Fix It Friday!
I’m a big fan of I Heart Faces, they have wonderful tutorials and are a great resource for photographers. They do a weekly Fix It Friday in which they supply a photo that needs some editing help. This week I decided to participate and put my own spin on the photo.
This is also a good example of what goes into custom photography (and why it costs so much – you don’t see Wal-Mart or Sears doing these things to your photos!). It takes a LONG time to master Photoshop, and if you’re hiring and paying for a custom photographer, make sure they know their stuff! I spend a huge amount of my time sitting at my computer after every session making each image perfect. You wouldn’t believe the details I look at in every shot and make sure everything’s super duper!
So, on to the photo. Here’s the before:
And the after:
Here’s some of what I did to the photo, all in Photoshop CS4:
1. Crop
2. Run an unsharp mask
3. Clone out the white door in the background
4. Used MCP’s Magic Color Finder Brush (Vivid) on everything but the skin
5. Used the spot healing brush very lightly on portions of his face
6. Ran TRA’s Oh Snap action at about 75% opacity
7. Burned the edges of the photo slightly
8. Re-sized and sharpened for web
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Josh & Mary Grace’s Engagement Portraits
Meet Josh and Mary Grace! They’re one of the cutest couples I’ve ever seen and soooo in love!
Josh’s Mom is a member of my local Clickin’ Moms group. We’re a bunch of photo-friends who get together once a month or so to have fun and take pictures together.
We held the session in downtown Raleigh and had a blast! I couldn’t believe all the blooms we were finding in DOWNTOWN in FEBRUARY! And I had so many good pictures, I had a hard time narrowing them down.
Here are my faves!
Sweet Allie | Raleigh Newborn Photographer
Recently I had the pleasure of meeting sweet little Allie, just 10 days new. Oh, how I love newborn sessions, I could do them every day. Congrats to her parents and big brother Caleb, she is gorgeous and such a blessing!
Here is big brother Caleb, counting his sister’s fingers. I just love the look on his face!
Raleigh’s Cutest Kid Contest Winner!!
After two straight weeks of LOTS of voting on my Facebook page, I’ve crowned the winner of my first annual Cutest Kid Contest!
Koen!!
I’m sure I don’t have to explain why he won… here is the photo his Mommy submitted for the contest, and I think the cuteness speaks for itself. π
Koen, I can’t wait to meet you for your free photo session!! Congrats!
Ashley and Jamie’s Bridal Portraits
I’m excited to share another session from my trip to Savannah a few weeks ago. These are bridal portraits for the lovely couple Jamie and Ashley. Ashley is totally beautiful and was so fun to photograph! And I am so in love with the city of Savannah… around every corner was a new and exciting picture spot. Loved it!
Be sure to visit me on Facebook, here!
Cate & Lucy | Newborn Twins | Raleigh Newborn Portrait Photographer
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Cate and Lucy – baby girl twins. This family is one of a kind – the parents are talented in so many ways and they have FOUR girls! I can’t even imagine how Daddy will sleep at night when they become teenagers!
Here is a peak at some of their photos – enjoy!
Kim and Ashley’s Bridal Portraits
Meet Kim and Ashley. They were married recently in Savannah, GA.Β I traveled down to Savannah a few weekends ago to visit with some fellow photographer friends of mine. And Kim and Ashley, having been a little disappointed with how their wedding pictures came out, decided to get all dressed up and model for us so we could get some new shots for them. They were such good sports – it was freezing out but Kim stood out in the cold posing for us as long as we wanted her to. Thanks Kim and Ashley for a fun afternoon in downtown Savannah!

Melissa Devoe is Raleighβs leading newborn & baby photographer and is highly sought after for her unique newborn and baby portraits. Located in Wake Forest and serving Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Apex, Chapel Hill, Fuquay Varina, Knightdale, Clayton, Wake County, Johnston County and surrounding areas.
With over 9 years photographing newborns, Melissa is an expert on baby posing and guarantees every session is relaxed & calm while each gallery is filled with a wide variety of poses you are sure to love.
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