The digital world has come so far. Anyone can enjoy digital artistry whether with your cell phone or professional grade DSLR. Photoshop is a household word now and the things people spent agonizing over years ago can be done in seconds now. 

So what do we do now that Photoshop is a household word? Frankly, most people can't afford to buy Photoshop or don't want to pay the monthly charge to be on the Creative Cloud with Adobe. If you have a Gmail account, which is free, you can take advantage of Google Photos. It's web based and you can get a quick visual fix because it allows you do many tasks quickly. 

Often people want some artistic flare to their photos but they also want the control. There are also many apps that do this but sometimes they don't give you the control. With your photos on this simple platform, you can crop, straighten, lighten, darken and add vignetting to name a few. The cropping even offers an option for a square photograph like the days of old. By clicking on the mouse and holding you can toggle back and forth to review before and after editing. 

With Google Photos you get 16 megs free and it's available on all of your favorite devices so that you can always have access to them when need be. In 2015 it received critical acclaim. As with all browser based application, please do your homework to further understand all of the pros and cons. 

Even though I am ready for warm weather, below is a sample of editing I did in Google Photos.

For more info, here is a link from The Sweet Setup. http://thesweetsetup.com/apps/best-photo-management-solution/

Enjoy! Have a great day and thanks for visiting!

In the last blog we talked about the importance of having a clean, uncluttered background. Generally speaking, I think that should apply to any photo taken.  If you are taking a selfie for business purposes, it is even more important. Really looking at what you have in the frame of the phone camera is what will be reflected in the photograph after you hit the shutter button. Another point we discussed is getting up close and personal. Fill the frame with you! After all, isn't that what a selfie is all about? Take the photo from the bust up. Now that you have your business attire on and you have found  the perfect location, let's talk about the LIGHT! Photographers love the light. We seek light in a variety of ways. Sometimes we must create light and other times the light comes from the beloved yellow orb high in the sky. This light can be powerful and harsh. So you must be cautious with it. Light is essential for clarity in creating clean photography. 

There are 2 times a day that photographers refer to as the "golden hour." They are shortly after sunrise or before sunset when the daylight is softer than when the sun is higher in the sky. ALL THINGS LOOK STUNNING IN THE GOLDEN HOUR. ALL! Whatever you do, stay away from photographing yourself at high noon because that is when the sun is the harshest and is creates hard shadows. This is not good in my world. Sun streaming through your windows at home can be quite beautiful. Start watching it now. Every evening I look forward to watching the setting sun at home to see if I can capture an interesting photo. It is exciting to me and being that we live where the sun can be elusive, we take full advantage of it when we see it. Which brings me to my next point, when the sun doesn't shine. 

Since I live in the Pacific Northwest, I can write a few books about what to do when the sun doesn't shine. You quickly learn
that life goes on anyway. While it can be cumbersome taking photos in the pouring rain, it need not be necessary unless one has the proper equipment to ensure ones professional camera does not get damaged. What we can do is think about planning a session on an overcast day which is actually ideal lighting for a portrait. It's basically mother natures studio in action. The lighting is easy on the skin and eyes and allows one to relax and not have to worry about the sun. Start studying that type of lighting right now and see what you think. It truly is equivalent to being in a professional studio with equipment that is designed after the temperature of natural light. 

For years I have cringed at the notion of scheduling EVERYTHING. Being a small business owner can get chaotic at times and while I love all aspects of my life as a photographer, finding balance between physical and mental tasks is not always easy. I know many have had the feeling of being overwhelmed. For me the overwhelmed feeling comes when I have to much to do or haven't tended to all aspects of my life like cleaning. I love a clean home and realized years ago that I didn't want to become a slave to it, so I started scheduling my cleaning, along with my hair appointments, photo sessions, grocery shopping and healthcare appointments. I discovered that taking a mental break from my marketing efforts actually helped my productivity. When I get stuck, I take a quick moment to refer to my schedule and see what needs cleaned. Cleaning all the doors and door knobs gives me a mental break and helps me feel good about myself and my home. 

Here's to scheduling your spring cleaning!

TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT! 

​Thanks for taking the time!

After much ado about getting a pure white background with no shadows for my next photoshoot, I can't help but want to share the one common element to all the information I read. That one thing is PHOTOSHOP! After discussion of the proper lighting scenario, most of the articles I read stated to get the pure white background you would have to go to Photoshop. YES! That "pure white" background is technically called paper white and can't be achieved any other way than through editing in Photoshop. And here is another quick little trick that might help you out. One should still strive to keep the background as smooth as possible and eliminate shadows because when you do your editing in Photoshop, it will be much quicker if you use the quick selection tool to select the background, and then fill with white. The quickest way to fill with the paper white we are striving for is under the edit menu. Look for the word "fill" content will be white. Thus you have your paperweight background. 

I'd be the first to admit that there is more than one way to edit in Photoshop but unless you have alot of time on your hands, this is the quickest way in my opinion. 

Being a photographer is not altogether that easy. There are many details to consider when photographing people. We all have unique DNA that makes us who we are physically and psychologically. And this os what makes our world such a beautiful place. 

when it comes to capturing the essence of a persons spirit through a photo, we as photographers have to be very keen on what we are looking at. My face for example is asymmetrical

People are all different and react in various ways in front of the camera. Some will flash that smile with great ease and others may take a little time to warm up to the camera. Being the photographer selected for the photo session, you have to be able to understand your client and it usually won't take long for you to get the vibe of the type of person you are photographing. Offering a free consultation helps to determine whether you will be able to work with this person and whether they are introverted or extroverted.

No rocket science needed. The extroverts will have you laughing in minutes because they most likely will have a great sense of humor.  But the introverts may take more time. Now is the time to encourage your client to act like an extrovert.

In a study of over 10,000 people from 48 countries psychologists Ed Diener at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Shigehiro Oishi of the University of Virginia found that people rate happiness as being more important than money or living a life with meaning. The study encouraged the introverts to act like extroverts for 10 minutes. This exercise elevated the happiness factor and makes for one great smile.

Thanks for taking the time!

Practice makes perfect. And in the long run saves you time.  Lighting is of prime importance when working within the studio setting.  Find a styrofoam head at your local beauty supply store.  Begin watching the light and how it falls.  Take a few practice shots and review them.  After you find the ideal lighting for the mood you want to portray take a photo of your setup for future reference. Takes notes, keep a journal, draw pictures, do whatever it takes. Write down the technical details of the shot that gave you the look you want. There are a lot of ways to do things when working within budget restrictions, we simply need to do them. And never forget about the hardware store for cheap lighting. It might really help you out some day.

Thanks for taking the time.