It's that time again, Christmas cards

Christmas is so close, not much time left. With no time to waste I started taking pictures of my kids for our family Christmas cards to send to family and friends. I have two teenagers and my husband still left to photograph. I have maybe six days to complete this. I think I can do it, provided Napoleon my oldest will allow me to photograph him. He has always felt that if you take his picture you take his soul. When he was very young he heard this on a show or from someone. He belived it to be true. This comes with the terriotory of having Autism, he takes everything literally. I have very few shots of him and the ones I do have are of him hiding or trying to make a run for it. I will try to beg him this year, crossing my fingers.

For the moment please enjoy what I do have. I really like how they turned out. I was up around five one morning to study the manual for my Canon EOS 50D. Still learning... since reading the manual I started shooting in manual. I also use a 580EXII Speedlite. I think I am getting bettter. I was going to run the images through photoshop but I quickly changed my mind and edited in Lightroom. I also learned that I really enjoyed Lightroom. Note to self pick up a book online for Lightroom. Anyone have any suggestions?

Illustrations for book trailer....

I have been so busy with the kids and my picture book that I have had no time, but tonight I found a moment and here it is, Aggie Villanueva's Book Trailer for Rightfully Mine. Aggie commissioned me to created several illustrations for her book trailer.
What a pleasure it was to work with Aggie on her project. I enjoyed every moment and was sad when it was over.
What I enjoy most about Aggie's writing is how poetically she writes. Aggie makes you feel that you are there in the setting watching the events unfold. My biblical background is not deep, but I learned a great deal from Aggie's work. There is a strong message in the text. I'll let the reader find it. I thoroughly enjoyed Aggie's book and reccomment it. All I need now is her autograph. For more information please visit Aggie's site http://www.aggiev.org/rightfullymine/ Check out the trailer below.

Autumn Knocking….Banging at my Door………

Is it just me or is time flying by really fast? It seems in a blink of an eye a week goes by. I can hardly believe that fall is already here, confirmed by the colors all around: reds, oranges and yellows blazing brightly against the moody sky. Breathtaking! I think in a couple of weeks it will be perfect for photographing landscapes. (Don’t forget your tripod so you can take several shots to stitch a pan.) Portraits will also look amazing in a bed of red and orange maple leaves, soft golden light highlighting your subject. For some fun shots grab a step ladder for a higher perspective of little ones playing in a bed of beautiful colors. (Try not to center your subject to make for a dramatic portrait.)
To kick in the fall, my family and I went to a local pumpkin patch that had much potential for wonderful backgrounds to take portraits, like golden cornstalks and red blueberry bushes that look like fire. The only downside was that this particular weekend there were a lot of people and trucks everywhere; there was a big pumpkin contest happening, and I mean big! You should have seen the sight: pumpkins of various sizes and every shade of orange. And the shapes! There was one pumpkin in a shape of a huge bean bag. The kids got to sit in it and I got to take pics. There was also a corn maze that is taller than 6 feet—I was feeling a little claustrophobic—and it seemed to go on forever. The maze is endless. We had to take the emergency to get out; maybe next year we’ll make it to the end. The kids had a blast, and I had fun taking shots. The weather was perfect—not too windy not too bright. The sky was covered in rolling clouds with hints of the sun trying to shine through them: perfect natural lighting.

I took a few photos of my little trolls, knowing I would have to run the images through Photoshop to remove trucks, barns and temporary tattoos. The last part I don’t like so much; it was tedious and boring. Check out my before and after; can you spot the difference?

I really wanted to create drama and not over-process the images. I think I achieved the look I was after. I’m really happy with the results, and the kids are happy as well.
Eventually, I would like to solely use flashes (just bought one, a Canon 580 EX II) to create dramatic lighting and just use Photoshop for tweaking.

Now some may be wondering about the Alien Bee ring flash I purchased way back. The ring flash offered great lighting with cool effects. I really loved the lighting. The only thing about this ring flash was that it wasn’t practical for me. The bulk frustrated me, and I had to be practical, so I traded it in for the Speedlite. Recently, I did come across the Oribis ringflash. Looking into it.

lastest buzz....

Because the summer was full of activity, I had no time to venture out and photograph interesting locations, landscapes or vintage cars. It’s been a long time, I have a building in mind that I want to photograph in town and it’s kind of historic. I have it all planned out in my head. HDR, of course, and as much detail as possible with some drama. Now I am waiting for an evening, twilight, when I can go out and actually get the shot. Hopefully, luck will be with me that night and the cloud cover will be perfect and there will be some golden color in the sky tucked behind the clouds.

As for my book,
My children’s book is complete. It was fun, exhausting, tedious, and brain busting, but worth all the hard work. I think the last edit is really good. Hopefully it’s my final edit. The characters are much more developed and the story flows a lot nicer. I was fortunate to get some direction from an editor and publisher.
My family has been so patient with me; constantly listening to me read my edits. Sometimes the only one willing to listen (and not have to force) was my five-year-old Ireland. She wants the book published as badly as I. By November of 2009, a decision will be made when the book will be published. That’s all I can say for now, I don’t want to jinx myself. Is that coy enough for you?
2010 Lilliput Calendar is now available at my Redbubble site.

Meanwhile, since I have not taken any pictures, if I should happen to find 10 minutes here or there I pick up my sketch book and then upload the sketch to illustrator. I have been working on a series of robot images for posters. What can I say--I really am a robot junkie.

The illustrations are very colourful and full of detail. At first I was going for something simple, not a lot of detail, loads of color. As you can see from the end-result the illustrations took a life of their own. They started off innocent but the mischievous side came out and wreaked havoc. The robots went wild. It helped having a seven-year old behind my shoulder telling me to blow up things. It took me several weeks to work on it—so little time (I seriously need a vacation) and figuring out how things work in Illustrator. I have a copy of Adobe Illustrator CS4 Classroom in a Book next to me as I work. The lessons are straightforward and full of visuals to follow. I have yet to mess up a lesson. Best resource book I have come across for Illustrator.
Hope you enjoy my illustration--many more to come in the months to follow.
September line up,
I was commissioned to create illustrations for a book trailer. The book is Rightfully Mine, the talented author is Aggie Villanueva. Once the trailer is online I will blog about Rightfully Mine and write a review. In the mean time you can read up on Aggie Villanueva, dubbed by artistic peers Grandma Moses of the American Southwest http://www.aggiev.org/rightfullymine/ .

There’s more,
I am also working on my second picture book as well as a comical short story for a children’s magazine geared for 6-8 year olds. You can find preview images for my second picture book at my RedBubble site

For my love of photography, from time to time I take on freelance photography jobs. I just recently finished a hair model photo shoot for Jamie-lynn (hairdresser) at Enviro Trends, incredibly creative work of art. Looks like a flower and the model is the vase.

Want to see more of my work go to paolajofre.com , Redbubble site

If you would like to purchase my artwork please follow the links to my Redbubble site and Zazzle store.

If you would like to contact me for commission illustrations please contact me for information at paolaajofre@gmail.com.

Photoshop workshop...

I have been thinking for a while now to get a group of no bigger than 6 to do an online class so to speak without any fees of course. I can provide the images (always open to sharing though) if it is easier. We would all come up with a concept and then vote on it. At the end of our project we can post our work as a group on our own sites. I have never done this before but would love to try it out and see what we come up with. This is not a challenge , but there is a prize, knowledge and friendship (a good thing )

If you would like to join me please let me know by June 4, 2009 so we can get started. Space is limited as we will only start with 6.

email me at paolaajofre@gmail.com

All tutorials will be as word docs. However,I am playing around with video and hopefully will have that running before we get started.

HDR in Foymount.....

Get 15% off Photomatix
software for HDR Imaging
Just enter VisualArtsJunction under “coupon” at checkout

Last summer I had a serious craving for shooting ghost towns. Don’t ask me why, because I have no clue. I just felt like I really needed to photograph something completely abandoned, falling apart with an eerie feel that moved me. This ghost town bug has not left me, as I still want to find some more elaborate run down buildings.
I dragged my husband and four kids with me told them “Hey guys lets go on a field trip” they bought it. I think they clued in once they saw my gear. It was only about half hour from where I live, not far so that the kids would not be making each other mad by screaming “Are we there yet!” I also bribed them with chips from the chip wagon. You have to have secret weapons to deal with kids.

We went to Foymount, Ontario. Foymount originally was a radar base in the 50’s. It sits on the highest point on Ontario, Canada. It was a Radar base, used to detect nuclear bombers coming over the polar region from the Soviet Union, that was until the 70’s when they had develop better technology and moved else where in Ontario. The site was eventually close in the early 70’s. I did hear however that some soldiers that were originally stationed there have returned to the town and are trying to re establish Foymount. The trip to Foymount was truly amazing. The ride up was divine, lush forests, winding roads and a soft blue sky with fluffy clouds getting larger as we neared. I was very excited and could not wait to jump out of the car. My only concerns were a: hope there are no, no trespassing signs b: hope none of the kids have to go to the bathroom.
My husband did the driving that day if it were me behind the wheel. I would have parked as soon we drove into the town and made a run with my camera, he took us to the top of the hill. Good thing though, what a treat.


There are several different types of buildings at Foymount, though the barracks are the ones with the worst wear. The architect of the buildings is stunning, making you feel like you are in a Sci fi flick On the towns main road there sits several windowless buildings. Some are occupied with new owners others lay empty. Personally I think they would make an incredible gallery for an art show. Anyhoo, in this nearly deserted town there sits a tea room for tourists, yes a tea room that has tea and crumpets. Thankfully they had Ice cream as well, kids loved that part.

Before leaving town there sits a large building that is occupied by an outdoor gear store that manufactures clothing worldwide. I asked my husband to pull in the lot and I jumped out and walked around it, photographing all the beautiful detail and color. I was so focused that I did not notice how badly bitten I was from the horse flies. Their monsters!


Beautiful Colour buildings that once were barracks for the soldiers still stood there on the hill magnificently. You really feel there sense of grandeur at first glance. Hold the thought for one second, back to my kids for a sec. Now I mention earlier how they regretted it once they got there. Only Mason would get out of the van. The other three scared and bored would not leave. What were the girls afraid of you ask? Ghosts! Seriously, my oldest daughter started it. Yes, granted it was a spooky place. Run down, balconies flying in the air, windows cracked no trespassing signs EVERYWHERE. There were also pictures of Mary posted on all the windows.

This I found very interesting but my daughters found spooky. Okay so back to the old barracks and how gorgeous they look, just waiting for me to take their picture. It couldn’t just be any shot. They deserved something truly special. HDR photography would make these buildings shine in all their glory. I first took a walk around the buildings looking for shadows and angles. Aiming to get the best shot; my time was limited in Foymount because the kids would not be able to stay too long.

Something very important to note when shooting HDR is to use a tripod, if you don’t have a tripod try to find a good base to hold the camera steady. If you don’t have a base lean up against something to steady yourself and hold your breath....personally I would rather much prefer to use a tripod. I then set up my camera and take 3-9 bracketed exposure shots. Unless you are going for a certain look you need to watch out for the wind otherwise your shot will be blurred. With any luck it will be a slow wind and you can time it.

I like to use Aperture priority to control the depth of field and when I am shooting HDR I want complete depth of field. Play around and see what you like. Your white balance should not be set on auto. If you are using models for your HDR shots then they will have to stand very still for a period of time, other wise the shot will be blurred and the images will not align correctly when using the merge function in Photoshop, as you will see in my example image. The clouds are blurred and the high grass is blurred. I could not control the wind factor….oh well can’t have everything…I got the shot I was going for though.
Below are examples of three different exposures I took to be able to merge later in Photoshop.

Here comes the best part, watching it come alive…..
When I got home I opened up Photoshop CS3 and went to work. I like to use the HDR merge right in Photoshop and then take it through Photomatix for tone mapping.
Go to File/Automate/Merge to HDR
Then go to Filter/Photomatix and play with the settings.
There is no right or wrong way in using Photomatix, it is what you like and what works for the image. What is it you are trying to achieve? Play around with the settings, have fun exploring Photomatix.
Now I want to convert my image to 8 bit and a window will pop up , adjust your exposure and gamma settings. If I want to take the image further I will adjust the curves in Photoshop for more contrast and pump up the saturation.
Go to Hue/Saturation and pump up the sat and darken just a bit.
Open up curves and make adjustments for more depth in your image, almost making appear like it will jump out at you. You are aiming for the shadows here to make them stand out more.
Now go to your layers palette and duplicate your image and set it to hard light at about 23%
Voila! Your HDR image

To Flash or not To Flash….

Photographs are straight from camera

After spending many days in bed (I was going out of my mind) with a very nasty virus I am ready to get back to it …slowly. I miss drawing, writing and taking pictures, I really do.
I could not get up and walk around the first few days I could not sit up because of the dizziness, the world was moving in slow motion for me. Something to do with my inner ear and of course a virus to help it along. Not a great feeling at all...on the bright side and there always is a bright side…I did get to see everything in a fresh light and ideas began to form in my head. I wonder if they would mind if I came to emergency with a camera…note to self...bring camera next time to emergency…I didn’t see any signs stating otherwise.

During this horrible sickly time I was also awaiting the arrival of my Alien Bee Ring Flash. I finally got it yesterday and did I put it to work? Yes I did! My daughters and one of their friends were my models. I did struggle with the weight of the flash and camera together. I really wanted to attach the flash to my camera and hold it. But I found out that this would be impossible for me ….much to heavy …camera….ring flash…no go….so I grabbed a light stand and attached the ring flash. I didn’t think the price for just the flash was too high…however, the combination of the battery pack (which you need if you want to shoot outdoors where there are no plug-ins) and ring flash are high. They thought of everything though to get you started; grounded power cord, sync cord, umbrella adaptor, mounting bracket, even a diffuser to protect and for soft lighting and even the screw to attach your camera to the mounting bracket (some free advertisement).

I am also in the process of learning how to use my Canon 50D EOS….loads of incredible features that after using a Nikon D50 feels like I need a GPS to navigate…well, with manual in tow…I went at it. Most often I like to use the try it and see what happens method. I am like a kid, no patience with new toys. Just let me at it. My results…well not exactly what I wanted initially, have to keep at it...but I’m getting close. I found that my aperture was best set at 16-18, at least 10 to 15 feet away. I did not mount my camera on with the ring flash , rather I held it alone and attached the sync cord … I most often shoot Aperture priority( I like to control the depth of field and not worry about the shutter speed so much) but this time I am aiming for manual….something different …note to self, need a longer sync cord…hope I can get a longer cord.


Today, still resting a bit…and a bit of work…I do not want a relapse of the nasty virus. I am going to try something with the ISO that I have never tried before (once I try it I will post my results and what I did). I discovered something before I fell asleep….yes…the truth is out….photography, art, is constantly on my mind. I was not kidding about the hamster in my mind constantly churning… I read something in the Canon manual and in a book that I have been reading, The Hot Shoe Diaries written by Joe McNally. The book (one of six) was part of my prize package that I won for 1st place Wedding/Portraits at Photoshop User Awards 2009 NAPP…my brag moment. Joe McNally goes into great detail of his set up….starting with one flash, two flashes and so on. Seriously, it is a how to book full of diagrams and descriptions. Now, Joe McNally talks Nikon but I do not see how a Canon user cannot follow and apply what he is teaching so brilliantly. In 'The Hot Shoe Diaries' Joe McNally talks about using small flashes and getting big light and quite honestly looking at his images I never would have thought the simplicity of the shots…at first what comes to mind is some type of elaborate set up that I cannot a: afford b: have room for, for instance he gives you a great shot of man in front of some metal scraps…looks great!….I think studio shot, lots of lights, cables… not so…he shows you the set up ..a backyard studio. The backyard studio I have room for! Summer will be interesting (hope the neighbours will not mind). He shares with you the set up and describes in detail how he took the shot. I have not finished reading the book yet but so far it is very interesting… he is very encouraging and humours, which makes it a fun read…there is a lot of tech talk but important tech talk which he shows you how to work through it. He answers the questions that enter your mind. He does not loose your attention. I see his work and it is brilliant. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about flashes and using them creatively. I choose wisely.