Getting Ready for the Season

Getting Ready for the Season

The weather here on Long Island has been a roller coaster ride these past couple of weeks, but the calendar tells me that it’s time to get ready for the nice weather and party season that will be upon us very soon!

As much as I love the stark beauty of the snowy winterscapes–they make it easier to see the wild birds–the budding crocuses and warm afternoons are a siren song luring me and my camera into the great outdoors without worry of dead batteries and fogged up lenses that the winter weather guarantees. I love the available light of a late afternoon or early morning on shorebird paddling in the Mattituck Inlet, and I marvel at how unafraid most of them are as I aim my lens at them.

This is also the time of year that I start contacting the couples I will work with this summer to remind them to consider their photos as the finalize their plans. Light is the most important consideration in any photo session, and the time of day will make a dramatic difference in the quality of light in your wedding photos. So, as you plan the timing for your ceremony, cocktail hour and reception, remember to allow for travel time AND arriving when the light is right.

Of course, any pro photographer worth their salt will be ready to manage whatever lighting scenario is presented, but if given a choice, the lush, warm light of a late spring or summer afternoon will turn a nice photo into a work of art.

“Wet on Wet” watercolor technique

If you liked my last post discussing my painted photo techniques, you may be interested to know where I learned the watercolor technique.

The real trick in making digitally painted photos look like real watercolor or airbrushed paintings is the ability to do wet on wet paint brushing. Photoshop comes with some great brushes, but the wet on wet style is the final stage that makes the finished piece look finished.

I know I am giving away some trade secrets here, but the wet on wet technique and the brushes to go with it are found in tutorials offered in the Photoshop instructional book, entitled
“How to Wow Photoshop for Photography” by Jack Davis and Ben Willmore. This books includes loads of tutorials and some extras on CD for you to load on your computer.

Then practice, practice, practice! It’s like paint by numbers, only better, and you will love the results.

I have turned my painted photo digital watercolor images into journal books, greeting cards, mugs and mousepads. If you would like to check out some of my work, click here, and feel free to have a look around…there’s no charge for browsing, but with the holiday season here, you may find something for that special someone on your gift list!

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