how to add a subtle haze to your photographs

Confession: I've always been a little hesitant to share some of my secrets with y'all because well... ya know, my photography business is the only income I have and a girl's gotta eat! I realized though that there's no better way to get the creative juices going than to share the goodness! I'm so appreciative for things that I've learned from other photographers so here is a trick that I learned and use a lot, and you'll probably use a lot too! The idea is to add a subtle hazy glow to your photographs. While it is definitely subtle, the difference is, in ways, drastic. More attention will be drawn to the main subject if you do it right, so here's how:

1. Open your original image in photoshop. (A pretty good place to start.)

2. Add a new layer.

3. I'm kind of... "obsessive"... so I name and color-code all of my layers. You can skip this step if you're not as crazy as I am.

4. Pick a brush, a color, and an opacity. Make sure that the hardness is set on 0% and that you choose a light color, preferably one that compliments your photo's color scheme. I've found that a larger brush works best, and the level of opacity changes with every picture. Play around and find out what works best!

5. Make sure that your new layer is selected and that you're not drawing directly on the photograph and go to town. I like to "highlight" my subject with the brush but every photo is different. Once again, play around with it because it's supposed to be fun!

6. There will be a little drop-down box above your layers that says "Normal." I believe that this is the list of "Blending Modes." Click on it and select "Soft Light."

7. Your brush strokes will instantly blend with the photograph. Feel free to leave it the way it is or to play around with the opacity a little.

Viola! It's subtle but it certainly makes a difference! Have fun playing around with photographs, trying out different brush size and color combinations and creating new works of art!

xo, e.m.

fake light leaks:

Is it just me or is digital photography nowadays all about looking like film photography? I've certainly played into this trend, it's so much fun to play around with pictures and it's quite a challenge to make them look as "analog" as possible. A lot of people have been asking me lately how I get light leaks into my photos: Photoshop! And it's so simple, too! Here's my original image, scroll down to see the process and the end result!:

1. Open your photo in photoshop. Make any adjustments that you would like.

2. Find your brush tool. You're going to want a pretty big brush for this, and you'll also want the hardness to be turned all the way down. 

3. Pick your color. Something in the orange family will work the best but feel free to experiment!

4. You can do this step either before or after you pick your brush and your color, I just happened to do it afterward. However, this is an important step so don't skip it! Go up to "Layer" and select "New."

5. Draw a big fat orange line right on that new layer. (MAKE SURE that it's the new layer that's selected!) If you don't like the placement of it, don't fret, you can change it later by going in to "Edit," "Transform," and then choosing whichever change you would like to make.

6. Here is the fun part! Above the layers, select the "Blending Mode" for the layer. Choose "Pin Light."

7. While the light and the original image are two separate layers, you can change the opacity, size, and shape of your "light leak."

Voila! Digital never looked so analog.

xo, e.m.