MCP Guest Writer has written 326 Articles:
This week’s photography challenge offers you the chance to slow down and feel the sun on your face. The challenge is to take a photo using backlighting.
A real challenge, several of our members shared stunning backlight photos. Here are a few we wanted to highlight.
Submitted by Ali Ellen
Submitted by Amber Bullock Owens
Submitted by Amy MagnetGirl
Submitted by Yvonne Germond
Join us for the photo challenge. It is the perfect way to grow as a photographer. You can be creative with your subject matter, vantage point, and editing while shooting these images for yourself. Once submitted, you will have the support of a large group of photographers who can offer constructive criticism and give you feedback as you work on specific themes and skills.
The team would like to thank everyone who submitted a photo for the challenge. You have one more week on this theme, so come join our Facebook Group and participate now.
Our photo challenges give you a chance to edit other photographer’s images, share them for critique, and see how others edit the same photographs. Participating allows you to practice editing, learn how to give constructive criticism, and watch what steps or Photoshop actions and Lightroom presets are used in various edits. Join us to edit the bi-weekly photos.
If you have an idea on how you’d edit the image below, or want to see and learn what others did, JOIN US HERE.
Thank you to Amber Bullock Owens for allowing us to use this photo. The current challenges are linked at the top of the group. Remember, you can also ask for critique on your edit.
Several of members of the group have shared great edits. Here are a few of the many favorites:
Edited by Meredith Hogarth
Submitted by Susan Elisabeth
Submitted by Tabitha Presnell
We will have a new edit challenge starting Monday, so come back to see what image you can edit then.
How to Edit Newborn Photos in Photoshop
One of the things I love about editing with MCP’s Photoshop actions are the adjustable layers. Most MCP Newborn Necessities actions don’t require flattening, so you can edit and retouch, and have the flexibility to re-work things as needed.
The baby in the photo below was reddish yellow and had purple/red hands and feet. Also, the photo was underexposed. The photo was taken late in the afternoon as the family was moving out of state the next day. The sun was setting and I used a diffused, bounced flash.
Here’s how I edit newborn photos in Photoshop (including the image above):
* After some minor adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw I brought it into PS. While this sounds like a lot of steps below, it actually is extremely fast, as compared to making each of these adjustments from scratch. You can adjust any of these steps to fit your image and edit as much or as little as you choose.
Step 1. Increase Exposure action - I brought my opacity up to 15%.
Step 2. Pick Me Up action - with a 53% opacity. I like that it gives the photo a little bit of pop but not going overboard. You can adjust this later to give yourself more or less pop but for now I am leaving it at 53%.
Step 3. Baby Bottle action This action will give you a nice white haze on your photo.
Step 4. Since his skin was a bit too yellow I used the It’s A Boy action to neutralize the yellow. You might not need to do this step but I use it if babies looks jaundice.
Step 5. Paint On Formula action - I love that sometimes you can run an action and it will just nail it for you. Paint on Formula is an action that I use in all of my newborns. I LOVE this action because it helps quickly fix spots of color, rather than on the entire image.
- The first area I worked on was that purple hand. Using a white brush with a 30-40% opacity you paint on the proper fix. In this case – Magenta/+ Green. I went over it a few times. Tip: If it starts to look green, you can switch your brush to black and fix your mistakes.
- While still in Paint on Formula layers, I selected the – Red/ + Cyan. This will start to pull out all the red and add a little bit of cyan.
- To adjust the tones on his little foot, I used the items in #1 and also went into the + Yellow/ – Blue. I added a little bit of yellow back. We used It’s a Boy to neutralize so only use this on areas with the weird color casts from using the other steps. I also used this on his hand because it was a little more red than I would have like it to be.
Step 6. In My Dreams action When the action runs look for a good colored area of skin that want to try to use through out the rest of the skin. I had to choose one area for his hand to keep it a little darker and another for the rest of the skin. Once you run it your skin should all be pretty even now. Run it a few more times on different parts of the skin if you feel it is necessary.
Step 7. Baby Lotion action - I normally don’t smooth newborn skin too much. You can go overboard really easy. When you run this action it will take it to the very bottom of the layers right above your background layer. Lower your brush to 30% and pain on areas that you’d like to smooth out a little bit.
Step 8. I felt he might have looked a little too pale or gray so I ran the Paint on Gray Skin Fix and popped him up a bit. My brush was at 40% opacity and I left the action opacity as it was.
Step 9. Blushing Paint On Cheeks Bring a little pink back into your skin by using this action and your brush at 45% opacity. If it’s too pink then lower the opacity of your brush. You want a little bit of color but not over pink.
Step 10. Cool Vignette at 25% opacity
Laura Short, the guest writer and photographer for this image, is the owner of September Smile Photography. She’s a Navy veteran and currently lives in Austin, Texas with her four children and husband. Laura is a lifestyle photographer specializing in maternity, newborns and children.
This week’s photo editing challenge features a mermaid cutie shot by Amber Bullock Owens.
The photo challenges give you a chance to experiment with creative editing of other photographer’s images, receive critique of your work, and see how others edit the same photograph. Join us! Participating allows you to practice editing, learn how to give (and receive) constructive criticism, and watch what steps or Photoshop actions and Lightroom presets are used to achieve various effects. Join us to edit the bi-weekly photos. There’s one more week left for this one.
If you have an idea on how you’d edit the image below, or want to see and learn what others did, JOIN US HERE.
Several of members of the group have shared great edits. Here are a few of the many favorites:
Edited by Christine Sines using Summer Solstice
Edited by John J Pacetti
Edited by Laci Patten using Fusion
Thank you to Amber Bullock Owens for allowing us to use this photo. The current challenges are linked at the top of the group. Remember, you can also ask for critique on your edit.
Thank you to everyone who participated; we enjoyed seeing your take on the challenge. Didn’t get a chance to edit this week? You still have an additional week to participate.
This week the Photography Challenge continued with more moving and shaking. The photo challenge is a great way to reach outside the box and work hard. You have the support of a large group of photographers who can assist you and give you feedback as you work on specific themes and skills. We loved seeing so many great photos. Here are a few we wanted to feature, but make sure to check the album on the group page for more.
Submitted by Ashley Crerend
Submitted by Deborah Francabandiero Brewer
Submitted by Eden Halbert
Submitted by Lara Eastvold
The team would like to thank everyone who submitted a photo for the challenge. Visit the the Facebook Group on Monday for a new Photography Challenge.
Who doesn’t love the beach? It is one of my favorite places to have a session, especially since I live near so many of them.
1. Go at off times or find a beach that doesn’t get too much traffic.
You don’t want to travel to a heavily crowded beach to do a session. I have found that the little town beaches usually are a great place to have a photo session. They tend to be a little quieter and less crowded. One thing to watch out for is that they usually only allow parking if you live in the town, but if you go after six o’clock most beaches allow you to park without a sticker. On the North Shore of Long Island there are a lot of small town beaches that are less crowded than the busy and large beaches on the South Shore. I like to take advantage of these and usually take clients after six o’clock, which allows us to skip the crowd and we get good lighting too.
2. I love doing beach photography sessions around the golden hour, the hour before sunset.
This allows me to take advantage of private locations that are less crowded and the lighting is gorgeous! Even doing sessions after four o’clock allows me to shoot without harsh sun. I typically shoot with clients having their back to the sun which gives me a beautiful hazy look to my beach photos.
3. Don’t forget to pay attention to which direction the wind is blowing.
You don’t want hair to be being blown into faces. Also, you might want to make sure you bring some hair ties in case the wind is really blowing and your client doesn’t have one on them.
4. Get wet and have fun.
Sessions at the beach can be so fun because you can play. Play with the sand, the waves and tell clients to enjoy themselves. You can get some really great shots of Daddy swinging the kids in the waves, skipping rocks together or just jumping in the water.
5. Edit your images to enhance the beach tones.
Use products like with Summer Solstice Photoshop Actions, Fusion Actions or Enlighten Lightroom Presets – to enhance photos with a summery feel.
Erica Burns is the owner of Erica Burns Photography from Long Island, NY. She specializes in children and family photography. For more information, visit her website or Facebook page.
How to Photograph Military Homecomings
As a military wife myself, I’ve experienced deployments and so I love photographing the homecomings for other military members. It’s the culmination of a long, often difficult process and the emotion is so raw at them. I often have new photographers (or new to photographing this type of event) ask for tips on capturing homecomings and below are a few that I have learned through photographing them.
1. Be educated.
Our military members travel in a variety of ways now-some travel in huge groups, some travel individually, some come back in small groups. I am usually working one on one with a client and get this information well ahead of time. I find out how they are traveling, how many will arrive, and where they will arrive. I’ve photographed lots of scenarios–hundreds coming off a plane at once and into a hangar, a dozen arriving on the flight line of the base in the fighter jets, and individuals flying back on a commercial jet and arriving at a civilian airport. Know where they will arrive and secure any necessary paperwork well before the arrival time. Your client will know who you need to contact in the military member’s line of command to make sure you have the paperwork required. You may need access to enter a base, access to take photographs on the flight line, or a pass to enter part of the airport with the military spouse. If you are photographing members arriving on a military base, they will have people directing you as to where you can or cannot stand or what lines you need to stay behind as you photograph.
2. Be safe.
There is an acronym called OPSEC that you may hear often. It stands for “Operations Security” and reminds us that we need to keep our military members safe. This means that you shouldn’t tweet things like “I’m headed to the Boise airport to photograph a military homecoming” until OPSEC has been lifted. Mentioning who is arriving, where they are arriving, etc is a security manner and can put the military members at danger. Your client will be notified when OPSEC is lifted and can pass that information on to you, usually occurring just before the military members land. I remember that when my husband was arriving home after his 7 months in Afghanistan, I wanted to scream to the world that he was on his way! I instead had to remember security and wait until he was safe at home to post the news on Facebook.
3. Be prepared.
Depending on your situation and where you are shooting, be prepared with the proper gear. If I photograph a homecoming in an airport, I make sure I have a lens with a lower f-stop to let in lots of light. In outdoor homecomings, I love to use my 24-70L or 70-200L so I can get both wide and close up shots. In large homecomings, there can be quite a crowd of people, well into the hundreds. It’s easy to get pushed out of the way but using a nice zoom lens ensures that I get some beautiful closeups of my clients reuniting. You’ll be amazed at how many shots you want to take! Make sure you have plenty of memory cards and extra batteries on hand.
4. Be a storyteller.
Homecomings are beautiful and I never get bored with them. Every family has a different story and it’s an opportunity for you to tell that story. Before that day, I’ve already gotten acquainted with my client and know a little of their story and their family. I’ve photographed several homecomings where dad is meeting his baby for the first time so I know that is a key moment to photograph. I keep a little of a distance so I am not intruding on their experience and follow my client around while we wait. They are often asked to get there an hour or two early so everyone is in place before the military members arrive. I capture photos of their faces as they await their spouse, photos of the homemade signs, wide shots of the hangar or location, and nervous laughter as they wait with friends. The most important shot most of them want is that moment when they reunite and are in one another’s arms! It’s an emotional thing to watch and makes it all worthwhile. You’ll be amazed at how you wait and anticipate the actual homecoming and then it flies by in seconds! Be ready and focused on your client so you don’t miss those little moments! I often set my camera to take quick bursts of photos because it happens SO quickly! Don’t forget to capture shots of them finding their bags, a nice posed shot together, walking away, and other final shots of the day.
5. Be flexible.
This is a major part of photographing homecomings, especially when the military member is part of a large group arriving back home. When my own husband was deployed, the return date was changed 4 or 5 different times. Be flexible and know that your client will keep you notified of the most recent arrival date and time but that it may change several times after that!
Homecomings are an amazing event to photograph and are one of my favorites. After you photograph military homecomings, you’ll leave feeling so proud, patriotic, and blessed to have the talent to give back to others through the gift of photography.
Melissa Gephardt is a military wife and mom of 3 who specializes in children’s portraiture. Currently residing in Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, she looks forward to their next adventure in life as they move to another military base this summer! Her work can be found at www.melissagphotography.com or on Facebook at Melissa Gephardt Photography .
