i've been noticing some amazing photography lately. some people have an eye for detail and it shows. and then some of those people actually know how to get the most out of their camera. and it shows. and then there are the people who know what a good photo actually looks like.
and then there is me.
i try.
digital cameras have saved me. like the day i snapped nearly 300 photos of Kiara....just to make sure i got ONE good shot! can you imagine me explaining to Kristian why i just used ten rolls of 35mm film and spent a couple hundred on developing costs. and if you knew me well...you'd also wonder how i could explain it to myself. because we know that i would never have taken that many photos in the first place if that were the case!! yes, i would have bought just one roll and crossed my fingers that i got lucky. besides, what would i do with 299 bad photos?! more than likely there would probably be some kind of support group for me. scary thought.
so now i can snap off a million photos in a few minutes. and the only cost is my time. (seeing as the camera has been paid for!)
and then came adobe photoshop elements. oh yeah.
i can take photos that actually show the face. there is no blur. eyes are open. smiling. nothing busy in the background.
and then i can play around with them in photoshop.
at this point i should mention that i do not have a fancy shmancy camera. it is just a point and shoot. 5.1 megapixels. this is working for now. one day we'd love to have one of those heavy cameras that need their own suitcase....haha. seriously there is a lot of stuff that can be done with a simple point and shoot.
like this. and i caution you. i am FAR from an expert. just a gal who likes to play and see what happens. sometimes i develop the masterpiece. and other times i trash it. to keep my self-confidence at a high level i also don't like to keep track. it would be sad.
so here is a shot straight out of the camera. (yes after i turned the image on my computer!)
like i said. all the basics to me are there. there is a little blur in the hands. but other than that, not too bad.
and here is the same photo after some photoshop alterations. i used a "recipe" i got from pioneer womans' photography website. and a trick of my own..."adjust color to skin tone", works magic in some photos if they include people.(still working through Scott Kelby's book....but saw this recipe first and am playing around with it right now...until Scott tells me otherwise....man i am such a follower....) the jacket is a little scratchy. but since it is denim i like it.
really, this is where i could stop. and usually do for regular photos.
but why stop when there is more to add....like this!
then a little burn on the edges. this is my new thing. still working on this one too.
and this has been fun. add text. move the text. play with the settings.
and here i added some brushes. photoshops' version of stamps....in "roxanne-speak". (which is a language most people would benefit from knowing....and would help me out a ton....)
in case you have forgotten how cheap i can be...these brushes were downloaded for free. i have paid for some, but i don't pass up a free deal either. honestly...pay for a digital camera--but i think the majority of us have these now anyway. download some free photo-editing programs to test out, or buy adobe. download free fonts, brushes, overlays, etc.
here is the comparison of the photo straight out of the camera and the one that has been photoshopped.
right now i am trying to put together photos for Kiara's final month baby album layout (see...you are starting to understand "roxanne-speak"..not that hard....really). and it should be fun because they are summer photos. but for some reason i can't get my mind to relax and just enjoy cropping. i'm worried that the problem is that i have read too much about things to do with photoshop that i'm being too perfectionistic about it all. ugh! i have also chosen the paper before i developed the photos. and one of them is a transparency overlay with the coolest frames....and i need to crop them to fit. yeah, that is part of it. but i think i need to lighten up on the photoshopping....just want to start putting the page together.
because then i get to do her first birthday page.
and then i need to go through the digital photo album and actually develop some of the photos from the last 9 months.
hmmmm.....maybe the problem is that i'm thinking too far ahead?
i think i need to lighten up and just take this one step at a time. story of my life!!
anyways, you can download a free trial version of adobe photoshop elements here. i hope that i have inspired you to play around and do funky things to your digital photos. Nitty Gritty Jody also mentioned a free site on her blog the other day. it looks like fun too.
okay no excuses. go have some fun.
and i'll take it easy and just enjoy putting this one page together. and not think about my to do list.
and to add as a post-script....Kris and I actually love reading Scott Kelby's book. sure we are learning stuff...but he is totally funny. i think you might even enjoy his humour if you were allergic to photography. no exaggeration. Sherri, i can't believe you forgot to tell me how funny he is!
and the deadline is up for ordering sausages or perogies. i know i should have told you earlier. that is what happens when you are lazy. i am trying to learn. this is an instance when telepathy would have been very useful. plus it would allow me to continue to be lazy, right?
