i heart faces Week 13 - “Dramatic B&W” Photo Challenge!

This week over at i heart faces they are having a Dramatic B&W challenge. 

We are looking for B&W photos that are dramatic, sensational and/or moody in the way they are presented. Something about your entry must catch our eye as being dramatic or moody for it to be passed along to the judge as a top entry. I thought this photo seemed dramatic with the sun flare, lines of the trees, off kilter angle and the way her eyes seem to be looking right through the camera. I can’t wait to see what everyone else comes up with this week!

This bridge in our local park is my new favorite spot that I discovered in the dead of winter.  Now that the snow has mostly melted I was able to go under the bridge to get some great shots looking up.  I love the weathered wood and suspension cables that hold it up.  There are so many angles to take advantage of here that the possibilities are endless.

So meet Mehandis.  I used a gradient to turn this black and white then adjusted by using several level layers to darken and brighten areas.  I then added in a photo filter and used a creamy tan to warm up it up a bit.  I really love the sharp angles that frame him in horizontally and then his parents legs framing him in vertically.

Thanks for stopping in!  Be sure to check out more entries over at i heart faces.

Jen

i heart faces Photo Challange "Bundle Up"

Recently I had the joy of taking some photos for a 7 year old at my girls school.  The mom wanted to head outside and it was nice out...for Wisconsin.  Gray sky's, no sun, snow on the ground...about 20 degrees.  So real nice!  Jake decided that we needed to explore his fort...his very own pirate ship.  So I went on the pirate adventure with him.  He asked me to hang out below so I sat below and waited.  Out of nowhere he poked out of his trap door.  So of course I snapped away.  

We had so many great photos from our pirate adventure that it was hard to narrow it down to just one, but this one really embodies the fun we had.

Be sure to check out more “Bundled Up” photos over at i heart faces today…

Jen

I heart faces Fix It Fridays

This week's photo came from Sarah Halstead who blogs at Loving My Life. The little cutie-pie is her son, Dustyn. Sarah wrote that she was "having issues with overexposure in the top left corner and with blemishes on his face."  Here is this weeks SOOC.

First off I use PSE7.  I did a creative crop to clear out the blown area.  Fixed the face blemish, etc.  Then I ran Noiseware on it, perked it up, dodged some of the face shadows, ran Coffeeshop powder room.  Adjusted the layers for him and then the background seperatly masking each layer differently. I also fixed the face and warmed it up a bit, but being uncalibrated I am unsure of if it is too light.  I probably messed with the saturation and hues as well. Then I ran Noiseware again lightly to smooth out the edits.

Overall I am pleased with the edit.  I would have liked to clone in the grass better from another image since when I did the creative crop I had to edit in some additional grass.  I also think his face is still maybe a pinch to light.  The noiseware I just purchased yesterday and still am trying to learn it all.  So he may be a bit over-smoothed, but I did pull it back after noiseware ran on a duplicate copy.  If anyone uses this I would love a tutor. :)  I have read what I can find about it, but I think I have to just work it out.

Side by side:

Stop by i heart faces to see more Fix it's.
Jen