Objective: to try and capture a sense of place in a series of photographs.

In a way, this is more of a challenge than a lesson.  As you may know by now, I am in the south of France on vacation.  In an earlier post, I promised that I would post pictures of the house that we are staying in.  While I am sure i could have photographed each bedroom or taken a sweeping shot of the outside of the house, I tried something else.  I chose my favorite things- all within the main yard of the house and focused on those.  I wanted to convey to you a sense of place.  What I mean by that is really MY sense of THIS place.  I trained my lens on what it is about this amazing place that makes me feel connected to it.  This is my challenge to you.  Take a place (a small place like your own home) and find the little moments, the vignettes, the details and the mood.  Show it to us!

Yes, I know, I am in the south of France...this yard is way cooler than my TX back yard too.  This experiment isn't about how nice the back yard is though.  The idea is to tell the story of a space- no matter what the space is.  I would really love to see what you come up with so post links in the comments section! 

I love old fixtures like this.  This one is in the living room. 

The little chicken is sitting in the window of our bedroom (no glass or screen by the way).  The house is something like 500 years old so these slits were used back in the days when you would crouch behind them with the nose of the gun pointing out guarding yourself against an attack.  They are wide on the inside and small on the outside.

The rock walls around the yard are covered in little lichens and plants. 

This bush is a magnet for butterflies.  The boys stand at the base of it and just watch them flutter around. 

My favorite shot...When I think of Southern France, I think of 3 things first- lavender, stone and wooden shutters. 

Now it's your turn! 

Thanks! 

I like the way, in this image of Finn, the lines of the couch help guide you from left to right across his body, which is also following the lines.

This image is a more subtle example.  Here, the placement of the parents frames the little boy and the way they are lined up keeps you moving across the image.

In this one of Sayer playing on the floor, the lines of the tile just add some visual interest and isolate the center of the image.  In case you’re wondering…it is not a real roach.  It’s a little plastic one that he loves.  For the life of me I can’t understand that one.  It scares me every time I see it. 

Here is the Monday Lesson, one day late!  Sorry about the now Tuesday lesson but yesterday I was away from the web all day shooting.  Thanks for being patient and for coming to see these lessons each week.

Objective: to put the idea of simplicity together with the idea of color and see how it can change your images.

A few weeks back I posted a lesson on how keeping your images simple can really improve your compositions.  This week I want to take it one step further.  I would like to talk about color and how simplifying the colors in your image can help increase their impact.

When you visit a professional portrait studio the photographer will usually consult with you about wardrobe choices.  There are things that work and things that don't.  Every photographer has their own take on this one.  The reason that we do this is that if you reduce the amount of colors or the possibility of conflicting colors, the image becomes easier on the eye and therefore easier to really see.  In the case of portraits, patterns and conflicting colors can really draw your eyes away from the people's faces and expressions.  This is not only the case in portraits though.  With any image, we want the viewer to readily see what our intended subject and focus is meant to be.  We want to guide the viewers eyes right to what is the most important thing.

Here are 4 examples from a portrait session where the color palette is coordinated and limited.

When I say limit the color palette, that doesn't mean it has to be muted.  You can be bright and bold but still reduce the amount of colors in a given scene.  Something like this:

This brings us to your homework...try and create some images using a limited color palette.  You don't have to try this with moving children.  You can always try and create some still life images as a way of practicing.  I really enjoy this blog and she does a really nice job of simplifying color in her Polaroid images.  As always, I would love to see your experiments and hear your comments! 

Objective: Learn about new ways to handle photo retouching to enhance and improve your images.

Here's the real truth...every photo that leaves my shop is retouched at least a small amount.  I may be a talented photographer but, like my friend Danny always says, it's a camera and not a magic wand.  I can pose and light you well and help you pick out flattering clothing but if you have a big huge pimple on the center of your nose, we'll be needing some retouching!

My rule of thumb is that I want you to still look like you but just on a great day.  So I focus on distracting elements like blemishes, peeling skin, scratches, bruises, stray hairs and the like.  Retouching can be a controversial topic.  My thought is that if the distracting element isn't going to be there next week it can for sure go.  If it is something like typical signs of age then I prefer to soften but not remove.  We are how old we are and a picture that makes us look like we're 20 when we're 40 will just be strange.  Typically, I do not like to remove things like scars or birthmarks either.  In the end, every picture is a different story and I try and just enhance the image but keep its true content.

My friend, Brene, wrote an interesting blog post about this topic that you may enjoy.  It poses some great questions that we all need to ask ourselves before we get too crazy with photoshop.

Now the next big question- how in the world do you retouch a photo?  I have had many requests for this kind of lesson and I will do some step-by-step how-to's in the future but today I have something different for you.  There are sites on the web that offer fast and inexpensive retouching services.  You upload your file to them and they work on it and have it back to you often in as little as 48 hours.  I think it is an ideal starting place for those wanting to have their pictures "cleaned up" a little while they learn how to do it well themselves.  It is also perfect for someone who doesn't want to do it themselves.  Take a look at Pic Wash.  The images are edited by real people and the services start at $7.  Give them a try and let me know what you think.

For those of you who want to teach yourselves retouching but grimace at the price tag of Adobe Photoshop, try Adobe Photoshop Express online.  You will need a high speed connection for this kind of thing.   The online version is certainly not a full suite of tools like you would have if you purchased the software but it does allow you to do certain things.  Some others to check out: Splashup, Picnik and Aviary.

Retouching is a complicated thing.  For those of us who have been messing around with Photoshop since it came out, the tricks of the trade have been learned through years of experimenting.  This is not to say that you cannot learn this if you are just starting now.  Just be realistic and know that image editing is a learned skill that can be difficult.  Patience, trial and error and perseverance is the ticket.  Local photoshop classes are another great place to begin.  In Houston, you should contact The Houston Center for Photography and ask about their classes.  Now go do some experimenting!  I'd love to hear your reviews on the sites mentioned here.  Leave me a comment!