technically it still is Friday and Artis Studio complete the week....

Firstly apologies for this being so late in the day, secondly apologies if there are typos, for a Friday evening I am surprisingly tired and am struggling to focus on either the screen or the keyboard right now! Personally I blame the two I am interviewing here anyway - they forced me to come to Kat's wonderful birthday party and now I am left in this state with their interview to post....sorry ladies!

Anyway, here they are - double trouble for a Friday- Kat and Hannah from Artis Studio's in Ascot......

Name: Hannah Gamble and Kat Toft

Business: Artis Studio

Links: | Website | Blog | Facebook |

How long has Artis Stuido’s been going and can you tell us a little bit about how it was formed?

Artis studios has been going since April 2006 but officially and completely owned by us since September 2006. The concept of Artis happened about 4 years ago when Kat was asked by a photographer for help at his studio. She implemented some drastic systems to help get the studio back on it’s feet which included getting myself in to help with photoshop workflows and rebranding. After about 6 months the studio owners decided they wanted to retire (ill health sped this process along) so Kat and I took over the studio.

What do each of you (as individuals) bring to the business that you think makes it the success that it is?

HANNAH: We have finally got to the stage where we have clearly defined our strengths within the business and feeling comfortable in those roles. Initially we both tried to do everything and it did not end well :) Kat is fantastic as the organiser and office manager. She (crazily) loves databases and order so will take care of the day to day running of the business and the majority of customer enquiries. She is also a fantastic sales woman and does all the viewing sessions for our portraits as she can work out what customers are looking for, how to fit products to their budget and knows the products off by heart. I take care of the majority of the post production (photoshop) at the studio and a lot of the marketing. I do all of the portrait shoots, image editing and enhancing, and all the design work. I also get lumped with the technical problems when they go wrong! We complement each other very well and are both happy with how we spread the workload and responsibilities of the company.

KAT: I think we compliment each other really well. We both have the same vision of where we want the company to go, so making decisions is usually pretty easy. I have a business head, so I run the office, know whats happening with every client and sort out things like pricing. Hannah is the creative that designs the material and has developed our style of images. We trust each other completely which was hard at first, as we both wanted to be able to do everything, but now that we have found our skills we are comfortable giving up certains areas completely to the other person

You specialize in portraits and weddings. Do you have a favorite and why?

KAT: We have realised that we do have favourites, so going forward I am going to specialise in weddings and Hannah is going to be shooting all the portraits. Its nice to have your own area of the business that you can focus on and really become the best you can be. I love the spontaneity and unpredictable natural of weddings and find I am most creative when I have natural lighting and things happening around me. I felt uninspired by a white room studio, but Hannah really enjoys the control that you can have in a studio and sees more than just a white room!

HANNAH: An exclusive to Carli-Art!! For 2010 we have decided to split the company so that Kat shoots all the weddings and I shoot all the portraits. The decision has come down to the fact that Kat enjoys weddings more than I do and I enjoy portraits more than she does. We also feel business wise there will be someone watching each area of the business all year round.

The images that you have chosen to add to this chat, why those?

HANNAH: The dog came in as part of a pet promotion and the woman wanted 'different' images. She wanted to dye her dogs hair but luckily ran out of time so I reassured her I would do it in post. I really like the fact that we caught the shot while he was licking his lips and the canon 5d mark2 really brings out the detail in his fur.

The couple on the skate ramp I loved doing and were completely natural in front of the camera and with each other. Both have a performing arts background so were really good at understanding body positions and following instructions. Both had a sort of ‘rock’ look to them so I wanted to use a local skate park with lots of graffiti to match the look. However when I got there the council had painted over the graffiti with a horrible green paint. All that was left were a few tags on the half pipe and although the couple couldn’t sit on it as it was so slippery, it made a cool shot the second they could.

KAT: The Bride - Its funny, I didn't even notice this image that much the first time I saw it. I had done my raw conversion to the photos, then handed the wedding to Hannah to do some fancy effects. When it came back she had cropped this image panoramic and put a beautiful soft desaturated effect on, and I was like 'wow - I took that?'!

The Church - This one was the opposite as I new it would be a good one as I was taking it. The lighting was perfect, the natural framing of the arch and I was in the perfect spot. Its this type of photo I love to look for on a wedding day, and the extra vignetting afterwards, just makes it perfect.

If you weren't a photographer what would you be doing do you think?

KAT: I have absolutely no idea! I have always been really headstrong so when I decided to be a photographer, I just went out and got a job as a photographer.

HANNAH: My background was in Video editing and graphic design, so I imagined I would have kept down that route and continued to be frustrated by how slow video workflows are in comparison to photography!

Tell me the 3 scariest things about setting up your own business?

KAT:
1) Doing your own tax return.
2) When the phone doesn't ring for a while.
3) I can't think of a third - being self-employed was pretty much second natural to me. I think its much scary to have a boss to please!
HANNAH:
1) “What if it doesn’t work!”
2) The learning curve.
3) Money.

Quick fire round.....are you ready? - If each of you can answer these that would be great – thanks.

HANNAH:
1. Favorite word
Supercalifrag - when used as an adjective e.g. “that idea is supercaifrag” followed by “yeah, it’s expialidocious”
2. Pet hate about the world of photos
The massive amount of arrogance in the industry.
3. Another person that inspires you At the moment
E J Camp
4. Any personal projects coming up?
We have plans to do more model type shoots and although their not personal projects they are what I love shooting the most and get the most creative imagery.
5. Your being shipped to the moon and can grab only 3 things, what are they?
My dog, my Mac (Kat already took the iPhone) and a McDonalds Banana milkshake - not sure why just fancy one.
6. Favourite book
Hmmm...too many. Life of Pi, Dice Man, Sophie’s World, Marley and me
7. 2010 see’s what for Artis?
Hopefully more big plans, we always want to push ourselves and the business further. Another full time member of staff, solid plans towards moving/changing premises,
KAT:
1. Favorite word
Pudding
2. Pet hate about the world of photos
Spot colouring - why do you want to make people look dead.....WHY!?
3. Another person that inspires you
Jeff Ascough
4. Any personal projects coming up?
I would love to have a fine art section to the website to sell some travel prints and give me an excuse to go round the world and have it all put on the business! Can't say its coming up anytime soon though.
5. Your being shipped to the moon and can grab only 3 things, what are they?
My iphone, my dog and a really good book. Wait, do they have electric sockets on the moon? Does the charger count as a separate item? I need more information!!
6. Favourite book
I have loads - 'Dice Man' maybe. I am loving 'Jane Eyre' at the moment.
7. 2010 see’s what for Artis?
A full time retoucher I hope. We are growning too fast for us and need to have time to actually run the business, not just work in it. If anyone reading this wants to come work for us, send us your CV!

And lastly.....is there any bit of advise you can offer those trying to get into wedding or portrait photography?

HANNAH:
I am always impressed with people who have used their time to get as much experience as possible. Free work experience, shadowing a professional, even just taking lots of their own photos and trying new things.
KAT:
Find a style and stand out from the crowd. There is a million people that can all take photos, so they need a really good reason to pick you over their friend with a camera. Keep up the quality as well, as once you start cutting corners its a vicious downward spiral and the customers WILL notice - referrals are everything!

Yay!! Thank you girls....xx

E to the B....I talk to Elayne Barre....interview 3!!

3rd interview see's me talking to my trusted friend and amazing photographer Elayne Barre. Currently living it up in America and putting her new round 50's hairstyling skills to the test she tells us a little more about the snow board bum dream and Bill Paxton....

Name: Elayne Barre

Business: Elayne Barre Photography

Links: | Website |

What would you say you specialized in, if anything?
I wish I could say I didn’t have to specialise in anything, that I have taken to all areas of photography with expertise and ease, but for most this isn’t true so I don’t feel too bad. Landscapes and documentary have always excited me the most though so that is what I have been drawn to. There’s no better feeling than getting ‘that’ picture, and for me that has been in these fields. I’m not the best with people though so it’s hard for me in documentary.

Is there anything you haven’t tried in imagery and would really like to give a go?
There isn’t anything I haven’t tried in terms of subject I don’t think, but there are a lot of things I don’t feel I have done enough of yet by any means. I’d like to revisit certain areas a huge amount, music/band photography for example.

Even though you are taking a short break at the moment you ran a successful photography business in London – So what do you put your success down to?
Treating each job as if it’s your last, exceeding the clients’ expectations and always, always delivering on time no matter what the cost. The most important thing I think I learnt though is trying not to say yes to everyone, if you don’t have the time, don’t say you do!

Tell us something about the images with this interview.
I remember someone telling me, a professor perhaps, that the basic principle of landscapes is never including a person in them, allowing the viewer to imagine they were in the image themselves. I guess this is a principle I have taken pretty seriously; I like to portray isolation and remoteness in uncomfortable surroundings. I am not too sure what that says about me though…

If you weren’t a photographer what would you be doing do you think?
I guess I’d be a snowboard bum / bar tender still. That’s what I was before…

You have American roots and since I have known you, you are back and forth – what is it exactly that attracts you back there?
Its difficult to pinpoint for me, there’s a lot of little things that add up together. The diversity basically, it’s an amazing country. You go to Alabama, New England, then Nevada there’s nothing more different yet they are part of one country, people, landscape, customs, fashions, goodness – everything! It’s a massive country and you could go from metropolis to utter wilderness in a relatively short drive. If you get tired of photographing rodeos you can drive a few hours and shoot snow topped mountains, bluegrass bands, alligator wrestlers, snowboarders, monster trucks, you get my drift…

Quick Fire round…....Are you ready??

What do you wish you knew more about?
Large format cameras, I could never afford to get into it properly at University and I sorely regret this. I have gotten wrapped up in digital over the past few years and I am taking time to get back to film photography. I still don’t have a large format but I have bought a new medium format and am having fun with that right now.

Favourite word and why
Road-trip, cheating as it’s two I know.

Three things you want to achieve in 2010?
1. An entire new portfolio of award winning images, of course.
2. Complete the book I have been hoping to finish for the last couple years. I wont give away too many details though.
3. Organise my iPod right.

Another person that inspires you
Bill Paxton.

Your next project in 5 words
Probably something on American Landscapes…
Sorry to be too predictable.

Urrr that was 10 words beauts!! ;-)

Mascara blusher or hairbrush?
Hairbrush… always.

A question you have always wanted to know the answer to?
Why hasn’t Bill Paxton won an Oscar?

With thanks to the beauts for that little peek into her head!

x

getting nosey 2! I chat to...Bob Kirchstein from Opal Creative...

Name: Bob Kirchstein

Business: Opal Creative

Links: | Website | Photography Website |

How long have you been a photographer / web designer?

I sold my first photo in 1996 but didn’t turn fully pro until 2001 when I was made redundant from the electronics firm I was working for at the time.

Did you study or are you self taught?

Apart from studying Art at A-level and a City & Guilds evening class in portrait photography in 1997 I’m self-taught. I owe everything to Practical Photography! I used to buy all the photographic mags and learned partly from them and partly by trial and error. Mostly I was driven by seeing amazing images in ads and magazines and wanting to be able to take photos to the same standard.

You seem to be doing more web based material these days such as websites, e commerce and content management. Is it a sign of the times or just felt you needed to stretch your wings?

I’ve always done website design as well as photography because I really enjoy both and I like the variety. It tends to go in phases – sometimes I get more website work, other times it’s more photography.

I know that you have always steered away from wedding photography, how come?

How long have you got?!!! Way too much pressure for me for a start! But also I’m a perfectionist and I know that I wouldn’t be able to do the job to my own satisfaction without a huge amount of work to get up to speed. It’s so specialised these days and there are some amazing photographers in the field.

The other reason is that I prefer to work slowly – I used to do a lot of still life work and I could easily spend half a day on a single shot, so the thought of trying to get hundreds of great images in a few hours fills me with horror! I’m just not suited to it.

Do you believe the social networking sites such as facebook, blogging and twitter are essential marketing tools and do you use them at all?

To be honest, I don’t know. Everyone seems to be plugging these things as marketing tools lately but I don’t use them myself – not yet anyway. I think it probably depends on the market you’re aiming at and whether your potential clients are the kind of people who use Twitter, Facebook etc. They do say that social networking improves your ratings on Google, which is probably true but pay-per-click advertising (ie Google Adwords) can do that too.

What changes have you seen over time in terms of making a living and running a photography business?

With the arrival of digital photography everything changed! In the days of film I think there was a much bigger gap between amateur and pro photographers. Broadly speaking, pro’s tended to use transparency film and got great results, amateurs used negative film and got poor quality prints back from the mini-lab and believed they were rubbish photographers as a result!

When digital photography arrived that distinction disappeared, and of course the internet has opened up so many more opportunities for photographers. So there’s more demand for images now but there are also many more people producing them and aspiring to making a living as photographers.

Do you believe its important to have personal projects as a photographer and are you working on anything at the moment? (If so pics please!!!)

Yes, it’s so important to have personal projects! I know that for a fact because I haven’t done any personal work for a long time and I really miss it! It’s easy to get focussed on the business side and forget why you got into photography in the first place. I’m thinking of going back to exploring still life again because for some reason I connect with it emotionally.

Technically, you are pretty darn good when it comes to photography. Do you think young photographers and visual artists are losing sight of that these days and relying to heavily on digital media such as photoshop?

Thank you Carli! Actually I only got to grips with the technical side in order to be able to get the results I wanted, and it was much more difficult with film because of the time lag between taking the shot and seeing the result.

I think everyone finds their own way – so some young photographers might see photography as a craft and want to explore all the technical possibilities, others may just find a formula that works for them and stick to it. I’m not a purist and I don’t feel that there’s a right or wrong way of doing it.

Quick fire round.....are you ready?

1. Do you enjoy modern art, such as Damien Hirst, Tracie Emin and so forth? – not keen on Damien or Tracey but I love Andy Goldsworthy and Antony Gormley.
2. If you weren’t a photographer / web designer what would you be doing? – Painting probably, or maybe graphic design if I had to earn a living!
3. Your pet hate? - In Buddhism hatred is one of the three poisons – I try to avoid it!
4. What do you wish you knew more about? – Why we’re here.
5. Favourite word and why – Discipline – because after years of rejecting it the penny is finally starting to drop!
6. Three things you want to achieve in 2010 – Start painting again. Rediscover what turned me on about photography. Take singing lessons.
7. Your shoe size. – Same as the number of this question (I have small feet for a bloke!)

And finally, is there any advise you can give those young talents trying to get into photography or web design or any kind of visual art?

Do you mean as a profession? Yes…take a business course! There’s an old saying that a mediocre photographer who’s good at business will be more successful than a great photographer who doesn’t have good business skills. It seems to me that that’s more true than ever these days when there’s so much competition. The other thing that I think is really important is networking – most of my work has come through word-of-mouth and referrals, more so than through advertising or the website.

Well...I have certainly learnt things I never knew before - thank you - very interesting!!

x

I TALK TO - EMMA COLEMAN FROM BLINK PHOTOGRAPHY....

As promised this is the week of interviews - so chats with photographers from various backgrounds, with different skill sets and specializing in different areas of the market. This all gives you the opportunity to learn as much as you can about photography and not just being a picture maker, but running a small business.

The week kicks off with the lovely Emma Coleman from Blink Photography.......

Name: Emma Coleman

Business: Blink Photography

Links: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Flickr

Blink photography.....how did you come up with that name?
I didn't want to use my own name and wanted something a little bit funky, so over a bottle of wine Blink Photography was born! I like the way it suggests that moments are transient and can be over in the blink of the eye and all that's left as a permanent record of that moment is captured in the photographic image.

You specialize in corporate, portraits and weddings. Do you have a favorite and why?
It's difficult to pick! The variety of these very different specialities keep my ideas & enthusiasm fresh and makes every job interesting which I think reflects in my photography. Weddings however are pretty special, you are part of a very important and happy day full of emotions, romance and wedding cake which is always nice!

So what do you put your success down to, these are tough times and running a small business is not always easy. Why do you think you are successful?
I guess it depends how you measure success, there are not that many rich photographers! It has taken a long time to make my business profitable and running a small business is extremely tough at the best of times. I think you can be an extremely talented photographer and still not have a succesful business, it's very easy to get carried away with making beautiful images, but if you don't market yourself well no-one gets to see them! Last winter I made a huge effort to market myself better and I am finally beginning to see the benefits of this.

The images that you have chosen to add to this chat, why those?
Because I hope they all represent my efforts to be seen as a Fine Art photographer, no matter what subject I am photographing, even the wedding images which I think could easily be made into a piece of wall art.

If you weren't a photographer what would you be doing do you think?
Well before I was a photographer I spent 12 years in the IT industry so I know what I wouldn't be doing! It's hard to imagine doing anything else, but I'd love to paint and in fact will probably incorporate that into my photography at some point.

Do you believe the social networking sites such as facebook, blogging and twitter are essential marketing tools and do you use them at all?
I use them all and think they are absolutely crucial to the succcess of a photography business in this day and age. They give your business more of a personal touch and help to build a relationship with potential and existing clients.

Quick fire round....are you ready?

1. What do you wish you knew more about?
Art

2. Favourite word and why
Chocolate - self explanatory!

3. Three things you want to achieve in 2010
Solo exhibition of my Fine Art Photography
More wedding bookings than this year
100 + fans of my facebook page (please become a fan!)

4. Another person that inspires you
Lesley Riley aka my Mum who is an amazing artist and so much more

5. Your next picture project in 5 words
Post wedding shoot in abandoned asylum (any brides up for this please apply as this is currently my fantasy project!)

6. Pick one.....mascara, blusher, lippy
Mascara, no contest!

7. A question you have always wanted to know the answer to.
Don't have one, I am addicted to google which answers everything you could every want to know!

And finally, do you have any advise to give to other photographers trying to get in the game or any last words you would like to add?
If you are at college make good use of all the equipment you have access to, it'll be a lot more limited when you have to buy it yourself! Plus the work experience they will set up for you is invaluable, spend as much time as you can assisting established photographers, or take the initative and approach photographers who interest you. Lastly, be true to yourself, if you love your work then it will show and other people will love it too :)

Thank you Emma - now lets get blinking!

x

Crimbo clicking and the week ahead....

I have been working on Christmas the last few weeks as although I predominantly concentrate on doing corporate or PR photography for firms or venues to use for marketing in future, this year I am also doing a guest driven photography package.

This isn't like some other Events photographers that you see where a studio set up is available or an area reserved for pictures and hen printing on site, I am offering a relaxed, guest driven image service capturing reportage pictures of the evening alongside posed pictures of friends and guests together - where they want to be. So at their table, on the dance-floor or at the reception having a drink.

Now this is a larger challenge for the photographer as more of a concerted effort has to put into seeking the guests and asking them if they would like their pic taken. It also leaves a lot of the lighting situation out of your hand or rather more for you to deal with. There is then the distribution of the cards and letting everybody know where they can see and purchase the pics. That said I love these challenges, I truly believe the images are far more fun, relaxed and really capture the atmosphere of the event and the emotions shared between the group being photographed. I get to build a report and we can have a laugh together and get an image that really is all about them and that, I love!

If you would be interested in finding out more, please feel free to drop me a line on hello@carli-art.co.uk

__________________________________________________________________

It being a Sunday and me having tried to work all day but spent a lot of it perched on the armchair watching TV 'just for a moment though' before going back to work; I felt it necessary to introduce you to the week ahead. We have a whole week of interviews with photographers!!! I wanted to do this to give you a feel of what other photographers were about and also some advise or experience that I was unable to offer. I have spoken to a range of photographers but have a couple that specialize in portraiture and weddings, a side I don't too often touch on here.

Therefore, prepare yourself for interviews with the following beauties:

• Tuesday: Emma Coleman from Blink Photography
• Wednesday: Bob Kirchstein from Opal Creative
• Thursday: Elayne Barre from Elayne Barre Photography
• Friday: Double trouble with Kat and Hannah from Artis Studios.

Any last minute questions you want to ask? Get in touch@ hello@carli-art.co.uk

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday! x

Leather strapped decisions...

My biggest conundrum today is....which boots to get?!

Black go with everything or Brown also go with everything? It is a tough one!

Well I needed something to keep me motivated while making calls to various South East Venues about Christmas Events and so forth. Its only 7 weeks away or something and I needed to get on it in terms of getting some seasonal work. I should have been 'on it' about 2 months ago, again, bad planning. If I am still here next year...I promise I will think ahead more!!

My planning will look like this:

Jan - July

Get over the sherry hangover and say a happy new year to all your clients.

Continue to build on my events guide for 2010.

Call, call and call business's to promote my services - concentrate on advertising and PR agencies

Decide on an actual marketing budget and plan for it - help needed for this I think

Work work and work

Market Market and Market

Network Network Network

Events Events Events

Research Research and more research

Assist - I have decided 8 weeks are being dedicated to assisting.

Aug

Xmas Events! There it is....start in August!

Get to London Fashion Week

Sep - Dec

Hopefully actually work!

I better actually write a plan like this, you know, running a business and all that. There is a lot I would like to achieve next year. Hmmmm, Christmas project for sure. My next two years in business, planning and execution. Scary.

Press, press, News, News....

Check out my site to see the NEWS page and PRESS and take a look at my images in The Christmas Magazine out now. Pages 58 and 59 show some food photography commissioned by Impact Pr on behalf of Gold Top milk. Learn how to make yummy fudge and biscuits while there!

Also, look out for my beauty editorial in french fashion magazine FashizBlack. IF you are french or know french you can see what they are about here!! Basically however a cutting edge fashion magazine aimed at the French black lady. The editorial will be out in their November issue and I will keep you posted as soon as its available online here.....

Now you see it now you don't....

The liquify tool in Photoshop can be a very handy one....now before I start receiving hate mail don't think that this is just used for slimming people down or making models in magazines all that we aspire to me and realistically cannot reach. Yes of course, it is great at that but it can be used for other things away from the fashion world. Things that bar the whole 'we are labeling as right or wrong or acceptable or not' thing sorry but brides don't like a double chin and my mum would love it if I could make her arms look a little more slinky. Just the way it is.

With that in mind the liquify tool can be used to do such things in wedding, portrait, fashion a

nd dear lord even landscape photograph

y and that slightly dumpy blue tit who is dominating too much o

f your focus. It doesnt work if too dramatic, especially if on portraits because people do know what they look like. It can however just tighten up an image.

Some examples for you below - Viccy B's chin....well come on she is just upset this picture has reached the www before it was retouched and also a gentleman's jowl. Plus a little arm recovery. Use it where you will just use it wisely! ;-)

Vick B

Fig 1: Here we have the pic where I am going to reduce the chin

a little. It doesnt need much a

nd less is definaltley more if you ask me. First duplicate your background layer, this just makes it eas

ier to q

uickly see the difference and also start again if you dont like the results.

Once duplicated use the Rectangular Marquee tool to select the area that you are going to liquify. Always select a large area around the actual alternation zone as the change needs to be gradual and l

ook as natural as possible. The larger area you can select the better really.

Fig 2: I use a grid when i liquify as it helps me to see how m

uch I am actually doing. Also bare in mind any straight lines in th

e background - these of course will bend however you bend / amend other areas of the image. Start with a large brush, you can see from the image this brush is probably the size of Viccy B's chin. Gently use the brush to push the 'sag' up. Bare in mind this can shorten the face so you may need to ever so slightly pull the chin forward as well. Also watch for the chin going pointy. Remember don't go overboard, people are not meant to notice this has been done!

In the insert you can see the

finished piece - I have taken the grid away and the results are easier to see. Note I have also slightly reduced th

e adams apple as if you reduce everything around it this is then

going to stick out even more.

See Fig 3 for the final results - before and after.

Man Chin

Well not wanting to offend friends or family I got this image from google images so hopefully all ok there if they guy has al

ready decided to post pics of himself in his under crackers online. So same principles apply. New layer, rectangular marque tool and a large brush in liquify. If you don't know how to get to

liquify go to filter, you will see it there. The shortcuts for Mac are CMD/Arrow/X.

So you can see on this image, Man Chin I have reduced the sag. Again it has to be natural and gradual to look like its not really obvious. The use of the bigger brush means lines remain smooth rather than lumpy, its really a case of experimentation and you will see what I mean. As well as tuck

ing the chin in you want to lift it up, as before I have also extended the end of his actual jaw/chin out slightly to avoid it looking as if he has no real jaw line or his face is too short.

Arm

Often ladies complain of there arms when in dresses and so forth and this can easily be solved using the liquify tool. Now in this instance you have to slim the whole arm generally and also the top of the arm . I would also recommend using the clone tool to slightly reduce the size of the crease, between arm and body basically. It is this line that needs to remain relatively smooth and without lumps to achieve the look I imagine you will want.

I find using a slightly smaller brush is better to avoid effecting the bust and so forth but still keep it big enough to be natural and not create odd points or lumps. Again, you will need to select a large area, i would recommend from top of the neck right down to the wrist or even waist, this gives you plenty of room to be as realistic as possible.

In this example I haven't actually used the clone tool although you can see the line could do with reducing slightly.

Other things the liquify tool can help with is to help open eyes, say on babies. Not from shut to open by any means but if an eyelid has slightly drooped maybe you caught them mid blink or something, you can just slightly adjust to bring the eyes in line with each other. I believe the liquify tool has now been brought to the i-phone so hey - you know the fun that can also be had!!

For any hints and tips you would like to see or any comments or suggestions on those existing, please feel free to contact me on hello@carli-art.co.uk.