I hope you have been enjoying my Adobe Photoshop CC: The Basics series so far. At this point, I am catering to the true beginner and starting from square one. As it builds up I hope it will give you some insight into how I edit my portrait and also what makes images more compelling. On our journey so far we have tackled the healing brush tool, the clone stamp tool, and now we are on to the crop tool. In this tutorial, I talk about the different aspects of the crop tool as well as one of the ways to crop your images to make them more compelling. I find that by paying attention to some of the constants in portrait photography such as the rule of thirds, you as the very are presented with something much more intimate and compelling. Join me on this photoshop journey!
The Art of Creativity: The Tea Party: South Shore Boston Family Child Newborn Photographer
My absolute favorite thing in the world to photograph is children! There is nothing more magical to me than seeing the world through a child's eyes. The way they see things is amazing. There is magic everywhere you look and if you take a moment to spend with a child looking at the world you will see what they see! I had the wonderful opportunity to shoot this whimsical, creative portrait session for my promotional video with my daughter and two other beautiful girls. i set the scene along with one of my wonderful friends Ann. We wanted to create a magical fantasy kind of tea party in the woods that would just blow the girls away. We hung a chandelier from one of the tree branches and set out our best china. (Maybe an accident waiting to happen but life is for living and having fun!) I bought some fun and very tasty petit fours for the occassion and we brought out some Apple Juice "Tea".
Each girl picked her dress and hair accessories from the collection and then we brought them out. As you can tell from the pictures, the party was a big hit! Not only did the girls like eating the pastries during their portrait session they also loved experimenting with them. These wonderful whimsical creative images could only have been produced from an experience like that. I hope you enjoy viewing these images as much as I liked making them!
Also here is the end result of the promotional video!
Introducing The Mirrored Image Photography! Live the Experience here!
Finding inspiration and elevating your art: South Shore Boston MA Family Child Newborn Photographer
I mentioned in my beginning photoshop tutorial videos that I have used videos myself along the way to help me elevate my art, I have used both free and paid tutorials to get to where I want to be. All of the videos I am working on are basic skill videos and will not in any way take away from the videos that I have used from other professionals. If you are beyond the beginning stage and looking for a way to take your art to the next level, may I suggest Jinky Art Photography's annual video subscription videos. Barb uses both Lightroom and Photoshop in her tutorials. As a person that seeks out art and inspiration as well as further learning, I have found Barb's work to be very inspiring and she is an excellent teacher when it comes to laying everything out in a clear concise manner. Out of all the videos and tutorials I have watched this one has been the best for furthering my photoshop skills and bring out the best in my art. I can't thank Barb enough for putting out her video series. If you are interested, the link to her subscription based service is here: http://jinkyart.com.au/product/post-production-videos/
Here are some of the images she helped to inspire of mine:
Weathering the storm: South Shore Boston Family Child Newborn Photographer
Whether you like in Boston and you are expecting a dusting from the first snowstorm of the season or live on the South Shore and your are expecting a bit more snow, we all are finding our own ways to weather the storm. If you are like me, you are trying to find fun indoor activities to stay warm and play. Just like with my photography I try to keep things in my personal life fun and creative . I love to play with my own child and do the unexpected from her tea party photoshoots to just what I set up here with her. Paper backdrops come in handy for many things, studio photography, food photography, head shots. Here is my out of the box way to weather Storm Jonas.
We covered the dining room table in a piece of backdrop paper and made a little city, In part we reused our recycling and then I finally figured out what do with all the little "people" Lucy likes to collect. Add in some matchbox cars and you have an afternoon of fun!
Adobe Photoshop Basic Editing Video: Episode 2: The Clone Stamp Tool
I hope you are enjoying our series of editing videos on Adobe Photoshop CC: The Basics. I know that I found videos online an invaluable way to learn more about the tools available. I also found it helpful because I could go back and watch the videos over again as I was mastering a tool. I found that the best way to do that was to pick one tool or action and work on mastering that one thing and then adding on a new skill. My attention to detail and my knowledge of photoshop are the two things that I think pushed my photography from good to great. Thanks for tuning in with me. I hope you enjoy the clone stamp tool video. Lets take our portraiture to the next level! If you are interested in keeping up to date, please subscribe to my channel! Most often the new videos are posted here earlier than I release them on Facebook and Google+!
South Shore Boston Family, Child, Newborn Photographer: Winter Children's Portrait Session
It is true that with the cold and the snow many people hibernate during the winter. Portrait Sessions may slow down but I think there is something magical about every season. Winter here on the South Shore and Boston are can produce some truly magical image opportunities not found in other more temperate climates. Seeing small children snuggled up in warm clothes or dancing in the falling snow just makes me want to snuggle in and make some hot chocolate! I was so happy when this family chose a winter session. There are so many beautiful imagesand this little boy is just a light of life. You can see it in his little smile!
South Shore Boston MA Family Child Newborn Photographer: Video Series Episode One, Photoshop for Beginners, The Healing Brush Tool
I am so lucky to do what I love to do each day! I am even luckier to be successful at it. I love photography and especially working with children! I am also lucky to have had help along the way. The tutorials that I have used from others have been invaluable in helping me to achieve my goals. One of my goals for 2016 was to help others, in the same way I have been helped on my journey. There are so many tutorials out there already for photoshop users but I wanted to break photoshop down to its most novice form so that anyone starting from the very beginning could understand, build on their knowledge of photoshop and grow. I hope you enjoy my tutorials! This is episode one, the healing brush tool. For some it will be too easy, but stay tuned, I will be ramping it up! Join me on my journey! Adobe Photoshop CC Basics The Healing Brush Tool
South Shore Boston MA family, Child, Newborn Photographer: Favorite Newborn Session of 2015
My favorite sessions are usually the ones that challenge me to push my skills or my thinking a little farther than I have before. I expect that is true of most good photographers. This session is no exception. I am always inspired by other peoples work as well. In this case I was compelled to set up an outdoor session and create something that I have not seen before around the South Shore. In November there is no way you could photograph a newborn outside so that challenged me to set this up a different way. We photographed her in the comfort of her own home in the carriage I would be using and then placed it later into the different scenery to create a stunning composite that is both sweet and breathtaking!
I hope you enjoy!
South Shore Boston MA Child Fine Art Photographer-Children of 2015
4 amazing tips for capturing great portraits of your kids this holiday season!
Planning on taking photos of your kids this holiday season? Just want some better images from under the tree or near the Menorah? Here are some tips to get you started.
Mommy and Me: A Self Portrait (with my baby!)
I love being a photographer but I hate having my picture taken. Like many women I only see my imperfections when I look at pictures rather than the beauty that my daughter sees. Tonight I heeded my own words, "You children don't care what size you are or what imperfections you may perceive. They see that you are beautiful just the way you are! Don't wait to get in front of the camera. These are the moments they will cherish forever!"
Fun Family Photos
I love working with families that love to have fun! When people enjoy life it shows in their images. You can just tell how much this family is having! This session lasted twice as long as a normal session, mostly because we were all having fun, we kept seeing good photo opportunities and I just don't put the camera down until we are really done (or it is too dark to see!) I hope you enjoy seeing this night as much as I enjoyed shooting it!
Dreaming of Flight...
One of the things I promised myself this year was that I would pick up some strictly creative projects just for myself to keep the creative juices flowing and have some fun! I came up with the idea of building a pair of wings a la Leonardo Davinci and having someone perched to fly. As I was building the wings the perfect quote presented itself and that was enough of a sign for me:
“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
Here are the fruits of my labor! Enjoy!
Loving the beach babies!
This is such a great time of year! We get to enjoy the sun and the beach! Especially after this last winter! Oh my goodness! We will savor every day of this now! One of my favorite things is photographing kids being kids and what better place to capture those moments than on the beach! A carefree place where families can relax and unwind and kids can be themselves. Love these beach babies!
An Evening of Family Photos
I am just in love with these boys. They were the nicest, sweetest boys I think I have ever met. Of course we only got about 10 minutes for these photos before they dove in the water, but seriously nothing is better!
Family Beach Photos: Fun in the Sun
It is finally starting to get warm out and I am super excited to be out on the beach again. As a family, we often make dinner and bring it down to the beach in the summer. Lucy can run around and we can relax and enjoy the evening. As an extra bonus I love being on the beach taking pictures (and playing with other people's children). Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a big kid and I love playing and having fun with the kids. I also think that is where the best and most memorable images come from. These two adorable Kiddies were a dream to spend time with and we were able to capture some amazing images from this shoot. Here are some more of my images!
It's that time of year again! Beach Portraits
I am in love with the beach! I spend lots of time there with my three year old over the summer and even more time on beach portrait sessions! It is so neat to live in a place in the country where we have so many picturesque locations and beautiful natural settings. What I actually love most about this shoot is that I have been able to work with this family every year since their daughter was born. I love seeing them and watching her grown. Now with another one on the way I can't wait to see what next year brings!
Where does inspiration come from? Admiring Jinky Art Photography
Inspiration can come from a lot of different places. I love following other photographers, learning their processes and then taking what I have learned and creating my own sense of style. One such photographer that has been a huge inspiration to me is Jinky Art Photography in Australia. I think you will find that their whimsical and warm images really capture a sense of playfulness and fun.
A look back to the beginning
Okay so this wasn't the very beginning it was more like halfway back, but it was around the time I adopted my own daughter so it seems like a lifetime ago. Every year, especially this year, I feel like I have grown and emerged as a better photographer. If I show you the very beginning I am sure you will agree! This however remains as on of my favorite newborn photos that I have done. I love the softness and the delicate look of the image that ties in with the delicate baby. This baby is 3 years old now! My how time flies!
Creative Photography: The Art of the Tattoo
I have always loved tattoos. I didn't get one until I was 33 years old. I also have a reverence for the fact that a tattoo is almost impossible to remove completely. When you decide to ink your body, you want to make sure that you know you are making a permanent decision. That said, I think the art of tattooing is beautiful and have always loved the idea of photographing someone with tattoos. Kat, was someone I did headshot for a few months ago. She was more than happy to come back and do a creative shoot with me. I am in love with the results! To see more of my work look at my galleries.
