Shape Collage & Logo Info

Here is a very fun and cool little trick! I first saw it on friend's photography blog - and she spotted it on a another professional photographers blog. Now you can have it on your blog too. It's just a cool FREE application from Shape Collage. Have fun, if you use it on a post, place a link in the comment box. I'd love to see how others use it!

BTW - I finally figured out my logo... And I can change and lighten the swirls any which way I want!

Now all those other logos need happy homes! I haven't figured out how to structure that? Any ideas?

More Videos for Photoshop - Way Cool Background Fix

OK - I'm obsessed with these right now. They help me SOOO much! So I was watching all these videos a couple nights ago and today I was editing a picture and realized !!I need that tutorial!!! Hope it helps you too! Here is my before and after, and below you will find the how to.

Happy Edits!

Logo di'LEMMA!

Remember that big long post about logos and the old one to the new one, yadah. yadah. yadah. (click here to see what I'm talking about). Well it didn't take long at all and that one lost the shiny newness too. So, I've been designing again and I'm trying to really commit this time. I want to brand! Creating all my session contract, thank-you's, labels, ALL OF IT to coordinate. This time I'm hoping for some feedback.

Here is what I've come up with. The first image is (obviously the logos) These are the top 6 from all my creations. I know, they are not even similar. I've been all over the place with these. Right off the top I know I won't use 4 - it's a little to cute. I really want to pull for seniors and engagement and that just says child/family to much to me. MY TOP choices are #2 & #6.

Here's my thoughts.

#2: I really like 2's colors (I did a 2nd mock up using dark grey/blue as the font, instead of brown and I really like it! I should have used it). Also that it fits square, is easy for branding/watermarking and I love the background stamp I came up with. DOWN FALL: I don't have a paper collection to work with it, going to have to somehow create a similar branding logo in rectangle shape for when I need a second size, like on my website.

#6 I LOVE the coloring!!! These were the original colors I always wanted to use. As you can see from the second img. I have the coordinating papers to create my full package. DON'T LOVE that the logo is not square shaped for when I need a second size. Also not as big of fan of this flourish in compared to #2's stamp. But don't feel like the #2 stamp goes with this style.

And there is my dilemma. They aren't even the same style at all! Thats 1/2 my problem. But I don't have 1 style. I love the sophisticated look of the mustard greys. I feel like it would transition nicely from newborn, to senior to engagement to someday wedding. But the simplicity of #2 is really great and super easy for making anything and everything coordinate.

Please help me decide!

Animoto

I've recently signed up for Animoto Pro. I'm really excited about it and I wanted to share, plus I just like saying the name a-n-i-m-o-t-o!! (I like to say it like the geico gecko, when he says he'd like to change his name to "Komodo Dragon, please." Seriously thats my favorite commercial ever! Anyone remember that?

OK. Back on subject! I haven't quite figured out how to incorporate it ($$ wise) into sales. But here is why I love it. Clients get a sneak peak with in 3 days of the session. Than their online proofing gallery is available with in 2 weeks. Just a couple days before the gallery is ready I can make a super easy animoto video and put it on facebook and or the blog to get them pumped about their session again. Animoto then makes it super easy to burn a high quality DVD version that I can offer to the client. In addition with their disk. Click on any of the links or use the promo code: xordqhik and get $5 off the all access pass or 1 extra month of commercial access.

Here is my first one!

Skin Tricks - Part 1 by mcp actions

Oh lucky day! More tutorials!!! And an FYI - at the end of the video you will find links for so many more video tutorials by Jodi!

 Jodi at mcp actions has been generous enough to share a video tutorial with us at GoforPro! Jodi, thank you so much for your willingness to share. Jodi is a photoshop genius who offers web based workshops, actions and much more. If your not familiar with mcp actions yet, make sure you go spend some time on the site and blog! 

Okay... Here is the fist video tutorial: Skin - Part 1

I hope you have enjoyed the tutorial, become a fan and be the first to know when new posts are up! I have a lot more in the works, more tutorials AND a post dedicated to free photography stuff available to anyone, I have gotten some great stuff and you will be too! 

WANT A FREEBIE TASTE TESTER? Go to mcp actions and click TRY ME! You will find several FREE actions for your enjoyment! Have fun! 

Silhouette Portrait Tutorial by Heather Ward

I'm lucky enough to call the very talented Heather Ward a friend and was so excited when she agreed to write a tutorial on Silhouette Photography for this blog! Heather's Silhouettes are some of my absolute favorite of her images and the fact that she's sharing her little secrets with us, it just awesome! Just look at that first image! It's breath taking! It's not even me and I want to blow it up into a life size canvas and hang it on my wall! So with no further ado. . .

Silhouettes
by Heather Ward

I love silhouettes because they can be some of the most moving and dramatic shots. And, if you get your settings right – they require little to no processing after the fact depending on your vision. 

If you are at all familiar with metering, than silhouettes can be a walk in the park. Learning to expose for the light source (i.e. the sky) so the foreground is underexposed is the basis of it, but I’ve noted a few tips to help walk you through the process if this is a new concept for you. 

• Choose a strong subject, something well defined and recognizable with little clutter. This can be a person, an object, or anything you want really.  Your subject is the object/person that will be underexposed/blacked out in your silhouette photo.
• Place your subject in front of a light source (i.e. a sun set). Set your exposure for the brightest part of your photo and not for the subject of the image.. To meter accurately for this, point your camera at the light source, hold your shutter half way down and adjust your settings so that the meter line is in the center. This now means that your exposure is correctly set for the light source/sky and for your silhouette.
• Turn your flash OFF! Do not illuminate your subject
• Get the light right. Once you have exposed for the sky and take a few shots to ensure your settings are such that you can capture the detail (i.e. for a sunset, make sure you can see light, color, clouds or whatever detail fills the sky). 
• Set up/frame your image. Get the setting right, place your subject where you want them and look through your view finder to make sure the shot looks good and your subject is standing/placed where you want it.
• Make the shape clear and uncluttered. Ensure there aren’t branches standing up directly behind your subject  (if it’s a person) or that people’s heads aren’t touching together to the point where you won’t be able to tell WHAT your subject is. 
• Take the shot. Don’t be afraid to take several at slightly different exposures to make sure you have the shot just how you want it. 
• Process it if necessary. Usually with my silhouette shots, I use my Clarify Action and my Lab Color Pop at a mid-level opacity to give it the boost it needs. Then, if my subject isn’t quite as blacked out as I want, I will use levels or the burn tool to give it the touch it needs.

My Example Photo:
As you can see from the photo taken by my friend, it’s bright enough outside that I would have had no problem getting a properly exposed shot of my kids. But, by metering/exposing for the sky, which was my light source, the children were underexposed, therefore blacking them out. 

Final Note from Heather: I want to recommend to EVERYONE that they read 'Understanding Exposure' by Bryan Peterson. That book really helped me when I was first starting out - and it was key for me in learning how to meter and expose properly. I'd also like to give full credit to the photography community for the tips provided in this tutorial. Many of these tips for creating beautiful Silhouettes were given to me by fellow photographers through forums, chit chats, and tutorials just like these.

As I've mentioned before, Heather has awesome actions and textures for 

purchase through her site Lolly's Playground. If you are not using actions you should! I know they can help bring your photography to the next level - so go play! I have the entire Lolly's Playground collection, and it was worth it! I use them on every session I edit!

CD Images & Presentation

OK - I've said it before and I will undoubtedly say it again! I'm a sucker for presentation and service. I love feeling important, posh, vip, who doesn't?  {wink} There is a reason I love Nordstrom, Whole Foods, spas and  fancy cheese. It all gives me a sense of cool! I want my customers to have a feeling of VIP service as well... So I'm doing a few little things (and as I grow more will be coming) to insure that. I love looking at my favorite stores, seeing what they do that makes me happy and than incorporating it into my own business. I constantly stop and ask myself if I would like appreciate such and such situation as a customer, if the answer is no than I wont do it at LRP. So this brings me to High Res CD's. I know a lot of photographers do not offer them, I completely understand why they wouldn't. But since I'm the one typing let me tell you why I do. Because as a customer I love control and when I'm looking for my own photographer I want the option to print when, how, who I want. I'm also NOT loaded - remember my hubby is in grad school, and I'm a budding photographer so being able to print myself is a wonderful affordable option (that is if I could afford a photographer)!  I would want the CD so my customers get a CD, simple as that! So in offering this CD, I wanted the presentation to be really nice! Here is what I've come up with so far...

They receive the CD with an image from the shoot, a thank you card a

nd a little thank you goody (these will be Lindt Chocolates usually) but it's been 90 the last week in Portland so no shipping chocolate in the summer for me! They are what I treat myself with while I edit, it's been a little trickier lately with all the heat! I know of a gal who's company is bubblegum tree, how cute would it be for her to give gum balls! 

On the back of the CD case (and I have to tell you I was tickled pink with myself when I cam up with this) is the print release, I blurred it out to keep info private. Now they have the release where they wont loose it and they can bring the whole thing right to their printer of choice and show that they are authorized to print.

BTW - I'm using Avery 8960 labels for my cd's and I got the template right from their website! I eventually want a printer that will burn the image right onto the CD, but that will have to come in time!

And that my friends, is my CD send off package to give to each of my clients. If you have any questions about what i used or how I did it just leave a comment or shoot me an email.

ADD ON: In answer to a few of the questions posted. Here is a pic of what it looks like. I use the downloadable template in word and drag the image in (I've already added my logo in PS) It takes a little playing with to get it right! Than I just print from my HP printer (nothing fancy at all) Lastly that do-hicky thing at the bottom is a must (I had it from a Christmas gift project a couple years back) - I think it's from Wal-Mart? I un-peel the label place it sticky side up on the do-hicky (really helps having those tabs) and than lower the burned CD on it. It keeps it all almost perfectly centered, something I could never do free hand!  Like I said before eventually I want the printer that will burn the image directly on the CD. That way in years to come the label wont ever start peeling, although I did buy labels specifically stating they won't peel! There are several software programs you can get for PC users but not for MACS (I'm a mac girl) and this is the best alternative I've found!

Confessions of a Photographer

As professional photographers we are putting ourselves out there to be critiqued - okay so that seems really obvious now that I typed it! What is not obvious is the emotions that tag along with that fact... And I really hope I'm not alone on this one! {blush} Somedays I'm on a complete high - everything is great, I feel good, work is coming in, editing is going well,  a new positively brilliant idea has struck me... I feel like shouting, "I AM A PHOTOGRAPHER & I'm DANG PROUD OF IT!"  But oh how quickly this can all turn in a severe direction that I don't appreciate in the slightest! Although maybe I should since it always pushes me to be greater! 

Here's the most recent episode....

I did a shoot, I felt like it went really well! I was shooting a couple, tiny baby and two dogs... It was a bit challenging to get the dogs and baby all in the right spot but I over compensated by taking hundreds of pictures to have more choice. Had a blast with them, went home loaded my memory card and found 70 images worth editing, sent client an email saying thanks and how great the shots are and that I'll never be able to keep it to 15-30 images.  No response comes, normally I get an almost instant reply from this client, start to worry that maybe they didn't feel it went as well as they wanted. Get a few into CS4 to start editing for the sneak peak and all of a sudden they just don't look that great. Suddenly I feel a little nervous that they may not be happy enough with them (I mean the sneak peak is my favs so if those are suddenly faltering, I can't imagine what I'm going to think of the rest).  I mean I know I can always redo the shoot and I'm happy to offer a do-over to any client who is absolutely happy! But thats certainly not the goal! Now that my 'I'm a pretty awesome photographer' high is crashing I suddenly become junk with photoshop as well. Everything quickly spirals and I feel inadequate and unsure WHY I CALL MYSELF A PHOTOGRAPHER AT ALL? 

Every once in a while I get caught in this rut, and no matter what I try to do I can't get out, the tires just spin and spin... It's never until someone else comes and gives me a little push of encouragement that I seem to be able to get myself back out of it and become that photographer that has the brilliant ideas again. 

I wonder how much of this happens to me because of being a new photographer and how much is just who I am? Will these little episodes come much more far and few between as I grow, improve and become more consistent? Or is this part of a creative mind, that nobody is more critical of our work than us. Will we always push and tear our selves apart at the hint of mistake and is it all part of the journey to reaching that pinnacle of being the best photographer that you or I can be? 

I know I don't have all the answers! The photographer that I am now... And the one I want to be are worlds apart from one another. I also know when I do get that magical shot that makes my heart flutter it's all worth it! I'm going to keep working until those shots out number the heart falling ones. 

It's all I can do.

BLOGGING

Here is a cool article I found about blogging from pp mag. Thought I would share it and help keep you thinking and getting inspired! 

The winner for best blog went to Jasmine Star who just so happens to be one of my absolute favorite photographers to drool over. Her work is incredible and her blog style of throwing in personal with her work gives you a sense of familiarity and comfort. I feel like she's totally approachable when I read her blogs, I have come across a couple blogs where you do not get that feeling and I think that can really hurt you! Who wants to hire someone intimidating to take their personal family photos? 

(and because posts are more fun with a picture, this image was from some test shots with my new lens)