Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Black and White Wednesday - color conversion

the long road

This week on Black and White Wednesday, I thought I'd follow the leader and show you this photo's transformation from SOOC (straight out of camera) to the finished product.

i am a good girl - sooc

I was taking these shots with Hannah playing around inside an ottoman. When this was shot, she had laid back and found herself a little stuck, hence the "uh oh" face. Had to cover her up a little bit!

i am a good girl - color haze

I fixed the owie on her head, smoothed out some eye boogies, and sharpened her eyes a little bit. Then I spent a lot of time getting the crop just the way I wanted it. Might have spent more time on the crop than on the rest of the steps below! I bought the Florabella actions this week, and they are sure pretty and easy to use! I used a milky haze and a tint from the actions. This was my first time playing around with haze and tints. Seems like my best black and whites always come from getting the color just right first, and then doing the black and white conversion.

i am a good girl

I used one of the Florabella black and white actions for the conversion, and then adjusted the lighting to get the exposure and shadows just the way I wanted it. I flattened the black and white layer and the previous hazy color image. I placed the black and white image over the hazy color image, and then reduced the opacity until I got just the right amount of red to peek out from the flower on Hannah's head and a wee bit of warmth to peek out from her skin.


My birthday is coming up later this month, and Kevin is helping me treat myself for my birthday. I'm upgrading to a Canon 7D, decided to get my first taste of L glass with an 24-70mm f/2.8L, and a speedlight. Decided that I'd rather have camera equipment right now then a newer car! I'm really excited about having video on the 7D. My old Canon point and shoot takes great video but sucks down batteries, and I am not going to carry around two cameras at the same time.

I'm going to be selling one lovingly used Canon EOS Rebel XSi body, an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, battery grip, an extra battery, and a few photography books. Haven't finalized a price yet... but I'm watching eBay auctions to help figure out what the going rate is right now. Leave me your e-mail in the comments section if you are interested.

16 comments:

  1. OH, poo....I just bought a new camera. I am so excited to begin to take better photos of my beauties. What is a photobook? Your precious one is growing so fast. She was SUCH a baby when you brought her home. I can't believe how time flies

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  2. You've done some really amazing things with the tools available to you! You have a great subject and that helps!

    Darling picture to start with and now an even more amazing one.

    Happy birthday to you and enjoy all your new goodies!

    Blessings~
    Lisa

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  3. Shelly, What do you mean by a "photobook?"

    Haven't chatted with you in a looooong time. Going to your blog to check out your babies right now! :)

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  4. So cute! I love that red flower and her eyes just sparkle!

    Donna
    Our Blog: Double Happiness!

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  5. Fantastic conversion!!!
    Amazing shot!

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  6. She is a beauty..not even a need for all the corrections..my oh my..LOVELY..the pics and that cutie:)

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  7. Wow! Thanks for the lesson! These shots are just great...I am learning so much!

    Your daughter is just adorable.

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  8. So beautiful!! This is a fantastic conversion and I whole heartedly agree with you. If you get the color version looking great, it is so easy to change to black and white:)

    How exciting about your new camera!! Good luck selling your rebel....I am sure you will get rid of it quickly!

    Lisa

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  9. Oh Sarah! Leave in those owwies... it's part of childhood! :-)

    Seriously, I'll second everyone else... no corrections necessary. With a beautiful subject like that, the original is stunning!

    Then again, if I had photo editing knowledge, i probably couldn't resist tinkering, either.

    L-glass, huh? When Jess shot us in India, she spoke of it. I don't dare look it up for fear that I'll lack contentment with my current set-up! But, I know what you mean about loving camera gear over a car! Lasting value is greater, isn't it?

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  10. Absolutely stunning image. Thank you for sharing how you processed it. I love Florabella actions and use them frequently.

    And congrats on the camera upgrade. :)

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  11. These looks GREAT! She's always pure joy to see in every photo you share! Love the flower in her hair too...frames her sweetness all the more!

    Thank you for walking us through the steps ~ I'm learning...slow going...but every scrap helps!

    Happy birthday to you!! Wishing a glorious day(and year) ahead for you!

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  12. Great! Beautiful photos and editing! Beautiful daughter:)

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  13. I am interested in seeing your price. Then I will decide how to spend my tax refund:-)

    jennteach2000@yahoo.com

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  14. These are wonderful! I love them! She is a beautiful little girl!

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  15. Such a cute photo!! I really like the crop and b/w post-processing. And congrats on the soon-to-be camera and lens combo. Woo hoo!!

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