.Before & After Blog Hop.

I did this last week and thought it was fun. Since I am short on time today, and cannot fully articulate a coherent post, I thought I would join in the blog hop again! I really enjoy looking at all of the other edits. This blog hop is hosted by Monica at Pixel Perfect. I found her blog a few months ago, and I have so enjoyed reading her posts and "oohing and aahing" over her photography.

Post-processing is almost as intriguing to me as actual photography. I really love taking a photo and turning it into a work of art - or trying to anyway! I have enjoyed experimenting with textures since discovering them this summer. I still have so much to learn. Just when I think I am getting the hang of it, I discover something new to try. I think that is what I love the most. The ability and freedom to create and recreate, and how it just never ends and every artist is different.

This photo was taken along with these shots here. That was such a fun time with Cadi. I took her onto our front porch, just as the sunlight was perfect, and I told her to "do whatever you want". She was silly, and cute, and sweet. We giggled and played while I snapped. It was perfect. I captured the essence of Cadi. I captured the four year old sweet girl whom I want to remember forever, and I can and always will whenever I look at these photos. I am sure when I am old and gray I will still be able to hear her magical little girl giggle when I gaze on these images. It's one of my most favorite aspects of photography- a tangible memory to hold onto forever.

I was going for an artsy shot here. Cadi had no idea where my camera was aimed, and she was being silly and jiggling her whole body. The shot had too much movement in it when I pulled it up on my computer, and I was disappointed in it for a moment.


Then I saw it for what it could be. I saw the artistic beauty in the movement and softness in the photo. It just begged for textures and moodiness. I cannot remember all the steps I took to get from the before unedited shot to the post-processed one. I know I added a lot of warmness to the photo, and I also added at least three textures. Yup, I am that kind of girl! Ha! I tend to go overboard, but I ended up really liking the final outcome.



I like the mood and darkness of the edit. I also really like the vintage-y look - it added dimension, and it seemed to make the photo tell a better story.

I currently use Photoshop CS3 to edit my photos. I am a work-in-progress. {grin}