technique Archives ⋆ Bree Herbert

Tag: technique

People in the Parking Lot

Posted on July 5, 2011January 25, 2013 by Bree

As I mentioned in my previous post, the other photo subject that you can usually find in an otherwise barren parking lot is people. Because I was at a photo workshop, the other participants were easily accessible for portraits (read: they couldn’t really run away) and they were a little more tolerant of my camera aimed at them than a random passerby or visitor to the coffee shop might have been.

It started with Mr. Blue Eyes….

I was going to call him Ol’ Blue Eyes (a nod to Frank Sinatra), but he might not appreciate the “old” reference and he might hate to sing. I don’t know. But his eyes were definitely the focal point of this photo.

In a similar way, Eleanor’s quirky glasses and the layers and texture of her scarf were what inspired me to create a portrait of her.

If I hadn’t mentioned it, I’m guessing that you wouldn’t have thought that this photo was taken in a parking lot with dead trees and trash and possibly Sasquatch in the background.

Anyway, as this portrait of the super-friendly Dan shows, a shallow depth of field and precise focus on a person’s face can create great portraits in environments that are *ahem* less than ideal.

So, don’t be discouraged if a photo-creating opportunity doesn’t happen in the perfect place, or with a breathtaking backdrop, or during the most perfect light of the day. Sure, that is what photographers aim for, but if there aren’t any other options, shoot anyway! Use your brain, move your feet, and see what you can come up with.’Tis better to shoot and practice then go home with an empty CF card, I say.

Interesting Things in the Parking Lot

Posted on March 15, 2011January 25, 2013 by Bree

On Saturday I attended a photography workshop and was quite surprised to learn that the promised photo safari to an “undisclosed breath-taking location” meant walking out into a parking lot. We safari-ed about 30 feet. It looked like this:

Perhaps when the brochure said “breath-taking location” it was referring to the cigarette smoke from the patrons outside of the coffee shop.

Nevertheless, I had committed to be there and my son’s babysitter was scheduled for 4 hours, so I figured I might as well try to make the best of a disappointing situation. I made the parking lot my creative challenge – how could I get great photos out of an area that at first glance held nothing but wire fences, cars, cigarette butts, and dead vegetation? What can you do if you’re in a similar situation, stuck somewhere that feels like a photographic dead end?

Well, you can search for color….

Or you can play around with depth of field:

Or you can look for a scene that would convert well to black and white:

You might want to keep an eye out for texture and pattern…

I liked these canvas umbrellas so much that I decided they needed the macro treatment.

Perhaps by keeping your eyes open, you’ll get a shot that combines lines AND color AND texture AND pattern:

What do you think? Do my photographs indicate victory over the parking lot?

Coming up, I’ll share some more photos from that day of the other subject available in a parking lot: people.

Before & After – Thanksgiving Evening on the Beach

Posted on February 23, 2011January 25, 2013 by Bree

What initially drew me to this picture was its wonderful “rule of thirds” composition – horizon line along the top third, kids on the bottom third. And the casual arrangement of the three kids on the beach was nicely balanced. But overall it was too dark and too uniform in blue tones throughout the picture, and subsequently felt a bit flat. I really wanted to bring out the feel of a sunset on the beach and the pleasant happiness of the kids.

My first step was to check the white balance of the photo, and by doing so the picture took a big step toward the warmth that I was looking for. Next, I adjusted the S-curve of the photograph to create the right balance of highlights, midtones, and shadows in the photo and I increased the contrast to a nice level. I then masked off the upper 1/2 of the photo from these tonal adjustments (I wanted it to look a little more “washed out”) so that I could keep the focus on the kids and sand on the bottom half.

Next I ran a warming filter action and reduced the opacity until it represented what I felt was a nice, waning fall sunset at the beach. Lastly, I applied selective sharpening to the bottom third of the photo and it really helped accent the kids and the sand on the beach.

Here’s what it looked like when I was done:

And a lovely side-by-side for your viewing pleasure.

Do you want your pictures to change from “How??” to “WOW!”? I do post-processing work to help give your photos the impact you were looking for. Contact me through my website for info and pricing.

Before & After: Bubbles in the Sand

Posted on February 7, 2011January 25, 2013 by Bree

2011_02 Copyright Bree Herbert Blog_05

Oh, what charm this photo had, just waiting to be uncovered!

At first glance, the bubbles caused by an outgoing wave seem to be the star of the photo, and they certainly deserve the attention… but look a little more closely and you’ll realize that there just might be a co-star in this scene. Paging Bev Doolittle!

I decided that I wanted to lighten the overall picture and warm it up a bit not only to increase clarity for the viewer but also to help better portray the pleasant evening light that this photo was taken in. I started with a white balance fix, then tweaked the tonal levels in the photo. Next I increased the saturation of the orange colors.

I really liked the natural vignetting and decided to keep it intact. I finished off with a custom sharpening pass in Photoshop that really made the bubbles pop (pun intended) and emphasized the hidden visitor. Can YOU tell what it is?

The effects of my work:

2011_02 Copyright Bree Herbert Blog_04

And the side-by-side that you’ve been waiting for:

2011_02 Copyright Bree Herbert Blog_06

Do you want your pictures to change from “How??” to “WOW!”? I do post-processing work to help give your photos the impact you were looking for. Contact me through my website for info and pricing.

Before & After: Giggly Girl in Leaves

Posted on February 3, 2011January 25, 2013 by Bree

2011_02 Copyright Bree Herbert Blog_01

When I first saw this picture, I knew right away that it was a great candidate for some post-processing work. The pattern of the leaves and the girl’s plaid shirt, the detail in the grass, her wonderful gap-tooth grin and sense of enjoyment in the picture were great foundational elements. They just needed a little “oomph” and some directed focus to be all that they could be and make a bigger emotional impact on the viewer. With permission from the cute little model’s mom (who took the picture), I got to work.

The first thing that I worked on was the blue color cast (a result of the picture being taken during the daytime and in the shade). I knew that by removing the blue and warming up the scene, the leaves would really stand out and overall there would be a better sense of the coziness of autumn.

Next I tweaked my saturation sliders to really bring out the color of the leaves without making them look fake.

I noticed that the overall appearance of the photo was a little dark, and so I increased the brightness a bit and then tweaked the S curve to further increase the highlights, particularly in the girl’s face. I wanted her skin to have a nearly “blown out” look so that viewers would immediately focus on her cute grin. I used a layer mask to cover areas that I didn’t want brightened as much as her face.

Then I ran a quick tinting action on the photo that reminds me a bit of the look of 70s film. The end result was a terrific green in the grass and removal of the remainder of blue in the girl’s plaid shirt which I thought was too much of a distraction from her beautiful face.

Lastly, I increased the vignetting present in the original photo and did a custom sharpening pass on the photo to help define the leaves and give the photo a wonderful finish. Here’s the end result:

2011_02 Copyright Bree Herbert Blog_02

And a look at the gap-toothed cutie, before and after:

2011_02 Copyright Bree Herbert Blog_03

How to become a better photographer…

Posted on March 8, 2010January 25, 2013 by Bree

BHBlog_WTD 174
whattheduck.net

Food for the Photographer’s Soul

Posted on February 18, 2009January 21, 2013 by Bree

I just finished viewing a very artful video created by Atlanta based photographer Zack Arias that spoke to this photographer’s (yours truly) soul. Everything he spoke of had me nodding in agreement and understanding – the moods, the thoughts, the highs and lows, the wondering, and the deeply important question that every photographer who wants to produce truly meaningful and artful images asks herself/himself: “What’s my voice?”

Or you can check out Zack’s great video on Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider Blog by clicking here.