Here's Some Love

I feel like this blog needs a little lovin'. I've been posting all my photography on my other blog, but since people are still checking this one out, I'm going to post some of my recent photography:

Edge Effects

 Dandelion. 6/4/2011 – 7:38 PM. Rexburg, ID.

F-Stop: 5.6 | Shutter Speed: 1/320 | Nikon D5000

Wow! I never realized how awesome dandelions are! With the sun going down, the lighting was perfect, reflecting off the seed things and making them look like fireworks! I edited the levels and the contrast, and then did the sprayed edge effect [number 9].

 Blossoms. 6/4/2011 – 7:26 PM. Rexburg, ID.

F-Stop: 5.6 | Shutter Speed: 1/160 | Nikon D5000

The tree next to my apartment is blossoming, so I took some pictures. I edited the levels and the contrast, and then I followed directions from the book to give it a burned border [number 13]

Purple Flowers. 6/4/2011 – 7:44 PM. Rexburg, ID.

F-Stop: 10 | Shutter Speed: 1/200 | Nikon D5000

I edited the levels on this and then gave it the double fade border [number 12].

Rustell & Dexter. 5/17/2011 – 7:55 PM. Rexburg, ID.

F-Stop: 7.1 | Shutter Speed: 1/250 | Nikon D5000

I wanted to try this edge effect on a portrait so I went back and found one. I really like the way this turned out. I edited the photos levels, and gave it a slight vignette. Then I did the burned border edge [number 13].

Bannack [Favorites]

Sarah. 5/25/2011 – 12:23 PM. Bannack School House, MT.

F-Stop: 3.2 | Shutter Speed: 1/60 | Nikon D5000

I edited the blacks in camera raw, and then the levels in photoshop. I also used the brush tool to smooth out her skin a little bit.

Root Beer. 5/25/2011 – 2:01 PM. Saloon at Bannack, MT.

F-Stop: 3.2 | Shutter Speed: 1/50 | Nikon D5000

I edited the contrast on this with an adjustments layer, and I used a saturation adjustment layer to make  it sepia. I lowered the opacity on the sepia, because most of the photo was already brown, and the color from the original photo was a little nicer than they were when with 100% sepia adjustment layer.

 Old Chair.  5/25/2011 – 1:51 PM. Bannack, MT.

F-Stop: 2.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/320 | Nikon D5000

I edited the levels and the contrast, and I also added texture by using an overlay. It added to the old look of the chair.

Old House. 5/25/2011 – 5:38 PM. Bannack, MT.

F-Stop: 4.5 | Shutter Speed: 1/500 | Nikon D5000

I edited the blacks and contrast in camera raw, and I used an adjustment brush to add some blue at the top of the sky.

Julie. 5/25/2011 – 6:02 PM. Bannack, MT.

F-Stop: 4 | Shutter Speed: 1/60 | Nikon D5000

I edited the levels in this photo, and used an adjustment layer [gradient map] to change the color to black and white. I also cropped it a little bit.

Pano. 5/25/2011 – 4:00 PM. Bannack, MT.

F-Stop: 9 | Shutter Speed: 1/400 | Nikon D5000

I wanted to get a panoramic down the main road in bannack. I like how this turned out, but I wish I would have taken it from a little farther down the road. I used photoshop to merge the photos, and then I adjusted the levels, and gave it a little extra saturation.

Bannack [Portraits]

 Brown. 5/25/2011 – 1:43 PM. Bannack, Montana.

F-Stop: 2.2 | Shutter Speed: 1/400 | Nikon D5000

I edited the blacks and contrast in camera raw, and then brought it into Photoshop where I smoothed out his complexion a little bit with the brush tool.

 Leading Lines. 5/25/2011 – 3:23 PM. Bannack, Montana.

F-Stop: 1.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/100 | Nikon D5000

I liked the way that the wood looked on the wall, so I had Julie stand against the wall, having the lines lead to her. I used a large aperture so that the background would be completely blurred, making her the obvious focal point. I edited the levels, and smoothed out her complexion a little bit with the brush tool at 20% opacity and flow.

 Overlook. 5/25/2011 – 4:55 PM. Bannack, Montana.

F-Stop: 5.3 | Shutter Speed: 1/320 | Nikon D5000

All I edited in this photo was the blacks and contrast in camera raw.

 Gun. 5/25/2011 – 5:45 PM. Bannack, MT

F-Stop: 4.5 | Shutter Speed: 1/50 | Nikon D5000 | Light Reflector

For this one, I tried to use an angle to make the photo more interesting, and to fit the whole gun in the frame. I edited the blacks, and contrast in camera raw.

 

Guitar. 5/25/2011 – 5:52 PM. Bannack, MT

F-Stop: 4 | Shutter Speed: 1/100 | Nikon D5000

This photo was pretty dark to begin with, but I wanted to make it darker. The wall behind him was yellow, and I decided to just make it all black, so that the focus was completely on him. I adjusted the levels to make the background dark, and then masked him out using black paint. I also used the brush to smooth out the skin on his face.

 

Julie's Bench Pose. 5/25/2011 – 12:54 PM. Bannack, MT

F-Stop: 5.3 | Shutter Speed: 1/320 | Nikon D5000

 For this photo, I edited the levels and contrast, and I also made the background black and white. In the original photo, the background was too bright, and it stole the focus, so I made the subject (julie and the bench) the only things with color. I also used the color burn brush to add a little brown to the bench to make it a more interesting color

 Cowgirl. 5/25/2011 – 1:21 PM. Bannack, MT.

F-Stop: 6.3 | Shutter Speed: 1/1250 | Nikon D5000

For this photo, I was really far away. I got low to the ground and zoomed 165 mm. I edited the blacks and contrast in Camera Raw, and then brought it into Photoshop where I used the clone stamp to take out a piece of her hair that covered her face. 

 Raccoon Hat. 5/25/2011 – 1:21 PM. Bannack, MT.

F-Stop: 2.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/320 | Nikon D5000

For this photo, I edited the blacks in camera raw, and I adjusted the levels in photoshop. I also used a sepia photo filter adjustment layer to change the color a little bit.

Eyes! 5/25/2011 – 4:57 PM. Bannack, MT.

F-Stop: 5.6 | Shutter Speed: 1/320 | Nikon D5000 | Gold Light Reflector

For this photo, the light was awesome, and it was hitting Brandon's eyes just perfectly. I had him turn away from the sun, and we used a gold light reflector to bring nice light to his face [it was also pretty cloudy]. I set it up so that the background would match the color of his eyes. I edited the blacks in camera raw, and then the levels in photoshop, and I smoothed out his skin a little bit with the brush.

Editing Portraits

Portrait Enhancement:

 Rustelle is naturally beautiful, but I did a few little things to enhance the photo. I smoothed out her complexion using the brush tool at 20% opacity and flow. I also selected her teeth and whitened them using a saturation adjustment layer. Next, I used the burn tool on a new layer to make the highlights in her eyes whiter.

Rustelle. 5/17/2011 – 7:48 PM. Rexburg, ID.

F-Stop: 5.6 | Shutter Speed: 1/500 | Nikon D5000 | Gold Reflector

Replace Color:

 For this photo, I selected everything but Erica and the white flowers, and I adjusted the colors to make them look brownish instead of green by adjusting the hues on a hue/saturation adjustment layer.

Original:

The photographer. 5/21/2011 – 6:35 PM. Rexburg, Idaho.

F-Stop: 4 | Shutter Speed: 1/125 | Nikon D5000

 Match Color:

 I really liked this photo, but it was a little bit dark. The clouds had come in front of the sun, and I didn't adjust my shutter speed before I took the photo. I had another one with good lighting, so I decided to do a color match with it. I really like the way it turned out. And it was so easy! This is such an awesome technique.

Originals:

Darker Photo. 5/21/2011 – 6:35 PM. Rexburg, Idaho.

 F-Stop: 4 | Shutter Speed: 1/500 | Nikon D5000

PORTRAITS

Individual–Side Compostition:

 Erica. 5/21/2011 – 6:19 PM. Rexburg, Idaho.

F-Stop:2.2 | Shutter Speed: 1/1250 | Nikon D5000

Erica is the best model because she is gorgeous and has AMAZING eyes! So I asked her to be one of my portrait models. I always get great photos when she is in the frame. I love this one because her eyes just jump out at you. The blurred green in the background really compliments them. I edited the blacks and contrast in camera raw, and then I did a very slight airbrush on her skin, and darkened the outer blue of her eyes a tiny bit.  

Individual–Head & Shoulders:

 Princess Erica. 5/21/2011 – 6:12 PM. Rexburg, ID

F-Stop: 4.7 | Shutter Speed: 1/125 | Nikon D5000

I used my 55-200mm lens for this shot, and got pretty far away, with a focal length of 125 [to try and blur the background]. I edited it in camera raw, and adjusted the levels in Photoshop. The light was really good here, I didn't have to do anything with her skin, it already looked super smooth. I did soften the lines a little bit under her eyes using the brush at 20% opacity & flow.

 Erica3. 5/21/2011 – 6:10 PM. Rexburg, Idaho.

F-Stop: 5 | Shutter Speed | 1/320 | Nikon D5000

I did pretty much the same edits in this photo as in the one above.

Individual–Full Body

 

Erica Again! 5/21/2011 – 6:22 PM.

F-Stop: 4.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/125 | Nikon D5000

For this photo, I edited the blacks, contrast, and exposure in camera raw, and I used a smart sharpen filter to sharpen it a little bit.

Dexter. 5/17/2011 – 7:58 PM.

F-Stop: 5.6 | Shutter Speed: 1/125 | Nikon D5000

I positioned Dexter on the railroad, and used an F-Stop that would blur the background, but you would still be able to see the tracks. I edited the levels and used a gradient map adjustment layer to make it black and white.

Group Posed:

Rustelle & Dexter. 5/17/2011 at 7:45 PM. Rexburg, ID.

F-Stop: 4.5 | Shutter Speed: 1/500 | Nikon D5000 | Gold Light Reflector

For this photo, I told them to sit up against the wall together, and then moved about 15 feet away, then zoomed to take the photo.  I took a few shots, and then showed them to Rustelle to see if she liked them. She told me something that she didn't like about the pose, and we fixed it. I'm so glad I asked, because it was an easy fix, and she liked the photo after I fixed it.

I edited it in camera raw [blacks, contrast, and exposure]. Then I brought it into Photoshop and airbrushed their faces with the paint brush at 30% opacity. I also enhanced the highlights in their eyes with the dodge tool.

 Group Interaction:

A Mother's love. 4/23/2011 at 12:39 PM. Orem, Utah.

F-Stop: 2 | Shutter Speed: 1/250 | Nikon D5000

The light was coming in the window and creating a beautiful light on baby Giselle's face, so I took a few shots. I love it! I edited the levels in Photoshop, and I used a deep yellow photo filter [using an adjustment layer]. Next, I airbrushed some red splotches from the babies face and chest, and I smoothed out the mothers skin using the brush at 30% opacity & flow. I also used both the liquify filter and the clone stamp to lessen the skin under her chin.

 Individual Environmental:

Photographer. 5/21/2011 – 6:38 PM. Rexburg, Idaho.
F-Stop: 5 | Shutter Speed: 1/125 | Nikon D5000
My  friend Erica loves photography too so I wanted to capture her taking a picture. I love the way this one turned out. I edited the blacks and contrast in camera raw.