Hi there, people! I thought I would share some of the pictures from the Christmas mini sessions I did in November. And what better time to share than a week (and a day) before Christmas! I hope you are savoring this Christmas season. If not, slow down and reflect on just how special this time is. Enjoy!
Black and white images are classic! I always include black and white versions in my packages. Sometimes changing an image is a gut feeling for me, and at other times I visualize it first in black and white. There are good reasons to try it out, and here are some of the things I consider when converting an image to black and white.
Contrast
Light plays a huge part in creating depth to your black and white photo. Having a strong contrast can help your image come to life rather than staying flat. I always increase my contrast when working in black and white. If you are shooting in hard light, or very high or low-key light, black and white might be a good option.
Simplify
Sometimes you want your focus to be on your subject, but you’ve had a hard time separating them from your background. In this case it may be a good option to convert to a black and white image. Changing to black and white can simplify your image and make your point of view easier to understand. Sometimes the color is just not that interesting, especially if your children are wearing neon! A conversion can really help that situation.
Mood
You can help make an image feel more dramatic and moodier by converting it to black and white. Someone who I think does this really well is Helen Whittle. She takes images of children and emphasizes their mood and feelings in a way that is just so phenomenal. Lee Jeffries takes photos of homeless people and his black and white images have a very powerful and dramatic feel. Black and white images are also very timeless.
Light
A way to really showcase light and texture is by converting it to black and white. Clipping your blacks intentionally will also help add depth. With hard light color casts can be difficult to deal with. Sometimes it is too hard to get rid of color casts, but you can save a photo by converting it to black and white. You should try your best to take care of those things first in Photoshop. Correct your white balance and then convert it to see if perhaps it looks better in black and white. This might save you some time.
Thanks so much for reading!
Fireflies, lightning bugs, bioluminescent creatures of the night, (whatever you call them): they are fascinating creatures to catch and watch. Not to mention it is a staple of childhood! I remember staying up late and catching them as a child, and I love to watch my kids as they chase them all over the yard. We used a pickle jar, and punched holes in the top of the lid. It is easiest to catch them when they land on the ground! They are hard to see, which is also part of the fun of catching them. If you live in the Midwest, this is a MUST!
However, in pictures they just don’t show up so well. Not to mention it is not that easy to snap a shot when they are all lighting up. In order to make that picture as magical as it is for your child you will need an overlay! That is how I have created these pictures. I used an overlay in photoshop and set the layer to SCREEN.
Then I hit ctrl/j to duplicate the layer as much as I want. I use the shortcut ctrl/t to transform and adjust the size. Then I place them in varying areas and sizes to add depth and atmosphere. The closer they are to your camera the bigger and blurrier you will need to make them. I have created my own shortcut in photoshop to add a Gaussian blur. But you can get there by going to filter>blur> Gaussian blur, and then blur to your taste. I also lowered the opacity on some to make them blend better.
Remember the rule of odds if you place them close together or in the jar. To read more about the rule of odds, go here. This adds visual interest and helps to move your eyes throughout the picture.
I have made this overlay available for download for free! I added some noise to the overlay, because chances are if you are out catching lightning bugs it is going to be very low light. I had to increase my ISO to a very high number in order to capture anything and keep my shutter speed reasonable. Make sure to set the overlay to SCREEN. I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know if you do! Please share your pictures with me! I would love to see what everyone comes up with!
Download the Firefly overlay here.
Thanks for reading!