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Thursday, July 7, 2011

Photo Editing... What a difference it can make!

So, I love to take pictures... Maybe it stems from being an only child and my mother taking 15 bazillion of me growing up, and whether I like it or not, I'm turning into my mother {gasp}!  In elementary school, I was in PACE (the gifted program) and we had a "photography project" that we had to do.  My best friend, Jamie, and I spent hours taking pictures (with film) with my moms old Pentax manual SLR.  My Mom actually took the picture that we used for the project and looking back on it, WOW... my hair was BUSTED! (That's beside the point, but I giggle every time I think about that picture.)  Anyway, we got to develop our pictures in a dark room and I remember the smells and how much I loved it... Fast forward to college, I took Photography 101 as an elective, but haven't really done anything else to learn much past that one class.  I think I've just always had a pretty good eye, or so I'd like to believe.  So those are my credentials when it comes to photography... I'm surprised even my friends let me photograph them!

Taking photography a step further, even though I'm not a skilled photographer, I'm self-taught in Adobe Photoshop (and teaching myself Adobe Illustrator now) and I feel like I am very proficient in Photoshop.  I always tell people that I may not be able to take great pictures, but I can edit them to be fabulous.  DO NOT ever be fooled... a great photographer ALWAYS edits their pictures.  You will never receive straight out of the camera images from a professional... the only time you should be okay with straight out of the camera images is visiting Santa & the Easter bunny where they print your picture on the spot... but there ya' go... you get what you pay for :)


Anywho, here are a few shots from a recent photoshoot that I did of one of my best friends and her family. I'll show you what the pictures looked like AFTER editing and then before... Editing is EVERYTHING.... Enjoy!

Here is sweet Miss Jordyn... Believe me, this child never takes a bad photograph! BEAUTIFUL!


And this is what that after picture looked like straight out of the camera...

 Here are J's attractive {and fashionable!} parents!  I heart Jennifer's boots!!

And here is that same picture before...

And another... {I love the coloring in the wood in this one!}
And the before... blurry huh?

I loved this one b/c of the lighting flares... They are hard to capture and add something really special to a picture!

and before...

and my FAVORITE of them... 




I loved this picture straight out of the camera... but I KNEW it had really good potential to make a BIG impact... and it did.. but it also helps having beautiful people to photograph!


Thanks JG for allowing me to be the one to photograph your beautiful family.. and for capturing the sweetest picture EVER of me and my child... I am FOREVER grateful!

This picture was a quick snapshot that she took of my child and I... he was along for the photoshoot because he and Miss Jordyn are gonna get married one day...  :)

I happen to think this is the sweetest picture EVER with the sweetest quote I've ever read... I breathe for this child. {side note...ignore the MemoriesToo copyright... that's another side of me, I promise. You can check my personal fb here and my Memories Too fan page here ...}