I started Kylie's Senior Portraits today. *Day Two now added*

[eeyorelori]

Boy i guess our kids are lucky in pa ..We can do our own pics and by sept you must hand in a wallet for the year book ..I have had 5 kids pics done in the yr book and 2 different schools ...My son is a senior next yr ..All his freinds and girlfreinds freinds are coming to me and asking if id take there pics ..I say ok but im not professional and they go yours are better then some they have seen ...Ok extra disney money lol ....Nice pics ..I really like the one of your other dd near the water ...I took soooooooooo many at a muesum at the creek they make awesome pics ..I wish i new how to post them here ..I got some really nice ones done last fall. I did some practice runs in fall now ill check it out in spring ...Good job .hope you get that great pic your invisioning ...

 

[eeyorelori]

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p147/EEYORELOR69/FH000003_edited.jpg Here is one i did see if i did it right ...

 

[fitzperry]

Thank you. I really needed that today.

I really am not unhappy with what I have done. I know I have a long way to go - and a lot to learn. I just keep reminding myself that I have only had the camera since December 7th. When I bought it I was 100% clueless. I didn't understand anything - aperature, shutter speed - the rule of thirds. I had VERY limited experience back in the early 80's with a high school photography class.

I know I have learned so much and come so far in a few short months.

I just want to do really well for her. Without boring all of you with details she hasn't had the most charmed life. She has had long intense struggles with medical issues - brain surgeries. Lots of hills to climb - walls to scale. And after being told when she was young that she would never be able to even go to a regular school or function in society as an adult - knowing and seeing her now - as an early grad - an honor roll student - it is very emotional.

She is without a shadow of a doubt - my hero.... and I don't want to let her down with these photos. So I am really trying my best with my limited knowledge and her shyness, adversion to bugs and constant eye rolls directed at her Mother.

So thank you - that "you are doing great." and "lots of improvement in a short time", means the world to me.

Congratulations to both of you! I don't think you need to worry about letting her down. As others have said, you've made a lot of progress in a short time. It is also obvious from your shots that your dd is becoming more relaxed in front of your camera. Your hard work and patience are paying off, and you'll have some great photos to help you remember both your dd's accomplishments and your own.

 

[Gdad]

Good job Mom! She is a cute girl and seems much more relaxed in front of the camera on Day-2. I hope you don't mind- I picked my fav of the lot and applied a little glam-blur to it in photoshop. (If you do mind just post or pm me and I will remove it.)

 

[DVC Jen]

I don't mind at all.

Which photoshop program did you use to add the glam blur? Have I missed it with Photoshop Elements?

I also really like the way you cropped that. I just may have to do that myself.

 

[Gdad]

Which photoshop program did you use to add the glam blur? Have I missed it with Photoshop Elements?

Hmm- I use Photoshop CS2 and downloaded an action that does this. I know it involves masking over the image with a semi-transparent gaussian blur layer. There are a few other steps to doing it correctly by hand though (Elements does not support actions) When I have more time tonight after work I will look at the history and write down each step if you want. Most things in CS2 can be acomplished in Elements but instead of one mouse click its 20.

 

[jann1033]

Jen try www.optikvervelabs.com/download.asp

they have a bunch of color and b&w filter type setups, i know they have some that soften and it's free..
check out set 11, a bunch of softened ones( keep scrolling )

alien skin is great as well. it isn't free but they might have a free trial..they have a glamour, diffuse and subtle softener

don't get discouraged, you are doing great and the photos look professional..think how many times people get retakes

 

[DVC Jen]

Gdad thanks that would be great.

Jann - thanks also. I will check those out. I am really trying to not get discouraged. I looked through some shots I took at Emilys Christmas recital mere days after I got the camera. They were awful! LOL So I do see improvement.

The girls and I are out on spring break this week

So - they of course are still fast asleep.

I am going to try some inside "studio type" shots today.

I have to say I have the most wonderful and understanding DH. We went to Wolf camera yesterday and bought a light kit - 2 umbrella lights and he never blinked an eye. It is just a start up beginners kit - which is all I need.

We also got two big flat sheets - one black and one white - may not be the best colors but we only went to wal-mart and I didn't want polka dots or stripes or flowers. So today the girls and I are going to play around and see what we can come up with.

I am hoping to get this finished today - so I can play with photoshop tomorrow. Wednesday through the rest of the week DH is going to be home and we are painting 3 rooms + trim and hopefully putting in new floors in the kitchen and girls bathroom. I have a feeling this camera stuff is a walk in the park compared to all of that. Gotta get the house ready for the family who will be "invading" for graduation in late May.

 

[fitzperry]

Jen try www.optikvervelabs.com/download.asp

they have a bunch of color and b&w filter type setups, i know they have some that soften and it's free..
check out set 11, a bunch of softened ones( keep scrolling )

alien skin is great as well. it isn't free but they might have a free trial..they have a glamour, diffuse and subtle softener

don't get discouraged, you are doing great and the photos look professional..think how many times people get retakes

Call me an idiot if you must but once you've downloaded a plug-in, how do you load it into PSE? I'd ask dh, but he'd probably get irritated with me for downloading junk onto my rebuilt, cleaned-up pc.

 

[tinksdad]

I am going to try some inside "studio type" shots today.

I have to say I have the most wonderful and understanding DH. We went to Wolf camera yesterday and bought a light kit - 2 umbrella lights and he never blinked an eye. It is just a start up beginners kit - which is all I need.

We also got two big flat sheets - one black and one white - may not be the best colors but we only went to wal-mart and I didn't want polka dots or stripes or flowers. So today the girls and I are going to play around and see what we can come up with.

Now you're talking!! Remember, have one light as the "key" light and the other on the opposite side of the sleepy girl as a fill light. If the key light meters at f/8 (just a starting point) then turn down the fill or moven further away to meter under approximately 2 stops. That will give a nice balance without overpowering.

Also, have the key light higher than her head so the catch lights will show in the upper portion of the eye.

What kind of lights are you using? Those halogen or normal work lights you can get from Home Depot (or similar) are pretty decent. A continuous light can get hot, but the light you see is the light you get. Don't forget to change you white balance to tungsten if you use those!!

Have fun! Post the results!!

 

[tinksdad]

Call me an idiot if you must but once you've downloaded a plug-in, how do you load it into PSE? I'd ask dh, but he'd probably get irritated with me for downloading junk onto my rebuilt, cleaned-up pc.

I'm not sure about Elements, but in PS this is from their help section;

Do one of the following:
To install an Adobe Systems plug‑in module, use the plug‑in installer, if provided. You can also (Windows) install copy the module into the appropriate Plug‑ins folder in the Photoshop program folder, or (Mac OS) drag a copy of the module to the appropriate Plug‑ins folder in the Photoshop program folder. Make sure that the files are uncompressed.
To install a third-party plug‑in module, follow the installation instructions that came with the plug‑in module. If you cannot run a third-party plug‑in, it may require a legacy Photoshop serial number.

 

[DVC Jen]

Now you're talking!! Remember, have one light as the "key" light and the other on the opposite side of the sleepy girl as a fill light. If the key light meters at f/8 (just a starting point) then turn down the fill or moven further away to meter under approximately 2 stops. That will give a nice balance without overpowering.

Also, have the key light higher than her head so the catch lights will show in the upper portion of the eye.

What kind of lights are you using? Those halogen or normal work lights you can get from Home Depot (or similar) are pretty decent. A continuous light can get hot, but the light you see is the light you get. Don't forget to change you white balance to tungsten if you use those!!

Have fun! Post the results!!

ack!!

My head, my head! Too much information - it hurts!

I am pretty sure I am understanding what you are saying. I think. LOL

The bulbs ( I just checked) are regular large sized light bulbs 250 watts each.

The kit is a Smith-Victor Corportation Thrifty Lighting Kit - KT500U. Not sure if that means anything to you or not. It was 139.00 regular price and I got it on sale for 20.00 off. I didn't think that was too bad.

So with the regular light bulbs - I should change my white balance to tungsten?

I have never ever tried anything like this before. I am a bit nervous, but more excited to tell you the truth. And at least I am using my own kiddo as my guinea pig and not someone else's - and them wanting perfect shots.

I will post the Photos probably tomorrow - if not then I will but it probably won't be until after we are done painting.

Just please point me in the right direction (like everyone has always done) so I can get better and learn from this too.

OH - I also bought a book on portrait photography but haven't had time to really do anything but skim through it.

 

[tinksdad]

ack!!

My head, my head! Too much information - it hurts!

I am pretty sure I am understanding what you are saying. I think. LOL

The bulbs ( I just checked) are regular large sized light bulbs 250 watts each.

The kit is a Smith-Victor Corportation Thrifty Lighting Kit - KT500U. Not sure if that means anything to you or not. It was 139.00 regular price and I got it on sale for 20.00 off. I didn't think that was too bad.

So with the regular light bulbs - I should change my white balance to tungsten?

Sounds like quite the deal!!

Yes! You should change the white balance to tungsten. Set something in front of the lights (doesn't have to be your daughter) and then take a picture of the object using auto, tungsten, fluorescent, daylight and others you may have. Notice the differences in the white balance!! It can make a BIG difference. My camera auto WB is pretty accurate "most" of the time, but if you're shooting something known then it's best to set the WB for that light source. The real problem comes in when you have mixed light sources. Light daylight and tungsten or fluorescent........

I have never ever tried anything like this before. I am a bit nervous, but more excited to tell you the truth. And at least I am using my own kiddo as my guinea pig and not someone else's - and them wanting perfect shots.

I will post the Photos probably tomorrow - if not then I will but it probably won't be until after we are done painting.

Just please point me in the right direction (like everyone has always done) so I can get better and learn from this too.

OH - I also bought a book on portrait photography but haven't had time to really do anything but skim through it.

You'll be fine!! The desire to learn and experiment is what makes the process more fun (at least for me) and remember, at least digital is really cheap!!!
There are some good websites too if that is better for you. Just google portrait photography lighting and see what you get!!

 

[jann1033]

fitzperry...no doubt there is an easier way or my middle name isn't "computer Illiterate" but how i do it is when i extract them I save them in c>program files>adobe>pse5>plug ins( not the codices(sp) one, just plug ins, capital p)

 

[spoon2003]

Jenn,
These are great, I'm learning so much from this thread. Thank you

My favorite is the sepia shot, then the first one that Gdad added the Glam look.

Sue