31, the photographic confessional
Me, spring 2011. Shortly after my 31st birthday.
Despite my best efforts to make brightness and contrast adjustments in Ps. look natural, nothing short of kind-of-scary brightness levels will bring my face out of shadow, which also blows the sky into an apocalyptic ashen white. This is what I get for leaning into the shadows while simultaneously trying to coach a camera rookie around the D700′s labrynthine modes and options. Still, to quote my older sister (사형님): “Wow, you came out well in this picture!” Well, you know…I try.

It’s a lot more work, but what i do is select and copy the entire image, then past it over the original as a layer. Once I’m happy with the the was the shadow looks, I select everything around it and delete.
Sometimes it doesn’t work so well, but after a few tries you start to figure things out!
Thanks for letting us have a face to go with the blog~ ^_^
April 19, 2011 at 8:03 am
Ah, I need to start working with layers. (One of my bits of “homework” this vacation is to start learning, not merely futzing around with, Photoshop. So much possibility, if I can just get a hold of the basics!) Thanks for the tip.
April 22, 2011 at 2:52 am
It’s easy to loose a whole lot of time on Photoshop, believe me! haha I’ve wasted over three hours on a photo I ended up scrapping before. (although I did learn something, so it wasn’t a complete waste…)
You’re probably more aware than I am that there are better ways to spend that time!
The really difficult/time consuming part is to get the layers to blend naturally. The “middle way” becomes very useful! ^_^
April 22, 2011 at 2:57 am
You look great, Sunim: happy and self-assured. THAT can’t be Photoshopped, for sure.
April 19, 2011 at 11:32 am
Thanks, Lorianne!
April 22, 2011 at 2:51 am
Sunim!! There you are! Great shot.
April 19, 2011 at 1:26 pm
What a wonderful picture! I love getting this glimpse of you.
April 19, 2011 at 3:12 pm
This was a fun picture to take, the problematic lighting/exposure notwitshstanding.
April 22, 2011 at 2:51 am
It’s been great visiting with you through your recent posts, as well as “…seeing…” you here.
April 22, 2011 at 1:49 am
*grin*
When I asked Deok An Sunim, who was out with me for the walk, to take my picture, instead of continually asking her to pose, she said: “What? You? Actually in a photo? …What happened?” I replied honestly that I felt left out of the record of our class, all those pictures without me in them. Vanity, or mortality, biting at my heels, I suppose.
April 22, 2011 at 2:48 am
I met you just once I think but I recognized this photo as you right away! You look very happy – great photo.
April 27, 2011 at 4:59 pm
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