Sandy Runner Photography Sacramento, Folsom, Roseville, Rocklin, El Dorado Hills, Elk Grove, Newborn, Maternity, Child, Family Portrait Photographer » Miscellaneous

Do you Photoshop?

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:24:54 +0000

I have been asked a lot of questions about Photoshop lately and specifically what the difference looks like between an image SOOC (straight out of the camera) vs. once I am done with it in Photoshop. I definitely do use Photoshop and honestly I don’t know many photographers these days that don’t use it or some other editing tool for sharpening, color adjustments, etc. My recent pictures of my “skater kids” prompted the most questions, I’m guessing because I really did more editing / color saturation than normal in order to achieve the look I really wanted for those pictures.

So I thought I would post a before and after shot so you could see the difference between what the image looks like when it comes out of my camera and once I am done editing it. I know when I was first getting into photography I was hungry to learn any detail I possibly could. There were a couple photographers who were really great and took the time to answer questions and steer me in the right direction. I am really grateful to them and because of their willingness to “Pay It Forward” I want to be able to help others feel more confident taking pictures as well. So… here they are.

SOOC – I shoot in RAW but this is ZERO editing – no sharpening or color adjustment done to it – I just converted the RAW file to JPEG so I could post it.

RAW edited – this file was opened in Camera Raw and I brightened the exposure a little, then darkened the blacks. I believe I also warmed it up just a little bit. Just doing the RAW adjustments makes the colors stand out more and gives a little more depth to the picture. I always shoot in RAW and can never go back to shooting in JPEG. There are no other photoshop edits or sharpening done yet on this image. Just saved it out of RAW and uploaded it.

Here is the final image after editing in Photoshop. I don’t claim to be the best at Photoshop and most certainly everyone has their own style of editing. I learn something new every day! Sometimes I even open a picture the next day and change the processing a little because I realized it was too dark or too cool, or too saturated.

Hopefully this is helpful for those who are learning like me to get an idea of the difference between what comes out of the camera and what Photoshop can help achieve. Let me know if something was confusing and I will try to help.

Through Their Eyes

admin — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:28:55 +0000

While processing pictures from Gavin’s photo session today, I came across this image and couldn’t help but share. My main goal when photographing toddlers is to make them feel comfortable and as a result, get some cute, natural images. I always let them check out my camera and I spend a lot of time just hanging out with them and playing with them. Apart from the fact that I adore children, I feel like that makes a difference in the quality of the photos because the images are so much more real. All that said, it is still scary to have a stranger with a big camera in your face. It just makes taking the time and connecting with the kids that much more important. Check out this picture of Gavin – of course I zoomed in and sharpened his eyes quite a bit so you could get the full effect. Look at the reflection in his eyes – can you see Mom, Dad and me standing there capturing his attention??? I thought it was a great reminder for me to always remember to think about my sessions with children through their eyes.

By Request

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 05:15:16 +0000

I had to post just this one more photo from Baby Kevin’s model session the other day. I always like to ask my clients if there are any specific shots they were hoping for or had envisioned for their photos. When I asked Kristin that the other day she said she really likes those pictures with the Dad holding the baby in his hand. After I processed this picture I just really fell in love with it. Thanks for the good call Kristin. …And your gallery is ready – an email is on it’s way to you!

Booking Up

admin — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:13:19 +0000

Dear Blog Readers -

For all of you out there who might be considering a session sometime soon, make sure to use that contact form and let me know. March and April are booked up and I only have a couple sessions open in May and June! I look forward to meeting all of my upcoming clients over the next several weeks!! And – make sure to check back for a variety of upcoming blog updates including newborns, families and seniors!!

I wouldn’t want to post without a picture so here are a few of my son from our recent vacation in Lake Tahoe. He is only a year old but he loves to copy everything his big sister does so it was fun watching him collect seashells and try to hold them all in his tiny little hands!