The blog of photographer Kim Ayres

On How to Turn a Crappy Photographer into an Artistic One on a Wet Weekend.

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Problem
. Rogan is away for the day, playing his trumpet in a school wind band rehearsal.
. Maggie is in Dumfries visiting her parents.
. Meg is bored and I can’t face playing another game of "Pop to the Shops"
. It is too wet and cold to go out anywhere.

Solution
. Place chair near the window to try to use some natural daylight, even if it is dull and grey.
. Find a large piece of cardboard to use as a neutral background.
. Take 48 photographs of daughter with digital camera, with and without glasses, hair tied back and hair loose.





Select the only photo where she is not either out of focus, mid blink, or pulling a dodgy face.



Crop photo and blur background



Copy the image and place a new layer over the top of the original, then desaturate the copy to make it black and white.



Now use the eraser to rub out the black and white layer over the eyes and the shirt to allow the blue to show through.



Voilà! Print it off on glossy photo paper and stick it on the kitchen wall where it will immediately impress anyone who calls in for a coffee


(Click for larger image)
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35 comments

Apex Zombie said...

Nice job :)

If you want to make it even artsier next time, use the rule of thirds. Automatically makes any photograph artsier :D

Casdok said...

Wow! Thats fab!!

Restaurant Gal said...

Really nice series of photos. Meg is getting prettier by the day. That hair!

Cycles Goff said...

Fab. I really like the one in the top right hand corner of the group of four too.

But my favourite of all is that blackberry picture from a while back. Your daughter is beautiful.

Unknown said...

Cute, cute, cute.

Kim Ayres said...

FLG - I'll keep that in mind

Casdok - thank you - it's all in the software

Restaurant Gal - Meg's hair has never been cut, so goes down to her thighs, although I think a trip to the hairdresser is on the books before her 10th birthday.

Gimme - Thank you :) There are few pictures cuter than a bramble smeared kid.

The top right one was blurred too when a bit bigger. The one I used really was the only useable one after 4 dozen clicks

C in DC - thank you :)

Dr Maroon said...

You have WAY too much time.
It's never too wet or cold to go out, having said that, it looks as if she liked you doing the Bailie routine.

karatemom said...

absolutely beautiful she is!!!!!!!!!! Bravo !

Jupiter's Girl said...

Meg is looking lovely. I wish I could get motivated to do something creative with my prints. Very cool the way you dickered with the same photo. I never use my software tools.

I tried to leave a comment on your previous post - about your 5 favorites - but the page just wouldn't open. Meanwhile, this one did, so I'll just leave it here. I thoroughly enjoyed those outtakes from Maggie's birthday video. Your kids are so adorable, and so are you with that tooth missing. I liked everything about it; the music, the way you spliced and edited the pieces together, Meg's mannerisms and patience. It was priceless.

I like your writing. The other pieces you chose to link to were just as worthy.

Anonymous said...

Oooh smashing! She's a beautiful child - I say child, with her hair down she looks a lot more grown up all of a sudden. How did that happen?

That blue thing you did is cool.

Mary Witzl said...

This really is amazing, Kim. What you can't show us, of course, is all the time and energy you've spent learning how to do this.

MikeP said...

Didn't you forget the step where you tell her to "say cheese"?

Tom said...

Some new tricks to play with. I use Photoshop weekly, but haven't got to the bottom of it yet. Can't think of a better way to spend a rainy day. Great pictures...

Pat said...

With Meg as a model you can't go wrong but it is impressive. She's such a sweetie.

Charlie said...

Absolutely beautiful, Kim. Meg, that is, not you. Except I really like your latest avatar--you look like the last guy that sold me an auto.

Archivalist said...

Nice pics. Maybe some day I'll actually figure out PhotoShop.

Brave Astronaut said...

The DaVinci of Scotland strikes again. Outstanding work my friend. Is there nothing you can't do well?

Archie said...

Very impressive.

Freakazojd said...

She's so beautiful! Nice photography work, too, Kim. I know you didn't want to use a blurry one, but I really loved the bottom left one in the first group, too.

Kim Ayres said...

Dr Maroon - Just say when and I'll take yours

Karate Mom - thank you

Jupiter's Girl - Very occasionally I take a photo I'm really proud of. Mostly I take photos where I need to chose the best one and play with it in Photoshop

Sam - she'll be 10 next month

Mary - that reminds me of when people ask my father how long it takes to do one of his paintings and he answers "60 years"

MikeP - none of the ones where I did were in focus

Tom - there's so much to photoshop I know even after several years I've barely scratched the surface.

Pat - a good model is worth her weight in gold, as you well know :)

Charlie - I can offer you discounts on TVs and a wide range of electrical goods too...

Archivalist - there are hundreds of free tutorials online, although the real thing is to just keep playing and experimenting

Brave Astronaut - dancing

Archie - thank you

Freakazojd - unfortunately there's a limit to what I can do with a blurred photo, but thank you

Jeff said...

Kim

The pictures are absolutely amazing. Meg is becoming such a little lady.

Peace

Kim Ayres said...

Thanks Jeff :)

Tara Marie said...

Sounds like an absolutely delightful way to spend the afternoon.

Meg is so beautiful.....I love that the two of you shared this fun artistic moment together!!!

Kanani said...

Nifty!!

Kim Ayres said...

Tara Marie - we bought Meg a wee digital camera for her birthday last year, which she has a lot of fun with too. Does Emma Sage have one?

Kanani - thank you :)

Unknown said...

Wow, very cool, although you had a geat subject. Now what could you do with an old curmudgen, like say for instance Kim Ayres.

Kim Ayres said...

I've done that before - have you forgotten this post?

Anonymous said...

Nice work, Kim. Could you post some photos showing the full length of Meg's hair

Dr Maroon said...

You'll take my what?
I'm not sure I like your tone.

Kim Ayres said...

T-Mac - thank you - do I know you?

Dr Maroon - wallet, car keys, and the lucky crystal you keep in your top pocket that you don't like anyone to know about

Sayre said...

I love pictures of Meg - she's such a lovely girl. Very cool effect - I should try that sometime!

I've been back a couple of times because she looks like someone in that first picture and I couldn't figure it out until just now - she looks like Joan Cusak (an American actress).

Anonymous said...

No Kim, you probably wouldn't know me, as I'm an Aussie.

Kim Ayres said...

Sayre - I'll look up the actress :)

T-Mac - welcome to my ramblings then :) Do you have a blog of your own?

Anonymous said...

I tried putting ramblings on Blogspot a while back, but I was terrible at it.

Kim Ayres said...

You get better with practice - let me know if you start one up again

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