Fine Art Template

I created this template in Adobe Photoshop using black boxes and clipping masks. I like the way it makes things look so professional. I never would have thought to display my photos like this, but I like the way it turned out.

The photos were both taken earlier this semester and edited in Photoshop before I put them in the template. This was really fun to do and it will be nice to be familiar with these Photoshop tricks in the future! The really cool thing was that it helped me be more familiar with Photoshop in general so I can figure out how to do similar things in the future because of my increased understanding of the software.

Photolusion Straight

I took this photo this Monday at the Rexburg Temple. I went there hoping I could get a shot that looked like the statue of Moroni was on top of a nearby church, but I couldn’t find a good angle. Then I noticed that both the statue and the flag pole had little gold balls — the flag on the top and Moroni on the bottom. I found a good match.

1. “Moroni” 11-16-09; 3 p.m.; Rexburg, Idaho; f/10.0; 1/160; Sony DSLR A100. Edits: Levels

Blended Image

This was much more challenging than I had anticipated — wait — I did anticipate it to be difficult. But it was fun, and I came away with a lot of new questions that I can figure out the answers to, so that will be great to continue to learn!

I blended these three images:

to make this image:

1. “Canal” 08-16-09; 2:30 p.m.; Nauvoo, Ill.; f/2.8; 1/60; Canon Powershot SD790 IS.
2. “Ryan” 08-29-09; 3:20 p.m.; Yellowstone Park; f/2.8; 1/400; Canon Powershot SD790 IS.
3. “Barrel Maker” 08-15-09; 10:30 a.m.; Nauvoo, Ill.; f/3.5; 1/60; Canon Powershot SD 790 IS.
4. “Floating Along” – Created by bringing in selections from other photos and masking out certain areas. Some color correction as well (color match, hue, saturation, levels)

Panorama Palooza

I created the New York City panoroma from six photos I took from Liberty Island during a trip with my parents last March. I knew there was a way to stitch them together in Photoshop, but I’d never tried, so I was excited for this assignment. The first is the entire thing, but it’s so tiny at 600 px wide that I cropped it again to make it easier to see. Even though it did cut off the Brooklyn Bridge .

The second one was created from four photos of my bookshelf stitched together. I took it for the assignment this week, but even with all the doors and windows open and a lamp in the hall, the lighting in my apartment is really terrible. I think Photoshop helped, but I’m going to have to bundle up and get outside from now on!

1. “So Nice They Named It Twice” Six photos; 03-21-09; 10:20 a.m.; New York City, New York; f/4.5; 1/800; Canon Powershot SD790 IS. Edits: Photomerge, levels, saturation

2. “Read All Over” Four photos; 11-07-09; 4 p.m.; home, Rexburg, Idaho; f/3.2; 1/160; Samsung S630. Edits: Photomerge, levels, luminance (saturation?)

Edit: Photo Book Template

I designed my own template for my photo book spread. More than anything, I wanted to get a jump on what the look and feel of my photo book might be. Below is my finished product and the template with no photos in it.

Daily Photo Blog: Day 7

This is the last day of the daily photo blog. And this week was so great that we got TWO Halloweens and my husband got TWO birthdays. Here’s a shot I took on Halloween (round 2).

1. “Good Witch” 11-01-09; 7:30 p.m.; Rigby, Idaho; f/5.6; 1/125; Sony DSLR A100, flash fired. Edits: Temperature, vibrance

Daily Photo Blog: Day 6

I guess I got on a little-kid-portrait kick this weekend. I took this one at my ward party, and even though it bugs me that I caught someone else in the background, it was such a cute picture of Ben that I couldn’t resist using it for Friday’s picture. If you imagine it without the guy in the background, it’s pretty well-composed and, I think, works well. If I were to use it for anything really important, I would simply crop it.

1. “Archangel” 10-31-09; 3 p.m.; Rexburg, Idaho; f/4.9; 1/60; Canon Powershot SD790 IS, flash fired. Edits: Levels, luminance, color levels

Daily Photo Blog: Day 5

I went to Salt Lake City for a job interview on Friday, and we met my sister and her kids for lunch afterward. This is a picture of my niece. I haven’t used a portrait yet this week, and I love the colors in the photo. And I love that little girl. Yet another win-win.

1. “Sadie” 10-30-09; 3 p.m.; Gateway Mall; Salt Lake City; f/5.6; 1/80; Sony DSLR-A100. Edits: Levels, contrast

Daily Photo Blog: Day 4

This is a photo I took of the quilts Ryan and I got for our wedding. Ryan’s mom made one (designed the fabric too, mind you) and his grandmother made the other. I love them (the quilts AND the ladies).

1. “Warm Hands” 10-29-09; 10:40 p.m.; home; Rexburg, Idaho; f/4.0; 1/6; Sony DSLR-A100. Edits: Levels

Daily Photo Blog: Day 3

It’s difficult to think of things to shoot, but this assignment has taught me to take photos even when I don’t necessarily feel like it. My husband especially liked today’s shoot because it resulted in one of his favorite snacks. I liked it because I got to use my red bowls. I guess you could call it a win-win.

1. “Oatmeal Chocolate Chip” 10-28-09; 9 p.m.; home; Rexburg, Idaho; f/5.6; 0.4; Sony DSLR-A100. Edits: Color Balance, contrast, luminence