Digital Photography

Tonight I spent a few hours reading my text book (which did not help me whatsoever) and figuring out how to merge photographs for my assignment that is due today (I also messed with sizing and color and whatnot). I should have worked on it before today...but when moving, some things get pushed aside. I'm sure it could look a ton better, and I would have loved to have gotten pictures off my hard-drive for this assignment, but I have no idea where it is. Instead I used some of the photographs I took for one of my previous assignments (at the base parade grounds). It looks ok, but whats more important, is that I figured out how to do it! Photoshop Elements is FUN!!! I want to get the full version someday, but know that I don't have the funds or time any time soon!

Portfolio

We are starting to work on our last assignments in my in-class photography class. This will be considered our portfolio. I'm still required to take additional photographs to add better quality pictures...and have had very little opportunity lately to do so. Its not so much a time issue, as I've set time aside for this class (I love this class!), its more of a weather issue. The weather has been....icky to put it nicely. Overcast and rainy does not make for nice photographs. (Although I personally love overcast and rainy!) I have a few of Ethan and Max that might work, and a couple of kids playing on the playground on the one nice day we had after school. I do have one decent one inside as well.

My teacher suggested I try to get photographs of kids other than my own. I told him that I don't know many other kids, and most parents won't appreciate me taking pictures of their kids. He laughed and agreed. (The ones on the playground have other kids, as I did ask moms that I talk to and they were all fine with it...but again, with only one opportunity and one background--the park--it's difficult.)

I have 10-15 pictures due tomorrow. This is not a lot, but they all have to "work together." I completely forgot about this until this morning, so I'm stressing a little. I have a few pictures from previous assignments that I think are pretty good and would like to use, but again, they have to be a cohesive unit. It's not even 10 am, so I suppose I have plenty of time to figure it out today...I'd just rather have it done and have a hand full of good new pictures to add to the mix.

Restore

I've had several assignments, and have posted some if the pictures on REEN. But honestly, most of the pictures for my digital photography class have been quite boring. I haven't been "into" that class, and have wondered why I'm taking it at all. I though I was going to learn about Photoshop Elements, which until this week I had only learned how to resize an image and do some basic things that can be learned by clicking around for half an hour on your own. This weeks assignment was to restore and old, creased, discolored photograph. He had one that we had to download, then use the textbook and figure it out. I was not thrilled. I wanted someone to take me step-by-step and explain to me what to do! If I wanted to read a book to figure it out, why the heck am I paying to take the class?!?! Oh well, I have been trying to keep up with most of the reading, which is quite dry and hard to retain. So, last night I sat down to attempt to restore this picture:

Looks like fun doesn't it? Wish it was you, don't you?!?!

I started out by cropping the edges off as he did with his "student example."

I then started smoothing out some of the creases at the top with the "clone stamp" tool. At that point it was well after 11:30pm on a Friday night (maybe this is pathetic, but whatever), and I was exhausted. My eyes were closing as I was doing this, so I figured it would be better left for today.

When I started again today, I realized that I didn't like how it looked, wanted to read some more, and started over. I started again with the cropped image and decided to start at the bottom this time.

Almost all the creases out!
(I also used the "burn" tool to darken some of the floor areas because they seemed really light even after getting most of the crease lines out. I don't know if we were "supposed" to do this, but I like how it looks.)

Creases GONE!
I'm still amazed at this!

I then changed it back to black and white like it was supposed to be.


Then I darkened in under the brim of his had to give it a little more depth and definition as well as adjusted the lighting/contrast just slightly.

Next, I whitened some spots on his undershirt and smudged some areas on the ground.

The finished product!!!

When we turn assignments in, we can also see what other people have turned in. As I have opened and viewed others work, I am shocked and amazed...but not really...that so many of them have the exact same markings as the "student example." (At least four when I looked a few hours ago.) If you are actually doing your own work, using the "clone stamp" tool to get the creases out, there is no way that your hand is going to move the same way as anyone elses to get the same lines in the same places. I think they tried to cover it up by changing the contrast or lighting levels, but its quite obvious to me. I can only hope that my teacher looks at it for longer than two seconds and realizes what they are doing. I don't want to be whinny or anything, but if I can spend three/four hours figuring this out when I have a lot going on...so can any of them!

Studio Lighting -- Part Seven -- My Favorites

I've already written about these...and wrote about them again in the same post over on REEN. Just my favorites today with no more words!!! :-)

Studio Lighting -- Part Six -- Used For Assn

Away from main light.

Toward main light.

Unusual lighting 1.

Unusual lighting 2.

Unusual lighting 3.

He must have liked them, 'cause I got 30/30 and most of the people in my class didn't do that well!!! ;-)