MsB Photography

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I automatically retouch each and every image per set before delivering the final products to my clients. I never release negatives; I did that once when I first started out and it just bit me so I don’t do that anymore. I still do wonder why some photographers charge extra — on top of their sitting fee — to retouch portraits and such when, IMO, I would want to hire a professional photographer because I want blemish-free professional pictures. That’s why it’s important to me, as a customer and a photographer, to retouch all my images without overly doing it; and, editing time is already included into my sitting fee. No extra charge.

I think it’s misunderstood exactly how much time I put into each image. The unedited image below has blemishes that includes dark circles and bags under her eyes, also her eyes are very dull; she’s got an uneven complexion, and the overall image needs more color contrasting and sharpening. This one photo alone took me almost 30 minutes to edit; I edited 28 images total for this set. No, it’s not because I’m slow in Photoshop, it’s because I try editing without making it too obvious what has been done to the subject. Sure, blur out the subject’s uneven complexion, but that just flattens the face. (What happened to her cheekbones and why is her nose so flat?!) Conclusively, I want it to still look like the person, not a store mannequin.

Guest Photographer: Derrick Bautista
|MsB| Portland Portrait Photographer

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BEFORE & AFTER

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I don’t know how to do this (below) because, at the end of the day,
I’m just a photographer, not a Photoshop guru aka miracle worker.

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Some photography tips when posing for photos.

My previous post mentions about head-on shots; DO NOT tilt your head back because all it’s doing is creating an unflattering angle for yourself. It gives you a double-chin even if you don’t already have one, a thicker neck, and all we get is nostril. Eww. Make that double eww, one for each nostril that I see! So, here’s my ultimate tip: lean towards the camera and keep your chin down. This especially goes for the guys since that’s what y’all tend to do.

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Here are some more tips to help you prepare for a session with MsB:

• - First of all, PLEASE EAT!!! You’ll need the energy, trust me. FYI, my crew and I just love to eat!
• - GET SOME REST! Photoshop-ing bags and dark circles under your eyes is murderous on my eyes.
• - Explore the different sides of you. If you smile and pose the same way, because you think that’s your best angle, then you’ll look exactly the same in every single shot. I guarantee a minimum of 25+ edited images, but it won’t help if they all look the same. We don’t want that. So, do not be overly concerned about how you look; have fun!
• - Dress to impress but, most importantly, DRESS COMFORTABLY. If you wear something that looks cute, but you cannot easily sit down in it then you’re not comfortable at all. You’ll be sucking in that gut the entire time and turn blue in the face from lack of oxygen to your head. haha! I know that sounded a bit harsh, but it’s so true!
• - Keep your make up simple, natural, make good use of bronzer but don’t go overboard yet don’t skimp either or you’ll just look washed out. Note: I saturate color tone in my images so too much makeup is overkill.
• - Have fun with your hair, make a list of various styles you can use with every outfit change. And, funky accessories are way cool, including colorful scarves, leg warmers, beanies, fur-trim hoodies, shoes, etc. Remember, it’s all about colors and textures. PLAY IT UP! MIX IT UP!
• - Bring an MP3 player and/or a friend to help get you to be yourself — or, just bring the whole cheerleading squad! If you don’t feel like yourself then it’ll show in photos. So, do whatever it takes to get yourself more comfortable.

Sure, it’s about the images; but, here’s a hint: It’s not always about the images. You work with certain people because you know they can produce the type of quality that you see in their portfolio/Website, but also remember that it’s about how you feel in the end. This goes back to Maya Angelou’s saying, “People will forget what you said … People will forget what you did … But, people will never forget how you made them feel.”

And, my #1 goal is to make you feel comfortable on your session with me. I like to goof off and have fun so that’s what you can expect from me and my second photographer, Derrick Bautista. He’s like the brother I never had, but just like blood siblings I can’t seem to get rid of him either. haha! Yeah, we’re both definitely weirdoes!

Image: “Shots w/Krisitina”

|MsB| Portland Portrait Photographer

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I was going through my hard-drive, just doing a little spring cleaning, when I came across so many candid pictures of friends and family. (I miss y’all!) Man, I’ve got tons of images and so many memories! Anyway, it’s hella late, but I’m properly archiving all these images in the event of a crash and burn. Important: Do back up your hard-drive, but also burn all your images on CDs or something like that. Or, whatever is your preference, just back ‘em all up or you risk losing what you cannot retrieve.

These are by no means in any order nor importance. (Yeah, that’s really lame to do!) Just random pix that I collected from other people’s digicams here and there. BTW, y’all like my fat-fat cheeks? They just won’t go away! *sigh*

|MsB| Portland Photographer

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