editing process #1

Like I promised, I have finally gotten around to posting my editing process. I have decided to start off small and then move to the more complicated ideas further on. For this process, I have just posted a before and after because it's a simple edit.

So the shot above was actually a test shot (I hadn't gotten my setting right yet) but I liked it so much, I decided to use it. The problems with this picture are:

- It's underexposed
- There's too much green for an Autumn shoot
- Her shirt is not tucked in

Despite the edit being simple, the process was much more complicated.

- Increased the exposure by 2 stops (if I recall correctly), increased the vibrancy and added some fill light using CameraRAW
- Used the selective colour tool to make everything an autumn orange
- Used curves to add more red into the foilage on the ground
- Used the liquify tool to bring in the sides of her shirt
- Added a circle gradient around the light source to make it softer

As you can see from the before and after, I didn't do too much to it besides increase the exposure and change the colour but it made a world of a difference.

kathryn and jared

Last Friday I went on a photo shoot with Kathryn and Jared - Kathryn being the sister of Brittany - in Hamilton at Church Hill Park. It was a super chill shoot as we only decided on the location last minute due to the rain and general dreariness outside. I remember seeing a photo a friend took of the park recently and decided we had to go down there. Well the park didn't disappoint as it was absolutely stunning with bright yellow leaves everywhere and the trees sheltered us from the rain.

Anytime I go out on a shoot, I always do my research to get ideas for angles and poses. I even make sketches that are so poorly drawn that I end up writing a paragraph explaining the drawing just to embed it into my brain. I was set on breaking my boundaries and pushing myself with this shoot so I can grow and learn from experience. It's so nice when you're working with great people who are willing to accommodate this, so big thanks to Jared and Kathryn!

I hope my growth as a photographer has translated into this photo set. I tried different poses, did a 180 on my editing style and visualized the end result before shooting. I'll be doing a blog post soon on my change in editing style and how I go about editing, so watch out for that. So till then, enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/killthemessenger/8137231941/

I've been having some issues with monitor calibration so I hope the colours look as good on your monitor as they do on mine. Urgh, the technicalities of photography -_-

running free

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to photograph one of my good friends, Alison. She wanted some shots of her running and I was more than happy to accept this offer. We hit up the Guelph Arboretum to capture the Autumn colours so we could have a scenic backdrop. Due to time constraints we could only scout out a few locations but they were beautiful nonetheless. The whole shoot happened on a whim but I'm extremely happy with the results and hope each image invokes a love for running. I can't wait to try out another running photo shoot as it really shows you the importance of getting creative and finding that perfect angle.

Check out a higher quality diptych over here.