tips & tricks | post processing

post processing (or pp'ing) refers to the steps you take once you uploaded your photos onto your computer. you might be thinking "what steps? i just print my photos!" if you would like to kick your photos up to the level of professional shots, or make them look more like portraits and less like snap shots, then post processing is a must.

i have included a couple of sets of shots here as an example of the importance of post processing. the first shot is what we call 'straight out of camera' (or 'sooc'). the second shot has been processed (by me!) in photoshop CS4. you can see quite clearly the difference that post processing makes.

sooc

edited

sooc

edited

if you have had a professional photo session with a photographer (me or someone else) you may wonder why the cost of prints is so much more than what you would pay if you went to your local walmart/big w. the reason is that you are paying for the expertise of that photographer to process the sooc shots and have them printed by reputable professional printer. if you take your sooc shots down to the local walmart/big w, the computers there will do some basic pp'ing, and they will be printed on photo paper, but i guarantee you that they will not look as fantastic as they would if you ordered your prints from your photographer!

(as an aside, i recently had some of my edited shots printed at one of those quick & cheap stores and i was not impressed with the quality at all - it is worth finding a professional printer in your town that you trust with your images!)

to give you an idea of some of the steps involved in pp'ing; this is what i do to every shot i edit:

-defog digital image & apply noiseware filter

-check/adjust white balance

-check/adjust exposure

-check/adjust highlights, midtones & shadows

-touch up skin, eyes, and and any clothing/background that isn't quite perfect

-convert photo to black & white or enhance/'pop' colour

-sharpen and crop for printing, keeping in mind rule-of-thirds and other compositional elements

so, you can rely on those computers at walmart/big w to do this all for you, or you can take your photographs to the next level and learn to do these steps yourself! stay tuned for some great tips to get you started.

of course, you always have the option of ordering your prints from me. remember, i can take your favorite digital photographs and turn them into something really special... =)

sneak peek | craig family

while i was in my hometown of kelowna, canada, i had the great honour and pleasure of photographing my very best friend and her family. thank you to the craigs for sharing a morning outside with me and to sweet little peyton and ashlyn, especially, for being such good girls =)

thank you

we recently had a very special day in our family; my daughter and her sweet little cousin were baptized together and many of our friends and family were able to be there for the occasion (no small feat considering we live in australia, they live in england and the baptism was in canada!). as you may know, i love to make photo cards to commemorate special events. i think a photo thank you card is so perfect as it gives the recipient something special to remember the day by. these cards were printed as 5x7 photos. thanks to taylor and olivia for sharing - i thought they might give you all some inspiration for the next time you have a special occasion =)

award winner

i have just received the wonderful news that my photo has has been awarded 3rd place in the novice photo competition at the royal adelaide show and will be on display september 4-12 at the showgrounds. thanks to everyone for your support, words of encouragement and help in choosing the entries! and thanks to ella rose for being such a great subject =)

your favorite photos | my play as a mini-collage

here is another example of a mini-collage made using some of the favorite snapshots i know you all have sitting on your camera or computer! i actually 'borrowed' these photos from my friends' camera so that i could make them this collage of their sweet grandson. i just touched up the photos a tiny bit and turned them into 'mocha' black & whites, then placed them in the collage - this one is printed as an 8x12. isn't it a fabulous way to showcase some of your favorite photos? thanks b & g, two of my favorite people in the world =)

sneak peek | the miller family

i wanted to post a sneak peek for my dear friends, the miller's. i had the honour of taking some family photos for them while i was visiting my old stomping grounds and they were kind enough to let me practice on them with my first ever outdoor 'location shoot' (vs an indoor, studio shoot). i had the nicest time with them and wanted to share some of my favorites so they wouldn't have to wait for their photo cd to arrive in the post. thanks, my friends, and enjoy =)

tips & tricks | just say NO to flash

one of the easiest things you can do to take more beautiful photographs is to turn off your flash. obviously, there are times when you will need to use your flash, indoors at night for instance. but if you really want to take a special shot, take a moment to find a spot indoors close to a window.

the indirect light filtering in through a window is bright enough that you can take a shot without using flash and it is really lovely and flattering to skin. flash is often quite harsh and flat on the skin, while window light is soft, gives more natural skin tones and creates lovely shadows and higlights. these two shots were taken at the same time of day, and processed the same way. the first one was in a darker area of the house with flash, the other was taken about 2m away from a big window.

the best part of window light is that it gives you the most gorgeous catch-lights in the eyes. catch-lights are those pretty reflections of light on the eye that just make the eyes sparkle. you can see from the examples below that flash does not give a pretty catch-light at all; it gives a little pinprick of light, usually right on the pupil that is not very flattering. in addition, when there is plenty of window light the pupils are smaller and you can see the beautiful eye colour more clearly.

so turn off that flash, hang out by a window, and capture those gorgeous catch-lights =)

your favorite photos | my play as a mini-collage

one of my photographer friends sent along these photos for the photo call. she is very talented and has some gorgeous shots here! i thought i would have a play and create a 'mini-collage' that she could display on her website, blog or facebook page. i think it is a great way of displaying a few favorites all at once, and it shows that you can take different shots from different occasions and by turning them black and white you can bring them together to create a beautiful portrait. this particular layout would also make a great christmas card or a 4x6 print to give out as a gift or as a thankyou card. thanks to phillipa for sharing =)

your favorite photos | my play

thanks to those 'fans' who sent in some of their favorite snapshots. i have been having a play and thought i would share a few of them with you.

this photo was pretty excellent to start with and i loved that pop of red, so i just erased the letters on his jacket, and the arm holding up his head, and then zoomed in a little closer, keeping in mind rule-of-thirds to line up his eyes in the top third of the photo.

this is a sweet photo of mom and baby. here, i erased out the plates etc. behind their heads, turned the photo into a vanilla black and white so that the red top wouldn't distract from those happy faces, and then zoomed in close.

this is such a gorgeous family shot. i used a mocha black and white to enhance that dreamy feel and i lightened up a couple of the darker areas on dad's head and dog's face. then i erased the seam that was in the background behind baby's head. i liked the way it was composed off centre so i zoomed in but tried to keep the original sense of composition.

i hope you have enjoyed my play. i have a few more that i will be posting soon, and will have another photo call in the coming weeks, so stay tuned =)

photo call | favorite snapshot

i would like to show you all an example of how we can turn one of your favorite digital photos into a gorgeous portrait. and i would really like to show you using one of your photos (instead of mine)! so this is a 'photo call'! if you are interested, all you have to do is email to me one of your all time favorite snapshots - any subject. i will choose 3 of the entries to have a play with and will post the results here for you all to see.

so, please email your favorite digital photo to
karen.zoomdesigns@gmail.com
with the subject 'photo call'. you have until monday night. invite your friends and family to do the same!

thanks for sharing =)

tips & tricks | rule-of-thirds

one of the simplest tricks you can use to take better photos or display nicer prints is to use ‘rule-of-thirds’(r-o-t). this is where you divide your photo into a 3x3 grid and use the grid lines to better compose your shots.

the idea of r-o-t is to compose your photos so that the subject IS NOT perfectly centred. your photo will be more interesting or appealing if you place the subject or the focal point of your photo at one of the cross points.

here is an example of a photo I took recently. you can see the difference in the appeal of the second photo where the subject’s eyes are at the top third line.

when you have a close up photo (which are my favorites, by the way) the photo is much more appealing when the subject’s eyes are at the top third line. this can result in some of the head being cut off, but it is worth it to have such a beautiful close up shot of your child.

here is another close-up example using another photo. again, the second shot is much more appealing. using r-o-t in this way gives you more negative space in your photo, which as you may have noticed is part of my style. i love the way your eyes are drawn right to the subject’s in this photo.

you can use r-o-t to compose your shots ‘in camera’ (i.e. as you are taking the shot) – check the setting on your camera, you may be able to show the grid lines right on your LCD display. or, you can wait to do it when you are cropping and printing your photos. if you use photoshop, go to edit – preferences – guides, grids & slices: choose a colour, set the gridline every 33.3 percent and subdivisions 1. when you have a photo open click ctrl + ’ to make your gridlines appear. click it again and they disappear.

by the way, I tend to do the latter – if you have had a session with me you will notice on your photo cd that the unedited shots are pretty centred with room to zoom in. this allows me to crop the photos specifically to order (as 4x6, 5x7, 8x10 prints). so while you may be happy enough with your unedited shots this is one good reason to order prints from me or to learn a few tricks for cropping your own photos effectively.

we have a tendency to want everything to be very centred when we take photos or order prints, but this does not always create the best photo. and this ‘rule’ works for any type of photograph – not just portraits of children. of course, rules are made to be broken, there are times when a centred photo works better! by playing with r-o-t you just might learn more about what you like, and get some better shots in the process. have fun =)

tips & tricks | best photography websites

first, congratulations to the 3 lucky fans who have won FREE customized 8x10 portraits: christy b. michaela c. and jennie t-f. i will post the portraits when they are all done so you all can see them! thanks again for supporting ZOOMdesigns – more freebies, giveaways, and contests coming soon!

so, one of the things i would like to do with this blog is to share some of the things i have learnt about photography, photoshop, and setting up a home business. and by the way, my journey is ongoing… i truly learn something new everyday and i hope that never end =)

so here is my first share: i thought i would start out with some of the websites, forums and groups that have been helpful to me in my journey to learn photography. if any of you have an interest in becoming a better photographer then here are some great places to start! and keep in mind, you DO NOT need one of those fancy dSLR cameras to be a good photographer. i started with my fabulous canon point-and-shoot, and loved the photos i got from there. so, even if you just want to take better pics of your kids, here is some great help to get you going….

photographing children facebook group – started by the author of the book photographing children, ginny felch. everyone here is so kind and helpful. i highly recommend checking it out.
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=13514981755

children’s photography challenges & competitions facebook group – new themed competitions each week and vote on your favorites. a great way to learn from some talented photographers!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ZOOMdesigns/82488114435?ref=mf#/group.php?gid=2323999466

photography students facebook group – this is for any level of photographer with any area of focus (not just children’s photography!) post 2 photos each week to fit the theme and receive a tonne of feedback that will absolutely help you take better photographs.
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=40881137164

clickinmoms – there is a fee to join this group, but it is absolutely wonderful and not just for ‘moms’!
http://www.clickinmoms.com/

ILP (i love photography) – free for photographers just starting out with an emphasis on photographing children. this is a huge forum with so many knowlegable people providing help.
http://ilovephotography.com/forums/

digital photography by scott kelby – if you do have a dSLR camera or a point and shoot with manual settings that you have no idea how to use, then this book is a very good starting point. it is a very easy read with super simple instructions.
http://www.kelbytraining.com/product/the-digital-photography-book.html

deluxe collage

but first…. a quick reminder to become a fan of ZOOMdesigns by

becoming a follower of my blog

http://karengunton.blogspot.com/,

becoming a ‘fan’ of the ZOOMdesigns facebook page http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=87574&id=82488114435&ref=nf#/pages/ZOOMdesigns/82488114435,

or sending me an email to subscribe to the ZOOMnews email list

karen.zoomdesign@gmail.com

3 lucky fans will win a customized 8x10 portrait! the winners will be chosen on THURSDAY!!

so, back to the topic… deluxe collages! i have recently done a couple of collages that are larger than the standard ones i offer. they look absolutely amazing printed and framed, so i just had to share them with you all. the panoramic one i have posted here is printed and framed as a 12x36 inch (30x90 cm) collage and the square one is printed and framed as a 20x20 inch (50x50cm) collage. they can each hold up to 13 photos, so are a spectacular way to display your favorite shots! =)

freebie giveaway!

as promised, i have my first freebies to giveaway! as an incentive to keep in touch with what is going on at ZOOMdesigns, i will be designing and giving away FREE 8x10 inch portraits to 3 of my lucky fans!! it is very simple - to be in the draw all you need to do is one of the following:

• become a follower of my blog or write a comment on this post

http://karengunton.blogspot.com/

OR

• become a 'fan' on the ZOOMdesigns facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/ZOOMdesigns/82488114435?ref=nf

OR

• subscribe to ZOOMnews by sending an email to me at

karen.zoomdesigns@gmail.com

i will randomly choose 3 fans to receive custom made 8x10 portraits in the style of the ones shown below. you can either choose to use a photo from a previous session or email me one of your own favorite digital photos. you get to choose the details like colours, fonts, quotes, borders etc.

you do NOT have to be a past client of ZOOMdesigns! anyone can enter, so tell your friends and family to visit my blog, or facebook page, or email me to join the ZOOMnews list. thanks for being a fan of ZOOMdesigns =)

zoom news!!

as you may know, i am in canada at the moment. though i have been taking a break from my photo sessions in australia, i have still been working hard on ZOOMdesigns and have been reflecting on the fact that it has been about a year since i started my photography business. i have learned an incredible amount of information this year about photography, photoshop and design and have had the pleasure of working with some really wonderful families, many of whom have generously passed my name on to their friends.

i will continue to use this blog as a place to show case some of my favorite photos from recent sessions as well as giving clients and their families a 'sneak peek' at their photos. but i am also looking at new ways to grow my business and my blog, and also share some of what i have learnt this year with others.

i am inviting you to come back often to visit this blog so that you don't miss out on:

freebies - yes, you can get free stuff!!

contests & prizes!!

casting calls and photo calls including free sessions or portraits

special offers and promotions

'tips & tricks' to help you take better photographs of your own families

so please leave a comment bellow, become a 'follower' of this blog or a fan of the ZOOMdesigns facebook page, and invite your friends to come and join as well. i will be giving away my first FREEBIE in the next couple of weeks so visit again soon...

thank you so much to all of my past clients and to my friends and family who have given me so much support. i am looking forward to another great year of ZOOMdesigns =)

show

after a very difficult choice, which required a lot of input from my family and friends, i have finally picked 4 photos to enter into the national exhibition of photography at the royal adelaide show which runs 4-12 september. these are just a few of my favorite photos from the past year (as i said it was so hard to choose!!) and i thank the very sweet children i have been lucky enough to photograph this year. the final photo of this post is a photo i entered into last year's show - it won a merit prize and was on display with all of the other amazing entries and winners. i will find out in august if i will be so lucky this year =)

twins

i am so lucky to have had the chance to photograph baby twins this weekend. i love when i get the opportunity to try something new! at 12 weeks old these 2 babies were alert and content and very, very cute =)