Fix-It-Friday #72

Since joining I Heart Faces, I've been given several good tips and points of inspiration. I'm still a beginner, and not 100% confident in my skills, but I'll never get better if I don't apply myself. And what better way to start than to practice editing?

This image is NOT MINE. It is an unedited image by Julie Rivera of Julie Rivera Photography that is currently featured for I Heart Faces' Fix-It-Friday. The adorable shot really makes the editing much more effortless than anything that comes out of my point-and-shoot!

SOOC Image:


Let's face it, that little girl is too cute for words, and the look of adoration on her daddy's face is both sweet and sad, given the circumstances. It's a great moment captured, and I'm pleased to have the opportunity to play with it!

Basic Edit:


For this edit, I adjusted the basic levels and used TRA's Boutwell Magic Glasses, Warm It Up, Kris, and Coffeeshop Actions' Redness Relief to tone down the red in the father's face after the aforementioned actions.

Sepia Edit:


For this one, I continued from the basic edit with TRA's Boring Old B&W and Cinnamon Toast.

Creative Liberties Edit:


For my final edit, I used TRA's Super Fun Happy No Glow. I noticed that some of my earlier Photoshop edits were pretty....glowy/hazy/overdone, so I made sure to adjust the action levels to yield a less severe result.

This was fun, and took almost no time at all! Thanks, Julie, for volunteering your image for this week's Fix-It-Friday! It's strange that the first week I start to participate in the I Heart Faces activites, it's one of your photos I get to work with! Check out her work: Julie Rivera Photography.

That's all for this post! I'll write a "real" post soon! :)

First I Heart Faces Challenge!! Week 38-Smirk

I joined the I Heart Faces community recently to get a few references and tips from photographers of all skill levels. I love the forums, and decided to try my hand at the challenges as well!

This week's challenge is "Smirk". I think the look on the pusher's face is smirk-y enough. This is one of my favorite photos of my brothers. :)

Ambition Always Seems to Flare Up When I'm Alone....

I have this page marked as my homepage in the hope that seeing it before anything else when I open my browser will inspire me to keep to a regular update schedule. Of course, now I am fixating on whether or not the first sentence in this post is a run-on. I will conclude that it is not in order to move on. :)

The past few weeks have brought on a lot of changes in terms of my career goals. I guess that's what happens when you're left alone with your thoughts for a while. Although I will be pursuing a degree in literary arts in hopes of one day netting a "big girl" job like an editor or (ideally) director of a publishing company, I will also be honing my photography skills in an effort to squeeze in on the over-saturated market. I've found photographers of all skill levels to be especially prevalent around military towns. Some people jump into business as soon as they receive a DSLR camera! I would kill to have that kind of confidence! Unfortunately, I am so completely unfamiliar with DSLRs that I would likely fail with that approach. I plan to use a slow and steady method: Basic equipment, practice practice practice, build equipment, build portfolio, establish self within photography community, start a business. Right now, I'm looking at about a 3-year plan to get it all into place.

I know some people may wonder (and some very well may not) why I am venturing into the photography world. Well, aside from my love for photography, which I have had since I was a child (spent lots of my pocket money on disposable cameras), I have had dreams of running a business. I adore the idea of being my own boss, being accountable for my actions as well as having the power to rectify bad situations, making a name for myself. I have a hunger for success. I realize this may be a problem further down the road if plans do not come to fruition, but, for now, dreaming big is all I have. Also, photography fits well with the stay-at-home-mom role I am fulfilling until the kid(s) start school and I feel comfortable leaving the house for extended periods for a "real" job.

My main focuses are going to be wedding/event, birth, and boudoir photography. They are somewhat unconventional choices, to be sure, but they are what I prefer. And, from a logistical standpoint, they have an even greater appeal: There is (generally) much less competition in those categories, as well as greater net earnings. I wouldn't turn down traditional portraits (especially in my few years of practice!), but would more likely refer them once I start booking event shoots regularly. Come January, once I have my basic equipment outfit put together, if anyone wants to model for me, I will be doing a few free mini-sessions to get a feel for it. I'll have more information on this in another month or so. I want to stress, however, that they should not be used as a substitute for professional photos, as I am not a professional just yet!