Jeepers, Creepers

I've long been a fan of P-Dub, and it was the amazing photography on her site (as well as the fact that she taught herself to take these awe-inspiring shots within a year of owning her camera) that inspired me to eventually invest in my now beloved Nikon D40. Anyhoo, I've always wanted to try out her Photoshop trick for making eyes pop. Problem is, I didn't have any good pictures of anyone's baby blues or browns or...you get the idea. So the other day my dear friend, Kelly (one of the most gorgeous women I know--inside and out), agreed to let me take some shots of her stunning hazel peepers. They were already striking straight out of the camera, but then I applied Pioneer Woman's eye tricks, and voila! Beautiful, beautiful girl.

Tweaked

It's been a while since I wrote anything about Photoshop, but don't be fooled into thinking my obsession has passed. Now that I'm taking so many close up shots with my new camera, my Photoshop adoration has only increased. Remember this favorite of mine that I posted last time? I loved the simplicity of the flower, the muted and delicate colors, the bits of dew on the petals. But I knew it could be better. Here's how it looked after cropping and using some Photoshop tricks. Wow, huh? Mind you, I didn't add or enhance any colors at all--just tweaked the contrast. Here's another favorite of mine from the day, this one taken by Kelly. Everyone get it out of your systems and let out a collective, "Awh." Ok, moving on. This is a fab picture, yes, because my husband is The Most Adorable Man on the Planet and the way my face is nestled into him you can't even see my second chin. (Sigh.) But it's a little gray and blah in the color department. Know what I mean? This is no reflection on Kelly's photography skills, which I think we'd all agree are admirable. The grayish cast is just something you have to deal with in digital photography, or so I've read. But looky what happens when you move on over to Photoshop and adjust the contrast, correct for skin tone, and add a cool burned edge effect. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have so much fun experimenting with this thing that if you have a beloved photo you'd like to have enhanced, send it on over and I'll give it a go! Come on, don't be shy. But no boudoir shots, please. You know who you are.

Photo Challenge '07

Until I have some chilluns of my own, I'll have to be content messing around with photos of all the other kids in my life. (You know who you are, ya little squirts. Cute as buttons, every last one of you!) Knowing how much I'm enjoying learning how to use Photoshop and finding herself with a couple of recent photos that needed tweaking, Carol tasked me with a project. Fun! My assignment, if I chose to accept it, was to erase some unsightly and distracting elements from two otherwise delightful photos. The first one was easy: Get rid of that ugly eave. See him there at the top? He needed to go. So long! (I also brightened up E and her grandparents, since they were looking a little murky.) The next one posed a more interesting challenge, since it involved erasing a pole over a varied and textured background. It took some doing, but now you see it... ...and now you don't. And while I was at it, I got rid of those distracting little tufts of pine needles in the upper right corner, erased some little boo-boos on E's arm, and adjusted the color levels. Have another challenge for me, anyone? Bring it on.

Photoshopping

Over the last several months I've gotten into browsing the blogs of various talented gals who all take amazing amateur photographs of their crafts and creations. (Oddly enough, most of them are also Mormon, although I can't figure out if there's a connection there or not. Are Mormons really more craftsy than the rest of us? Do they take classes in letterpress and graphic design in between sewing sleeves onto tank tops and baptizing the dearly departed? If so, can I sign up? Also, their homes and clothes and children are all pristine and, it seems, perfectly color coordinated. All the time. Like living, breathing spreads for a Martha Stewart magazine. It's unreal, truly.) So I've been inspired to pay more attention to the pictures I take, and next year a friend and I hope to take a photography class together. But there's only so much you can do with a basic point-and-click digital camera. So last week in a burst of inspiration and frivolity I ordered a new big-girl camera--a Nikon SLR with a couple of lenses. My excitement over its impending arrival on my doorstep via the friendy UPS man was shortlived, however, as the day after placing my order I was informed that they were oversold and on indefinite backorder. Arg. Since then I've been shopping around at other online camera sites, but for now I've decided to put it off until Christmas so that I can maybe solicit my loving family for contributions to my "new hobby fund" as Christmas and/or birthday gifts. So since the camera is on hold, I've been fooling around with Photoshop a little bit more. This is one of my favorite candid shots from our wedding reception. Aren't they sweet? But Carol, I'm afraid, looks a tad....er....luminescent? In a word, the girl is white (love you, CB!). And that thermostat on the wall had to go. But I still wanted Carol to look like herself and not 5 shades darker. So I did some subtle tweaking, and here's the result. Better, no? Carol's skin is still a beautiful ivory, but she's no longer putting fireflies to shame or redirecting ships from the shore. And that thermostat has magically disappeared. Here are the side-by-side before and afters.

Little Miss E

I'm having fun learning to make more subtle adjustments using Photoshop. For practice, I'm using some of my favorite shots of this little punkin, since she doesn't need much tweaking to make her look her best. Here are the side-by-side before and afters.

July 4th With the Popes

While Miss Kelly was celebrating her 30th birthday (still sorry we missed it), we enjoyed spending the holiday with the Popes who hosted their annual July 4th barbecue. This is what the freeway looked like on our drive out to their place. And it was hot. I know it's a bit blurry, but you're reading that correctly: 107 degrees. But it was worth it, because there was tons of food, great company, air conditioning inside, a newly-installed misting system on the patio, and fun games to be played--including "corn hole" (or beanbag toss for those of us who grew up with, you know, electricity and paved roads....). Aren't my dad and husband the cutest? My ma and I enjoyed watching our men sweat their way through a few games while we lounged under the mist (which is what caused those spots, and I can't figure out how to Photoshop them away). Oh, and then there was this little cutie-pie. I worked a little of my newly-learned Photoshop magic to bring his face forward and blur out the rest. I think the effect turned out nicely. And this next photo gave me an opportunity to acquire a skill that I'm sure will come in very, very handy: Eliminating oily skin shine on my forehead. I've got to warn you, Kelly (or any other yet unwed gal who might be reading this), while you're engaged all anyone wants to talk to you about is the wedding and whether or not you're excited. (When I first typed that I actually wrote "scared" instead of excited....Oh, Freud.) The second it's over don't go anywhere near a baby, let alone hold one. Because if you do the entire room will erupt in "ooooohs" and "aaaahs" and comments about how you're "practicing" and how "soon you'll have one of those." Sigh. But how could I keep my hands off that sweet little guy? I couldn't. It was worth the heckling. Thanks, Popes, for having us!

New Addiction

I'm so glad that my husband loves me for who I am. Truly, I am grateful. I love that he doesn't mind my freckles and persistently rosy cheeks, the pores on my nose that are so big you could serve soup from them and those pesky brown spots cropping up all over (thanks to those teenage years when I'd baste myself like a chicken in Johnson & Johnson baby oil and lie out in the sun all weekend long). Case in point, this is one of Matt's favorite photos from our honeymoon back in March: Ok, so maybe it's cute that I'm cheesily looking off to the side and the smile is nice, I'll grant myself that. But look at those freckles! Look at the beads of sweat (ah, humidity)! Look at those brown spots mimicking a map of North America on my forehead! Seriously, people, before you send me comments accusing me of exaggerating and telling me how great you think my skin looks, lay your eyes on this unholy sight:I'm a dermatological nightmare, I tell you. So flash forward to a couple of weeks ago when my dear friend Kelly turned me on to Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. Oh, how I love Ree's daily posts, her scrumptious recipes (in fact I just made her lasagna last night, and it was YUM), her stories about her kids and husband (mmm, Marlboro Man), and most of all her stunning photographs taken around their ranch. She also frequently puts up posts on how much she loves Photoshop and gives mini lessons on how she enhances her photos with it. She uses the big fancy version, of course, but she also mentioned that the more basic version--Adobe Photoshop Elements--is all the average girl needs if what she wants is some basic tools for making her photos look their best. Sounds like me! So today I bought it along with a book to help me learn all the tricks and tools. About an hour ago I sat down at the computer with this book in hand and started playing around with Elements, and friends I have to ask you to hold me accountable with this because I have discovered a new obsession, an addiction if you will. Check this out, ladies. This is my first try at tweaking a photo: Now granted, I look like a high school senior portrait, all glowy and overly "soft." But come on! Are you amazed, or what?!? I am determined to figure out how to make these changes subtly enough that they look completely natural, and pretty soon you'll all be begging me to nice-up your family pics! Here you are with a side-by-side before and after.