for my 2 blog friends...=)

This image was a pain in the booty to edit. I didn't post it on facebook because I am not thrilled with the outcome but I like it well enough. I need more practice shooting in this type of lighting situation. AND I need a lens hood. =)

Owen oants!

back in the saddle again....

This is one of those classic shots you see pretty much every photographer do now a days. Probably because it's adorable!! Seeing as it is so popular I assumed it was easy to get. Well I assumed wrong. I took like 10 and this was the best I got. With a lower aperture it's a challenge when baby decided to move forward or backward and step out of your focus and/or change your composition.

Also, little Remy wasn't really into standing like this. He would rather crawl around and pick up leaves or have Mom or Dad hold him. So he didn't really feel like posing.

I think next time I attempt it I will see if Mom and Dad can do the 1,2,3 swing thing and then take the photo when baby lands and is laughing. It was good practice!!

Wish I had better focus and brightness in the eyes but I like it and am happy to be learning!!

Top is SOOC (straight out of camera) and bottom is edited....

Top SOOC (straight out of camera) bottom edited. Tried to remove some green from the skin tone and brighten it up. Is it better or worse?

Kim, I re-edited this for fun. I did a different black and white conversion that had a warmer tone. I sharpened the water droplet and then burned around it some so that it stood out more. I did the eye brightner in picnik on it too. Just to show you. I also burned the edges of the droplets on the highlight setting in CS5 just to give it more definition.

The first one is my favorite even though it has more noise than I like. I also wish I hadn't let so much of the building in the foreground. I like to do that sometimes for added depth of field but it doesn't quite work on this one. (too white I think). The second one is pretty but maybe alittle too overexposed. Worst part is, I think I did that in post. Doh! The third one is cute, it seems the color is off to me, maybe a little too green? And I love the 4th one. The sharpness is great, little noise, and I like the exposure. Ahhh...success....

Hope I look that pretty when I am 60! My Mom is stunning. So here is the lesson with these. sometimes less is more. Look at the beautiful light in that room (this is the PRI office). I think in the before pics the lighting and skin tome might actually be fine. Possibly a tad to yellow. But because I *can" I *do* feel the need to lighten this and adjust that and tweek this. I think the afters are lovely and I like the practice on "touching up" but I don't want to edit for the sake of editing. Ya know?