#55 - Challenge

This week at I Heart Faces, this lovely little one was featured. The photo is a slightly more challenging due to color tones and sharpness, and I wasn’t sure where the photo would lead me. I took a little time to play with a few options and here is where we came out.

Here is the original:

I decided to start by correcting the skin tones and adding a little sharpness. I used the I Correct Photo filter to do the main color correction. Once the color was set, I added a levels adjustment to brighten the photo a bit. I also used the EZ Eye Care action from EZ Actions to do some work on the eyes to brighten, whiten, and add some slight enhancements.

Here is where the photo was at that stage:

I thought the photo lent itself to a porcelain effect, but was concerned about her dress. This is because the dress has those dark tones and the very dark tones don’t play nice in a porcelain effect. Porcelain photo do much better when the photo is high key (white on white). So, I played with the EZA Porcelain action to see how it might work. I liked the approach and needed to do a crop and add a border, but I think the end state of the photo was what I was looking for.

Here is the final:
 

Added one more…
I call this… Pretty in Pink

I hope you enjoy my attempt this week.

Thanks for stopping by,
John

I Heart Faces #31

Here it is, another Friday. I had a few minutes to play and thought that this particular image would be fun.

Here is the original photo:

For my edit, I did a few things.  First, I started by doing a color correction using the “I Correct Photo” filter. The filter removed a bit of magenta from the overall image. Then, I cropped the photo. After a few different attempts at a crop, you can see the final below. After cropping, I used the healing brush to remove the spots from his nose, cheeks, and chin. Now, I had something to go on. I used the Soft Focus action from EZ Actions, which soften the image. Using the layer mask, I kept the hair and eyes sharp and let the rest of the skin stay soft. I flattened the image (flattening the layers that the Soft Focus action put on the photo) and then ran the EZA Porcelain action. This action allowed me to bring the bright whites and black and white effect to the image. I used the dodge tool to brighten the shadows and mid-tones and that finished my edits.

I hope you enjoy!

Edited photo:

Talk to you later,
John

Family Photo Shoot

This past weekend, we had the pleasure of photographing a lovely family. We’ve got their proofs ready and are just waiting for them to be delivered. However, you can see some of the photos in this short video. I hope you enjoy watching.

Talk to you later,

John

Elliott

On a recent trip to Kentucky, I took some photos of some horses… This is Elliott…
Elliott is being trained to become a police horse. He’s only a year old, but he is learning quickly.

I took a minute or two and played with the photo using the Sharp Shot Color Pop pro action from EZ Actions. Below, you can see the original photo (as shot) and the resulting edit (before and after). I’ve overlayed the 2 photos and created this animated photo.

Thanks for stopping by…
Talk to you soon…
John

Video Test

Here is a test of adding a video to the site…
These are some photos that I’ve taken at Capricorn Equestrian in Sachse, Texas. You’ll usually find me there on Tuesday nights and then again on Thursday or Saturday (and maybe even an occasional Sunday afternoon). We’ve been riding there for about a year now and we’ve really started progessing in our horseback riding. We look forward to learning more and may even one day own our own horses (but I want to learn as much as I can before that day gets here).  Anyways, enjoy the video…