“Music expresses feeling and thought, without language; it was below and before speech, and it is above and beyond all words.”

~Robert G. Ingersoll

“Start writing a new chapter, for if you live by the book, you’ll never make history.”

~ Ben Sobel

And finally, the last installment of Q&A……

Q: What is your favorite software when editing your images?

For post processing, I use Lightroom and Photoshop CS4.

Q: How do you post process your images?

I get this question ALOT!  I’ll start by saying that when I sit down to post process images, I almost never use the same recipe twice (unless I am editing a batch of images from a shoot – in which case, I try to give them all the same look and feel).  It all depends on my feelings and mood.

I’ll start with my camera – I shoot in RAW, and I like to slightly overexpose my images.  I use Lightroom to import and organize my images, and this is also where I make my first adjustments.  I crop and straighten in Lightroom and adjust exposure, saturation, and contrast.  I almost always decrease contrast because I prefer a soft, older  feel to my images, as opposed to a sharp, precise look and feel.

I finish editing in Photoshop.  Here is where my magic takes place (or so I like to think!).  Here is where I put my finishing touches – I like to adjust midtones, apply grain, use textures and filters – really anything that distresses my images and adjusts my tones.  Finally, I apply my watermark, which I don’t like to do, but with all of the unauthorized uses of my images, I feel that I have to.

I have been thinking about creating my own set of actions that captures my process.  Would that be something that you would be interested in?

Q: I’m inspired that you are a self taught photographer. Do you have any tips for someone just starting out?

My main advice would be to photograph, photograph, and just when you are tired, photograph some more.  Keep your camera with you at all times.  Invest in your craft, and by that, I don’t mean financially.  Invest time in learning your camera and lens, how to use it and what works best for you.  Invest time in learning your post editing tools.  Experiment with different mediums, film and digital.  Last year, I completed a photo-a-day challenge that really impacted my photography.  I wrote 15 tips for a daily photo project that may be of interest to you.

Finally, be true to yourself and it will appear in your work.

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I’ve enjoyed this Q&A time with you all!  I’ll be sure to do it again soon!

I have been away for a while, rejuvenating my creative spirit.  And how wonderful it was!  I needed time close my laptop and disconnect from my online world.  Sometimes, I get so overwhelmed by my Google Reader and social media outlets – does that happen to you?  It felt so good to take a step back.  Not to mention spend some quality time with my girls.

I have so much to share with you since I’ve been away – things that have inspired my creative spirit  and I’m sure that will do the same for you!  I also received my 2011 Calendars from the printer, and I have simply fallen in love with them – I’m sure you will too.  I’ll add them to the shop soon….

And so, “creative spirit” will be my theme for this week ♥

~James Bryce

I was born and raised in Southwest Louisiana, not far from the Gulf.  In fact, my parents and most of my family still live in there.  I attended college in New Orleans – the people, culture, and food are like no other place in the world.  Simply put, I am proud to call Louisiana home.

Louisiana has been through so much in recent years, and the recent oil spill is heartbreaking.  And seeing pictures of our beloved state bird, the brown pelican, covered in oil is unbearable.

So when I ran across Shannon’s recent post I was relieved to learn about Help the Gulf Coast – a shop dedicated to relief efforts for the Gulf Coast region.  Finally, there is something that I can directly contribute to!  There are a variety of sellers contributing to this cause – and I am proud to be one of them.  You can find my print above, “a time to reflect” listed in the shop.  100% of the proceeds are donated to charities helping with the Gulf Coast recovery effort.

Head over to the Help the Gulf Coast shop and pick up something for yourself and support a great cause at the same time.  And if you have your own etsy shop, consider donating an item!

~Author Unknown

I feel much more comfortable behind the camera than in front of the camera.

One of the challenges of being the photographer at family events is that I am rarely in pictures – this is something that I’m going to work on in 2010!

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my special holiday giveaway – drawing will be held on Saturday, December 12!