Photoshop Tutorials & Inspiration for Beginners
How To’s, Inspiration, and Resources for Aspiring Photographers, Designers, Content Creators, and Crafters
Is this young lady a beauty, or what? And while we're at it.... where are all these lil' darlings getting such gorgeous skin? Curious minds want to know! What's your secret gals? :)
I love this purple dress.... you wear it well McKenzie!
Cover material!
Holla!!!!! Two cheers for yellow umbrellas!
Another fave!
McKenzie, not only are you darling (and your mom Jill is a riot!), but you're also incredible patient. Thanks for understanding! Enjoy!
My friend and under-water shooting guru Brooke Mayo has a new book available called "Diving Doggies: A Celebration of Play Underwater." Cool stuff! I've known Brooke for a few years now and love her work, especially her underwater imagery. Having attempted to shoot underwater myself, I can fully appreciate the enormous amount of set-up, effort and expense involved with capturing such playful and imaginative images (all while wearing a weight belt and trying not to get water up your nose-- Ha!). Impressive to say the least!
I've created this book in both InDesign (for myself) and... under duress.... in Photoshop (by request for other photogs who are self-proclaimed InDesign virgins and wanted my designs in Photoshop format). I'm just happy I lived to tell the tale! :) I can't stress enough the importance of learning how to use InDesign in conjunction with Photoshop. They are two fabulous programs... each with their own specific purpose. There is a reason they both exist. Neither one fares well on its own.... but together? They're best friends. A truly dynamic duo!
Here are the links for the resource files I created especially for the AsukaBook "Ask the Expert" webinar series. I hope you find them helpful! (I'm quite fond of the pdf.... so if you like it, I'd love to hear about it!) Enjoy!
For the curious souls who want to see my Alphabet Book design in its entirety, it's here!
Beautiful. Elegant. Sophisticated. Bob + Kim's wedding was all of those things, and more!
If J Crew was a woman who had a wedding, this would've been it! Kim's *beautiful* dress was from the J Crew Bridal Line. As were the shoes...
I *LOVE* this!
and even the socks! :)
Once everyone was ready, it was off to the ceremony site! The event was held at Wilderness Ridge in Lincoln. This lovely image is courtesy of Emir!
Classic!
Kim was *the* epitome of beauty..... her eyes redefined 'sparkling.'
L.O.V.E.
This cracks me up. I'm still not sure what it was he thought he had on the bottom of his shoe.... but I love this image. :)
Quick! Grab a seat, don't be late! (image courtesy of Emir!)
Emir captured this image of Kim and her dad making their grand entrance....
These two are best friends. Truly. Best. Friends. It shows.
I think I laughed out loud with the officiant said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife" and before you could blink, Kim shouted, "Yay!" and jumped to Bob for their first kiss. Too cute!
Bob's post-ceremony happy dance
Is it just me or should these lovely people all be on the cover of something special? Or perhaps a movie poster? A romantic-comedy, of course!
Here the ladies are indulging my silly request. Aren't they darling? I love it!
Boys being boys....
Of course, it came as no surprise that the reception was also stunning....
Bob and Kim danced to "La Vie en Rose." This is another Emir jewel!
Let the craziness begin!
Here's a couple of the guys doing their best impression of the 'Call on Me' music video. If you haven't seen it.... go now! (errr... after you finish enjoying the eye candy in this post... ;)
So much fun! I just love you guys! Thank you for including Emir and I in your wedding celebration..... we wish you much love, health and happiness!
There was some serious ShootShack fun to be had with Bob & Kim's party crew.... Shoot-tastic!
Yes.... Kim even manages to somehow make coke-bottle glasses look good. She's *that* beautiful!
Yep, those were real! Courtesy of the friendly officer on duty....
The fine folks over at AsukaBook invited me to host one of their new FREE "Ask the Expert" series of webinars. (Color me flattered!) Join us September 22nd (this Tuesday!) as I introduce you to InDesign: Photoshop's Best Friend. I'll be showing you how to set-up, create and export an InDesign document into Asuka ready files. Whaaa? You didn't know you could do that, did you? :) You bet you can. And I'm going to show you how!
Click here for start times and to sign up!
I just adore this couple. Yes, just simply adore them. They are fun, funky and so wonderfully easy going! Here's a sneak peek at Tara's dress... I was *lovin'* the rhinestone broach in the middle! Isn't that fab???
Her hands waited patiently in her lap while she got her make-up done.... I love how although she was quite calm and super chill all morning long, you can see the anticipation in her hands.....
Chris sent over a gift for Tara along with a card that made her laugh.... (recalling some funny business from the night before.... I'll just leave it at that. If you want to know the whole story, you'll have to ask them!)
These are the same red shoes Tara wore for their engagement shoot last year. (Albeit a newer, scuff-free pair.) When she told me she was going to wear red shoes, I knew I was in for a treat! :)
Don't you love the on-lookers above in the balcony? Ha ha ha! :)
Chris was sporting Husker argyle socks.... which he gifted to his groomsmen as well..... (coming up down below!)
Tara's super fab dress was nothing short of gorgeous..... she wore it like no one else could! I love this shot of the back....
She is just *so* gorgeous! Look at those eyes!
I just love this one....
I love the mix of rhinestones, feathers, and beads in her bouquet!
Wind has a knack for popping up at opportune moments sometimes! How cute is *this*?
I love the next two images for different reasons.... and couldn't decide between them.... so I broke down and am including both. :)
Chris didn't ask for much. He was a good sport all day, going along with pretty much anything I asked. The *one thing* he did make a point to let me know, was that he wanted a shot of him and the guys with their argyle socks. The only catch was, we had to somehow include Memorial Stadium. With the reception right across the street at Champions Club, it was a piece-o-cake. You got it Chris! :)
More husker fun....
Yes! Love this!
And here's a cherry on top! :)
On to the party! (Look at that beautiful (and delicious!) cake!)
Several different tables featured vintage portraits from Chris & Tara's extended family members. I love this tradition that seems to be popping up more and more. It's always fun to think that someday, when Chris & Tara are grandparents (or great-grandparents!) one of their images might end up at a wedding reception for their grandson/daughter somewhere. How would they ever choose which one??????? :)
Here's one of Chris's dad (I'm fairly certain). Aren't those tuxedos rad? How fun it would be to show up at a wedding and see the guys dressed like that!
I love Tara's expressive face...
Hooray for the feather in the hair!!!
I can't believe your day was finally here! It seems like forEVER ago that I first got to work with you for engagement photos... and now the two of you are a new family, making history today! I'm so thrilled to have been entrusted with capturing your day.... and hope you cherish these images for years and years to come!!!! xoxoxoxo
After shooting Christina & Jason's Destination Wedding in Denver, Emir and I hopped over to Santa Fe to explore for a couple of days. Neither of us had been there before and I've always been curious about the city known for it's art and culture.... so why not? We booked our hotel online (Hotel St. Francis) without too much thought and were thrilled with our choice. We were on the 3rd floor, this was the staircase....
This was our room! (Love the white, fluffy bed!)
The next day we were thrilled to meet up with Peachpit's famed author, Robin Williams and her partner-in-crime, John.We rendezvoused at the well-known dining establishment, Harry's Roadhouse on Old Las Vegas Hwy. Too cool!
Collectively, Robin & John have been in the Santa Fe area for 40+ years... so they had all kinds of suggestions about where we should go and what we should do. One of the things they mentioned was making a trip south of Santa Fe to Madrid (pronounced Mahhhhh-drid) with a quick stop at Cerillos to visit the petting zoo and this curious little shop.... I shot Emir, and he shot the image on the right.
They sold all kinds of interesting things, including old checks from the 1800's....
$5 'Rock Concerts'
and porcupine quills, because you *never* know when you might need some of those!
We continued on to Madrid where we found even more color, yummy, and curious things!
Along the way, we found heaven!
Headed back north back to Santa Fe, I was struck at the scenery. I *love* this image.
When we got back to the hotel, we discovered this little treasure and Emir shot this image. You can't help but smile when you look at this, right?
Wandering around on a quest for yet *more* caloric intake.... we landed at Luminaria. It was as delicious as it was beautiful!
In Santa Fe, even the bathrooms are photo worthy!
Our hotel was so bright and airy, the elevator was no exception!
On our way home soon to continue the wedding photo fun with Tara + Chris & Kim + Bob!
As Gretchen (sister-of-the-bride & Matron of Honor) said during her dinner toast to the charming couple, it's not everyday that a girl from Ohio meets a boy from Nebraska (while in Georgia) and then marries him in Colorado! :) But with Christina and Jason, it somehow makes perfect sense. Emir and I are thrilled they currently call Lincoln home, and we're even more ecstatic that we get to call them friends.
Christina + Jason leave for Greece this morning, so I wanted to post a few quick faves before they take flight. Here's at it you guys! :) Hopefully these are up and you can see them while you catch your connecting flight from Atlanta! :)
Christina is a gorgeous gal.... I love the way this image captures her pretty self!
There were 17 (or so) states represented (thus the destination wedding!). In this image, one of Christina's bestest girlfriends from all time (in from California) looks on as Christina's mom helps her into her dress.
Christina made all the flowers (hers and the bridesmaids!) herself in the morning. Incredible!
She couldn't have chosen more perfect earrings!
Time to head out and see what Jason is up to!
When Emir and I caught up with Jason, he was getting some last minute touch-up assistance from his brother Jared. :)
The wedding was held at the Lumber Baron Inn. They had about 120-ish guests and this site accommodated everyone comfortably (plus, it was gorgeous... as you'll see in these photos!). The delicious catering was none other than Purple Avocado.
There's the gorgeous bouquet Christina made!
This lovely hair flower was made by Lisa Keely (an upcoming KaBloom bride!). You can get in touch with her and see more of her work on her blog. Good stuff!
This gem is from Emir's cam!
Time for some vintage yumminess!
I *love* the look of old Hollywood.... Christina and Jason make it look so good!
As guests started arriving, they were greeted by this adorable carved sign that Jason's dad made for them. How cute!
Christina and the ladies....
Jason and the guys.... complete with their Chaco sandals! (Jason is a hardcore outdoor adventure enthusiast... so naturally, this was the way to go!) This is another gem from Emir's cam....
I *love* this image from the ceremony!
The three flower girls were excited to celebrate afterwards!
You might recognize James + Rena cutting it up on the dance floor!
The girls surprised Jason with an impromptu performance request.....
Just sitting around... looking *totally* natural! ;)
Love, love love! xoxo to both of you!!!!!!!!
The ShootShack was on special order for Christina + Jason... good times! Here's Paul & Steph workin' the camera...
Sister Gretchen...
Brother Jared
More James & Rena....
Yours truly (thanks for snapping this pic Paul!)
Fitness extraordinaire and P-90X guru... here's Christina showing exactly how to 'bring it.' (Check out those biceps!)
Khara Plicanic. Instructor, Photographer, Designer, Advocate. Here you'll find tools, inspiration, and empowerment to help you on your own creative journey.
