{Why you should go to Starbucks©}

Hello friends :) So, summer is officially here, and 90 degree weather is the new norm! Rainbows are the official style, and shorts and sleeveless shirts are the clothes of choice. To start off this season, I just wanted to start off by saying a few words on my "conviction" of staying cool. Yes you heard right. I have a personal conviction that I must stay cool at all times or whenever possible. As you can tell by the title, that would include going to Starbucks©. Here are a few of my "Top Reasons" you should end every photoshoot with a stop at Starbucks©…

1. It's only like the best coffee place around!
2. They have free wi-fi. When you are editing photos and HAVE TO POST SOMETHING NOW, they got you covered.
3. Their iced passion fruit tea is TO DIE FOR!!! No really…
4.  Are you on their rewards program? Green members get free refills on tea and coffee. (This perk is especially helpful for when you are having a busy day and personally choose to drink 8 cups of black coffee. This may or may not describe my regular day...
5. Have you ever just sat down in a plush chair, put on some headphones and listened to classical music while drinking an iced Americano? Mind blowing experience! You should try it sometime...
6. So, when you just finished a photoshoot in the middle of July and you are like "glowing", a nice cold coffee beverage helps keep those brain cells working at triple speed.
7. I like my coffee dark and strong. Starbucks© always has my back <3
8. If you are as cheap as me, you take as many freebies as you can get. That may or may not include the free iTunes song every week (no comment)
9. If you're lucky, you can get extra flavor no charge! Iced coffee with mocha and hazelnut, HERE I COME!
10. Last but not least, there's always somebody weirder than the photographer crying over a cute photo on her computer. Don't worry, you will fit in fine ;)

Until next time…

Clarissa W. (Just doing what I love)

(All of the above information is my personal preference. I am not receiving any royalty, money, or benefits for endorsing Starbucks© and their products.)

"Feature Photo Friday" - Contrast

Well, it's Friday and might I say it has already been one of those sleep in and drink some 6 cups of coffee kind of days. Anywho, I am starting a new series called "Feature Photo Friday". I have been getting lots of inquirers from buddying photographers who want to know, "Is post editing really professional?", "Does it matter what editing program I use?", "Do I over edit, or keep the photo as original as possible?". As I look back at my beginner years in photography, I remember searching hours, days, sometimes weeks trying to figure out what would make my photos better. But let me first say, Photography is a art, and the tools are your camera and lens, NOT a computer screen and editing software. Now I am here to help you understand that editing is not a crime, but as professionals, we must always strive to keep a professional presentation in the photos we take. Although post processing helps produce better photos, we must venture to capture our photos in camera as much as possible. Post editing is to fix "minor" flaws in our photos such as white balance, exposure, ect. I personally use Lightroom, which helps with minor editing such as color and exposure, nothing to fancy, which forces me to produce photos using mainly my camera. So, without further waiting, I would like to present...

~ "Feature Photo Friday" - Contrast ~

While preparing for this first presentation, I thought, "What makes a photo really pop?" and to me, I think its Contrast. As an avid nature photographer, I am always capturing flowers, grass, trees, really most anything to looks pretty outdoors (not really). Anyway, flowers and trees look real nice in real life, but sometimes it is hard to capture the rich colors in camera. I mean, come on it's just a machine. This is a good situation where post editing would be a good idea. So, let's get started...

At first glance you might say, "oh yah the right one looks better", or " the purple really stands out". Well you are correct on both accounts. When I took this photo, the flowers were in full bloom, and so naturally I wanted to take a photo. But there was one problem; It was a cloudy day. IT had rained all morning and afternoon, and finally when it stopped raining it was early evening and cloudy. Well, I really wanted that photo, so I tried as much as I could with my knowledge to get a great photo, but because of the lighting and overcast sky, it came out kind of "blah". So it this situation editing was pretty much my only option to get a better photo. But, it didn't take much to create a beautiful, colorful, bright photograph. Simple editis sometimes are the best way to go with these kind of photographs. Here is what I used...

WB: Temp 4857, Tint 0

Exposure: .25

Blacks: 5

Brightness: 50

Contrast 100

Clarity: 50

Vignetting: -20 black

As you can see, I used as much contrast as I could, and using the Clarity slider, I upped the clarity and edge recognition in the photo to make for a more clearer presentation. Very simple, yet very applicable settings that turned a "blah" photo into a "ah" photo.

I hope this has helped those of you wanting to know more about post editing and not sure what to do. As I said at the beginning, I currently use an HIGHLY recommend Adobe Lightroom. It helps with both organizing photos and minor editing.

Fell free to comment or ask questions in the comment box below.

I will hopefully be posting weekly with tips and tricks in post editing so make sure you check back.

Until next time...

     Clarissa - {Just an ordinary girl who lives photography}