Making the ordinary portrait, extraordinary! Your images start with the photo shoot, but before they are ready to be displayed, all images are processed. For some images, this is limited to color correction and cropping. For many portraits, there are some corrections of stray hairs or acne.
Once that is done, some images receive additional artistic effects. I have searched the Internet, library and local bookstores to find Photoshop techniques and plug-ins that I can use to enhance the mood and emotion of images. The end result is turning a simple photo into a work of art.
Here, we show some images that have been processed in Photoshop. To see the original image, hover your mouse over the image.
We accentuate the selective focus in the original. The tenderness of the hands and the new engagement ring shows us everthing that we need to know about this couple.
As a first step, we started with a small rotation to level the image. Next, we draw you attention to the subject by vignetting and adding a rich brown tone. As I learned in the darkroom, there is much more to monochrome that shades of gray. With Photoshop, I have much more control over the results that I did with enlargers, developer and dyes.
Extra color makes this photo stand out. With the added texture and aging effect, this looks a bit like an old color print found in an old desk drawer. We took care to keep her skin tones free of false color and any of the grungy textures.