Niki & Matt

These are my favorite shots from the Engagement Photo Session I did this past summer with 2 of my favorite people- Niki and Matt! I can't wait for their wedding in July.
Side note- it was about 95 degrees in Manhattan that day. Incase you were wondering.

work

Today was dedicated to worrying and working.
Worrying about work and working on work.

I'm in the process of setting up an online photo portfolio.. these are some of the images I edited today.

Any other self employed artists / designers / photographers / etc find themselves worrying way too much about "the next gig" or feeling like "ahhh I can't handle this" ?? I've been having a tough time lately. Ick.

and the light danced

On Sunday.. The sun was bright. A woodpecker tried to break into the house. Boo searched for interesting scents on the autumn air. The mums bloomed bright and the light danced.

Archives

Just some old photos that I found..

Tonight really felt like a brisk fall night. I had to wear a jacket.. and I had to zipper it. It was hot and humid this morning, so I'm pretty confused. I hope I don't get sick.. whenever the weather changes like that I get sick.

I'm just being a baby- it's definitely over 50 degrees. I went to school in Rochester- upstate NY- where people would go outside in shorts and flip flops as soon as it hit 32 degrees. 32 felt warm because it would get down to negative numbers during the winter.. and it would stay down there for months. Months I tell you. On top of it being well below freezing the sun would disappear for the season and snow would fall every. single. day. of winter. and fall and spring for that matter.

I don't really know how I got started talking about Rochester, but that's ok. I guess I thought of it because it's funny how cold 50 degrees feels right now when 4 years ago I would think 50 degrees was a gorgeous summer day.

Funny how that happens..

Try it Out: 1 Masterpiece, 2 Images

(This Tutorial requires Photoshop- get a free 30 day trial from adobe.com!)

A  +  B    = C (or AB, I don't know, I was never good at math.)

How many times have you held up the camera, aimed it at yourself with your friend/bf/gf/brother/sister(.. you get the idea) crouching next to you and snapped a little memory? I do it all the time, but sometimes I want a photo that's a bit more than just a quick snapshot. Therefore, asking a friendly passerby might not work- unless you are comfortable explaining your entire vision and the passerby is super patient.

I have a tripod, but I don't always have all the time in the world to setup and (depending on the location) clear the crowds out of my way. In order to get the shot I want I've been using this method of taking 2 photos (1 taken by you and the other taken by your partner in crime) and combining them in Photoshop. Here is how I do it:

Out in the field  (Aka wherever you are with your camera!)

1. Positioning: Position your friend in the spot you want them and take the shot. Before either of you move, mark your spot with a stick or purse- anything really. Mark their spot as well.

2. Switch spots: Your friend should now be behind the camera standing in the exact same spot that you'd been. You should stand either a step to the right or left of where your friend had been standing.

Easy right? If you're using a digital camera you can scroll through the shots to make sure your shots line up well enough. They don't need to be perfect.

On your Computer in Photoshop:

3. Open both photos in Photoshop:

4. Copy/Paste/Opacity: Copy Image B and Paste it onto Image A. Reduce the opacity of Image B to 50% so you can see hints of both images.

5. Move Image B: Using the "Move Tool," move Image B to exactly where you want it- to a spot that makes sense. Don't worry that the background might not match up perfectly.

6. Select/Inverse/Delete: Using the selection tool ("rectangular marquee tool") tool, make a little square around the person in Image B. Now go to "select" > "Inverse" and then press "delete." This will delete the entire Image B except for the person and a little space around them.

7. Erase: First, bring the "opacity" of Image B back up to 100%. Select the "Eraser tool" and reduce the "size" so that it's small enough, like a real pencil eraser or smaller. Reduce the "hardness" to around 70%. Zoom in so you have a good view of your workspace. Proceed to erase the extra background so that you're left with the person. Don't worry about making exact lines, since the person in image A and in B were photographed in the same place, the background colors will likely mesh well even if the 2 backgrounds don't match completely.

8. Flatten: When you're happy with your erasing job, flatten the image into 1 image. "Layer" > " Flatten image." That's it!

Now you can edit your image like you normally would if you like. I hope this was helpful! If you have any questions please feel free to ask either in the comments or through e-mail (alostfeather@gmail.com)

Some other examples:

Let me know if you try it out! I'd love to see!

A Crown of Daisies

friendship bracelets, daisies, crowns, budlight limes, playing with Boo, family time, strangozzi with black truffle sauce, sweet sausage and an american bbq, adele on repeat, pouring through photos.. a busy saturday day through night.

TTV & Ramblings

Kodak Duaflex II + Canon Rebel + Macro Lens = TTV Photographs (These are my first 3 taken in Forks, WA; Seattle, WA; and my parents living room.)

TTV stands for "Through the Viewfinder." Basically, you use a digital camera to take a picture through the viewfinder of an old camera. The viewfinder of the Duaflex works amazingly well, but it's also possible to do this with any camera. It's fun and frustrating. Some people build tunnel like contraptions to actually connect the 2 cameras to keep light out of the way. I just fiddle around until I can get a good shot! (Probably the more irritating way.) A macro lens is also needed because your digital camera has to photograph what it sees on the little viewfinder of the other camera.

Ok, now onto the ramblings. I am exhaustedddaa. Running is so hard. I feel like it's getting harder to complete 2 miles instead of easier! I think that means I need a day off, right? I'm going to take this weekend off because I'll be too busy doing things.

Saturday I'll be in Manhattan with Matt hopefully eating at a ramen place that does not take reservations and makes you wait 3 hours (I'm not even kidding) and I think that is the most insane thing ever and the ramen better be superb. I know that was a silly sentence, but all of sudden I got angry about how they make you wait so long. Just take reservations! Anyway. We're also going to a huge hiking store so Matt can use a gift card on some amazing gearrrr.

Sunday I'll be at Shea stadium cheering for the Mets even though I'm a Yankee fan. We're finally celebrating Niki's birthday and since she is a Mets fans, my Matt and I will just have to deal. Besides, I heard the new stadium is amazing and has an insane amount of food.. perfect. (That was a serious "perfect" in case it came off as sarcastic.)

 

Happy Friday! <3