Paint the Moon's "Let's Do 52" Project

Last year I planned to participate in a photography project, mostly to encourage me to "think outside the box" a little to come up with some creative ideas for my photography passion.  My original thought was to participate in "Project 365" which requires a picture every day.

Well, that was a rather lofty expectation of myself.  Although a camera is ALWAYS out and practically within arms' reach of me at all times, the time required to take, upload, process (if needed) and post a new picture every day was a little unnerving.

So this year, I'm going to TRY to do Paint the Moon's "Let's Do 52" project.  One picture every week.  52 weeks.  My year in 52 pictures.

Every week, the fine folks at Paint the Moon Photography will give two prompts or ideas to get the creative juices flowing.  The ideas are usually pretty open to interpretation.  For example, this week the themes are "sharing" and "natural".  These words can mean so many different things to different people.  Take a look at the flickr group on PTM's facebook page and see all the many interpretations!  Creativity at its best!!

But wait...The best part is...I would love for YOU to participate too!  This isn't for professional photographers or people with fancy cameras. The purpose of the project is to encourage your creativity, and most of all...to get you practicing with your camera!  

So wanna join me?  I know you do!  Get out your camera...whether it's your DSLR, point-and-shoot, or even just your phone's camera and start clicking!  All skill levels of photography and editting are accepted, so don't let that stop you.  Get to know a little bit about your camera and practice, practice, practice!!

And wanna hear something REALLY fun?   My 8-year old daughter is going to do a project with me as a fun way for me to teach her a little bit about photography.  Paint the Moon has a special "Let's Do 52" project just for kids, run by kids!!!  This project is run by a 6-year old little lady named Annie.  Open to kids of all ages, it has weekly themes chosen by kids, a special flickr group moderated by kids, and even special tutorials and education specifically for kids.  You can find details here.  This week's theme is "metal" or "pets".

 If you want to join us,  Just "like" Paint the Moon Photography on Facebook, or go to their blog for more details. This will be a fun project for school, and I can imagine it would be fun for a church group, scouts group, or other organization to participate in and learn a little about photography too!   I'll be posting some of our photos to the flickr group, and some will make it to my blog, so check back as we work on this project!

Fix It Friday #125

It's finally Friday and I have a little time to play!!!

That means a little "Fix It Friday" time with I Heart Faces!

This week's picture is courtesy of Angie Arthur Photography.  Hey local peeps, did you know Angie is from Northeast Ohio?

Could these kids be any cuter?  This looks like a scene on any front porch in Small Town, USA.  Kids laughing, joking, telling stories.  These kids look so engaged and excited!!

I don't like to pick apart other people's work.  Angie is a great photographer, and I bet it's hard for her to find a picture from her collection for Fix It Friday :)  But a couple things that stood out to me with this particular picture...The exposure on this picture is off just a bit- it's a little dark.  And it's got a little of that "digital haze" making the picture look a little "muddy" in general.  These are common problems with lots of pictures.  And they are pretty easy to fix!

So, time for a little editing magic.

I used CS5 to edit this picture.  I have a lot of free actions, and used a few to turn this picture from drab to fab in under 2 minutes.  I started out with a little curve adjustment to lighten and brighten this picture.  Then I ran an action called "Pretty Hazy" to add that nostalgic warm glow.  I also cropped it just a little.  I didn't have a great reason to crop it, but I just liked having the kids a little more on center and filling up the picture.  I guess it was personal preference.  I sharpened for web...and Voila! Picture Perfect!!

The Before and After...

Another great capture from Angie, and another fun edit for Fix It Friday!!  Visit the I Heart Faces community for more edits and other photography related tips, tricks, and conversation!!

Wade Family Session

Christmas Photo Sessions are now happening at my home studio!  So excited to photograph the Wade Family this week.  Jordan and Misha are friends of our family, so I was excited to put them in front of the viewfinder for some holiday card pictures!!

The one-and-a-half year old little one was less than thrilled to be in front of the camera.  She was a little challenging, but that's what that age is all about...exploring their environment and playing!  

This family shot was a team effort...MJ (little one) would run around the chair and hide.  I played hide-and-seek with her.  When I was close to discovering her, she would run over to her daddy's lap and fall into place, at which time my 8-year-old daughter/assistant would snap the picture with the remote trigger.  She's not exactly looking at the camera in this picture, but I think it really hints at her cute and curious personality!

Don't you love this painted wood panel background?  I think I could use it for holiday pictures, as well as birthdays and even Valentine's day!  Very fun and whimsical!!

And this not-so-little girl...she's growing up right before our eyes!  I love the tones in this edit, so I had to share it.    

More holiday sessions are coming up.  Families, friends, and maybe even my own crazy herd.  Yes, you read that right...I just might get in front of the lens this year for this year's Christmas card.  Stay tuned!!

Teaser for Kelli and Bryan

Fall photo session with Kelli, Bryan and Nico...

This session ended up being "twilight" pictures- the sun set so much sooner since daylight savings time ended, that it was dark by the end of the session.

But not to fear.  Photoshop is a wonder tool!!  I was able to brighten and warm up the picture, and the final picture turned out nice.  Quite a dramatic difference between the before (left) and the after (right)!

Announcing Holiday Mini-Sessions

For the first time, I will be offering Holiday Mini-Sessions!  I have gotten a lot of requests for these, so hopefully  it will work out for everyone.  I just ordered some new fantastic backgrounds that will really provide a beautiful "canvas" for many different types of holiday portraits- couples, families, newborns, kids, teens, even pets!!

I will have two options to choose from- a print or digital session.  Both session types include a single family photo shoot, typically lasting 30-45 minutes, resulting in up to 20 images that are print ready.

The PRINT SESSION ($50) includes an online photo gallery for proofing your images and the ability to order individual prints at my best sale prices of the year AND an additional 10% off!

The DIGITAL SESSION ($50)  includes a high-res CD of your images and a photographer's release allowing you to design and print your own photo cards from a photo service of your choice.  **Please note, digital session does NOT include photographic release to print ANYTHING OTHER THAN cards.   If you need prints for anything other than Holiday Cards, please choose a PRINT SESSION.

Please call me with any questions you might have regarding either type of session.  I am looking forward to capturing some beautiful holiday smiles of you and your loved ones!

Jennifer Norch Photography...330-412-3844.

Fix It Friday #116

Time for Fix It Friday at the I Heart Faces community!

Great photo today from Liz Labianca.  The little girl's eyes draw you in.  However, as you can see in the original, it needs just a little work to make it print-ready!

I began by cloning out the seams in the concrete so they won't distract from this lovely little lady!

Ran "boost" from Pioneer Woman's Action Set

Sharpened eyes using MCP Actions "Eye Doctor"

And used Watermelon Blues action from My Four Hens Photography.  I've never used this action before, but it worked great on this photo!!

A little crop and rotation to my liking- Now her eyes and her hands hit along the "rule of thirds" lines.  For some reason, I liked this picture better vertical than horizontal. A little tilt adds some visual interest.  The crop and tilt meant my canvas was a little bigger than my image, so I had to clone and stamp the corners a little bit.

And I'm finally...DONE!

This edit is not my "usual" style...I tend to stay pretty true to original tones and colors. That being said, I really like the way this picture turned out, and may have to experiment a little more with this style of editting.

I love Fix It Fridays, and think you should love it too!!  Come to the I Heart Faces community and see other great edits and maybe even enter your own!

"Summer's Coming...Short-Shorts" Sale!

The sale of the summer season is starting early!  Book your summer outdoor session in April for any date in May, June, or July and get prints that cost only as much as the shortest side of the print!

3x5's...$3.00
4x6's...$4.00
5x7's...$5.00
8x10's...$8.00

The first 5 people who book a session and use the code "short-shorts" will get an additional 5% off their order.

Book now before all sessions are filled!