Photography Fun

i heart faces {Fix-It Friday}

2011-02-25T12:34:00.000-05:00

I haven't done one in a while and I have missed it tremendously. So, I decided to take some time out of my day and have some fun :)

Original

I wanted to warm and brighten the photo up so I ran Tea Time action and Brighten that Baby Up from Pure Actions. I also added a layering mask and offset the photo.

I wanted to see what it would look like in black & white so, I ran Coffeeshop Vintage News (I took off the news print part). I loved it!! I then added a frame and offset the photo once again.

I can't wait to check out what others have done with this beautiful photo!!

Go to i heart faces to look at other edits!

Aric on his computer

2011-02-23T13:22:00.000-05:00

I love how he doesn't even care that I'm taking his picture.

I love my baby boy ♥

i heart faces {Fix-It Friday}

2010-11-19T11:43:00.000-05:00

Yay For Friday!!

It's that time again where i heart faces provides us with a picture to edit.

SOOC

Fix 1:

I opened up the image in Adobe Camera Raw and had some fun with the sliders! This is what I ended up with! I knew I wanted to lighten and brighten the photo and I love it!

Fix 2:

I took Fix 1 and ran PW Heartland action and tweaked it a bit. If I had left it on the default settings it would have looked really washed out. I like this much better!

Fix 3:

I took Fix 1 and cropped it for a more personally feel. I also wanted to soften the colors so, I ran PW soft & faded action. I think that did the trick!

To take a look at some more fixes click the link below:

http://www.iheartfaces.com/2010/11/photo-editing-fun-fix-it-friday-78/#more-3174

i heart faces {Fix-It Friday}

2010-11-05T12:46:00.000-04:00

It's Friday!!

I did NOT take this photo. I was given permission to edit it only.

SOOC

Fix 1

Cropped, ran PW Boost action & reduce the zing opacity to 46%, ran PW warmer action & reduced opacity to 38%, flatten, and then I added some bokah texture and erased it from the girls face, flattened and saved.

Fix 2

Took Fix 1 and ran PW Heartland and reduced the opacity on the range compression to 75%. I really liked how it brought back a little more pop in the contrast. Flattened & saved.

Fix3

Took Fix 1 and had some fun!!

If you'd like to look at all the edits and maybe add your own, click over to i heart faces!

i heart faces {Fix-It Friday}

2010-10-22T15:22:00.000-04:00

Today's photo was taken by Angie Arthur. It is a wonderful photo it just needs a little bit of warmth added to it.

Here is her SOOC photo:

For my first fix, I added some warmth and then softened it a little bit.

My second fix I wanted some more edge to it so, I increased the contrast. I also bumped up the colors a bit too!

For my final fix, I kept the contrast and color of the second fix and just softened it up a bit. I added a border and a saying for my final touches!

This was a really fun picture to edit! If you'd like to have some editing fun click over to i heart faces and download the photo!

I hope you enjoyed my fixes :)

i heart faces {Fix-It Friday}

2010-10-15T12:54:00.000-04:00

It's Friday again!!! I love Fix-It Fridays and this one is no different. The photo is adorable! I really love kiddos in pumpkin patches :)

***I did NOT take this photo. I was given permission to take the photo and edit it as I wish.***

SOOC:

FIX 1:
I opened the image up in photoshop and cropped it. I then brightened it up a bit using a levels layer. Flatten. I then ran CoffeeShop's Baby Powder action and smoothed the little girls skin, lighten her skin a bit, defined her eyes and brightened them. Flatten.

FIX 2:

I took FIX 1 and ran CoffeeShop Johnna's Tea Party and turned on the top one with contrast boost and set the opacity at 48%. Flatten.

FIX 3:

I took FIX 1 and ran a spoon full of sugar action under dreaming in black and white (I don't remember who I got it from). I left everything as is except for gradient map 1 (87%). Flatten.

FIX 4:

I took FIX 1 and add a texture, put the texture in Overlay at 100%. I then add a layer mask to the texture to erase away the texture on the little girl. Flatten. I then added some text and flattened again.

I had so much fun editing this photo! I hope you like what I did!

i heart faces {Fix-It Friday}

2010-10-01T12:09:00.000-04:00

Yay it's Friday!! Time for another Fix-It Friday!!

The picture we were given to fix is of the cutest little girl.

Remember, I did NOT take this picture. I am only allowed to edit it.

SOOC

1st fix

I opened it up in RAW, cropped it and fixed it just a little bit.

I then opened it up in photoshop and ran the Orton Effect action (CoffeShop).

I made a few personal tweaks and flattened.

I then ran an eye love action (don't remember where it came from) to brighten and make the eyes shine.

Flatten and save!

2nd fix

I took the cropped picture I edited in RAW and ran a Golden Vintage action (CoffeeShop).

I made a few personal adjustments and flattened.

I again ran the eye love action (as above) to brighten and make the eyes shine.

Flatten and save!

I love how it warms up the picture :)

3rd fix

I took the cropped picture I edited in RAW and ran Soft Autumn Glow action (CoffeeShop).

I made a few adjustments and then flattened.

I again ran the eye love action...I wish I could remember where I got it!

Flatten and save!

4th fix

I went and cropped the picture a little bit tighter for a portrait feel.

I ran Creamy Chocolate B&W action (CoffeeShop).

I pretty much left it alone except for brushing away the creaminess from the little girls' eyes.

I flattened and then ran the eye love action.

Flatten and save!

I think this one is my favorite!!!!

If you'd like to join in the editing fun, click over to i heart faces!

i heart faces {Fix-It Friday}

2010-09-17T10:43:00.000-04:00

I did NOT take this picture!!

We are given permission to play around with this photo by the photographer, Angie Arthur.

SOOC

This picture is very nice, but I wanted to bump up the colors a little.

Fix 1

I love b&w so, I had to see what it was like.....

I LOVE IT IN B&W!!!!

Fix 2

My next fix is just for fun :)

Fix 3

I hope you liked at least one :)

Why don't you try having some fun?

Click over to i heart faces!

i heart faces {Fix-It Friday}

2010-09-03T09:56:00.000-04:00

For Fix-It Friday we are given permission to use the picture and have fun with it :) I love this picture! I don't have too many pictures of my husband and me because I'm always behind the camera :( I guess I'm going to have to get out in front of it a little more often!

Here is the SOOC shot:

For my 1st fix I cropped it and ran 1970's Summer action (I forgot where I got the action from):

For my 2nd fix I ran CoffeeShop Soft Autumn Glow action:

For my 3rd fix I ran CoffeeShop Creamy Chocolate B&W action:

I had so much fun with this picture!

To join in the fun click over to i heart faces!

i heart faces {Beach Fun}

2010-08-23T14:44:00.000-04:00

I love summer!! I can't wait for the warm weather to arrive every year so I can take my kiddos to the beach (or in this case the lake). It's so much fun to watch kids be kids. They get down and dirty and have the best time!

The picture I chose to enter into this weeks challenge, was a picture of my daughter Madison. It was her first time at the beach / lake. She had the best time and didn't want to get out of the water at all, except to eat of course! This picture is of her playing in the sand after having lunch. I just love her wind blown, sand filled hair. It puts a big smile on my face every time I look at it :)

There are plenty more beach fun photos over at i heart faces or you can join in the fun and enter!!!

i heart faces {Fix-It Friday}

2010-08-13T10:32:00.000-04:00

I haven't participated in a while, but this little boy with his amazing blue eyes was one I couldn't pass up!

This photo was taken by Angie.

SOOC

Fix 1--I cropped it for more of a portrait feel. I also brightened it up and increased vibrance and saturation. Then I ran PW lovely & ethereal.

Fix 2--I took the picture above (minus the action) and I ran PW fresh & colorful. I think I really like this one!

Fix 3--I wanted to try and add some sunshine into the picture so I took fix 1 (minus the action) and ran CoffeeShop Johnna's Memories of Sunshine.

Fix 4--I wanted to add a little bit of texture. It's been a while since I've played with my textures :)

Fix 5--Last but not least I wanted to do a B&W so, I ran PW b&w.

I hope you enjoyed looking at all my fixes. I had so much fun with this little boys picture.....thanks Angie!!!! If you'd like to look at more fixes or join in on the fun click on the link to i heart faces!

i heart faces {Fix-It Friday}

2010-07-23T11:46:00.000-04:00

Today we were given a picture of Angie's daughter to edit. This is such a sweet picture of two best friends! I had somewhat of a hard time deciding what I wanted to do with it, but I think I got it....or at least I hope it did :)

The Original

My first fix--I brought out some of the colors and decided to crop it just a little bit.

My second fix--I wanted it to be a little bit softer so I ran the lovely & ethereal action (I believe it's from i heart faces).

My third fix--I opened up fix #2 in Picnik and found a nice matte to make the picture feel a little bit more soft and airy.

My fourth fix--Again I opened up fix #2 in Picnik and found a really neat edit. I think it was called soft focus. I was just having some fun :)

I really enjoy Fix-It Fridays and look forward to them every week! I also really enjoy Picnik now (this was my first time using it)!

Stop by i heart faces to look at other fixes or to submit a fix of your own!

i heart faces {Fix-It-Friday}

2010-07-16T11:16:00.000-04:00

Today is Fix-It-Friday and the picture is ADORABLE!! I had so much fun adding my touches to this picture :) I must say the picture was perfect SOOC!

Here it is:

SOOC

My first fix was to open it up in RAW and I just softened it a big with the Clarity slide.

Then I opened it in Photoshop and cropped it.

Next I had some fun running some actions!!

The first action I ran was CoffeeShops Johnna's Memories of Sunshine and I tweaked it a bit.

The next action I ran was Pioneer Woman Set #2 Heartland.

I also did a few tweaks to this as well.

The 3rd action I ran was Pioneer Woman Set #2 Seventies.

The last thing I did was to do a B&W!

I ran CoffeeShop Creamy Chocolate B&W action.

I turned off the chocolate layer so it was just b&w and adjusted the creaminess.

I also did some selective coloring....I really like it!

I hope you like one or all of my fixes! I can't wait to see what others have done with this picture :)

Go to i heart faces to check out other fixes!!

i heart faces {Fix-It Friday}

2010-06-18T12:14:00.000-04:00

This is the first time I've done a Fix-It Friday and I'm so excited to participate!! I've looked through the fixes every week and love them all! There are some very talented photo editors out there.

Here is the picture we were given to fix:

I think this picture looks pretty amazing SOOC!

I opened the picture up in Camera Raw and fixed the lighting and the redness.

After that I opened it up in Photoshop and did some cropping and some sharpening.

Here's the result:

Then I ran some actions that I thought made the picture look amazing!

I hope you think so too!

Coffeeshop Soft Autumn Glow

Pioneerwomen Set #2--Heartland

You have to do a black and white on this photo!!

TRA 1 Demo--Bitchin B&W

I had to add a little texture.

I love working with textures!!

I hope you liked my fixes and will check out others at i heart faces!!

i heart faces {Play}

2010-06-08T11:22:00.000-04:00

It's play time over at i heart faces!!

I was going through my pictures and came across this one that I took of my daughter Lauren. I dressed her up all nice and pretty to go outside and get a nice portrait of her. I think she allowed me to take about four pictures when she decided she wanted to run around and play basketball. So I figured I'd keep on snapping...and I'm so glad I did :)

I love this picture of her as she finally gets the ball to go in the hoop! She just looks so relieved that it finally went in! I also really like how I can see her little fingers on the rim of the hoop :) I hope you like this picture as well.

There are plenty more play time photos to look at...just click the button below ↓.

i heart faces {yellow}

2010-05-25T17:09:00.000-04:00

The color yellow is this weeks challenge at i heart faces. As I was searching through photos, I realized that I don't really put any of my kids in yellow that often....okay, hardly EVER! lol! I guess now was a good of time as any to see what I could come up with. This is what I got. My youngest daughter, Madison, picking a past it's prime dandelion. I couldn't resist this moment. She had finally stopped running around the yard and I got it!!!

I just want to say thank you to Shadowhouse Creations for all the amazing free textures!!!

I you'd like to see more yellow, click over to i heart faces and you'll be in heaven ♥

i heart faces {Faces & Flowers}

2010-05-18T16:04:00.001-04:00

Spring time in New Hampshire means our lawns are covered with Dandelions! So, I thought it would only be right to post a picture of a Dandelion :)

My daughter loves to go out in the front yard and pick these wonderful flowers that seem to pop back up the day after you mow the lawn! Then she will come over to me and tell me how beautiful they smell. It just melts my heart and puts a smile on my face. I think the joy and love on my daughter's face is the only good that can come from these dreaded things :)

Here is my entry this week:

I really like how she picked one that is alive and a beautiful yellow and she also picked one that is a pretty white and the seeds are ready to take flight as soon as a nice breeze comes along ♥.

I guess Dandelions smell beautiful at any stage :)

To see more beautiful faces and flowers click on over to i heart faces!

i heart faces {Smiles}

2010-04-27T16:02:00.000-04:00

This weeks challenge at i heart faces is SMILES! Boy oh boy is it a challenge for me. Out of my five children, only one of them seems to be able to smile while the camera is around.

Aric is my second oldest and my baby :) I almost lost him when he was 3 months old. He caught bacterial meningitis which led to him having a stroke and seizures. When the doctor came and told me that Aric might not make it, my heart sank. My family came ASAP to be by my side. By the grace of God Aric made it through this whole ordeal, but not without some permanent damage :(

Aric is 9 years old today and his smile is just so infectious! I love taking pictures of him when he's laying on the floor twirling his toy around. It's the best because he doesn't even know I'm there and his smile is just so pure and true.

For some more smiling pictures just click on over to i heart faces. There are hundreds to choose from!!

i heart faces {Collages}

2010-04-20T14:47:00.000-04:00

This weeks challenge at i heart faces is collages! I love doing collages because you can fit so many pictures onto one big picture :)

I decided to do my collage on my baby girl, Madison. She will be ONE this Friday! I gave her an Oreo cookie and a sippy cup full of milk and let her go to town. Boy oh boy did she have fun! This was the first time she had ever tasted an Oreo and I think she'll be coming back for more! I guess this is my preview to the messy cake face she'll have on Saturday :) Enjoy the many pictures! I'm sorry if the Oreo messy face offends anyone.

Click on over to i heart faces to enjoy many more collages! Or if you have one you'd like to enter, feel free to join in the weekly fun :)

i heart faces {Dramatic B&W}

2010-03-30T10:03:00.001-04:00

When I saw the i heart faces theme this week I had two pictures in mind. I asked my husband which he liked and he picked the one that I had been coming back to over and over again. It is something about my little girls eyes that just makes me want to look at this picture forever. Well, maybe not forever...but a long time :)

You can find many more Dramatic B&W photos over at i heart faces!

Better yet, find one of your own Dramatic B&W photos and enter into the challenge!

It's so much fun!

Thank you for taking the time to stop bye. Don't forget to share your thoughts with me!

I ♥ comments!

Having some fun!

2010-03-26T14:04:00.000-04:00

I took these back in November.

I had just received my new backdrop and wanted to try it out.

What better test subjects than my two daughters!

i heart faces {Focusing on Angles}

2010-03-23T13:21:00.001-04:00

This weeks challenge is all about ANGLES!

Angles are so much fun and it's definitely something I play around with (if my subject allows me too :))

I hope you enjoy my angle shot.

Click on over to i heart faces to see some more wonderful angles.

i heart faces {Bundled Up}

2010-03-15T16:29:00.002-04:00

I don't go outside very often in the winter because it's usually sooooo cold. So, I went back to the first snowfall of the season (which was in December 2009).

It was the day after our first blanket of winter wonderland! My husband and I thought it would be nice to bundle up the kids (that were home) and take them outside to enjoy our first snowfall. It was an awesome idea because it was the only time we ended up going outside to play in the snow this winter, lol!!!

We didn't have a sled so, we took out our wagon for Madison (our youngest) and headed to the back yard. We made snow angels and a couple of tiny snowmen and then got together for a family photo...without me (the mom) because I'm the one taking the photo :( Oh well, I still have the memory :)

Thank you for stopping by my blog to take a look at my entry.

If you'd like to see some more "bundled up" photos, please stop by i heart faces. There are some amazingly talented photographers submitting some amazing photos on the blog.

Aric's project

2010-03-14T22:57:00.000-04:00

When we picked up Aric for Valentine's Day weekend he brought home some of his school work. In the bag was this wonderful craft project. Paul took one look at it and laughed and then took a picture of it. You've got to love school craft projects!

Texture Fun

2010-03-11T14:31:00.000-05:00

I decided to have some fun with some textures.

Lauren loves to play with money! She could sit for hours dumping the money back and forth.

Madison loves to scream and show her teeth :) She is a handful!

i heart faces {Jump For Joy!}

2010-03-09T09:10:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of my youngest son jumping over a wave as it rolls up on shore.

This was a great challenge! It can be very difficult to capture people, or anything for that matter, jumping up in the air. If you'd like to see more people catching some air, then head on over to i heart faces, you'll be glad you did :)

Lauren

2010-03-04T15:09:00.000-05:00

These are some of the many pictures of my daughter Lauren.

We Heart Kisses

2010-02-09T15:28:00.000-05:00

This weeks challenge at i heart faces is Kisses!

The picture I chose is in memory of my Grandmother who just passed away on February 4, 2010.

This past Christmas my sister and her family, my mother and my grandmother all came over to my house to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. We had a feeling that this would be our last Christmas with our grandmother so, the camera was out and I was taking a ton of pictures so I could cherish the moment. The picture I'm entering is a picture of my grandmother and my son Aric. I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Aric leaning in to give his great-grandmother a kiss so I got ready and just snapped away. I'm so glad I have this picture to look back on.

Please take some time and head over to i heart faces for some more "kissy" photos in honor of Valentine's Day!!

{Texture} is this weeks challenge

2010-01-26T20:26:00.000-05:00

At i heart faces this week we have been given the challenge of TEXTURE! You can take a picture of texture or add it in your post-processing.

I did two pictures and put them on facebook to let my friends decide which one to post.

And the winner is:

I hope you like this picture as much as my friends and I do!!!

This was the 2nd time I've worked with textures on my own (without a tutorial). I'm pretty proud of the final product :)

Feel free to go take a look and be inspired at some AMAZING photos over at i heart faces!!

i heart faces week 3: { We Are Family }

2010-01-19T10:08:00.000-05:00

For this weeks challenge over at i heart faces it's all about family!

I decided to enter the picture I took of my Father and all of my five children on Christmas Day. This picture is far from perfect, but it's my family :) Each facial expression on each of my children represents their personalities perfectly. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect picture....well I could have but, it just wouldn't have happened, lol!!

Please go visit i heart faces for some more wonderful family photos ♥

I did it!

2010-01-15T11:15:00.000-05:00

I have seen many pictures with all these textures added to them and I have always wanted to try it, but wasn't brave enough. Well, I found an awesome tutorial on the i heart faces blog by Michelle. She did an excellent job taking you through every step and she provided me with the photo and all the textures. I was so proud of myself when I was done. My final product looked like Michelle's final product...I did it!! Take a look at the before and after photo and then head over to Michelle's website, OpenScrapbook, for some more great tutorials.

Before

After

Having some photoshop fun

2010-01-13T12:48:00.002-05:00

I have been looking over some of the tutorials I've been saving from this fabulous blog, CoffeeShop. I was really interested in the layering masks tutorial so that's the one I chose to do. I experimented with two of Lauren's photos I took on Monday. Let me know what you think. I appreciate ALL feedback. Thanks!

Before

After

Before

After

My next adventure will be with textures! I love the pictures I've seen with them and I'd really like to incorporate them in my photos. Now I just have to find the time :-)

Week 2: Photo Challenge { Best Face Photo }

2010-01-12T08:52:00.010-05:00

The rules:
You need to enter the best face photo you have taken in the month of December 2009 or the very beginning of January 2010. It can not be of a silhouette or of a person far away. This photo has to be up close and personnal :-)

So, the photo I chose was one that I took of my daughter Madison outside the day after we had our first snowfall, December 6, 2009. It was her first time outside in the snow and she was 7 months old. She had a great time until she decided to give herself a whitewash :-( If you'd like to take a look at the whitewash picture you're more than welcome to head on over to my family blog, just click here.

For some more beautiful best face photos head on over to i heart faces. Trust me, the photos are AMAZING!! There are some really talented people over there.

**Happy 1st Birthday**

**i heart faces**

i ♥ faces: {Constructive Feedback}

2009-12-18T09:30:00.000-05:00

Normally on i ♥ faces they have a fix it friday, well they've decided to take a break and have a constructive feedback friday.

I am submitting a picture I took of my daughter a few days ago. I really like the picture but there are some things that are just bothering me about the picture.

Here it is SOOC:

f-stop: 5.6

exposure: 1/60

ISO: 800

focal length: 55mm

I did some editing to the picture in Photoshop CS3, but I'm not 100% pleased with either.

Here they are:

I want the colors to "pop" but not the pink in her hair and also she looks a little pale in the picture. Her cheeks also look a bit rosey. I'm thinking that the pink in her hair & the rosiness in her cheeks are from her dress?.

In this picture I thought the whites were too bright. Maybe this is a good picture and I just don't have a good eye?

I appreciate you all taking the time to give me some feedback, good or bad, on my picture.

Click the button below to see more constructive feedback pictures.

My New Backdrop!

2009-12-10T22:14:00.001-05:00

I received my new backdrop in the mail last month and decided to have some fun. I did my best to get the girls to pay attention to me and smile and stay put...not much luck. It is very difficult to compete with the TV and the curiousity of a 6 month old (almost 7 month old).

Here are the results...

i ♥ faces: {Sweet Dreams}

2009-12-08T09:01:00.000-05:00

As soon as I knew the theme over at i ♥ faces this week, I knew immediately which picture I would use. I did a photoshoot with this adorable little girl who was 2 months old. The whole time she was awake, except for one round of pictures! I think she looks so peaceful sleeping in the basket. My husband on the other hand doesn't like this picture at all :( I'll let you all be the judge.

Thank you for stopping by to take a look at my picture. I also want to thank you for leaving a comment. You should really head over to i ♥ faces to take a look at some more sleeping beauties. There are some amazing photos and amazing people over there!! Take care ♥

i ♥ faces {Autumn Beauty}

2009-11-17T15:17:00.001-05:00

♥ I absolutely love fall ♥

This is my daughter's first fall, so I wanted her to experience the wonderful leaf piles we are able to make in New England.

I think she really enjoyed herself. I know I enjoyed getting down on the ground and getting some wonderful shots of her and her sister.

If you'd like to see some more Autumn Beauty click on i ♥ faces!

fun on the floor & more

2009-11-04T12:04:00.000-05:00

Madison is 4 months old in the first 6 photos...

...and she's 5 months old in these last 4 photos.

Pink Week

2009-10-20T16:51:00.002-04:00

It's Pink Week at I heart faces so, this is my entry.

This is my adorable daughter whom I hope never has to deal with breast cancer.

Click on the icon above and you'll be able to view some amazing photos at I heart faces!!! Enjoy :-)

Blue Challenge

2009-09-28T09:03:00.004-04:00

On i heart faces this week it's "Blue" Photo Challenge.

This picture I took recently came to mind immediately!

This a picture of my daughter Lauren at her grandparents house in Vermont.
I don't think she was too happy I took the picture, but I am : )

This is my first entry on i heart faces so, wish me luck!!!

first day of school

2009-09-21T23:08:00.003-04:00

Alex's first day of school. I had some fun with the pictures I took...enjoy!

E

2009-09-21T22:40:00.013-04:00

Some portrait photos. Please let me know what you think.

beech hill farm

2009-09-01T11:44:00.003-04:00

i want to thank you for stopping by to take a look at my pictures. please feel free to comment on more than just the pictures. if you feel there's something i should change or do differently please let me know. thanks!

while we were at beech hill farm getting ice cream, i took the camera and went wandering around and had some fun. check out the pictures!

while we were leaving paul and i both saw this fence alone on a hill. we both had the same idea but he grabbed the camera first...shucks!!!