Photoshop Skills

I suppose like all things Photoshop just takes practice. The blending modes and layer adjustments have frustrated me for so long that I sat down and begun to just work on an image step by step. This year I started to take more portraits and as the year rolls on I am quite happy with the progress. And with time the Photoshop part will become part of the routine. 

In this post I am including a portrait of a model I photographed back in the fall of 2012. I think she might have forgotten about this image but at least I have a clear conscience now that I worked on  it. I didn't go beyond the face. The hair probably could use some tweaks but I am happy with the result. 

First Look Through Utah Images

Having some time before boarding the plane back home, I'm going through the images from last few days to see what I ended up with after all the stops and goes and hikes up and down Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. I prefer few days time from taking the pictures to the edit stage so that I can forget about the images. Typically one or two images usually lingers in my mind and rarely do they appear on screen then way I imagined them in my head. The ultimate discipline in the field is to take an image technically correct. The processing part involves making that technical image come to life. And that part is the love and hate of photography. It took me a long time to realize work is needed after the capture. And it still takes some time to remind myself before calling the image a final one.

Here is the first image. I decided to make this one black and white.

New Orleans - Part 2 - Black and White

Follow up to the previous post - this time the black and white images of New Orleans. Hot and humid, the sun and the heat of the south shine through the tones and textures.

While in New Orleans, we stopped and browsed through a few antique stores full of beautiful (what I'm guessing) 18th and 19th century furniture. Absolutely stunning tables, lamps, armoires, and other pieces, most in wonderful condition. It's like being in a store to build a museum. Prices aside, we were invited by one of the ladies in a store to see (and sit in) an 18th century Provence style interior of a living room. That memory will be in my mind for a very long time. The image of the antique store is a street photography moment with the musician accentuating the soul of New Orleans.

I am a big fan of palm trees and quiet places. Although still early in the morning, I noticed the shelter of trees around me of the fast rising sun and turned to find this quiet bench. New Orleans has a very slow and relaxed feeling despite the reputation of Bourbon Street. The food is a whole other topic and the main reason I am going back there again in the future.