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Category Archives: Editing & Tutorials

Session Wrap-Up {behind the scenes of on-location education session}

February 2, 2012 Posted in Before & Afters, Family, Kids, Teens, Lightroom, Pull Backs, Session Wrap-Ups

I’ve never blogged an on-location education session because I only just now got the bright idea that my assistant should be doubled up as a behind-the-scenes photographer. Duh! So this is my session last week where I spent about 6 hours shooting & editing with my student, Janie. I arranged two wonderful little models for...

11 comments

Louise - February 2, 2012 - 9:21 am

Love This – Would Love to see more of them – I’m a sucker for B and A’s x

Laura Kockelkorn - February 2, 2012 - 11:09 am

Thanks for sharing so much of your talent with others! The ‘fav’ you did in B&W.. that just seemed brilliant to me. I’m lazy in cropping and rarely do it. I would rather get it right in camera but when I saw how the little tilt crop you did changed the entire picture and took it from AWESOME to BREATH TAKING, well now you have me wanting to experiment more doing that myself. I have never used a reflector but I might have to try it out after hearing how much everyone is liking them. Is there a certain one you would recommend? I do shoots like yours.. mostly outside in natural light with children.

bobbie - February 2, 2012 - 12:57 pm

love the photos and how you shared the pullbacks and before and after..what do you do to remove the redness in the cheeks and make the skin so white?

Kim Cook - February 2, 2012 - 1:34 pm

Hi Elizabeth! Can I ask why you shoot in AV mode? I have problems getting kids in focus all of the time when I shoot in M. I know that can be due to the fact that kids just move so much more but is AV a better mode then particularly for kids? Also, do you toggle your focus points or do you simply focus and recompose? Thanks so much for all you do!

Lorie - February 2, 2012 - 2:18 pm

Thank you for this. Seeing the behind the scenes is more helpful than you know to a newbie like me. Now I can visualize how/where to put my reflector. Thank you for sharing. :)

Abovethevalley8 - February 2, 2012 - 4:56 pm

Thanks so much for this!

Maggie - February 2, 2012 - 6:16 pm

This was an awesome post. I love the pullbacks and explanations. Lovely finished images too!

DaniGirl - February 2, 2012 - 6:28 pm

This one one of my favourite of your posts so far — loved the images and the great pull-backs. Thank you!

Anonymous - February 3, 2012 - 1:52 pm

I’ve been reading your blog for what seems like forever! and this has to be the most useful and biggest smile producing post EVER! loveth!

Rayleigh Leavitt - February 3, 2012 - 7:19 pm

I love seeing the pull backs

stephen - February 3, 2012 - 10:33 pm

Thanks for all the inside info, you do great work.

The Good Delusion

January 24, 2012 Posted in Taking Pictures

“Advice from friends is like the weather. Some of it’s good, some of it’s bad.” -Anonymous I get emails from folks saying things like “my friends say I’m really good – what do you think?” and I’m really not sure what they’re asking or how much criticism they’re able to take. Seems to me that...

21 comments

Exsondra - January 24, 2012 - 11:45 am

Very well put!

E Brown - January 24, 2012 - 12:20 pm

I agree, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are defiantly personal perception. However if you would like to display your art work, take a look at
http://www.nationaltradeshowdisplays.com .

Lori P - January 24, 2012 - 1:20 pm

Well said!

Lea - January 24, 2012 - 1:59 pm

I think you’re right on the money! I’ve been a part of a forum at I Heart Faces for about a year and this comes up often when people ask for critiques of their work. And frankly, it aggravates me to see a so called “pro” demeaning someone else’s creativity. First of all, we all start somewhere and it’s likely we all sucked at one point – I know I did. There’s a balance between offering someone constructive criticism as relates to the technical side and telling them their work is no good creatively. Some photographers blow highlights on purpose. Some are known for their soft images. These things don’t appeal to everyone, but that doesn’t mean they appeal to no one. I think sometimes people forget that photography is art. There are no absolutes.

Cathy H - January 24, 2012 - 3:56 pm

Thanks.. I kinda needed to hear that today.. :)

stephanie - January 24, 2012 - 4:04 pm

Well said. I have previously posted my images on a forum (IHF) for constructive criticism. Most of the feedback has been kind, even if not terrible constructive, but I have balked at it after being told by one “pro” that I shouldn’t even take pictures for free. I now take the approach of being extremely self-critical and honest, constantly appraising my progress and appreciating my art as exactly that…art. I understand that this art has to be saleable (in order to make a living) but I also believe there is a market for a wide range of aesthetics.

Stephanie - January 24, 2012 - 4:57 pm

I completely agree. Photography is art and art is inherently subjective. Just because I don’t like a photo or it’s technically imperfect, that doesn’t make it “bad.” For me personally, a “good” photo is one that speaks to me in some way. One that makes me pause and look at it for just a little bit longer than the rest. In the same vein, I’m always grateful when someone compliments my work but I try to take it with a grain of salt. It’s tough, but I try to keep a critical eye even for my own work.

Sandy - January 24, 2012 - 5:47 pm

Thank you for this! I belong to a large photography forum and I’m really uncomfortable giving critique, even in the “just for critique” section. Because it IS art expression. And even if someone is new, and they haven’t developed their style or their craft very well yet, to shoot them down, right at the beginning because something isn’t technically correct, could stop them in their journey of self expression.

So I avoid the critique section at all costs, and I don’t put my own images out their for critique. I’m not there yet — I know I’m not. But I see in my head where I want to be and I’m going to continue to practice, practice, practice until I get it “right.” And that’s MY “right” by the way! :-) Great article, as always!!

Shannon - January 24, 2012 - 8:53 pm

I was in a photography class working on my degree in graphics and photography and for our projects we had to be critiqued in front of the whole class. It was sometimes the worst experience ever. I remember being in love with my project. It was a portrait and I chose to photograph a friend’s daughter. She loved the images, so much that they hang in her store. So much that she has asked me to do her daughter’s photos twice since then. My instructor tore them apart. Technically they were all wrong. I was crushed. I had shot with a purpose, not even close to the spray and pray approach. I nearly quit because of that critique.

Critiques can be rough, especially if you don’t know the intent of the person. How they saw and wanted to interpret the subject.

Kellie - January 25, 2012 - 1:25 am

just a comment on the comments…I won’t post for critique over at IHF either…. there is one “pro” (um, yeah, I can’t find this person’s web-site or any examples of their work) who is very harsh and tactless. I’m not opposed to hearing what i need to change, but I think TACT and kindness are necessary when giving critique.

Matthew Kunce - January 25, 2012 - 12:36 pm

Fantastic post!

Caryn - January 25, 2012 - 1:27 pm

Oh my goodness you’re reading my mind! I’ve been wanting to post about how subjective photography is, and that some of what people rave about, I don’t like, and what some people don’t like, I love. It also brings me to say, who’s to decide what’s good or not!? Aside from obvious technical failure like a badly underexposed photo or something similar, the only person to decide if a photo is great or not, is the person who wants to look at it. And then look at it again. And then perhaps put it in an album or hang it on a wall…

Anonymous - January 25, 2012 - 1:57 pm

Yes, it is always hard to hear what others think… we all have opinions and some people (like my ex husband) think theirs are always right. I wish we could take the word criticism out of our vocabulary and come up with something a bit more soft and loving. Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder!

Gry - January 25, 2012 - 2:14 pm

I love this article!! You manage to put my feelings into words - I always get SO provoked reading forums with so-called pros and all their opinions about what is right and what is wrong! Thank you!

And also thank you for writing about Brooke Snow’s wonderful Lifestyle Photography!

Elsingert - January 25, 2012 - 3:49 pm

Very good article! I agree, too often people forget that photography is art; did Van Gogh’s paintings portray reality? Of course not! That doesn’t mean that they are “wrong”, or “bad”, though, they are just a different expression his personal creative vision.
One personal pet peeve of mine is “experts” saying “Thou shalt not clip your highlights and shadows”, when in fact you sometimes must do just that to properly express the feelings you are trying to convey.

Peggie B. Hensley - January 25, 2012 - 4:02 pm

Really punctuates the old adage, “It’s all relative!” When I was a high school art teacher, I often witnessed that talent and ego are inversely proportional. I try to remember that now that I support myself with my own art…

Npshields - January 25, 2012 - 11:19 pm

Perfectly stated as the whole concept of critique is wide open. We never know what the photographer’s objective was when the shutter was pressed. Yes, some shots are technically not as good but can still be magical in their capture and presentation; guess it’s one of those “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” type thing. I think what truly separates a good photographer is one who consistently has good results and has the knowledge and skill to handle a multitude of situations, particularly bad or challenging lighting, backgrounds over which you have no control, etc. My approach, when critiquing, is to be honest if I see something blatantly wrong technically, something that they could learn from to benefit the next shoot, but I always make a point to find something that I really like, emphasizing that, too. Guess it’s a “Golden Rule” approach; critique to teach but do so gently….

Rhondaelderphotography - January 26, 2012 - 1:07 pm

I think this article was “good” and I that’s my opinion. Lol

Ifong - January 26, 2012 - 4:18 pm

Hi You are just so inspired ! I have always learned something from every blog post you posted! Thank you!

Melissa Jean Johnson - January 26, 2012 - 11:44 pm

What a great post! I know personally I follow a lot of photographers who I revere as amazing artists, but if my photos were to look like theirs I’d trash it as a bad photo. It’s just not my style and what’s good to me – but who am I to set a standard for someone else?

Ann Cockerham - January 28, 2012 - 8:38 am

I am 3 years into this photo-art and I love it! I have many people ask me what do I feel about other photogs in the area and I can’t say anything but they have their style I have mine! Heck I am still trying to get mine set, I have it in my heart and mind… Just trying to grasp it!
Sometimes I will take a picture that will have a blur to it, or the lighting is all wrong, but when I put it in photoshop just to play with tones and shading you can make a fabulous piece of art! I had one bride, picture was a bit washed, slight blur… but involved the Bride, Groom and some trees in the fall! I changed to black in white, played in lightroom with it and was doing this for fun! But in the end, this photo was the one she blew up and has framed above her bed.
I showed one photographer in the area I know and she was like “I cannot believe you even gave that to your client!” But what I saw as a piece of art… she saw crap! What matters is “my” client loved it. Your clients should feel the same passion for your style as you do or sometimes they may not get your view!

Does having your work critiqued sound scary? {video of two critiques}

January 22, 2012 Posted in Taking Pictures, Video Tutorials

When I posted recently to share the link to my Chic Critique, I got one response: “that scares me”. I agree. It scares me, too! I get emails quite a lot showing me photos and asking me what I think. I don’t usually answer them because I never know where the person is coming from,...

10 comments

Shasta Philpot - January 23, 2012 - 5:43 am

It is scary, I cringed at first, but I figure – what do I have to lose (besides my self respect). Haha Anyway, I’ll definitely submit one once my internet service gets restored! I live in the Pacific Northwest region of the US and we got hit with a pretty bad storm that out. :/

Shasta Philpot - January 23, 2012 - 5:46 am

Ugh- that knocked everything out, so I’ve been relying on my iPhone to stay connected the past 4 days.

Marion - January 23, 2012 - 2:27 pm

I so love the idea and wished I could take part of it… maybe some day (just not enough money for this at the moment). I am so thankful that you shared this and am looking forward to your next blog. You keep me going, Elizabeth! THANKS!

Rayleigh Leavitt - January 23, 2012 - 5:24 pm

I used to put photos on Flickr and I’d submit some of them to some of the groups for critique. But that was just frustrating because you get all these people who probably don’t really know what they are talking about, giving you bad advice. I love this idea of getting critiqued by photographers who know what they are talking about. Right now I kind of have a hold on spending any money on my biz because I’ve overspent and under earned. But I want to keep it in mind because it’s not a bad price and I think it would be worth it.

Catie - January 24, 2012 - 12:43 pm

Thank you so much! :) Great advice and I appreciate it immensely and will keep it in mind when shooting in the future. Thanks for choosing my image. It is one of my favorites of him because I had all of .7 nanoseconds to shoot it when he got home from school. When I was post-processing he was “helping” and when he saw it, he said I bet you love my freckles in that one SO much. He was oh so thrilled to see that picture pop up in the video as well this morning.
Catie

Natalie Jones - January 31, 2012 - 12:19 am

Are you going to be doing one each month? I’d love to do this, but it’s not quite photo season here in Michigan at that time.

Anonymous - January 31, 2012 - 12:23 am

This is the only one I’m scheduled to do. You can submit images you’ve already taken if you’d like feedback on those. Doesn’t have to be hot-off-the-press :)

Anonymous - January 31, 2012 - 12:24 am

This is the only one I’m scheduled to do. You can submit images you’ve already taken if you’d like feedback on those. Doesn’t have to be hot-off-the-press :)

Gina Young - January 31, 2012 - 12:50 am

Is the cost the same for those who just want to get their “toes wet?”

Anonymous - January 31, 2012 - 7:50 am

Nope – that’s $34 and it’s open here: http://chiccritiqueforum.com/classes/elizabeth-halford#p7

Book Printing: Blurb vs Apple vs Photobox

January 11, 2012 Posted in Photoshop & Elements, Product Reviews

Before Christmas, I promised that I was working on a book printing comparison. Now that the book I had printed has been gifted for Christmas, I can show it to the world! So I’m going to cover all things about the three books like the from the building to the paper to the spine and...

17 comments

Rick - January 11, 2012 - 9:43 am

I printed a couple of books with Apple.

I just love it. Easy to create, easy to send, great results and image quality!

Regards

Caterina Lay - January 11, 2012 - 10:56 am

I don’t think anyone else goes to the lengths of using three different companies and then giving the low-down on their blogs! I’ve used photobox for everything before (I liked the print quality for my personal pictures) but I had really nothing to compare it to. I’m going to try blurb next time. Thank you for your practical insight!

Jill Reid - January 11, 2012 - 1:35 pm

Have you ever used Mypublisher.com?

Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita - January 11, 2012 - 2:14 pm

I really appreciate the comparison. I always wondered how my Blurb stacked up against the others. I use them to do an annual photo album for my family, vacation books, and am now working on a cookbook. One thing, upgrading the paper on Blurb makes it even better. Thanks so much for all your work in comparing these!

katie o. - January 11, 2012 - 2:26 pm

Okay, I actually used Blurb for Christmas gifts and was unimpressed with their customer service. After creating an initial book and duplicating it to tweak into a slightly altered version, I ordered both only to receive the same version twice. I might not be the most tech savvy person on the planet, but ordering books isn’t that difficult. According to customer service at Blurb, I might as well be an idiot. Will most likely try My Publisher next go round as I intend to make books from here on out. However, love the comparisons.

Amanda Hayler - January 11, 2012 - 2:36 pm

A very useful review Elizabeth…I’ve only used Blurb to do photobooks so I was interested in seeing how it compared to Apple and Photobox. I’m not a big fan of Photobox printing (only had prints done with them) so I doubt I’d ever do a book with them, but tempted to try out one with Apple. Thank you!

Carey Penton Vorholt - January 11, 2012 - 3:12 pm

What a wonderful resource for those of us looking to print our books!

Gayle Vehar - January 11, 2012 - 3:20 pm

LOVE the premium paper that Blurb has available! Totally worth the extra cost!

Kyla - January 11, 2012 - 5:06 pm

Thanks for the awesome comparison! I’ve been using Apple because it’s so easy and I’ve loved the quality on everything they’ve done for me, but I love the side by side comparison, and I’m interested to check out Blurb now.

One very minor thing…you don’t have to pay to remove the Apple logo. If you go to “View” and “Project Settings…” there’s a little check box that you can uncheck and it will take off the logo. Like you, I am a lover of all things Apple so I, of course, leave it on… :)

julie - January 11, 2012 - 5:39 pm

Thanks for this post — it’s very timely for me since I’m putting together a photo book for my daughter who’s graduating from high school this year. I was wondering about the different online printing options and you helped in that regard.

Beth - January 11, 2012 - 6:39 pm

Thank you, thank you! Since you mentioned you were going to do this post, I’ve been anxiously waiting to see the results. Really appreciate you being so thorough.

Jessica - January 12, 2012 - 2:57 pm

This is perfect! I was actually looking at albums yesterday and I had definitely stopped at Blurb.
Thanks for the great, honest reviews!

Lloyd Spencer - January 12, 2012 - 6:37 pm

I have used both Blurb and Photobox for many photobooks. Actually they are both pretty easy to use. Comparable in ease-of-use, price and quality. Blurb has the edge in some of its commercial aspects and I like the quality if I am making quite chunky, sizeable books.

You were coming at this with your own style, wanting to achieve a pre-determined look-and-feel. Most people will start off with their templates and images rather than using Photoshopped images to determine the look-and-feel.

Gilliancrow - January 12, 2012 - 7:57 pm

I am a great Blurb fan. However, one thing you did not mention was postage costs. Are they all about the same?

Johnny Bean - January 13, 2012 - 7:51 am

Great post – I’m a blurb user and big fan, love the adaptability of their templates, quality and alround ease of use, love that they don’t stand still, always moving things forward. I even use blurb for my wedding clients, and they love the results! Great blog Elizabeth – I shall be back!

Michael Garrity - January 13, 2012 - 8:33 am

I am new to this whole thing of self-publishing a book, but am going to give it a try, using Blurb. From what I have seen at the Blurb website, I have been impressed and that since you have some experience in this area and you picked Blurb as your new fave, that gives me confidence to go forward with doing my first book with them.

Cameron - January 16, 2012 - 9:57 am

Very good review & comparison, Elizabeth. Your book also looks spectacular! Well done for putting this together.

Session wrap-up {newborn in a sling}

January 10, 2012 Posted in Newborns & Babies, Pull Backs, Session Wrap-Ups

It’s time for another session wrap-up! Today I photographed Aileena who’s 5 weeks old. A bit old for a newborn session, but I found it surprisingly wonderful. She cried a little bit but was mostly so chilled and willing. And giving her a few weeks to get chubby helped too! :) The whole session can...

8 comments

Reader Photo Friday {Baby B&A}

January 6, 2012 Posted in Before & Afters

Alyssa sent this to me just yesterday but it shot to the top of my to-do list because I couldn’t wait to share this little cutie. Alyssa said that her photographer cancelled her session because of illness so she thought she’d give it a shot {pun intended} and I think she did rather well, don’t...

2 comments

Reader Photo Friday {B&A}

December 16, 2011 Posted in Before & Afters

Thanks to Tracey for sending us another great portrait of her little guy! When she sent it, she asked about the distracting tree in the background but honestly, the first thing I noticed was the slightly green hue to his face. So I used MCP Actions ‘Skin Cast Blast’ action (part of the magic skin...

1 comment

How to photograph your Christmas tree {how to get twinkle bursts of light}

December 5, 2011 Posted in Taking Pictures

With Christmas upon us, it’s time to break out our cameras and try our darndest to get photos of our Christmas trees but it can be so hard to capture the real warmth and ambiance of all those beautiful little lights. If you twiddle with manual shooting, you may be trying to photograph your tree...

10 comments

Amber M. Phillips - December 5, 2011 - 11:56 pm

I pinned it! Thanks for sharing!

Lindsey - December 6, 2011 - 2:35 am

Love your photo tips. Keep them coming! Thanks.

Teresa Fazio - December 6, 2011 - 5:24 am

Talk about timing – I was just googling how to get sparkly icicles! I imagine that this will work for that too! I have some amazing icicles hanging off the front of my house and every photo I took of them has come out “flat” even though to the naked eye they are glistening. I will have to try this tomorrow. Thanks!

Anonymous - December 6, 2011 - 8:00 am

Yea it works for all that – candles too!

Rayleigh Leavitt - December 6, 2011 - 5:16 pm

I’ve been commenting on all the photos I’ve been seeing on facebook of all my friends’ trees because everybody is posting photos since they are proud of how beautiful the tree looks, yet the photo doesn’t come even close to showing how beautiful it is. But I did’t know how to do any better. Now I do! Thanks so much!!!!

Lindsey Schwimmer - December 7, 2011 - 3:38 pm

I’ll have to try this out! Beautiful pics! Thanks for the great tips! :)

Mooremarilynf - December 7, 2011 - 5:36 pm

I am new to pintrest. How do I pin this?

Toni Boyer - December 9, 2011 - 1:14 am

Thanks for this! I’ve always wanted to try it, but never knew how…thanks to your instructions, my photograph of the tree turned out so beautiful! i love the twinkling lights :) i would post a picture, but…it’s too big lol

Guest - December 11, 2011 - 2:18 am

Thanks for sharing! I’m brand new to my DSLR, but was able to adjust my manual mode settings to what you listed. When I shot our lights, though, the photo was completely dark and barely showed small specks of light where each light is. Any tips? Thanks in advance!

Anonymous - December 13, 2011 - 9:40 am

Those settings are a good starting point but if they don’t work, then you’ll need to explore them. I would slow the shutter down until you get it! And remember that tripod!

« Vintage posts

Elizabeth Halford Photography {the blog} » pho•to•gra•phy {in real.plain.english}

Category Archives: Editing & Tutorials

Session Wrap-Up {behind the scenes of on-location education session}

The Good Delusion

Does having your work critiqued sound scary? {video of two critiques}

Book Printing: Blurb vs Apple vs Photobox

Session wrap-up {newborn in a sling}

Reader Photo Friday {Baby B&A}

Reader Photo Friday {B&A}

How to photograph your Christmas tree {how to get twinkle bursts of light}

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