First snow of the season

MyView · November 26, 2006

Well, the first snow of the season has already melted, but before it was completely gone I captured this of my son. To me personally this picture just hits the spot! :rofl

The very next morning I captured this.

We just happen to be staying at my in-laws for the 9 day deer season, so I put my son in his camo and let him hold my husbands bb gun, which was given to him by his grandfather (it currently doesn't work) and the decoy was my husbands other grandfathers. So neat to have in the photo. I just wish I would've had his camo hat. But oh well, did what I could.

comments and critiques always welcome.

anwmn1 · November 27, 2006

Very cute captures! Really like the second shot.

My son his getting my BB Gun passed down to him this year.

These pictures make me smile- thanks!

Aaron

kmh · November 27, 2006

I really love #1 -- such a great shot.

#2 -- I do not like seeing kids -- especially such a young one -- with guns!! I understand sentiment (sort of), but still...sorry.

Focus Pocus · November 27, 2006

Excellent! I love the first one! The second one is cool too! The camo hat would have been perfect. . . maybe you could photoshop some camo onto the hat?

Regards,
Richard

MyView · November 28, 2006

Thanks for the responses, I greatly appreciate it. I understand that seeing a child holding a gun is not for everyone. Everyone has the right to their own opinion. My son already understands that it is not a toy. Anyway, I could go on, but I won't.

I have been really in to the vintage look this holiday season for some reason so I took this yesterday of my kids. This cabin is right next door to us.

and this one while we were cutting our tree down

Dramatapix® · November 28, 2006

I really love what you've done with all of these (including the shot with the rifle

). I'm particularly impressed with the black/white conversion. Would you mind sharing your technique?

MyView · November 28, 2006

Dramatapix® wrote:

I really love what you've done with all of these (including the shot with the rifle ). I'm particularly impressed with the black/white conversion. Would you mind sharing your technique?

Thanks, I do really appreciate that. I think my son wears the vintage look well, so I think that's why I keep falling back on this style lately.

No real technique I guess to my conversion. But I can tell you what I did.

I used Corel Paint Shop Pro X to edit these photos. I took the original, converted it to their standard black and white film (which has a stregnth of 70). Then I convert it to Sepia Toning, but only use a very very light sepia, so only an intensity of max 20 (most of the time I only use about 13-15). This gives it just that warmer look, but not the complete golden color of a sepia. I then adjust the brightness and contrast if needed. But seriously, it's as simple as that. lol Nothing real technical. The program does most of the work. lol

Dramatapix® · November 28, 2006

Have never used Paintshop. I currently use Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, but I am getting a version of PaintShopPro PHOTO XI in a day or two so I'll give it a go.

Thanks again, and I would love to see more of your work in this genre.

MyView · November 28, 2006

Dramatapix® wrote:

Have never used Paintshop. I currently use Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, but I am getting a version of PaintShopPro PHOTO XI in a day or two so I'll give it a go.

Thanks again, and I would love to see more of your work in this genre.

I used the free 30 day trial of XI and loved some of the new features. They have some conversions that you will love, it's a timeline conversion, so you can just click it and it will convert it to different old time printing quality. It's a really cool feature I think, time saver anyway.

And since you asked here's a couple more. lol I love sharing!!!

And this one that I took when we went to see Santa, they let you take your own pictures if you want. Well, my son wouldn't sit with santa only on the rocking reindeer and my daughter was crying, so I snapped this real quick. Kicking myself now because I love this shot, but there was a stuffed animal in focus and not Santa and Cole. So I cloned the animal out and it now has the out of focus look. Oh well, can't do anything about it now.

Comments and Critiques always welcome. Good or bad!

Barefoot and Natural · November 28, 2006

I LOVE ALL OF THESE!!!

barb

I just LOVE the old timey feel......these are so great!!
I could go on and on!!

Beautiful....wonderful......classic!!!

Great work!!
Heather

photogmomma · November 28, 2006

These are wonderful, Lissa!! I just LOVE them! My only *minor* comment is that his feet are cropped off in the first shot.

Wonderful!!! You have such a great eye!

saurora · November 29, 2006

Lissa everything about these shots is wonderful! Love the lighting on his face in the colored shot. Your black and white toned shots are so adorable...love those outfits and the vintage feel. I'm not keen on guns and kids either, but I understand what you were attempting here.

MyView · November 29, 2006

Thank-you so much, I really appreciate all the compliments. I think I finally feel like I got something really right. lol

Andi - I know about the feet, I was trying so hard not to get the grass, though I should've shot the grass and then just cloned in snow. Ugh. Always one of those I wish I would've.

Heather - thanks so much. I'm not sure why but I am just really into this look right now. I do think it is because my son wears it so well. I know have a lot of requests to try to re-create this in my up coming shoots. I'll cross my fingers I can get similar results with others.

Saurora - The morning sun was just perfect that morning. I am so glad that I got my butt out of bed and dragged my son outside. lol Poor kid. Thanks so much on the compliments.

thebigsky · November 29, 2006

I love your black and white pictures, they're beautiful, however I find the gun picture offensive but recognise your right to take it.

Charlie

Elaine · November 29, 2006

These are wonderful! I especially like the one with the sled and the one where he's looking back over his shoulder on the tricycle. Great job and thanks for sharing!

Elaine

System · December 1, 2006

Great photos.. i really love the old nastalgia look.. but #2 is just the greatest... can't never start them to young loving guns.... ( and of course respecting them !!!!) thanks for posting..
curtis

MyView · December 1, 2006

Thanks so much!

Curtis - we took my son out for my turkey season when he was 8 months old, he giggled everytime my husband would scratch on the slate. The last spring he went out with my husband (about a year and a half) and sat with my husband and took the slate call away from him and was trying to do the calling. No birds came in because he was too busy giggling at the call, but what a memory we have. And like you mentioned, we teach safety safety safety. My son sat with me this deer season for a short period of time and was so intense, it was priceless, he kept saying "deer momma, watch for deer" "shhhh deer". He's now 2. I wish I had someone to take a picture of that, it would've been so cute, he was all in his orange and I in mine, sitting on a hill overlooking a valley, the memory will last a lifetime though!

System · December 1, 2006

Those the best memories.. I lost my dad at a really young age.. but lucky i has a mom who liked to hunt( well be out there.. she seemed to never have a shot .. no matter how close the deer came.. ) but she took me just the same ... as well as some uncles and cousins.. i have not taken mine hunting cause no place to hunt .. but they both dang near out fish me .. DD is 6, DS is 2.5 .. great pix keep posting.. i really need to pose my kids more.. i do mostly candids.. thanks for sharing ..
curtis

David_S85 · December 1, 2006

Lissa, these pics have.... CHARM. You've included your kids in poses and situations that are retro-magical, and you possess the eye to connect everything together. These are going to be (already are) great scrapbook memories for yourself and them, when they're old enough to appreciate all your good work.

Nice processing too. Have you looked into the Virtual Photographer plug-in? That can do these in one step, or you can create a recipe to look like these.

MyView · December 16, 2006

Allen - hunting is a huge part of our lives. I grew up hunting and so did my husband, so it will be something that if our kids are interested in we will teach them also. I do get a lot of candids of my kids also, but I am trying to take the time with them like I do clients, otherwise they're going to be grown up and I won't have those images like others who actually pay me to take them.

David - thanks so much for the wonderful compliments. I don't know if my head will fit thru the doorway to get in to my office now. lol

My son honestly makes it really easy, he is great in front of the camera and can really wear different looks. He loves to be in front of the camera and that really makes all the difference. These shots just seriously fell together quickly and I do love them. They were things that were around the house and just plopped in place and shot, but I am so glad I took the time to do it. I would seriously be interested in learning how to make the post process that much easier.

Thank-you all so much for the compliments. I am sorry for the delayed response, I have been in Wyoming riding the 2008 model snowmobiles for Yamaha. I know, it's a rough life but someone has to do it! hehehehe