Numero Uno

     I'm sure if you're reading this you've probably read at least 5 other "how-to" photography sites. Thanks for visiting this one.  You're probably also tired of reading about the rule of thirds, freezing motion, the golden hour, etc, etc.  Freakin' boring right, I mean how many times can you read about it?  Please don't get me wrong, they are the foundation for a safe photograph, especially if you're using precious film as a portrait photographer.  But who is these days?  Most people with a decent camera are hobbyists that want to get a little better, and maybe, just maybe, make a little extra money.

What I hope to bring with this blog is add sense of rebellion (if you don't have one already) toward the rules.  Taking your photos in another direction, adding texture, dimension, and overall character.


Now that the introduction is taken care of, on to the fun stuff.  That's my first lesson, have fun.  


The photo I will be using is from a session when I brought my family out to an art park to get some portraits of us, something I don't do nearly enough for my own family. Anyway, we left a little later than I wanted (I'm impatient), it was too hot for pants, I was thirsty, and nothing was working.  And my craptastic attitude was showing in my photos, not so fun.  Thank goodness my wife and kid are fantastic at putting up with me.  Editing software to the rescue!


Here's Photo from the shoot:

Straight From Camera, blah, the ladies are posing great, but the rest of the frame is doing them a disservice.

After the Attitude Adjustment

Personally I like the second version (I could be a biased though after the blood, sweat, and tears).  If you're like me keep reading.  If not, change the channel.

The process was actually very easy to do with a program that I found on Google Chrome called "Pixlr-O-Matic" and Photoshop, naturally.  Pixlr-O-Matic allows for easy, and fun, photo character building with several cross-processing effects, burn and bokeh overlays, and textured borders. But, I don't want to get into specifics on the "how-to's", they'll come later on other, more specific shots.  The idea of this post is just that, an idea:  have fun with the editing process.  I will say this, since pixlr-o-matic was sooo easy, I had time to "draw" the skull and bones in Photoshop Elements (8).  And I'll add that if you haven't already, play around in Photoshop also, especially layers and their blending modes.  Layers are your friend, they will help your photos come to life with contrast, color, and effect.   Don't be scared of them.

Alright, since I'm new at this; I'm going to end here with a challenge.  Find a picture, and make it better.  And remember it was Ansel Adams who said,  "You don't take a photograph, you make it."