[Schellamo]

More shots of my son...you're probably sick of seeing him already
I want something which is worthy of going on the walls. I thought perhaps I could make a collage with these or something. Please tell me what you think...
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


I had to fix his face in photoshop, because his cheeks were bright red (teething) and the wall reflected yellow light onto his face. Thanks for looking

[Petographer]

Nice poses and great shots. The only thing I might have a problem with is the light on the background on a couple shots, they seem a little over exposed and washed out and the first image where he's holding a munchie is a bit of a distraction.

[Irma]

I think Colin has given very good points in his comment...

I like #3, and it is also a picture that doesn't need too much post processing... The only little problem I can see with this picture is the shadow in his face... but probably you could repair it....

Your baby is beautiful and I specially like the red in his cheeks

[Don Schaeffer]

Very touching series. I love the pale pastel colors. Its a shame the shots weren't framed the same so they would appear as a consistent series like motion pictures.

--Don

[Schellamo]

Thanks for the CC guys. Peto- unfortunately, the munchie bribe was the only way to get him to hold still long enough for me to capture him hehehe. It is a pity its so obvious in the first though.
Irma, he's a rosy cheeked boy just like his mama. Its been really bad with his teething- here's the unedited shot

He was a bit yellow because of the reflected light too

Don, I should try framing them the same next time. For this series I was trying to get a few different poses because he was behaving so well for me. I think 2 & 3 and 4 & 5 are sort of framed similarly. Perhaps I could arrange those ones together in a frame or something...

[Irma]

I think Don had a very nice idea... as you said the pairs would be nice...

You will have beautiful pictures, and full of stories to remember every time you see them...

[StudioJ]

What a cutie! I haven't had the chance to welcome you aboard yet so welcome! Something about these shots make me think they are painted, something with your film or processing?

My bub is teething at the moment too, quite a contrast with red cheeks and pale baby skin!

[slejhamer]

I agree with the comments above about the colors and the light on the background.

These are GREAT poses, Schellamo. He looks like he's having so much fun. Good work.

With the reflections being problematic and causing color shifts, you might consider converting these to B&W, with a little bit of dodging and burning where necessary, for example:

[shuttertalk]

Great shots! Your bub looks absolutely gorgeous, and must be having a blast!

I like the soft muted colours... but slej's monochrome version is awesome! Really adds character to the photo...

Kudos for the props and setup too!

[Schellamo]

ooo, Thanks Slej, that looks awesome!
What conversion method did you use to get this? Usually I use a photoshop action (robin purcells B&W) but because of the tones in this photo it looks crap. I've just been playing for awhile, and am very unsatisfied with my results.

I think I've worked out a way to get them all the same size...it'll take me awhile though.
Thanks for all your wonderful CC, its been most helpful! I'm so glad I found this forum, thanks everyone

[Irma]

Mitch, Your example with this picture is great! I like it very much. It looks very stylish, very delicate. Splendid work

[slejhamer]

Thanks. Glad you liked it.

Schell, forget about Robin Purcell's B&W. It's popular, but it's not very robust.

The absolute best B&W conversion methodology for Photoshop is Petteri Sulonen's, found by clicking HERE.

Take some time with it - it's worth the extra effort.

And he has a group of Photoshop actions for download at the end of the article. The one I used above is the Ilford PF4 emulation, which I like for skin tones. His Tri-X is also very good.

[Irma]

Very interesting site, Mitch. Many thanks

[Schellamo]

Phwoar, your the best Mitch!!!
Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Ppl I chat to on other forums always rave about Robin Purcells, but its just so lack lustre compared to the one you used! I'm so excited to start trying this one out

Plus my dodging and burning looked like my son had gotten to the photo with his crayons!
Thanks so much

[Schellamo]

I was a bit confuzzled by the whole channel mixing using layers thing...I still haven't worked it out, but the second part is easy enough even for ME to understand hehehe. Those actions didn't do much for me...I think they confused me more than anything else!

[slejhamer]

LOL, yes, he made it all seem a little more complex than it needs to be.

As I recall, in his actions package, there is a second set of actions that does NOT use the individual color layers - it makes one layer based on a general (but still good) channel mixer setting. For example, his Tri-X settings are Red 25%, Green 35%, Blue 40%. You may find (as I do) that this meets your needs most of the time, though you do give up a small amount of control.

So in a nutshell, here is how his (simplified) action works:

1. Creates a single layer with a monochrome channel mixer adjustment, with the channel mixer settings based on his interpretation of the films he is emulating (Tri-X, Ilford)
2. Creates a "tint" layer to emulate the film's characteristic tint
3 Makes a contrast layer using curves which you can modify to your liking, based on the image's contrast (e.g., if you start with a relatively low contrast image, you'll want to be more aggressive with this layer than if you start with a high-contrast image)
4. Adds a layer to emulate film grain.

_____________

Also, in his article, he references the Russell Brown film/filter method. Read that article too! It is almost as good and probably a bit easier to use.

_____________

I've got some modified versions of a bunch of B&W actions; I'll see if I can pretty them up and post them on the site.

[slejhamer]

dupe post - ignore me.