Pink Dots

Three-month olds are some of the most difficult subjects to

photograph. They can't sit up and it can be hard to get them to

react to antics to make them smile. This shot was one of the LAST

shots from the session. Proof that persistance pays off!

Very nice shot. The exposure is perfect. You captured a nice expression also. The only thing that I would be tempted to do is to add a blur layer over the original to soften to scene some. I played around with this some, I may have overdone it just a bit, but I just wanted to give you a quick idea of what it would look like. Some people don't like the effect, but I think it works quite well with babies.

Kelly,

I think it's PERFECT!!!! Thanks so much! I'll have to learn how to do that!

I don't know how much you know about photoshop, so I will assume you don't know much about layers. This is very easy to do. First you go to "layer" then "duplicate layer". It will ask you if you want to duplicate the background, click ok. Then go to "filter" then "blur" then "gaussian blur." I use a radius of about 10 pixels (8-10 is fine). Then you will see a picture that looks very blurry. On the right there is a box that says "opacity" it should be at 100%. Slide it down until you see the softness you want. I usually go down to about 15-20%. Now you have to make the eyes sharp by using a layer mask. Go to "layers" then "layer mask" then "reveal all". Now you will use the paint brush to paint the areas where you want the original background layer to show through. The color has to be black. If you mess up, change the color to white and it will bring the copied layer back. To show the sharp eyes from the background layer select the paint brush (again make sure it's black) Turn the hardness down to 0%, you want it as soft as you can get it. At the top you will see another opacity box for the paintbrush. I usually have this on about 65%. Select a brush size equal to the eyes and paint. You will see the sharp eyes start to show. I usually go over them a couple of times to make sure the top layer is gone. You don't want any blur on your eyes. Sometimes I paint the teeth or lips as well. When you're done go to "layer" then "flatten image." Layers are great and allow you to do just about anything. Once you learn them you will see a huge difference in your photos. I'm a fan of your work anyway, but this will take your portraits through the roof. Take care!

Kelly

How very sweet of you to write down these instructions. They are very easy to follow. I'm excited to play a little on the other images from this shoot. Thanks so much! Sandy