Beyond Snapshots — how to take that fancy camera off auto & photograph kids like the pros

Skin Tone Quick Tip Processing Video

We get asked about skin tones so often that we thought we would share a really quick but effective processing trick with you.

The key to good skin tones is not just in the processing, so this will not be a miracle cure. You need to make sure that you have flattering light and great exposure to start, but sometimes you need to fix a slight color cast. Often we will forgo RAW and shoot jpgs for the quick processing and to save space. Rachel actually shoots both RAW and jpg at the same time with the D3 and will often just process the jpg while saving the RAW file for if it is ever needed. With proper exposure, all jpgs require are possibly a curves layer and some sharpening to be ready to go. Not everything needs the full RAW treatment.

Like this shot of Rachel’s daughter, Gemma. The light was nice and a little bump in curves was all it needed for exposure, but the setting sun reflecting off a red wooden fence has really added to the warm color cast in her skin.
We have included the before (left) and after (right) to show the results we got with 2 quick adjustment layers.

Here is what we did to fix the color cast.

It is a really simple trick and I am certain something that a lot you have seen before, but we thought a quick video would be helpful for those who are just really getting to know Photoshop. If you like the videos, we will look into doing more with a better production value, but for now, here you go! We have a new YouTube account, so if you are on YouTube, you can click to follow us there as well.

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Workshopping

The response to our last poll on locations for a possible teaching tour was really wonderful. Clearly there are a lot of you who would like to learn more and we have a much better feel for where we are considering holding these classes. We would love to hear from you now about budget and time. If you would just take a minute to answer this super short poll, we would appreciate your thoughts.

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we ♥ – kid related design inspiration

As photographers, we find inspiration not only in photos, but all sorts of cool, creative stuff.

We thought it would be fun to showcase some of our favorite places to whittle away the hours online.

First up, is a tiny tour of some of our favorite kid related design blogs. Grab yourself a coffee or tea and get comfy, you could get lost in these for a while!

ohdeedoh is the baby of apartment therapy, the awesome and hugely successful home design blog. It is a wealth of endlessly inspiring ideas for kids room/nursery design, and all kid-related design from toys to dinnerware.

dos family is a Swedish interior design blog run by two friends. Dos focusses on family homes, all are beautiful, quirky, livable and completely awesome.

lmnop focuses on pulling the best of kid fashion and accessories from the biggest tradeshows in Paris, New York and Tokyo and bringing them to your living room.

grosgrain’s author, Kathleen describes herself as an artsy craftsy, penny pinching, party planning, playdating, fashion finding, sci-fi loving, stay at home mommy who always keeps her sewing machine plugged in and loves all things charming. There is so much DIY sewing inspiration and give aways for those who are less craft-inclined. One of our favorites is the last minute frock tutorial, throwing together a dress in less time that it takes to run a load of laundry, that’s a novel idea!

Inchmark is chock full of fabulous home DIY and craft ideas. Author Brooke is a book designer and former art director at Martha Stewart. She is always coming up with ingenious creations and twists on every day things. It’s a little early in the year, but we especially love her home made Halloween costume collection

Modern Kiddo is another fabulous blog that features all things kid related and awesome… wardrobe features, party ideas, craft tutorials… endless inspiration. Alix and Dottie know their cool stuff. Look out for them in the launch issue of MAEVE magazine next month (another cool thing we are super excited about! More on that later)

We left Etsy out of this round, because there is just too much there. That will be a post for another day!

What are some of your favorite kid related design blogs? We would love to see!

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Spotted. In The Dollhouse

We love bringing you images from readers whether they are just beginning or already pros…like this shot from Carrie Hasson! Sometimes a shot just makes us smile. Many elements combined like great angle, wonderful expression and beautiful colors all bring this story to life in one frame. An outtake from a “bump” in her session.

I took this snap of Zoe the pug as I was preparing to photograph a little girl that she belongs to. Zoe is on the older side, and she has a new younger sibling, a pup that has 100 times the energy and 100 times less patience. Unfortunately, we had to postpone the shoot due to a nice sized goose-egg on the head of my little client that she endured after trying to rally the pups on top of the bed and instead threw her head back against the window sill:( Luckily, it was a friend and neighbor, and rescheduling was a cinch. In the midst of all the commotion, little Zoe decided to hide out in the dollhouse. The riley pup, you see, is bigger than Zoe and can’t fit:) Didn’t mean that the puppy didn’t try and try and try to get to Zoe, who by the way was raised in her early years surrounded by cats and is true to her nickname of Garfield the Cat. Have you ever known a dog to lick it’s paws and wipe it’s face with it’s paws? That would be Zoe. Have you ever known a dog to make feline hisses and growls at another dog, specifically a puppy that won’t stop barking and egging you on? That would be Zoe! Zoe aka Garfield:)

This shot was caught while mom was holding my little client on the bed, nursing her goose-egg and there was an ever so brief moment in time where said puppy pranced away from the dollhouse to check in on mom and daughter. In that instant, Zoe looked pleadingly in mom’s direction. I imagined her to be thinking something like this, “Come on mom, can’t you help a pug out?!”. And then as fast as I could snap the pic, the the puppy was back.

Shot info:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
50mm 1/60sec at f/ 1.4
ISO 160

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Introducing Some Beyond Snapshots Goodies

Does your camera take great pictures? Well, have we got a coffee mug for you.
Can’t stop taking photos of your baby? There is a onesie for that.

Beyond Snapshots has teamed up with the AWESOME, fantastic, Jodi Walker, the talented designer behind Itch Design to come out with a line of fun, quirky, photo-themed goodies for your enjoyment. We are beyond thrilled with what she has come up with and we think you will love it too!

There is something for everyone. We love that all the American Apparel tees are organic and we are really excited about the cute SIGG bottles and the adorable journals (it will be perfect for jotting notes for our book!)

Head over to the store to see the full range

More fun designs will be rolled out soon!

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Announcing the winner of the Epiphanie camera bag

Announcing the winner of The Lola bag by Epiphanie!

#11 :: Janine Coveney

Congratulations, you are going to love that bag!

Thank you all for taking the time to enter this contest and for sharing your images! We love seeing people interpret a theme and we will be doing more of that soon.

This contest was a random draw for the winner, but looking through all the links, we found some amazing photographs and we wanted to share just a few of our favorites with everyone. Please enjoy some of the entries for the “red” theme!

Left Right

Jodi Palmer Tomi Omololu
Charlie Jones Vanessa
Candice Renee Corina
Maggie Otharan Tania
Lisa G Kelly West Mars

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Processing :: tips for using presets in Lightroom

Everyone wants a quick fix and sometimes applying a preset can do just that. Often times though, the preset is just a starting point to getting a certain look. We thought we would share a simple technique to using presets to their fullest potential. While it involves using both Lightroom and Photoshop, it really is not that long or complicated of a process once you get started.

Since Rachel is the one who uses presets the most and she happened to have a bunch of personal photos she was editing for her blog, we thought we would share a quick run through of the process on this photo of… her feet!
Oh come on, we ALL have taken photos of our feet before.

Backstory: This is an image from the day she used her D200 with her Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens as a point and shoot. Because this was just a fun day out with friends, the images were shot in jpeg only. You don’t need to shoot RAW to use Lightroom. She wanted the images to have a sort of “lomo” look to them.

Here is one quick way to make a normal image

more funky in less than the time it takes to make another coffee and without having to use actions.

1) Process an image in Lightroom to get correct exposure and color. We prefer to use Lightroom over Adobe Camera Raw for working with presets as it is so easy to visualize the changes that will be made to your shot with the preview window. No guessing if a certain preset will work on that particular image or trying to remember what look a preset will give your image just from the name in a list.

2) Export that file as a jpeg. (example: base-image.jpg)

3) Open that image in Lightroom and apply a preset (this one is “on holiday” from Rachel’s Round Two set.)

4) Export that file as a new jpeg. (example: preset1-image.jpg)

5) Open the base file again in Lightroom and apply a different preset (this one is “the 70′s” from Rachel’s First Stop set.)

6) Export that file as a new jpeg. (example: preset2-image.jpg)

You can do this as many times as you would like to get the most options as you are just creating “layers” for your Photoshop file that you will create next.

7) Open all copies of the file in Photoshop.

8 ) Using “base-image.jpg” as your background layer, copy and paste the preset images onto that file.

9) Now here is where the playing part happens…reduce the opacity of the preset layers, change the blending modes, mask out parts of the image…it is up to you.

With these preset layers in Photoshop, you have the most control over the total look of your image.

In this case, the “preset2-image.jpg” layer was set to soft light for contrast but the jeans were painted back as they got too dark. The “preset1-image.jpg” layer was left as a normal top layer at 47% but the mask was inverted so that the effect was painted on to the image with a white brush on the black mask. Rachel did it that way so that she could control the look of photo as she worked letting the legs and feet and surrounding pavement come through from the lower layers.

Just another way to edit and use all those presets that you have just sitting there.

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A chance to have your own epiphanie! :: contest to win an epiphanie camera bag

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

We will be selecting the winner via Random.org in the next day. Due to the close of the contest falling on Easter here in Australia, please allow for a few extra hours before we post the winner! We know everyone is excited, but there are some Easter baskets to be filled!

Maile Wilson has donated a red Lola epiphanie camera bag for our latest contest here on Beyond Snapshots! It is a gorgeous bag and we are excited to have this chance to share with our readers!

This is another photo contest and in honor of the red Lola bag that is up for grabs, we want to see your red themed photos.

Here is what you need to do. Take a photo (or pull one from your archives) that represents red. Get creative, the photo does not have to be all red, nothing but red…we are looking for something that means red. Once you have your photo, you need to post it on your own corner of the internet…your blog is best, but it could be facebook, flickr, just somewhere where we can see it. Make sure you tell everyone about the contest on your post and spread the word about epiphanie bags and beyond snapshots!

Once you have posted your red photo, come back here and click the link that says “you are next” to enter your details. You will need to provide the url of your photo post where it says “blog url” so that we can see it!

You have until April 2nd to enter. The winner will be announced on April 3rd. We’re looking forward to seeing what you have for us!

Want extra chances to win? If you follow us on twitter, join our facebook fan page or retweet our contest tweet, you can come back and leave another entry!

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We Review Stuff – Epiphanie Camera Bags

and we are talking about a GORGEOUS epiphanie camera bag! Ours arrived just a few weeks ago and they are even better than we had imagined. Maile Wilson, the photographer/designer behind these awesome new camera bags generously sent us our choice of her range to review… Rachel went for the Lola, a bright red funky shoulder bag. Peta opted for the brown tote, Ginger. The best part of this, Maile sent an additional one (a Lola just like Rachel’s new bag) for us to give away to one lucky reader! They both look nothing like any camera bag we have seen! (In a really good way)

First, lets talk camera bags!

Maile has set the style bar high from the very moment you open the box. The bags arrive in their own branded protective case (wrapped in plastic for the ride) in a color that matches the interior of the bag. It was a little worrying at this point that the bags might be just nice looking and not strong camera bags, but one zip later when the actual bags were revealed, there was no doubt of their strength and beauty.

The red bag is quite tall. It fits Rachel’s D3 with a lens (currently the 50mm f/1.4G, but has also been successfully tried with bigger lenses and there were no issues) and an additional lens, wallet, small makeup bag and iPod. All safe and easy to find in the soft lavender interior. There is also a zipped pocket that is the perfect size for some extra CF cards and the White Balance cap. Rachel tucks her keys in one exterior pocket and her BlackBerry in the other.

Peta has less stuff to cart around than Rachel, so the Ginger bag is MORE than enough bag for her Canon 5D with the 24-70mm f/2.8L lens attached, wallet, makeup bag, iPod and more. This bag has more spots to store things than most carry-on bags, yet it looks almost smaller than Rachel’s red one. This is a bag for someone who loves to divide and organize with 4 exterior zipped pockets and one on the inside. It is a lovely chocolatey brown with a bright robin’s egg blue interior.

Both bags come with long, padded, detachable shoulder straps in case you want to wear it slung over the body. They are made of a rich feeling and looking faux leather and are so well constructed. Both come with removable velcro dividers so that the interior can be set up to fit the gear you carry. No detail has been left out with the choice of hardware and even the silver camera bag tag. I think the thing that struck both Rachel and Peta is the fact that even though the bags are packed with the camera, extra lens and personal stuff…they somehow feel lighter than carrying the camera alone. Not sure if it is the slight elasticity that the handles seem to have that allows for this, but it is great and was the surprise bonus of this bag. Great looking and super comfortable to carry. These are impressive camera bags and it shows that these are the product of a long and careful design process. We asked Maile a few questions just to give our readers a bit of back story.

Give us your story in an elevator pitch…the quick and dirty…was there an “a-ha” moment or did this come about in a more fluid way? When did the idea came about and then how long it took for you to get the bags designed and produced? Any major things you learned in the process that made these even better than you imagined they could be?
The idea for a camera-handbag came about when I realized I had so few decent pictures of my own life. As a professional photographer, that felt like a sacrilege. And I knew it was for the simple (albeit lazy) reason that I hated carrying a camera bag. Even though I’m pretty hard on my equipment, it always felt like a gamble to be wrapping up such expensive gear in a hand towel, and then shoving it into my purse.

When I realized there were no camera bags on the market that could truly pass as a hot handbag, I set out to create one. It took a little over two years, and if I’m honest, the process was grueling. I could go on forever with stories about the many times it all seemed impossible. But I really believed in what I was doing. I knew I was creating a product that women photographers needed. So when I got to the road blocks (after a few tantrums), I just moved as much as I could in that moment. Because even an inch gets you that much closer to your goal. And after a while, the inches add up.

How did you name the bags?
I named them because the whole idea of creating stylish camera handbags seemed like an “aha” moment (an epiphany). I had never seen it done before, but the idea in itself is relatively simple. I used the French spelling, mainly because I just thought it looked better in the logo, and wasn’t so literal.

I also really like the concept of “epiphanie” because it plays out in so many ways. It’s my goal to build this business on more than camera bags. But to also have it be a catalyst for people to find inspiration, as well as their own “epiphanies”.

How did you decide on the colors?
I’ve gotten this question a lot. Basically, I love color and I just selected what I would personally use. I don’t think there’s a color in the spectrum which can’t be paired with either turquoise or red. Then again, that’s me.

And we’ve been pretty overwhelmed with requests for a little black Lola. So, of course we’re listening, and she will make her debut sometime around the end of summer.

Will the new styles replace the old ones or will they be in addition to these 3?
The original styles will stay around/expanded on with different colors as long as they’re selling consistently.

Where is the farthest these bags have traveled? That you know of.
Hmm.. Singapore? Australia ? I’m not sure. But it’s definitely been a dream come true to watch them fly out the door, and all over the world.

When will the new styles be coming out, and how many new styles are there?
We are hoping for the end of summer/ beginning of fall. I’m not sure about details right now because we’re still going back and forth with the sample process and a lot can change. But we’re always eager to hear ideas and (constructive) feedback. We read every single suggestion that is sent in, and we’re working really hard to make more products that are as functional as they are fashionable.

What do you want people to know about these bags and yourself?
That’s hard. I guess I’d want people to know that they are labor of love, and a testament that one foot in front of the other can eventually make magical things happen. I’d also want our customers to know that we’re truly grateful for them.

Next post on Beyond Snapshots… Instructions on how to win your own Red Lola Epiphanie Camera Bag here!

You can find Epiphanie bags at their website, blog, facebook and twitter

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