It’s not too early!
I just had a set of 4×3 magnets printed to hand out to pooch lovers in Manhattan. Is this a little too forward? Well, times are getting tough so it’s time to expand the geography.
Here’s a sample of the magnet card:
Now is the time to start thinking about your holiday 2008 cards. Get those pet Christmas cards out early to have the best choice.
Here are some ideas to get you started. Remember, custom photography opens the door to all kinds of creative layouts, colors, image combinations and any other creative idea you can imagine.
The King Charles spaniel in these photos didn’t stop barking for a straight hour. But the card worked out great just the same.
For more ideas on Pet Photo Shoots in New York City, please visit my pets web sites which features mostly dog photography. I am Koren Reyes and this is one of my web brands: PetsinPhotos
Follow these few rules and you’ll end up with some treasured pet photos you’ll enjoy for decades.
Make sure your little pooch is super-clean to get a glossy coat and hair or fur that doesn’t clump.
The number one rule is to work with a dog that has been well-exercised, especially if the dog is young and rambunctious. 
Meet the love of my life!
We’re launching!
Before and after
Mouse over the images to see the before and after effects
This was a great image to begin with, but the black and white conversion really makes it spectacular. Note the effect of the vignetting (darkening) in the corners.
Ok, so what’s the big deal? It’s just another black and white conversion. But it’s not. Note how the detail comes out in the shadowy lower part of the image. Mouse over the two below to learn more.
Need a little uplift? Want to change your shirt color? Eyes need a little brightening? It’s all possible. Look your best. Film will never give this to you.
There’s nothing really wrong with the original image, but the finished image has some proprietary color adjustments (black becomes blue, some desaturation, etc.) and I’ve added some grain to give the background some texture.
She looks great, right? Well, she looked great in the original image, but why not do a little body sculpting to enhance the work of art? Notice the shape changes in her feet, shins, rib cage and behind.
Need I say more? Photoshop is an incredible tool in the hands of the right artist. This is magazine-quality retouching, which I know isn’t for everybody, but isn’t it nice to know you have the option to look as glamorous as any cover girl?
Blue channel
Red channel
Green channel
Lab color
Grayscale
Speaking of black and white, there are many ways to convert an image. Most of them are really ugly. To make a great black and white print, I take a look at three different ways, and then combine some red and a little blue channel to get the best darks and the most forgiving lights.
The finished photo. Note that my black and whites are rarely cold. My taste is to always make them just a little warm.
I chose to switch from film to digital for two reasons, a) because I saw that the technology gave photographers the ability to produce an image with the personality and characteristics of film, and b) the physical prints are now rated to last just as long.
Some photographers say that people switch to digital to save money. This couldn’t be farther from reality. And the photographers who say this are either a) afraid of new technology, or b) unable to afford the enormous costs.
The very sad truth is that great digital photography costs a fortune.
Not only do you need to spend a lot on cameras, but you spend a fortune on all the peripherals.
You need to transfer digital images from the camera to a big, fast computer that only lasts two years. You need to store images in multiple redundancy because of high probabilties of failure. You need to buy software to work on images. And lastly, you need to take lots of classes to keep up with the constantly changing things the new software can do.
All of these components cost money and all of them have very short life spans.
Can you get the same quality digital print versus a silver print?
The short answer is it depends.
A film purist will make a print directly from a negative. There’s no “quality” debate; you get a great quality print that lasts a long time when you print like this, especially if you’re an expert at burning and dodging and you rinse forever.
However, today’s “film” photographers are often scanning their negatives. This effectively throws them back to par with the digital photographers because all of a sudden, the “quality” now depends on what equipment they’re using and how good they are at using it.
The reason I say “it depends” is because what we’re able to do with digital technology allows us to mimic the characteristics we love in film. Photoshop gives us the ability to impart a particular film’s personality into a digital image and high quality pigmented ink jet inks combined with acid-free papers are rated to last hundreds of years.
Second, today’s digital world has introduced infinite creative opportunities for artists. When you take a great digital picture, you’ve just begun the creative process with zero boundaries limiting what you can create in terms of color, texture, mood, emotion and look and feel.
If creativity is important to you and you have a creative photographer, this should open a number of really exciting opportunities.
But what about the print quality?
This is a really important question.
I don’t create any ink jet prints for clients; I send everything to a professional photography lab that has been tested and vetted by me to meet reputation-dependent client expectations.
I deal with some of the most demanding clients out there; clients with lots of expertise (magazines), clients with lots of contacts (wealthy New Yorkers) and clients who know photographic quality (fine artists themselves).
Hi all,
It’s back! We had such a great time last year that we’re doing it again.
Join us for four great days of Vermont fall foliage. We’ll hike, eat, learn, laugh and kick a bunch of leaves around in one of Vermont’s most charming villages.
This photography workshop is suitable for all levels. Bring a point and shoot or bring a medium format camera. We’ll shoot early, hike mid-day and shoot late.
If you like the outdoors, this Vermont photo workshop is for you.
Please join us!
Cost: $995
For more information, please visit:
Vermont Fall Foliage Photo Workshop
I create sensuous landscapes, but what I really specialize in is Pregnancy and Maternity portraits.
To view some work, click here to see the pregnant photos.
I took a flyer with my buddy Susannah out to the ‘Gunks. We met up with an avid hiking group who thinks nothing of going all out all day. I bonked with ninety minutes left to walk and almost cried the last steps down to the lodge.
Some of the best hiking around is only ninety minutes north of New York City at the New Paltz exit. We headed right for the Mohonk Preserve and, after checking in, were on the trail with 28 other, mostly very fit, very retired hikers, at 10am.
We straggled in at 5pm on the dot; a time I’m quite sure of because they very kindly let me into the lodge to use the ladies room even though the door was locked.
We then met up with the gang at the Brauhaus where the Teutonic-looking waitresses even braid the blond hair. The Spaten Oktoberfest hit the spot. I was starving and exhausted and so glad to be sitting down.
Spring is here - finally. I think the gloves are put away for good, even though it’s raining and 50 degrees today.
