleasing image, I honestly feel that maybe the most important is answering the question, "What's the point?"  Making that decision before you press the shutter will cause you to more carefully examine the scene, looking for images that will communicate best.

This shot is one of many I took at a local community celebration.  It is a very large event, thousands of people in attendance, and it can be difficult to effectively capture.  I chose to post this image because viewing the crowd from the boys perspective gives you an idea of the size and scope of the event.  Also, now that I look at it, I wonder how in the world this boy managed to wear his jacket??!  The temperature was about 97 with a heat index of 107.  I didn't even notice he had a jacket on - I was too busy trying to not die of heat stroke!!  And yet there he stands, looking all cool.....amazing.

First Father's Day

The first time a young man gets to celebrate his role as a father -it's just an incredible moment. The wonder of that little baby....the love....the responsibility....a day to pause and realize that...

Happy Father's Day!!!

21 Years....

1978.  The year I purchased my first SLR.  I had a 50mm 2.0 lens, the camera was manual, and it produced fabulous photographs.  This photograph of a sweet little boy was shot in 1990 with that Pentax K1000.

What to say?  Time passes. This sweet little boy is now 21 and has become a wonderful young man.  He is someone I can trust, someone I love, someone I admire.....he is my son.

Daddy's Girl

They aren't this little for long.  The sleepless nights become a vague memory, although that may be the result of months of sleep deprivation rather than the dreamy passage of time.  I have to laugh.  When my daughter was a baby, I asked my Mama when I would get to sleep through the night again.  As I waited for her response, hoping for encouragement, she replied, "Never."

Mama was teasing.  You do get to sleep the night through again, but never quite like you did before there was a sweet little bright eyed lady like this one in your house.  A tiny infant who has generated more love in you than you ever imagined possible.  Someone who holds your heart in her tiny fingers.  Even when she sleeps the night through, you don't.  You wake up and slip into her room just to watch her breathe.

What a delight when we took these pictures.  I got to hear this little miss Laugh Out Loud!  Music heard all the way to Heaven!  LOL, indeed, little one!

Don't Forget "Place"

This a bit of a different project for me.  Rather than a photograph of people, restoring a place was also an interesting project, especially since this is where I went to school.  I was not able to work from the original photograph.  Instead it was from a low-resolution scan, so the end result is much more pixelated than I would like.  Nevertheless, it is still a marked improvement over the original, which had lost all of the original color information except for blue.

I wanted the result in black and white so that it would be a nice companion piece for a retrospective storyboard I'm working on.

If you are considering which photographs to have restored, don't neglect the environmental.

Cat and Mouse

This is my home version of cat and mouse. Chloe is my near constant Photoshop companion. She has her spot on my desk, under a lamp that she uses as if it were a sunlamp. I have concluded that after two years of regular Photoshop use, she has settled on a favorite "action"......sleep :-)




To Chloe, my little Photoshop friend:  
This wouldn't be nearly as much fun without you.

Workbook by Skye Hardwick

Check it out!

I recently discovered Skye Hardwick, her beautiful photography, and fabulous workbook that is jam-packed with valuable information for photographers.

Her photographic images are a masterful combination of elegant images with textures and embellishments that cause me to slow down and examine the details. Inspiring.

Incredible work, Skye. Thank you for making this information available to all of us.....

http://www.theworkshopworkbook.com

Father's Day

Father's Day is June 20. For a unique gift, check out the "Storyboard" on my Products page.

Catchlights

You've heard the saying, "The eyes are the window to the soul." Well, in photography, not only are the eyes windows to the soul, but you can sometimes SEE the window IN the eyes!

To the left is a small selection from a restoration I've just completed. The original image was badly faded and discolored and very tiny (only 1.5 x 2"). When you looked at the original, you saw the little boy, but couldn't discern any of the details.

After bringing some of the original detail back, I found that both eyes had light streaks across them. While you couldn't see this at all in the original, in the restoration it became a major distraction.

The catchlights captured by photography are always in the shape of the light source. If your subject's face is illuminated by a rectangular window, the catchlight will be rectangular. If the light source is round, the catchlight will also be round. If you use a flash, you will most often notice a single very bright spot in the center of the eyes. (not the most attractive catchlight, in my opinion)

I couldn't see any visible scratches in the original image that would have caused these light streaks, so I have to wonder if these streaks are actually the shape of the flash the photographer used. Regardless of the source of the streaks, they had to go.

Remember to look at the eyes of your subjects. Watch for the catchlights. A window with diffused lights creates beautiful light in the eyes as does light coming under a porch or other outdoor structure.

By the way: sometimes, you will find yourself reflected in your subject's eyes. (Look carefully at the little boy's eyes at the beginning of this post.)

It's going to be a beautiful weekend here in the MidSouth. Take your camera and a favorite person and practice finding and capturing the light in their eyes.