This month's guest blogger is my sister in law, Kayla. She is talented in many ways, but she's here to show off her talent in photo editing, which I think is a huge part of getting perfect pictures. She also has her own photography business and great experience and has even done my family's portraits. Enjoy!
Hey I'm Kayla!
I am over here at: Love Like Crazy where I talk about real life, photography and what ever else I am doing at the moment.
I am a wife of a Pre Med student, a Medical receptionist, a blogger, a Photographer and a writer. (to name a few) and I wanted to thank Joyce for letting me do a guest post! Your blog is always so awesome to read and I am honored to be apart of it!
Now lets get to the good stuff:
I know a lot of people
love photography and want good quality looking pictures with out buying
the expensive programs... like Photoshop
I have become very fond
of Picasa, a free photo editing program from google. It was the only
thing I used until I was able to get Photoshop.
So those of you who want quality pictures that have some fun editing tools and some easy touch ups this post is for you.
In my film photography
class I learned a lot about exposure and contrast. Those same things can
be done through this program. I find that in each photo shoot I do
there are some pictures that look like a total failure... That is before
I spice the heck out of them!
Some of the "worst"
pictures can become the BEST. Its easy play around with your pictures
more and you will see what I mean. AMAZING contrast is in even the
lightest shot and can be reclaimed.
Take for instance this picture... first is the original.
second is the edited one.
ya when I showed the husband that one he did not believe me.
HOW?
well contrast! Add some dark contrast
and you start to see the blue in the sky and the yellow of the setting
sun... make the tree black to contrast between the white. If colors seem
to bright or wrong, tone them down a bit with the saturation tool. Use
it the opposite way to create more real-life color.
or too much sun?
turn this: into this:
I
LOVE sun flares... so that is what those dots are. Its what happens
when the sun reflects on the lens just right. I like to use them,
because it helps draw the eye in.
again light and dark contrast adds a bit of color and makes it not so washed out.
this pic the denim is really pale and boring...
add some dark tones and bright one... CONTRAST and see the perfection! Makes the colors just POP.
which grapes would you eat? ha
and some pictures just need a tiny bit of work...
to make them pop.
After editing:
before (above)
before(below)
After (above)
Before After
This
one is cool because I was able to use a new setting in Picasa. Its the
comic book tool and it makes those little dots in the picture, giving it
a "comic book" or "vintage" effect, I like.
Sometimes cropping can save a picture. Like in this one, you would have had no idea someone was holding up this flower pot...
put see the depth and contrast in the edited one?
It looks better too because the main subject is bigger and taking up more of the space in the photo.
It looks so much more professional.
and of course you have to keep in mind while you are taking the pictures some basics.
like the layout. Try not to put the main subject in the center of the frame.
try to take pictures at random different angles.
GET CLOSE. Close ups are always good never be afraid to get too close.
always remember! *** you always should have bright white and dark black in a picture that means your contrast is good. If you have black and
white (dark black and bright white like the first picture above) then
you are off to a good start. That means you have good contrast!
A whole ton of the photo editing process helps when you know also how to use your camera settings but that is for another day.
Photography is a blast
the more you play around with your camera settings and with the editing
programs you will discover more and more new and interesting ways to
make your photographs look unique and professional!
Happy Shooting! :)
-Kayla Ann
Love Like CRAZY!
