I Heart Faces Week 25 "Just for Fun"

This week at I heart faces the theme is Wedding Bells, I looked through my photos, but all the pictures I have of wedding are not really worthy of posting. You know there are going to be some amazing wedding shots. They are also having a "just for fun" category. The pictures won't be judge so at some point we can use them again. I had to pick a FUN picture for this one. Last week they had a great little carnival for kids. My kids had such a blast and Isaac wanted a tiger painted on his face. These face painters really did an amazing job! Check out all the fun by clicking the button below!

Fix it Friday #18 Sad Little Guy

It's fix it Friday again. Why are pictures of kids with tears so dang cute?!

Here is the original:

My basic workflow is

1. Run through Noiseware and selected Portrait setting
2. Opened image in ACR(adobe camera raw). I adjusted exposure, brightness contrast and recovery. The white balance was right on for me.
3. Opened image in PSE7. Cropped square.
4. Using clone tool I removed the black mouth on the hat, I found it a bit distracting.
5. Ran Digital Photography for Mom's Defog Action. Selected A Little Foggy layer at 100% opacity.
6. Ran Coffeeshop Perfect Portrait Action. Adjusted the levels a bit. Whitened whites with 100% opacity white brush and then adjusted the layer opacity to 40%. Used Eye Define layer, with 100% opacity white brush covered the entire eye and each eyelash. Kept layer at 100% opacity. On Bright eyes layer, I used a 10% opacity white brush on the irises until it was to my liking. I soften skin just a bit. It didn't need a whole lot after being ran through Noiseware. Set the sharpen layer at 60%. Flattened image and that is edit #1.
   
   Edit #1

Ran Coffeeshop Golden Vintage Action. Turned off the darken layer and set the vintage layer at 59% opacity. Turned on vignette layer at 100%.

Edit #2

Ran Coffeeshop Retro Honey Action. Turned off Dark Burn Layer. Adjusted Light Burn to 28%

Edit #3

Ran Coffeeshop Irish Breakfast Tea Action.

Turned off the soften layer and adjusted the levels in the lighten layer.

Edit #4

I Heart Faces Week 24 (Lets' Hear it for the Boys!)

It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father.
Pope John XXIII

These week's them at I heart faces, is "Let's hear it for the Boys". The pictures have to be of guys. Check out all the hunky guys by pressing the button below.

Kids Entry

I took pictures of my kiddos in my husband's church clothes this week as a surprise for him for Father's Day. This was probably my favorite one. My husband is truly a wonderful father. He works full time, is going back to school and has a time consuming job at our church. Some how he always finds time to laugh, play and love with our children! So Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there!

Adults Entry

I had to submit a picture of my Dad for the adults entry. He is such and inspirational man. I am so lucky that he is my Dad. He has been through so many trials in his life - taking care of my sick mother for 12 years, the death of my mother at 49 years old, numerous heart attacks and triple bipass surgery, diabetes, cancer, and complications from back surgery. Yet he continues to smile and endure life well. I love you Dad!

Fix it Friday (6/19) Pretty in Pink

It's fix it Friday at I Heart Faces . Oh this picture makes me want to have a little girl. I love pink.

So here is the original.

First I ran it through Noiseware, isn't it crazy the difference this makes! (picture below just has only been ran through Noiseware) I thought I would add... I used the FREE community version of Noiseware. It is a stand alone and not a plug in, but its FREE!

1. Opened in Adobe Camera Raw
2. Adjusted fill light, blacks, contrast, lightened exposure, and adjusted the white balance.
3. Opened in PSE7
4. Ran Digital Photography for Moms Defog Action. Used Lightest Defog Layer at 100% opacity.
5. Ran Coffeeshop Perfect Portrait Action, adjusted levels, activated Color Pop layer and using the layer mask I removed the pop from the skin. Whitened whites of eyes using a 100% opacity white brush and then adjusted the opacity of the layer to 52%. Used Eye Define layer to define eyes at 100% opacity. Softened skin using 15% opacity white brush.
   My littlest guy gets the creases under his eyes when he smiles also. I have learned my lesson by removing them. He just looked weird. So I used the dodge/burn layer and made my soft brush just small enough to fit in the creases and set it to 5% opacity and lightened up the crease just a bit. Set the vignette layer to 100% and then masked out the skin. Set the sharpen layer to 43% opacity and her is my first edit.

#1

On a duplicate of #1 I ran Coffeeshop Pink Glow Action. I turned off the contrast pop layer, set pink glow layer to 14%, set color mute layer to 37%, and soft haze layer to 38%.

#2

On a duplicate of #1 I ran Coffeeshop's new action Vintage News
I turned off the soft glow layer, adjusted Newsprint layer to 16%, BW layer at 100%, Colortint at 100% and Antique tint at 22%.

#3


On a duplicate of #1 I ran Coffeeshop Vivid 2 Action. I turned off all the layers except for the Urban layer which I set at 72%.

#4

I Heart Faces Week 23 (Sepia)

When I think a of sepia tone, I always think of old phot0s. So I couldn't resist adding a bit of "old photo" texture to it. This is my friend Ashlie's little boy. He has the most stunning eyes. I fell in love with this picture on the lcd screen of my camera. Check out all of the sepia toned pictures this week at I Heart Faces!

Kids Entry

This is my youngest with Great Grandpa Bob. I love that my kids are getting to know their great grandparents.

Adult Entry

Our Hawaiian Vacation in Pictures

How fun is this week? The pressure of the contest is off and we can just share all of our fun vacation pictures!

In Dec. of 2007 we spent Christmas with my in-laws on the Big Island in Hawaii. I was pregnant with my youngest and my oldest was 3 1/2. I had purchased my first DSLR camera (Nikon d40x) three weeks before this vacation. So of course all of my pictures were all shot in auto. It is amazing to see how far I have come in my photographic journey since then.(A few of these pictures were taken by my husband or brother in law since I am in them!)
Check out all the fun vaca photos at I Heart Faces this week!

Our favorite beach in Hawaii... Kaiki Beach!

Watching for whales...

The Luau...

The amazing and beautiful Black Sand Beach...

Adventures in Grandma and Grandpa's swimming pool...

Our nightly entertainment...