Tuesday Tip

It has been a little while since my last "Tuesday Tip" so I thought tonight would be fitting for a new one. Where have I been, right?! Now that the hectic-ness of the holiday season is over, I'm looking forward to spending more time on my blog. It really is one of my favorite things to do.

So... let's get right to it! After feeling a little, eh, idea-less, I decided to ask one of my close photog girlfriends, Natalie, for a little inspiration for tonight's post. She suggested that I give a glimpse into editing, specifically some insight into how I post processed the photo of Ashley (from Adventure of Newlyweds) that I shared on my facebook page last night. My respose: "PERFECT!" ... and "Why didn't I think of that?" She's a genius. Thanks Nat :)

Tonight I'll be giving you a step-by-step tutorial from beginning to end on exactly how I edited the image of Ashley. Before I begin I thought I'd note that I shot the photograph with my Canon 5d Mark II using a Canon 55 mm 1.4 lens (my fav). I edited this portrait using Photoshop CS2.

SOOC (straight out of camera)

As you will see, I began with a very beautiful photo (duh, look at the subject). Because the composition was exactly how I wanted it, I did not need to crop the image. Does this happen often? No ... haha. I usually have to crop my images. 

Step 1: Application of the "soft urban" action.

I use a variety of actions from the Florabella Collection. If you haven't looked into their action sets, I highly recommend them. Since purchasing a few of their packages I have seen a huge transformation in my images. I love them!

The first thing I did to this photo was apply the Florabella action called "soft urban" at 100% opacity. Below you will see the effect. 

Step 2: Saturate. 

After applying the "soft urban" action at full opacity, I saturated the image just a bit. Saturate can be found with the adjustment tools in Photoshop. Although subtle, you can see that the colors are enhanced. I wanted the greens and browns to pop a bit more than they did in the previous image.

Step 3: Application of "sweetness" action.

Next, I applied the "sweetness" action at 22% opacity. I chose this action to soften the skin and warm the picture. It also gives the image a little bit of a vintage feel, which I love. Again, these are subtle differences but remember: they all add up in the end.

Step 4: Edge burn.

In order to really draw attention to the subject I often burn the edges of the image, which I've done below. Burning can be done using the brush tool. In my opinion, creating a vignette effect really makes the photo pop and the subject stand out. Huge difference, right?

Step 5: Center light.

Because I wanted Ashley's face to be a little brighter, I lightened her face just a bit. This can be done using the brush tool as well. 

Step 6: Application of "sharpen/defog" action.

I applied the "sharpen/defog" action at 78% opacity. By doing so, the image is crisper, which I think looks more professional. 

Step 6: Smooth skin and enhance eyes.

Lastly, I smooth the skin and enhance the eyes by brightening them. Occasionally I may add a little warmth to the cheeks, which I did in this image. Voila!

And for a little before and after to show that those little subtleties do, in fact, count :)

Happy editing! Feel free to leave questions or comments. 

www.shaunaveaseyphotography.com

Tuesday Tip

Strategic Cropping

We've all seen those pictures that need someone or something cut out, right? Well, although cropping for that reason is certainly beneficial, there are a few other reasons you may want to consider doing a little choppity chop to your pictures ...

• Zoom in, baby! Can't get close enough? Easy fix. Crop your image for a closer shot. Oftentimes, I snap a photo that's further away in order to give me two options- a close up or distant image. Remember that you can always zoom in by cropping the image, but you can never zoom out. Better safe than ... well, you know. Here is an example of an image of Hunter that I cropped for a closer look: 

• Focus on the subject. Occasionally, you may have an image with a lot of surrounding distractions. To hone in on your subject, consider cropping it to eliminate what you don't want in the photograph. Challenge yourself to push your "cropping" limits! Below is an image of Landon getting reading on his wedding day. The original image had a lot going on in the background. To bring the attention on what I wanted to capture from the photo (him buttoning his shirt), I cropped it so that even his eyes wouldn't be a distraction. This is a great way to get a nice detail shot.

• Get artistic. Try cropping your image at an angle. An earlier Tuesday Tip that I posted suggested trying new angles. Well, if you didn't get the angle you wanted while snapping the shot, try cropping it at an angle. When editing a photo, I often see the image in a completely new and different way. Giving yourself the freedom to play around with artistic angles can make editing so much more fun! Here is an engagement photo of Matthew and Hillary that I cropped at an angle, which I think makes the image much more appealing.

Thanks for stopping by, happy shooting... and cropping!  ;)

Tuesday Tip

This week's tip is... Focus on the eyes!

People have asked me how I get the subjects' eyes so sharp in my images. The answer is simple: Focus on the eyes. If you are shooting with your camera set on auto-focus, make sure when you're looking through your view finder that you see the little red light show up on at least one of the eyes. You may have to move your camera and try different angles until you see that it has picked up on one of the eyes its self. This leads me to another challenge...


If you feel comfortable (because you have read your manual not one, not two, but at LEAST three times), I *highly* encourage you to practice choosing your focal point manually. By manipulating your focal point you can manually place the focal point on the pupil of the subject's eye. By doing this you are much more likely to get the focal point you want and the sharpness you desire. 


I anticipate a few questions could arise from this tip so I'm going to try and nip those before you even have to ask :) 


1. What setting should I have my camera set on to adjust my focal point manually? Although 'Program' (P for Canon) is not the only setting that will allow you to do this, it's the one I recommend. Until I learn how to shoot 100% in manual, I'm sticking with P. I'm one of those who sticks with what works. It works so I'm sticking.


2. Whose eyes do I focus on if there is more than one person in the picture? It depends. (Oh why did I give myself such a complicated question, haha) If I want one person to be the focal point of the image, obviously I choose that person's eyes. However, if I want a group of people to be in focus I usually just switch to auto-focus and allow my camera to do the thinking for me. While in auto-focus I do make sure my camera picks up on someone's eye. Sometimes if I have two people side-by-side I'll just choose one of their eye's, randomly. If they aren't side-by-side (different depths-of-field) then I don't choose one over the other because I don't want one person to be in focus while the other is blurred. Wow, I hope that makes sense. 


3. Do you always choose the eye as your focal point with taking portraits? Yes! :)


4. How did you figure that out? Although I'd love to take credit for figuring out the importance of focusing on the eyes all by myself, I have to thank Jasmine Star for that little tid-bit. She always has such great pointers. 


As always, I have included a few photos to support my tip. Check out all those beautiful eyes!

Happy shooting!

Tuesday Tip

My "tip" this week is actually a challenge. I don't know about you, but I'm always up for a good challenge- bring it on, right?!

I challenge you to try a new angle. Often times we get in a routine of capturing the same straight-on shot. It's easy, comfortable and familiar. Next time, try something new, something outside your comfort zone- spice it up a little! Here are a few ideas on how to capture different angles:

• Get lower than your subject and shoot upwards. Sometimes when I'm photographing my subjects I take the straight-on shot first and then I squat down and shoot upwards for a different angle. It's amazing how different two photographs can be with a simple change of position. That's easy, right? Check out the side-by-side images below. One was straight on and the other  is the same exact pose except I've captured it from an upward angle. Can you believe how different they are?  Which do you like better? I think between the two I actually prefer the upward angle more.

• Angle your camera.  Instead of holding your camera perfectly horizontal, try angling it so that it's more diagonal. Typically, landscapes should always he horizontal, but, when you're photography people try slanting your camera a bit. It makes for a more interesting shot. In the photograph below you can see that I just slightly angled it to the right.

• Get above your subject and shoot downward. I absolutely love a bird's eye view. Shooting downward is not only an overall interesting perspective, but it can also be rather flattering. When taking pictures of children, try having them sit on the ground and look up at the camera as you stand over them (which is what I did with  Maris in the first image below). It's such a fun pose! It's not that easy with adults ;) In the second photo below I was standing on a ladder (by a dumpster, believe it or not). In the thrid photo I was at the top of a church staircase. Although it isn't always easy to get this angle, it's definitely worth it when you do. I'm always on the look out for something to climb on!

There are many others angles out there for you to explore. What are you waiting for- got get em'!    Happy Shooting :)

Tuesday Tip

This Tuesday's Tip was inspired by a question I received last week from a friend of mine. She asked, "When is the best time of day to take outdoor pictures/schedule sessions?" 

Typically I schedule sessions at 10 o'clock in the morning. Why? Well ... this particular time of day has so much to offer! Allow me to elaborate ;)

1. Soft Sunlight : My first concern is always the sun (the sun and I have a serious love-hate relationship). In my opinion, images look the best when they are taken in a softer light. Mornings and evenings are obviously when you can catch the sun at its best for photography purposes. Anything between 12 and 3ish is way too harsh for my liking. Although I always go straight to the shade (to prevent face shadows, squinty eyes and washed out skin tones), I usually plan for morning sessions. 

2. Happy, Well-Rested, Non-Hungry Children : From my experience as a mother, teacher and photographer, children feel their best during the morning hours. They have had a full night of sleep and have eaten breakfast- rested children who have been fed always  feel better than those who haven't. Evening sessions with children tend to be a little more challenging. Trust me ;)

3. Temperature : I find that morning temperatures are more enjoyable than evening temps, especially during the summer months in southern states. 

4. Just Enough : 10 o'clock is early enough to spend the first few minutes discussing outfits and developing a plan for the session. I'm usually shooting by 10:30. If I start shooting at 10:30 I have just enough time to get the shots I need before the sun gets too high (no bueno).

Although I prefer morning light, I want to add that evening sessions can also be great. It all depends on the client. I find that engagement sessions are nice in the evening (I plan for 5, shooting by 5:30). Evening hours set a more romantic mood. 

Below I've included 2 images. The first is from a morning maternity session and the last is from an evening wedding. I hope this helps :) Happy shooting!

Tuesday Tip

Recently I've been brainstorming avenues in which I could share little photography tid-bits  with my readers. I knew I wanted it to be something I posted regularly on my blog, but envisioned it becoming a quick and easy tip that anyone could execute with their camera. Quick to read and easy to apply. Win-win, right? Finally, I came up with "Tuesday Tip." (oh how I love alliteration- can you tell I'm a teacher?)

My plan: Each Tuesday I'm going to share a little tip with you guys to enhance your photographs. I intend for these tips to be easy enough for anyone to use. So, whether you're a mom seeking better photographs of her kids, or someone looking to pursue photography, these tips can assist you (hopefully). People ask me all the time, "What's this?" or "How did you get your picture to look like that?" As I've said in the past, I think the most  effective way to grow is to learn from others and then share what I've learned. You know, spread the love a little. I never liked secrets anyways. 

This week's Tuesday Tip:

• When taking a photograph of a subject in front of a solid background (i.e. wall, door, window, building, etc.) move the subject at least 3 to 5 feet away from the backdrop. Why? By moving the subject away for the solid surface behind them,  you're going to enhance the subject. By doing this, the subject becomes the focal point rather than another object getting lost in the background. To take it a step further for those of you who are comfortable manipulating the aperture, moving the subject further out will create a smoother, blurrier background giving your subject the crisp pop that you want. The more depth of field (distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear), the more bokeh (blur). I've included these as links if you want to learn more.

See, not so bad, right? Bringing a subject off of it's backdrop was one of those huge realizations for me in the beginning. Trial and error of not getting the blur that I was seeking inevitably lead to me doing enough research and practice until I got it. 

Below I've included two images that'd I've recently taken. In the first image there is no distance between the subject and the backdrop. In the image below it, I've moved the subject about 5 feet away from the door. Can you see the difference? Although small, it counts. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope this helps! Feel free to drop a comment or question, I love love LOVE to hear from my readers :)

PS- I will be blogging about this little cutie pie later on in the week- and, guess what... she is having a book published about her and I have a little snippet of it to share. You're going to love it. Stay tuned.