Teeth whitening with Photoshop CS4...

I recently came across a new site (to me) called TutorialBoard.net which is dedicated to "high quality tutorials for graphics design, motion graphics and visual effects artists" and they are true to their word. Great content, great tutorials.

One tutorial that we as photographers will find useful is "Whiten teeth to improve a smile in Photoshop CS4".

It is not uncommon for teeth (and eyes) to appear darker in an image than they actually are in real life and if we want to give our clients the best possible product we need to correct this problem, this tutorial makes the task quick and easy.

But sadly for those with older versions of Photoshop, this tutorial is specific to Photoshop CS4.

Live webinar with David Ziser...

Tomorrow night (Wednesday 8/18) David Ziser will be presenting "Let My Light Shine On".

David will be discussing how to light outdoor wedding photography, but the presentation is really applicable to any outdoor photography (not just weddings).

The major points of the webinar will cover:

1. Lighting Using Off-Camera Flash
2. Exposure Made Easy
3. Adding Dramatic Lighting Effects
4. Changing Up The Background
5. Making Your Subjects Look Beautiful

He had me at number one, because the best thing you can do for your images is getting the flash off your camera.

And not only will you get the webinar, you will also get to download the entire presentation for future reference and re-listening.

The day after the webinar you can purchase the download for "Let My Light Shine On" but it will cost you $39, so even if you can't attend Wednesday night you can signup, download it the next day and save yourself $10!

In this economy photographers need to "be smart" with our educational dollars and this is a low cost high return opportunity.

Hope to "see" you there.

An interview with Lou Jones...

Last week I reviewed the latest book from Lou Jones "Speedlights & Speedlites" and today Ibarionex Perello of The Candid Frame posted a recent interview he did with Lou.

It's enjoyable to learn more about a person who's work you like and if you are a Lou Jones fan this is a great chance to learn more about the man behind the camera.

I have mentioned The Candid Frame in previous posts, you can listen to in-depth conversations (45-60 minutes) with iconic photographers twice a month and you should really add The Candid Frame to your podcast list.

The interesting story behind the image with the guitars is that neither of them could play.

;)

And the architectural image was taken at the State house in Boston, if you are ever in the area it is a fun place to shoot, it has a ton of cool architectural details including stained glass, marble columns & stairs, paintings, and much more that could keep you shooting for some time.

When a bad photograph really isn't...

Here are two images that if you look at them as they downloaded off the memory card are not all that impressive, but I knew that before I ever hit the shutter release.

Both were taken in non-ideal situations and I had to figure out what I had to work with at that moment and what I could do in post-processing.

In the first image the bride is standing in the doorway of the church with her dad while mom is behind her adjusting her dress. It's one of those shots that you don't have too much time to think about and certainly no time to fiddle with equipment or the moment will be gone as quickly as it came.

I am standing in a dark entryway facing the door, I can't use a flash to light her, and it is a bright sunny day outside (behind her). If I adjust the exposure for the bride that background is waaay blown out, and if I compensate too much for the outside I will end up with a silhouette of the people, so I opted to adjust the exposure between the bride and the bright outdoors behind her.

The exposure gives me some detail in the people and I know I am going to convert it to black and white to get back even more while at the same time keep the bright background from being the focal point of the image (as it is in the original).

In the second image the couple is at the altar I was presented with several challenges, it was dark and what light we did have came from several different light sources (temperatures) making it difficult to get a correct white balance.

To get the shot (without using flash) I jacked up the ISO, but this added noise to my bad white balance, so things are getting worse, not better.

Black and white to the rescue again, it gave me back more details, overcomes the bad white balance, and the noise simply makes it look like an "old time" black and white.

Noise can be much more easily overcome (or explained away) in black in white than it can in color.

Are they "perfect" images? No, far from it, but it can still end up being a treasured memory for the client.

(click on either image to view larger and in a new window)

THIS MONTH'S VIVA LA WEDDING Q&A

Q - Thank you notes... How long after my wedding do I have to send them out? I've heard some people say I have a month, others say I have a year. Which one is it?

A - Obviously the sooner the better but etiquette says you have three months to get those thank you notes out to your guests.

Looking for tips on writing thank you notes? Stay tuned...

THE FIRST LOOK

The first time the bride and groom see each other on their wedding day is such a special moment.

Whether you're a hopeless romantic and are going to wait until you walk down the aisle or prefer the intimacy of having that first look take place before the ceremony away from all your guests, it's a moment your photographer is sure to capture on film and a moment you won't want to forget.

Photographer Penny Sylvia captured the moment Adam saw his future wife Kelleigh for the first time on their wedding day. Could Adam's reaction be any sweeter?

THE PHOTO BOOTH

How great is this twist on the classic wedding photo booth? A large piece of wood was covered with wallpaper, vintage frames were hung over cut outs, then framed wedding pictures of the bride’s and groom’s families were hung around them. LOVE IT!

Looking to rent the classic photo booth for your wedding? Check out Mastermind Events here in Ottawa.




Photo Credits: Elizabeth Messina