Carli-Art photography

Tips and Tricks....adjustment layers

Right, thought I better be of some use or of use to some of you, whichever I have decided to do a post about photoshop! So for those of you that don't know, this is a mini tutorial on using adjustment layers. I have used CS3 on a mac so things may differ if using a older / newer version or a PC.

Adjustment layers basically allow you to adjust curves, colour balance, saturation, levels and various other common editing tools by layer, so you can target different areas of the image rather than the

whole thing. This is particularly useful when colour managing an image as you can concentrate on the skin, then the hair, then the background and so forth building up as many layers as you like. Plus you use the brush so can choose opacity and the use of layers allows you to alter opacity as well.

So open your image. Choose the area to focus on. In this case I am reducing the red in the face and the yellow in the background. First your go to the layers palette and select the 'adjustment layer' tool. A new layer will appear with whatever adjustment you have chosen. In my example you can see that I have used the selective colour tool, therefore my new layer is concentrating on adjusting various colour channels within the image.

Adjust as you would but concentrate only on the part of the image you want to change. So in this c

ase I am adjusting the magenta / red in the face. Don't worry about anything else in the image, just the part you want this colour adjustment to apply to.

Once done select the mask on the layer, take the brush tool, make sure black is selected and choose your opacity. I would recommend 50% at first, subtle but it works. Then brush back in those areas you do not want the changes to take place. So, in this case I brushed back in the clothes, background and hair so that the adjustment only affected the face. You can then adjust the opacity of the layer if you wish.

You can also do as many layers as you like. So the next example shows a few more colour adjustment layers and you can see from the mask where the picture has been affected and where it has not. Each new layer will concentrate on a different part of the image.

Once you have what you want and you are happy with the adjustments you can carry on editing as normal!

PS: For skin, selective colour is often used. However I find that using the hue/saturation tool is just as effective when using layers and just change the hue ever so slightly and the saturation of the magenta.

More random ramblings and tips and tricks to follow next week! If there is something in particular you want to know.....get in touch!

Carli x

Droooool.......

Something is missing in my life.....I know this how? I went shopping today. OK I know, I am a woman and it is therefore my prerogative to want to shop & buy lovely new things, plus I have gone over 2 months without making a wardrobe purchase so of course, that had to be rewarded! Anyway, something is either missing or I am looking for something.....so the psychiatrist would say!

It could of course be the fear of abseiling 120ft down the side of an office block this Friday. In aid of The British Red Cross and in order to get my home town of Berkshire a new ambulance a load of us are abseiling 120ft. I am yet to decide if i should go in fancy dress or plain leggings, I am sure either will be a fright to 9-5er's as they mull over excel spreadsheets, a cuppa and a hob nob.

Anyway what I bought and wish I had the money to buy is something completely different....therefore feel free to drool as I will be doing!

Little Rocks, Big Mountains and £700.....

The last few days have been rocky. Business has ups and downs, we all know this but when you are on your knees in desperation worrying about money, when your next job is going to make an appearance and sifting through marketing tips but really not knowing how to deal with them....things do not seem good. Then, wisely, you decide to learn more about other people's business's. Normally this would fill you with ideas and encouragement, look where you can be! Ok well bugger that, today I hit ROCK bottom and these successful companies and friends achieving goals and putting their marketing ideas into feasible well executed plans are nothing but a slap in the face. I felt truly defeated. I am a creative, not a business person and what i thought i knew, I realized is just not enough to get me through.

What do you do when you feel like this, who do you turn to?! There is a great need at the moment for a group of marketing people who offer advise. Not big PR firms or marketing companies but small freelance business savvy folk who can offer decent, affordable, structured and achievable marketing for the small business - I can see a place for that.

Anyway, after threatening to set a crow loose on someone and hoping their eyes were pecked out; shouting a little & having a good moan to a friend, oh and that huge chocolate bar I felt a little better. Then my business link advisor sent through some marketing stuff we had discussed last week which means I can make a true start on that marketing plan i should have done last year. Then a very good client of mine decided to spend another £700 on digital files and another phone call to offer me some assisting. My afternoon was looking brighter and brighter and it was even topped off with the possibility that I may be able to see my man this weekend as he is willing to drive from Manc to give me what is now, a celebratory hug!

Ramblings I know but the motto of this little ditty - Have faith! Business doesn't land on your lap and good luck doesn't exist, you make your own luck. But with some plans in place, some promises to yourself that you really will keep, a goal in mind and some encouragement from friends and you will get there! I believe again, almost!

If you are still struggling and need some inspiration, I have listed below some websites that I often find useful for an up the bottom kick; if not that then some darn good time wasting!

Small Business Directory

What are you talking about woman.....

Random collection of updates really but a number of things of interest, or maybe I have been listening to too much Radio 2/4 on the long drives home. Honestly, it is GREAT for keeping you awake, music is far too soothing so the chatter keeps you going and, you would be surprised at how much you learn!

So first, the Radio fact. Some ambulance driver was driving a guy to hospital who had suffered a heart attack or something similar. Realizing half way there that he was 15 minutes over his shift, he diverted the journey to the Ambulance depot in hope of being there in time to catch the last bus to the pub. Dropping of the ambulance and letting another driver take the dying geezer in the back to where he should have been going, A&E he toddled off on his merry way. While the guy in the back, well unfortunately he died. This is a story of disbelieve and also sadness. That someone could do that. Would the guy have died anyway? Did that diversion or 10 minutes or whatever it was difference cost this old man his life, his wife her husband and his grandchildren their grandfather?

Lesson is basically - you got to put yourself out.....customer service - everything!

On a totally different note I am starting to think people are either lying or my teeth are becoming hypnotic. Today the eight person in as many days has commented on how white my teeth are. Now this is not the first time ever but I haven't been using some new toothpaste and in fact the only thing I am doing differently, is not flossing!?! Anyway, there is no secret....my teeth just must be white i suppose, not that I ever notice any difference between anyone else's!?

Ok so something useful and art related might be useful rather than words falling out of my mouth! Last night saw a truly AWESOME Fat Talent Live. I am not just saying this, every act was beyond perfect. There were so many talented individuals there and my fave of the bunch who I have discussed before - Chocolate Blonde. Her energy is electric and we have decided we are def doing a shoot together. Finding the time will be the next thing but she is excellent.

Choc Blonde and all the other acts can be found here and have their own sites on myspace. Pics from the evening will be coming over the next 48 hours - so check it out!!!

Signing out due to sleep depravation, lack of constructive conversation & a glimpse of a chocolate bar. x

Bouncing and Boozing....

Listen up kids and parents alike....the government have issued a warning after doctors have advised that drinking alcohol while bouncing on a trampoline is dangerous. Do not grab that Stella and combine it with a bounce on your bum, do not grab that glass of vino and then join your kids on the trampoline you bought especially for the summer because this is a warning......"Adults, please note that lager, wine, and trampolines do not mix." (Even more so kids and alcohol don't mix, although I reckon you could get a few stubby's in that Pampers)

This isn't a joke. Don't eat chicken after 5pm, Don't drink too much OJ, Don't let them wear Nylon, Don't eat rocks, Don't poo in public, Good God Don't show Little Johnny that! Is there anything we can do?!

Other fooooolish Health and Safety Rules......

- Pencil Cases banned at St Anne's Primary School in case they hide sharp objects.

- Foam floats band from swimming pools by Dudley Council in case they hit swimmers

- Sunscreen banned in Manchester Primary school over allergy fears

- Meatballs taken off the menu in case pupils choke

- Boy of 10 banned from wearing snorkel in case it breaks

Feeling a little tense are we?!

So, Britian's Got Talent has infected all TV's across the land, screaming and shouting its collection of skilled and skill-less acts (come on you know some of them just really shouldn't be there!); Mr Cowell striking his traditional high waisted pose & upsetting small children as he goes - speaking the only snippet of truth the program or its judges will ever see. Amanda wearing yet another short sparkly dress & Piers just wishing he was the Cowell & looking longingly at that flat head chop that is going on there.

I however sit here longingly waiting for the top I have seen in the ASOS catalogue to appear online for purchase, hoping that my credit card may stretch that far. Looking forward to the weekend as the man comes down for a couple of days and we get to spend time on a friends boat eating olives and pretending were posh folk. Then kicking myself cos were staying at my rentals in the postage stamp room next to everything & can't have our first ever round of 'make up' nooky. Too much info? Lets face it, thats what you come here in the hope of,some hardcore goss. I left last time with a useful tip, now I leave this time with a red face & a 'wish i hadn't posted that' comment. Honesty, it pays. Well sometimes.

So lots of waiting but also lots of working, I have an event coming up in June where I get to photograph the lovely Katherine Jenkins again. I am still getting really positive feedback from the pics I did of Queeny and to top it all of I have another Fat Talent Live coming up the first Sunday of June....always an event full of friends that are more like family & talent that is heading somewhere very high and very quickly. My new assistant is amazing - look out for some pics from the events posted here, on the facebook group and of course the Fat Blog. Oh, and if you need anymore odd moaning sesh's from me (can you tell I am in that mood?!) then head over there. I get to grips with the infamous comment every photographer has heard....."As your there anyway can you just get a pic of Uncle Jack. Oh and don't forget Aunt Maud and the kids." There is no just. Anyway, the blog is being fast updated these days with some excellent content so can recommend a read.

To end on something at least a little useful, if you haven't checked out the strobist.com site that I wrote about in my last post I can highly recommend taking a look. It really is worth spending some time there if you want to know a little more about using flash / speedlite's.

Over and out. x

Strobist.com.....

It is always worth your while getting advise from other photographers, and not just advise but in general getting along with them and making alliances within your region. This can be great for so many reasons, from yes advise and FAQ's but also to increase your network, learn new skills, assisting opportunities, covering jobs that they may not be able to do and also showing that you are like them, a small business just trying to get somewhere.

There are photographers out there that still believe that sharing information is not to be done and befriending the 'competition' is not advisable. You make your own judgements but thus far the other photographers I have been lucky enough to meet I have already learnt from them and hopefully given them something new to think about to.

A photographer I met the other day is a particular example. Angus Thomas. Not only did he live in the village I used to live in, he also went to my primary school and his mother taught there! OK prob about 20 years prior to my attendance but it was great to start with that in common and our meeting was relaxed but professional and above all helpful. We are already discussing skill sharing and getting a shoot planned together and I am very excited about getting together more often to pick each others brains & just generally get some good images!

One of the sites he recommended I look at if I was interested in flash was www.strobist.blogspot.com and I have to say, it is brilliant. This place is definitely worth bookmarking and following the tutorials online is so worth investing some time in. Take a read and learn some new flash skills plus.....keep your eyes peeled on my blog for images from my shoot with Angus - I am hoping it will be a good one!

Angus Thomas - www.angusthomas.com

"i want to be.....a shiny pound coin"

Metallics in fashion were something I thought strictly stayed within the lines of jewelry but as we have experienced over the past few months and as seen on the catwalks, this is not the case. I have nothing against a bit of high shine but metallic look leggings, vest tops, skirts, scarves and shoes - its just a bit much. Where do you stop?!

Yes, it certainly is a show stopping statement & the faint hearted should steer clear. This is fashion liberation at its best and I personally think is up there with tartan, midi skirts, crop tops and jelly shoes.

Fashion is a statement about who we are & if you want to fall into the trap of consumerism, not just for us but where we are within society and possibly where we want to be in the future......does this mean we all want to walk around looking like pound coins or huge ten pence pieces?! Wow, maybe the credit crunch really has hit home, we now feel the need to dress like money.

fantastic fonticals.....

I am on a marketing drive and as part of that I am re-doing my website, comp slips and business cards - this includes my logo / text for the name of my business. Now this may seem like a massive overhaul but I am in all honesty embarrassed about my website at the moment & I really feel if I am going to make positive steps in getting more customers and really pushing my work then the first step is to get an identity I am proud of.

This is where you come in! I would really appreciate all of your feedback on the fonts in the image - they are all numbered and although quite a small pic if you could vote on your favorite I would really appreciate it!! All comments, feedback and voting is gladly received - so please.....let know your thoughts!

Thank you!

The secret Diary of Damien Hirst.....

(Pic courtesy of toonpool.com)

6am: Aaaaahhhh, soft cuddly toys, fur throw and silk sheets; this is the way to wake up every morning.

6.10am: Well I gotta eat so I am feeling meat, yup meat. Think I'll take a wonder out to the deer fridge and pick myself a beauty. Should go down very well with an egg & some pepper.

8am: Time to get the brain going, not feeling the cows heads today so I'll give nana a call. The cross stitch is going really well so maybe I could have a go at making that 'Cat in a vase' image we so loved.

12pm: My fingers are killing me, definitely take Nana's advise in the future and get myself a thimble.

1.30pm: '.....come and enjoy tea & coffee surrounded by friends at the Church's annual Mothers Union meeting.' Better grab my coat, oooo mustn't forget that Pirex dish for Maud.

4pm: Time for a spot of hunting, where are those plus fours. Arnold, grab me the bucket I have mushrooms and buttercups to find.

6pm: Exhausted, however dinner tonight is with David Bailey, Turner and good ole Viv Westwood. Thinking we might crack open a bottle of red and play some drinking games. Yes, we can have the new dare as eating some of that meat out of the deer fridge raw. Viv got the eye last time, hilarious.

2am: Ah the smell of lavender and lots of warm bubbles, bath then bed for sure.

D x

Too may Krispy Kream's & some disinfectant.....

I can confirm a few things today.

1) I am motivated by other people and their love of photography. Following a monthly meeting with some other photographers there was too much wine (them not me!) and all of us were definitely motivated, some more than others.

2) If photography fails I could become a burglar. Really people, there is a lot of shite left lying around which can be used for 'prying open' and that little window you didn't think you could fit through......well just try. (Ok before I start a debate or break some health and safety rule, I am thinking you wont be fitting through that window if you weigh like 25 stone, it just ain't gonna happen. Sit yourself down and have another Krispy Kream)

3) I am not a cleaner for a reason. Being a mum and clearing up poo - wow scary stuff. Now dog plus poo, really runny diarrhea poo, words fail me and bleach seemed to as well. Yup, I am not a cleaner.

C x

Without sound......

Friday saw many things but the morning was a shoot, a shoot I really enjoyed! It was part of a package deal that I am currently offering for performers @ Fat Talent Live where we get together have a studio session and photography and use the pics and recordings to promote, promote, promote! This shoot was with Queeny, a soulful singer with a cheeky smile and a spring in her step.

The pictures were about capturing her and building an image that not only could she continue to utilize but also that would suit her style of music, past, present and future.

Some odd stares from onlookers, an angry rant from a shop owner and attempting to play Leap Frog over street bollards that really were a bit too big were all on the menu.

I am excited by these pics as you never really know what you are going to get with a shoot and things were quieter than I expected on the day, so the results I hope she likes!

To see all the pics check the FB fan page and to hear Queeny's music, check out her MySpace.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=257214&id=155640470054

www.myspace.com/queenymusic

Send me your feedback if you have any comments, questions or want to learn more about the FTL Photo offer!

C x

What a bunch of crazy...who...you!?

Me interviewing me..............Part one....

So when did you start your own business?

16th Feb 2008!

What did you do before you photographed 'stuff' for a living?

Well right now I wouldn't call it a living - ha the jokes, they are just gonna keep coming. Ok no, sorry. Well I graduated from uni & decided in fact, camera's may not be for me & fashion was my thing. It still is but after working in the marketing dept. of a photo studio and then helping out with the fashion design in a formal menswear studio for folks such as Ted Baker, French Connection and River Island I felt my creative buttons were just not being fully pressed. There was more out there & once I realized it was my choice to do photography I decided to take it.

Your choice? Was it a creative path you were forced down?

Not at all. But i think there is a lot of pressure for students to 'do something' with their degree immediately after leaving & its not always that easy. Plus you need to do it because you want to not because you feel you have to. It was after somebody said to me, you know it doesn't matter if you dont do photography for a living, no one is going to judge you either way - that I thought yea, its just me that I need to consider. I laid off myself for a while and thats when it seemed to happen!

So getting back to your student days, was there a lot of guidance in terms of career management?

When I was there we had some great opportunities and I wished I would have utilized them better. It is a time when at minimum cost and with maximum support you can get yourself out there & start getting involved. I didn't do as much as I could have.

What do you miss about University?

The complete and total freedom. I don't think there will ever be another point in my life where I can completely concentrate on the kind of fine art and fashion and personal photography that I did there. I used the projects and the freedom to explore emotions I was feeling at that time & things I had or was dealing with. I really used photography as a way of exploring my own emotions and creating some answers or at least closure for those questions that remained open at that time.

Do you still use photography like that & undertake personal projects?

I still try and dedicate a lot of time to doing personal work but it just has to get put on the back burner as financially its not so viable. I do try to do a purely personal shoot once every 3 months, the thing is I really tend to get involed and it often takes me 3 months to create the final brief in my head so it can take longer. It also depends what else I have on.

Well after interviewing myself I feel there is more to come and well possibly, there is a a little more humor to be injected beside the fact I am actually interviewing myself!

Part two to follow guys......oooo hold onto your baseball caps, sock hats and bowlers.....

Where have all the posts gone.....

(Ooooold skool pics!)

Well it has been a while...too long in fact. There I was today raving on about how I loved to blog and thought that facebook, blogging and twitter was a really important part of my business and I am rejecting them!! Boo hiss to me.

Lots of little bits to catch up on I suppose.......First things first PR shoot went ok and even though it was food photography which tends to be a bit yawn friendly it was actually a good shoot and I was relatively pleased with the images. Look out for the pics in magazines such as Sunday Telegraph supplement, Women's Own and some others I am not sure of the name of, but generally that kind of market and where recipe features may appear!

On the more exciting or rather poop my pants front today a friend (fellow photographer as well) went into our old Uni and had a chat to some lively students about how we had found the transition from baked bean eating twenty something to a baked bean eating twenty something and a bit older also calling themselves a professional photographer. It was really interesting actually to hear the types of questions being asked and questions I have myself all the time. It also made me think about my student life and how I have started. Not sure if you guys are aware of where I have come from (no not the bird and the bee's edition) but thinking a history lesson over the next couple of days may be in order. I will post random facts about my student and 'becoming professional' life before I started this dear blog and it was all here for you to read at your own leisure. Photography at Uni was my way of expressing a lot of emotion I was feeling then and things that have impacted heavily on my future and I still think about now so be interesting to see where that gets us.

Oh, noticed the sponsor bar at the top of the page?! YES crazy me is doing a 120ft abseil down the side of an office block (in Reading - oh the views!) to raise money for charity. All the cash goes to British Red Cross and will supply more ambulances for the South so get donating and allowing those lovely docs and nurses to treat us quicker.

More interesting pic, fashion and 'me me me updates to follow.... this weekend I am making an effort to blog every day/night! (Not sure how the gentleman I am seeing at the weekend will feel about that but he has been pre-warned about my love affair with my laptop so time to test those waters.)

Night crazy kids x

DM's, Care Bears and Hypercolour handprints....

Oh, sitting back, sipping my martini, smoking my vogue cigarettes and reminiscing, the "good ole days" I hear myself mutter.

So without getting too carried away and aging myself another 40 years I shall introduce you to exactly that, the days of old.

I grew up in the 80's and 90's and was having an excited conversation the other day with a friend about those colour changing t-shirts you used to be able to get. I had a collection I must admit and loved my pink or purple tie dyed version. Of course, there were many worn in school and inappropriate hand prints all over the place but they were awesome! So awesome they seem to have made a slight come back (well OK not really cos I haven't seen any but hey give me a chance here) with American Apparel and Brooklyn Royalty introducing them to the catwalk earlier this year. Those crazy Americans.

I also remember the mood changing rings or jewelry, the Leg warmers, the Care Bears and Pob - what happened to him!?

However after this hyperactive and animated chin wag I decided to look back at some of the other things we all knew and loved from the 80's and 90's......check it out & start boasting again about how many lace holes you had in your DM's. Wicked.

Money money Money....

Pricing is always a difficult thing when it comes to Photography and it seems like you may never get it right, or is that just me?! Anyway, it is hard and having reviewed and reviewed my prices it is time i make a proper plan....something I should have done a while ago!

Anyway for any of you out there looking for some pricing advise, please see below some of the websites I used and tips I found useful - good luck!

£ - Look at your competition. Not just within your 'dedicated' skill set or specific photography type but also locally what people are charging and to whom.

£ - Be confident in your pricing. Start low when less experienced and then you can increase your rates in the future, getting the work and word of mouth marketing is always better. I have done a fair bit of free or low priced work and from what I have heard, as have other photographers.

£ - http://www.londonfreelance.org/feesguide/phdigtxt.html

£ - http://www.freelanceuk.com/photographers/index.shtml
£ - http://www.photographers.co.uk/html/advice-centre.cfm

Hope this helps!

C x