Using my advanced skills in photo editing and color correction, I have worked with a variety of well-known nationally distributed magazines. These include SKI, Yoga Journal, American Cowboy, Practical Horseman, Dressage Today, Team Roping Journal, and Trail Rider.
I have taken hundreds of product pictures over the years. From high performance auto parts to health supplements and everything in between. One thing they all have in common is the high-quality photograph that I produced for print and web.
Advanced Restoration
When it comes to knowing what a powerful program like Photoshop can do, nothing beats experience. I have been using Photoshop for over 15 years. I have experimented and come up with solutions for many of the everyday problems designers experience in the world of print and digital design. So when Time magazine asked American Cowboy to collaborate on a feature of John Wayne, my supervisor chose me to give this black and white headshot a complete colorization makeover
The final Photoshop file contained over 40 adjustment layers! Everything From his eyes, to his skin tone, to his clothing. Each part was isolated and adjusted. The finished image was featured on the cover of the publication which was distributed nationwide.
Color Correction & Editing
Working with a high profile magazine like SKI, you learn a lot about bringing out the subject of interest and making a photograph really pop! But even more importantly, doing that while maintaining a natural and unprocessed presentation. Ninety percent of the images that have appeared in SKI magazine since 2017 have passed across my desk (or my Mac). Whether it is masking equipment for the gear guide, or color-correcting back-country images from Chile, I made them all better!
Equine action photos present a challenge all their own. Quick movement, uneven lighting, and lots of shadows can present a difficult problem when preparing for use in print and on the web. I use a variety of techniques in masking and adjustment layers to bring to the best in each one!
Product Photography
I have taken hundreds of product shots over my career. The importance of great product photos cannot be over-emphasized. It is your first (and sometimes only) chance to convey the quality of your product! Here are some examples.
Proper processing after the fact can make all the difference between a good product photo and a great one. To avoid lighting hotspots and reflections on this glass pipe, I needed to take the original photo in less than optimal light. This resulted in a grey, flat photograph. With proper post-production the product lighting and exposure is optimal and the colors vibrant, all without reflection or glare!
In this situation, it is almost impossible to eliminate a reflection of the camera, even when you are masking everything but the camera lens. In this situation, I ended up using Photoshop layers to build the goggle lenses from scratch to eliminate the problem. I used colors pulled from the original photo and used effects layers to recreate the gradient and reflection of the lens.
