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Friday, August 27, 2010

Happy Weekend!


I'll be busy, busy, busy all this weekend,
so rather than neglect my blog and all of you,
I'm sharing the guest post I did for my sweet friend 
a couple of weeks back.

Enjoy, and have a wonderful weekend!

p.s.
{when we finally do close on the house, I'll shout it from the blogtops}

*****

Hello Pretties and Posies readers!
I am so pleased and honored that sweet Melanie
has asked me to do a guest post here on her beautiful blog.
This is my first guest post ever, so hang in there with me as I learn the ropes. :-)


In getting to know Melanie, I've discovered
that we both share a passionate love for photography,
and some of the best you'll find out there can be seen right here on
Melanie's gorgeous blog.

For those who don't know me, I only just began blogging a year ago this month.
I work full-time as a respiratory therapist,
have a small booth in a local antique mall,
and an Etsy shop which is due to re-open soon.

My blog was initially meant to chronicle
my journey towards being a vintage shop owner,
but in recent months, it has taken a decidedly unexpected turn towards my new,
all consuming passion...photography!


As I began blogging, I quickly realized that as important as the words are,
the images are really key.
This time last year, I had never taken a photograph
with anything other than a disposable camera!
Soon after starting my blog I upgraded to a Canon point and shoot,
and just this past May I met the new love of my life...my Nikon D5000 DSLR.

{my first ever photo with my amazing new camera...my baby boy!}

But I'm here to reassure you that as nice as it is
to have such a wonderful camera, it's not essential
to producing eye-catching images....there are so many wonderful photo editing resources out there,
many of which are FREE!
Let me show you a bit of the magic I've been able to create
using a variety of photo editing programs.

This image is straight of the camera (SOOC, hereafter)...


And here it is after taking it for a couple of spins
through Photoshop Elements and Picnik...

#1


#2


SOOC...


And with PS Elements and Picnik



Now, if you were to ask me for step by step instructions
as to how I achieved these dramatic changes....well, I'd be at a loss,
because I'm still very much a novice and learning as I go.
I just play and tinker and tweak.
Which is what I encourage all of you to do, too!

One tip I can share actually came from one of the comments I received on this post:
It's all about the crop.
Cropping your image properly gives it that extra pop
and can turn an ordinary pic
into something extraordinary.

Want to see more?
No problem!

My SOOC barn image...



And since I was going for a sun-washed, vintage look,
here it is after using Florabella Actions in PS Elements...



SOOC...


And through the magic of photo editing:


SOOC...



and after...


SOOC...



and after...


Nice image below, but nothing special, no "wow" factor.



Compare that to the after...


Wow!

And what about my trademark Fiona and Twig header?
Yep, made more lovely through the beauty of photo editing!

Before (SOOC)...



Dark, under-exposed, and I wasn't even holding the camera straight.

And voila!



I could share my passion for photography with you all day long,
but I'll conclude now with a list of photo editing resources
for those whose interest has been piqued:

picnik.com

Photoshop Elements

Florabella Actions

The Pioneer Woman

CoffeeShop

FlauntR

Picasa

I hope you have as much fun as I've had!

Melanie, thank you so much for the opportunity
to share my passion with all of your lovely readers!
Have a beautiful week!


34 comments:

FairfieldHouse said...

Did you close? Keeping my fingers, arms, legs, feet, toes crossed. I'd cross my eyes too but wouldn't be able to read your post. :)

Your Friend,
Deborah

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

wow! great pics! thanks for sharing!
hope all is well! ;)
gail

Tales From My Empty Nest said...

Your pictures are beautiful and you are an amazing photographer. I always enjoy seeing your pictures. Your sweet baby boy is sooooooo adorable. And I love his eyes. So blue! Are packing to move yet? Love & blessings from NC!

Itchin' Stitchin' said...

oooooh hope this means things are settled with the house?!?! Well I will be painting with you ... just several states away and at two different locations.

Anonymous said...

That chandelier is to die for. AMAZING!

msred5@yahoo.com

Annesphamily said...

I need Photography 101! Thanks for sharing these gorgeous shots! Your baby boy is sweet! Come join the miracle party this weekend. Come visit me soon.Anne

Jemsmom said...

You are making me lean toward PE!!!! Loved this post before and love it now. You definitely have a talent!!!

Tracie~MyPetiteMaison said...

Thanks for all the sources and the lovely photos, Anne. Chat with you next week!
xo~Tracie

Debra@CommonGround said...

Great post, you're talking me into Photo shop. I'm such a big baby, but your befores and afters are really amazing. Do they have Photo Shop for Dummies?
love ya
D

PCovi said...

It's like getting an itch scratched when photos get "fixed". I decided the biggest turn off for me when I go to a new blog is bad photography.
Your is amazing!

Rachel Noelle Pallas said...

~*~*LOVED that post! I REALLY need photoshop..my poor pictures ;(..oh well!lol..Thanks so much for sharing~*~* Happy weekend to you too!!~*~*Rachel

Free Art Printables said...

I Luuuurve my d5000 too! It's such a great camera. I love your pics and the actions. it's amazing what a difference it makes!

It's me said...

Happy weekend darling...i saw this post earlier....nice!!...hugs from me...Ria...

Wildflowerhouse said...

Thank Fiona these tips are great. With all my extremities crossed until you close my photo's have been highly questionable. So hurry up...LOL

Wildflowerhouse said...

PS now they are even naming tropical storms after you. That should speed up the closing. Right?!!!

David said...

Wow! Great work with Elements! I like how you make stark whites look antique white! That's very handy for your blog style.

I think your next software should be Lightroom. As you keep taking lots and lots of pictures, you're going to need something to help you efficiently manage photo files without getting overwhelmed by the sheer quantity. Not to mention it's a very powerful photo editor. I still use Photoshop Elements from time to time, though.

David said...

Oh... I forgot to mention the main advantage of Lightroom. You can start shooting in RAW instead of JPEG. RAW is SO much better!

Elyse said...

so dreamy!!!

blogging has ignited a similar interest with photography in me as well, and i always wondered how people like tiffany (fancy farm girl) got their photos to appear so dreamy and what was i not doing. now i just might know. thank you so much for sharing!!!

xo
elyse

Unknown said...

MEEEEEE TOO! I took photography in high school. I'm 48 now and I'm having such a delightful time with my little canon rebel EOS. It is so fun to take a great picture with a great camera and then maximize it with editing tools. I just use my iPhoto tool.
Thanks for sharing some of your secrets.
Your pictures are beautiful and you have a wonderful eye! :)
~Liz

Bonnie@Creative Decorating said...

I still think you have to have an eye for it to even think of how to make them better!! However, you have sparked my interest so I will see what I can do!

Anonymous said...

Loving the photos Anne!I checked out Florabella actions such gorgeous photos there too.

Cant wait to hear your good new shouted from the blogtops LOL.Have a fun weekend!

Lili said...

Oh Anne I love this post, and don't know how I missed it the first time. Your images always have that dreamy feel to them and it was so much fun to see the SOOC ones to compare. You are so very talented! ~Lili

Blondie's Journal said...

Your pictures are just beautiful, Anne! Thanks for all the tips and for sharing them.

And good luck with the closing!!!!! :-)

xoxo
Jane

Bring Pretty Back said...

Anne, Have a pretty weekend!!!
Kristin

{oc cottage} said...

Oh! Such cool shots! I guess there's no way around it...I have to conquer PS!

m ^..^

Unknown said...

SOOCeeee....what some great pics you have come up with...it is a lot of fun tweaking around with picures, I love to.
This weekend I am wallpapering the kitchen..yay...
lotsa work, but I think I am gonna like it...we'll see..
I'll be listening for the shout from the rooftops...
peace,
glenda

trash talk said...

I love Picnik...so much I may have to marry it in my next life. In the meantime, I think I'll reserve a seat next to Debra in PSFD!
Debbie

Sweet Bee Cottage said...

Thank you so much. Your tips are so much appreciated. And, of course, your photos are magnificent. What a talent!

Dreamy Whites said...

Hello Anne,
What a great post!
Your photographs look amazing...
Thank you for sharing!
I hope you are having a great weekend!
xoxoxo
Maria

Olive said...

Anne, you are the best to share these tips with us. Hugs darling♥olive

traci said...

i love the vintage look of your photos. great job!!

Parisienne Farmgirl said...

Oh, I was not familiar with Floribella! MERCI!!!

CHERI said...

i gote same camera (I think) and I'm slowly learning more & more! Do you use Picasa? Someone suggested it but I'm not loving it. Probably more me than it!!!! Haven't tried Picnik....I worry about downloading so many different ones on my laptop. Any advice? Thanks...and I continue to love your blog!

saltbox
treasures
said...

Hi. Thanks for the beautiful photography post. Now, since blogging, I am also interested in photography and just purchased the Nikon D40 and am learning to use it. I look forward to trying some of your editing ideas. You are an inspiration!
Hope all works out with your home.
~ Julie


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