experimenting with artificial light - a first for me

I took this photo of Rose after assisting her all afternoon on a fashion shoot.  She had the backdrop set up, so I asked if I could use it and take her photo using her camera.  We used the window light and a spotlight above her head, and she was laying down on her very cool and kitschy wood slice coffee table.  In Lightroom, I turned it on it's side, and used a pre-set to give it that cool blue, desaturated effect.  It turned out to be much more dramatic than I originally thought it might, but I'm happy with the end result.  It looks kinda futuristic, which is awesome.  She's a gorgeous model!  So much fun when I get to do stuff like this.

50 photos a day - summer begins

We've been spending a lot more time outdoors lately now that the weather has warmed up, so I've been attempting to shoot more landscapes.

maybe better if left alone - learning to use lightroom

Although I like editing, I am not always good at knowing when to hold back.  I really enjoy working in Lightroom, and exploring all the little tricks and tweaks to make your photos pop.  Sometimes I can get carried away...

Here is one of my first ever self-portraits, unedited.  Initially, I thought very little needed to be done.

Here's my edited version.  I cropped in a little, softened the skin on my arm, sharpened the image and played with the shadows at my back to emphasize the light coming in on the right.

I think I should have held back a little.  The vignetting feels too dark and heavy.

Here's the same edits, but without vignette.  Hmm.  Too flat?

I think I like this one the best, but I'm not sure.  Perhaps I should sleep on it and look again tomorrow.

UPDATE:  I went back and looked and decided to keep the dark vignette.  Sometimes it's good to sleep on it, sometimes it's good to trust your gut and just go all the way...

learning

self-portrait with cat

 Here is what I've been working on today in Lightroom.  I literally know next to nothing about the program, but have watched a few tutorials on YouTube, read through a few workflows and tried my hand.

unexpected visitor

I set up a tripod in my workroom with granny pink walls and used window light to capture these images, along with a little imagination, to try and create a painterly look.  It was loads of fun.

I officially can't put my camera down.