Magic Wallpaper!

Some portraits cry out for the

vintage look and I love the wallpaper in

the above photo.

But when I took that photo,

the wallpaper was

NOT THERE!

As I have shared many times,

I prefer using natural light OUTDOORS

for my portrait work,

but since I live in Michigan,

I'm forced indoors for many

winter months.

That's why I set up this little

studio in my basement.

I bought the old lights from a retiring

photographer and he gave me a big

roll of white paper that I hung

for a backdrop.

The white carpet used to be in our dining room.

While I LIKE the white background...

Some photos just need an extra

TOUCH.

So I searched for photos of wallpaper

online and in Photoshop Elements layers,

I added the wallpaper then

erased it off the people and props.

The fun thing is...

I also added the base moulding!

I found moulding online and added

it the same way.

In some cases, I "painted" the

moulding with an Elements brush

to better match the wallpaper.

Much easier to add the

wallpaper like this than

wallpaper REAL walls!

 

 

Play around with the opacity to

match the wallpaper intensity to your photo.

Find more great editing ideas here:

And, here:

And, more here:

Enjoy the Creativity!

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Free Textures and Backgrounds

 

In recent blog posts, I've shared lots of bokeh

backgrounds like you see above for free.

 

I love to add them as backgrounds to my portraits

like this:

 

 

 

You can learn how to add the bokeh to your portraits in

this blog post.

 

Since I live near Bronner's Christmas Wonderland,

I have a zillion lights to photograph

and it is my pleasure to share the bokeh with others for free

to use both personally and commercially

with no need to credit.

 

 

 

 

I know when I am editing one of my portraits

and need a background...I need it NOW

and do not want to hassle with paying for

or crediting a texture or background I

find online. 

I do understand that some artists

want to be paid for this work...

and they deserve it for providing some

fabulous backgrounds,

but I'm happy to share mine for free as others

have kindly shared with me.

That's why I was happy when Caleb Kimbrough from

the web site Lost and Taken

contacted me and asked if he could share

some of my Bronner's bokeh on his

FREE texture and background website.

I have used his backgrounds and am

thrilled that you can now find 90 of

MINE on his site:

 

CLICK HERE

 

to access Caleb's site packed with free

textures, bokeh, wallpaper, etc.

If you are visiting me from his site,

scroll through my last 8 or so blog posts

to see many examples of how I use

my bokeh in portraits.

Plus, you can pick up MORE of my

free bokeh!

All I ask is that you don't try to

sell it.

ENJOY!!

Adorable Kids

I'm having fun with our little bit of snow on the ground.

This week, I had the pleasure of photographing

four-year-old Olivia

and she was extremely cooperative

even in the COLD!

I love photographing little girls

this age.  They usually enjoy

DRESSING UP!

I look for vintage or unusual

children's coats and hats at

thrift stores and buy them for a few dollars.

I especially love PINK and

anything with fake fur!

Of course, I had to add a snow background to at

least ONE of the portraits.

Once inside, we played dress-up again.

With children this age, I work quickly

to get some posed shots

IMMEDIATELY.

I instructed Olivia to lift her leg

like a ballerina,

and she was into posing.

Oh, yah...that wicker chair is

from a thrift store...5-bucks!

Did I tell you I LOVE

searching for photo props

at thrift stores????

I love her little toes curled under

in this shot:

I work quickly because very soon,

children lose interest. 

They get bored or tired.

That's when I bring out the toys!

Not just any toy...toys that will look

good in that shoot.

In this case, I set out an

antique baby buggy I found

at a thrift store for just $12.

Then, I told Olivia it was her

play time.

I acted like I was fixing my camera

pretty much ignoring her...

until she started to play.

SNAP!

She was oblivious to the camera

and began to sing at the top of her lungs.

She swung her leg out in time with the song...

I sat unobtrusively, at a distance...

SNAP!

Some of my best photos

are captured while the child plays.

If you like the vintage look,

try adding these aged paper textures.

I add them in layers in Photoshop Elements

then erase the texture from the child.

Here's a great website called Lost & Taken

 where you can get

more free textures!

When she got bored with just the

buggy, I added another doll

and a stool.

Enjoy capturing the

CANDID moments.

They may end up being your favorites!

Check out other fun photo ideas at:

My 3 Boybarians

and

Jaymi's Blog

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Snow Portraits

FINALLY, we got some snow so I could

practice REAL snow portraits.

I had to go TWO days before I found someone to pose

for me.

Well...I forced my daughter to pose AGAIN!!!!

I was staring out the kitchen window gazing

lovingly at the snow when she ran through

in her robe with damp hair.

"Honey, PLEASE pose for me!!!!" I begged.

"Mom, I have to leave for work in ten minutes!"

"I only need FIVE minutes...I swear!!!"

So I dressed her up in winter white

and dragged her to the backyard.

"Dang it Mom! My hair is still wet!"

Her:  "I'm freezing"

Me: "LOVE that pensive look!"

Me again:  "Can you give me a little smile??"

Me: "How about blowing some snow?"

"Oops...can you try that again with MORE snow?"

"Maybe a little pose?"

Her:  "Okay, I'm cold...that's enough!"

One more snap!

I love that white fake fur coat

I found at the thrift store!!!

Speaking of fake fur...

I also found this tiger skin rug at the thrift store:

I LOVE IT!!!!

I was so excited when I got to

photograph a little 3 month old boy

on the tiger over the weekend.

Oh, gosh...SO CUTE!!!

All my hats are from thrift stores.

I have to throw in a few more shots

because this little boy is

ADORABLE...plus, I added

my fun bokeh backgrounds again.

I love babies!

Because I LOVE my daughter and babies,

I'm hooking this up with the

LOVE project over at

My 3 Boybarians

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