HELLO Blogging Buddies!
Jeff and I needed a formal head shot picture so I took this in my 'home studio'. Well, actually, I used our office and set up my one studio light (that I still don't know how to use), and my speedlight, put my camera on a tripod and used the timer. And 'tadaa'!, this is what I came up with.
I just realized, I don't think I've ever posted a picture of myself, (except the little avatar pix taken several years ago), so I'm sure you must be thinking, "Boy I didn't realize how old and wrinkled she is!" HaHa. Kind of like when you listen to a radio personality for a long time, and then you finally see a picture and you are shocked because the person doesn't look anything like what you had imagined!
Another semi-related idea. Remember a few years ago, (before any of us knew about Photoshop or 'retouching'), when you were in the check out stand at the grocery store and you'd look at all the older super stars on the magazine covers and think, 'Wow, they look amazing for their age!' Now we know better, which leads me to the above photo. I can't tell you how hard it was for me to leave this untouched. With just a few clicks I could remove those wrinkles, zap blemishes, lift my eyelids, take away my chicken neck, lose 10 pounds, add a 'glamor' glow. I do some touch up routinely on every portrait I do, but here I did nothing. This truly is SOOTC, so if we were to meet on the street for the first time, this is what you'd get, assuming I had makeup on and my hair combed! I'm really loving the soft light of my first studio light with umbrella attached!
So the title of this Phun Phriday is that a picture is not always what it seems including the above one, although in a different way than I just talked about. A long time ago on a 'Tech Talk Tuesday' I said that any manipulation you do to your photographs would be your artistic interpretation and acceptable, unless the purpose of the photograph is photojournalism or reality. For example, if you were taking a picture of a beautiful hotel next to the beach to be used to entice tourists to vacation there, I personally think it would be deceiving to leave out the garbage dump and sewage plant blocking the view of the ocean.
Well, the photo above is not exactly what it seems. Looks like we dressed up for the picture, or were on our way to a special event. Look at the REAL shot for my PHUN PHRIDAY picture of the day!
Happy Weekend Everyone!
