Three Dogs and A Gorgeous Tree

So, I know you all know I am a dog lover...that's pretty darn obvious, considering my new career choice.  Also, if you are a regular reader of this blog (thank you!), you also know I am a flower junkie! So, what do you get when you cross three beautiful and loving dogs, two beautiful double lilac bushes and one insanely gorgeous pink magnolia tree? Well, you get me jumping up and down like a crazed lunatic, so excited, even if it's drizzling and cold outside. Yep! Magnolia trees are my latest obsession. I want one.  No, I want a whole forest. And this tree was no exception, it further fanned the flames! I was even willing to create more work for myself in the form of photoshopping out some leashes (since we were in the front of the house by the road), some hands and some cars... but the background was soooooo worth it! What can I say, flowers just get me going, especially if I have my favorite animals in the foreground. ;)

I was having a blast with Simon (a spunky black lab), Sadie (a super sweet golden retriever) and Riley (of course, Sara's infamous great dane!). Here are some of the shots we got on that drizzly, wet day a few weeks ago - thank you again to the loving parents of these sweet doggies, for braving the rain with me and not laughing at me too hard when I was laying on the ground to capture these shots. I am a goof, I know! But I am loving every.single.minute.of.it. ;) Thank you for letting me into your lives!

Details: If I were a "pro", which I am not just yet - I would have rules for myself, one of which is that I would get the proofs up in a timely manner and they would go up all at once.  BUT, since I am still a learning newbie, I am choosing to put these up as I go along. It works as motivation for me to keep plugging away and it also feeds a bit at a time to the parents of my new best friends, so they don't have to wait so long! ;) I will try to do them in themes, so here are some of the shots we got by the trees...

Is that tree not GORGEOUS??!

I love this one, with Simon as the focus!

I think this one is my favorite, with that buttery, purple blooming background - it's almost like a painting!

More Learning and Progress

I am constantly trying to learn and push myself in photoshop, so here I am with two more collages - one of Paige's wedding and another one of my outing with Cody a few weeks ago. I am still working on the Three Dog Shoot and STILL trying to finish up Paige's photos (I am almost done, Paige -I promise!). I have an engagement shoot coming up soon with Erin and Jimmy (whether Jimmy likes it or not! lol) and some horses to get to as well!  It should be a busy month and I am so excited for it all to get underway. I am trying to get my sister and her family for a shoot, but schedules are just not meshing... ;) Hopefully, that will be able to happen soon - they are a beautiful and loving and stylish family that I am just dying to photograph!

Here are the collages - and the "three dog" should be up this week!

Paige's:

Cody's:

"3 Dog Day" Teaser

Get it? A play off of 3 Dog Night?  Anyone???  Oh, whatever.  ;)

Yep, I had the pleasure of practicing a 3-dog photo shoot this weekend with our amazing friend Sara and her beautiful family of dogs - Riley, Simon and Sadie. Here's a sample of the shots we got, even though it poured buckets that day and I still have yet to master the flash. Boo! Low light + 3 moving dogs = very difficult day! It was a blast, and I hope to come away with a few shots for these guys, standing out in the drizzle for little old me. ;) Thanks, guys!

Two quick ones and the rest will be up soon - I promise!

Red Door Awesomeness (I love red doors!!!!)

Blooming Beauties (Making me a crazy girl, oohing and ahhhing over this tree! I am insane!)

More up soon!

More Miss Riley

Ok, so I lied. I only have three today - I guess I counted wrong! :(  But, don't be sad! I will make up for it by sharing two regular pictures as well. 

Here are the two storyboards and a collage:

Her emotions really are in her ears - they are huge, expressive and fast! I loved watching them change every few seconds, it was like getting an easy glimpse into the world of dog body language and communication.

A few put together of her many sides!

And my favorite storyboard...

Here are two of my favorite snaps from the shoot! She was so full of energy, it was hard to keep up with her - especially in low light conditions, it was hard to get a clear, un-blurred shot of her - she is so fast! So, I resorted to sneaky techniques.

I got on the floor across the room (supermegazoomlens came in handy here!), so she wouldn't notice me - literally layed on the floor on my tummy behind the table and stayed vewwwwy quiet and still (Fudd reference, anyone?)...and let her stop on the hardwood floor, momentarily looking for me and my "funny toy" I was clicking for her all day. Her head was moving wildly, looking, looking, looking...but her bottom half was very still! Once she stopped, I clicked away at her feet reflecting off the floor. Success! Is this wildlife photography, or what?!

More Riley Teasers

We are FINALLY going to meet up with Riley and her mom, our favorite friend, Sara this Saturday morning. It's been more than 3 months since we've seen you, Sara - yikes! I did a mini shoot with Riley back then - mini... meaning, "mini" amount of equipment. ;)  I forgot to bring the normal lens, so all I had with me was the supermegazoomlens (yep, all one word!). No flash and just that super zoom lens, and that means I did poor Miss Riley no justice at all! I did manage to get a few and then work them into a few storyboards/collages, which I will tease poor Sara with here.  Until Saturday! Here are the original teasers, way back in February.

I get another chance with the big girl on Saturday and also Sara's childhood doggie, her golden, Sadie. Let's hope I remember the right stuff this time! ;)

How about, 4 today...and 4 tomorrow...and then Friday I will share some of my favorite pictures from the shoot? Good!

Getting caught searching for the "good picture" treats in my purse!

Riley sniffing Cole's ear:

Her ears are just so expressive!

I kept her outside, trying to get pictures in the bright light - and it was a ridiculously cold January day - and I am so used to dogs with lots of insulating hair on them! The poor girl was so cold, and I had no idea. Mike and Sara had to come rescue her! Sorry, Riley!

More tomorrow, including my favorite one. :)

"Nature Cody" Collage

I've had so much fun learning even more photoshop techniques while making the collages for Paige's wedding that I decided to make one for the outing Cody and I had the other day in the yard. 

THIS is why I cannot sleep at night, guys! I just love taking these images...but then I love putting them together for even more visual impact, just like this one. I am looking forward to doing this for other people! And that is how I know that I have found my place in life - my professional place, that is. Wife and Mom first and foremost, but now I can fill in that third blank. Photographer. I love that my life has taken me in this direction and that God has so chosen to finally reveal this path for me after so much searching. He knew when I'd be ready. Now, it is a sigh of relief, a blessing, a state of calm that has settled over me, and it feels... great... and right.

It's funny that it was this simple collage that really cemented that "feeling that I am ready" for me. I'm guessing it's because this was the first time I made a collage of just my own pictures...and it feels good to make something that is totally, completely my own work. Hope you like it as much as it hit me in the head!

Reese's Collage

This really is a collage created of the three of them, their family. I am starting to put together a few more themed collages, since it is a great way to group some scattered pictures - say, like the reception - into one, more interesting picture. I don't know about you, but I haven't really looked at my reception pictures in a long, long time! But if they were in one image, I might just have it framed! Or at least "scrapbooked" that way, since I am building 12x12 images for just that reason. It makes it easy to display, either way!

Here's the next one, Casey, Paige and Reese primarily, with a few of Casey's dad interacting with Reese - too cute. I love to see that!

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

Collages

Not a storyboard, but a collage! Here's just two of the first few I wanted to kind of group into a few shots together. This is a great way to use pictures that might just be ok on their own and you want something more. Put them together with a theme binding them (of course, a wedding is a theme all on its own, so really for these pictures, ANY together would work!) and sometimes you get a really great combination that just pops and wows you, working together. 

This first one is focused on the music at the ceremony...it's funny how great the pictures of the soloist and the woman playing the harp turned out - the sun setting, the light and focus is just fantastic... but then the pictures of the parents walking down the aisle...unfocused and just plain unusable. SO frustrating! To make the best of it, since they turned out so well, I just had to use them here. That said, I decided a collage was the best option to display them, adding in a picture of the vows to lend relevance, 'cuz that's really what it's all about!

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

Here's the end result:

The next one focuses on the reception, taking a few of the special moments - the dance, the cake, etc... and putting them together. Here's what I came up with:

I hope all of you mothers out there had a fantastic Mother's Day! I am just winding down from our hectic day of outings honoring our mothers...now that the triplets are in bed, I'm treating myself to ice cream, chocolate coffee and a cheesy movie on sci-fi - doesn't get any better than that!

Storyboard - The Bouquet

As I was prepping the pictures of what I did to emphasize out a bouquet shot yesterday, I was overwhelmed with the urge to make a storyboard out of the many (and I mean, MANY) variations I did with this picture.  I went saturated, closer, grainy, sepia, black and white, soft focus...I couldn't stop modifying them! Since so many pretty ones resulted, I decided to choose three and put them together, and here is the end result.  Simpler than my recent posts, which is why I love it - and since I love these flowers, the cobblestone texture - and I have been having a hard time choosing which finish to present, this is perfect for my obsessions. 

I am a flower junkie, and that's probably one of the reasons I love weddings so much! And, the more, the better! I remember my sister's wedding ceremony just brimming with flowers everywhere- they filled up the room in every corner and nook and cranny - and they provided such a romantic, overindulgent - yet fresh - ambiance. Perfect feel for a wedding. The color, the smell, the softness - ahhhhh! It was incredible. Not to say I don't love the look of a perfectly placed, modern display of singular blooms, but if I had to pick for my own wedding, the room would be ab.so.lute.ly. full of every kind and color imaginable. ;)

So, I hope you like this, Paige, but I guess you could say I did this one for the flower addict in me!

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

Remember, here's the original:

And now, the storyboard:

The Bouquet

One quick post before bed tonight - I have been extremely busy today for some reason!

Y'all know by now that I just loved these gorgeous flowers, but there were really no close ups...believe me, it was the first thing I looked for!....so I made my own!  Since they are high quality, large images, I was able to crop closely and still maintain the picture integrity. I zoomed in and Wa-la! I love how you get the texture of the cobblestone in the lower left corner. Here is the super quickie... 

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

Original:

Zoomed in and saturated, grainy:

Sepia tone:

One of the reasons I am so busy tonight is because I decide to make these variations into a storyboard at the last minute - I am still working, so I will finish in the morning and post it then - it shaping up to be super simple and elegant!

Cody Spring Teaser

Yep, an official teaser.

Don't go all Star Trek on me! It's just for my dog - and some trees, water, rocks and plants - the spring foliage. Simpler, may not be as exciting... but costs much less to view!

Cody in the lily-of-the-valley - a sea! More to come, we had fun roaming the yard yesterday - down to the creek, over the hill and through the woods...

Hush, Little Baby

So, I'm sprucing up wedding pictures of Paige and Casey...and neither one of them are in this next one!

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

This mod stars one little cutie-pie and his aunt! Paige and Casey's son, Reese, and Paige's sister were captured here. I struggled with this picture, since it was a very cute moment...and all I kept thinking was - why was it taken when there was just so much to clutter the picture up? The struggle comes in thinking that this is really what a wedding photographer has to deal with - these moments, surrounded by the chaos, the preparations and the package deal that really make the day memorable, but might not make the pictures perfectly iconic. So, I have to go easy on the critiques of this one - and try to come at it from the back-side: Photoshop. Some pictures just have to be taken with the knowledge that a lot of post processing will be needed to make it work, that the moment would be lost if you decided not to take it, even with all its "baggage".

I got to work, clearing out the excess "baggage", and I had to accept a few things here: I know that I have been a little texture-heavy on my mods lately, but this one, with it's grain because of low light, and the cloning technique adding a softness and imperfection to the background...texture was necessary to mask the problems that could not be altogether eliminated. Black and white was also necessary for the same reason! Sometimes, you just have to go for it, even if it feels overdone, since it will only get done in this way. ;) 

Here's the original - the moment is obvious here, but it is so overwhelmed with the busy-ness of the day (again, not a word, I know. ;) - funny that I am such a grammar snob that I HAVE to make references to made-up words).  I had to make it so these two are the only ones in the room if it were to have any effect at all. 

I cropped to eliminate as much as I could, and to put them on the same line, draw your eye to them and their reflection. I softened the actual pair, drawing more attention to the reflection, on Reese's face.

Then, I got to work, eliminating (cloning out) every other thing and person in the room!  I decided to leave the diaper bag and things on a table to their right, to keep the realism intact. I didn't want them to look like they were surreal! Also, since the low light already lends a grainy texture, I decided to add two layers here, one grainy:

and one flowy:

...and then I added a vignette and I thought I was done for a few days:

Afterwards, I decided to add the text - and I like it here, I think it adds something to the finished picture, focusing on Reese. He is being comforted by his aunt, and his almost crying expression looked like he needed a comforting quote expression! So, here's the final result:

I'm learning to always try and work with what you have, go with it for a while, even if it's not exactly how you would have imagined a shot like this turning out. Not everything works or is saveable, but some things might just surprise you. I'm happy with the result, given the start, and, Paige - I hope you are too!

Hands in Love

Ok, just one today!  I was out taking pictures today of our golden retriever in the spring foliage that has popped up (namely the lily-of-the-valley "sea"). I was just going through them and almost forgot to post! By the way, I must have looked like a crazy idiot to our neighbor, who has no idea I am practicing for this venture, laying on the front lawn with a camera in my dog's face.  Wow!  She drove by and I had to fight the urge to pop up and wave, pretending like I wasn't just laying in the mud. ;)

Anyway, here's one of the recent ones - I don't know why, but this original sparked a need for a "hand shot" of these guys during their vows.  I honestly started looking for a ring exchange picture, but this one got me for some reason.  So, I decided there was no harm in trying to "fancify" (I know, it's not really a word.) this one up.

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

The original image is really nice - I love their location because it gives this "buttery" out-of focus effect to the trees behind, giving a fantastic background for their ceremony, the color is just beautiful. I just decided to crop it much closer and see what happened...

The original:

The only problem with cropping closer is having to get rid of a few distracting parts...the microphone stand, the woman's arm, etc...

Zoomed, cloned out excess.

Added a paper texture and a quote that reflected my feeling of what the picture was saying to me - that - well, basically "all that matters is this moment, the here and now - all that matters is us!"  Here's the final image:

I thought I was finished with this one, and I accidentally hit a button to "wash out" the color in the image.  I sort of liked it - not better than the final I came up with, but enough to include it here.  What do you think?  

Storyboard - Romantic Flowers

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

I guess I'm trying to make up for being gone yesterday!

Here's my favorite storyboard, I think. Remember that I said she had some rockin' flowers? Well, the color they give to this one is just awesome. The fairy tale effect is back with these two lovebirds, being so cute together. Another sweet moment! I like the location of this picture, but again - it could have been so much more. So, it made the perfect base for a storyboard "sprucing".

The original:

Off center, too far away, weed in the foreground, too dark. I really like this spot, but again, I was disappointed with the exposure and composition! 

I cropped in order to zoom in on the main event, also darkening and saturating the color.

Then, after I cropped and corrected color on this one, another very cute picture of Paige and her sister, I stole a strip of the mass of flowers they created in this picture.

Now just the flowers... I added film grain and a soft focus on the edge.

This is the final result, putting the two together...after a background, borders, flowers under a transparent layer...and a beautiful Browning quote to complete the package. 

 

I love the way this one turned out, and again, it gave me tons of practice with layers. Thank you, Paige and Casey!

This picture captivated me so much, I chose to take it in many different directions when correcting it. I will share those variations tomorrow!  Time to take a nap. ;)

Storyboard - The Ring Shot

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

I'm not sure if you can consider this a storyboard if I didn't place it on a background, but the work that goes into these is just the same...so I am making the Executive Decision here.  Yes, they are.  ;)

Anyway, this was one of those super disappointing pics in my opinion, and I wanted to give them better!  Too much clutter and a harsh exposure make for a difficult-to-like picture. So, I chose to chop out as much extra as I could and soften the picture with a sepia or a black and white tone, since the color was just way too harsh.  I can't decide which of the final two I like better - vote now! :)

This was really great practice at using the clone stamp tool, so it was a worthy subject to set my sights on. I am happy to have learned the skill! Hopefully, Paige - you are happier with the end result.  :)

Original picture.  Fluorescent light is a photographer's worst enemy.

I cloned out Casey's other arm and fingers (that were trying to hide underneath!) and added a few more flowers to blend.  Then, I added some texture to soften the background.

Then, I added one word; short and sweet!  Next, I converted to sepia, and also to black and white. I really liked this end result! But I still can't choose which one I like better...

My favorite part about both of these is how it makes their rings just pop! Final results: 

 

Storyboard - The Second Married Kiss

Sorry no post yesterday - a bridal shower, a family dinner and a couple sickos in the family (including me), so a busy day!  Today's feature is one of the most recent, and I am not sure if I am in love with it.  :)  I need your feedback.  

Since I am dealing with pictures that were already taken, I need to try and makeover some of the major moments of the day. The "you may now kiss the bride" picture was at a weird angle, not bad, but when I saw this picture, I thought it could be a better stand-in....so I tried to do a little something with it. Less emotion than the other picture, but a much better angle! Since there are many people in the background, I needed to phase them out a bit; I wanted a "lost in the moment" kind of feel here. 

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

Original picture:

I cropped it closer to eliminate some distractions and showcase the moment.

Then I added some texture to kind of "muddy" the background a bit and give these guys their own spotlight.  

Added a quote, and darkened the picture to lessen the harshness of the new background.  

Then, I added background, borders, swirls and a lens flare effect. Here's the final result:

See what you think and tell me if I should have just left it alone!  I am lost about this one.  Maybe I need to walk away from the computer for a bit of fresh perspective... ;) Please comment, commenters!  ;)