I should title this post “Finding a Better Black and White”, or, more accurately, “Finding YOUR Black and White”.  Because really, black and white images are completely subjective.  I, personally, like black and white images that don’t have blocked up shadows; rather, I like to see shadow detail instead of straight black.  I also like a flatter, warmer image with a touch of grain.  I truly miss black and white fild, and I have worked hard to create and/or find actions and presets that will help me achieve the black and white look that I want.

As I mentioned a few posts down, my workflow consists of a combination of Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop.  Most of my work is going to occur in Adobe Lightroom- in fact, many of my images will be processed in Lightroom and nothing else.  Keep in mind that I deliver high- anything from 750 to 1250 images per wedding and 100-250 per portrait session, so I’m only fine-tuning a handful of those in Photoshop.

My first step is to import the photographs into Lightroom.  I have three black and white presets that I have developed (one of the great things about Lightroom is the fact that it is incredibly easy to develop presets that give your raw photos the “look” that you like).  All three of the presets create a black and white with less muddy skin tones, but still a fairly flat black and white since I don’t want to lose all of that shadow detail by adding a lot of black or contrast.  The great thing about Lightroom is that you can mix your black and white to taste in the grayscale mix section of the Develop module- I like my skin tones to be a bit creamier, so I lighten my red and yellow tones (because the skin is made up of red and yellow) while darkening my blues.  My Lightroom black and white presets will give me a file that I am happy to show the client, but one that can be improved by taking it into Lightoom.

Now for the Photoshop bit- most of the time I create my own actions, but when it comes to black and whites I go with the master.  I have to admit, I’m a Photoshop Action junkie.  I’ve tried almost everything out there because I love and adore Photoshop and I get a kick out of trying new actions.  But I have to admit, IMHO Jeff Ascough (a really fabulous photographer out of the UK- if you haven’t checked out his work please do) has created the best black and white actions out there.  They really give your digital files a tactile, film-like look, and I just adore how customizable they are.  Check them out here.  Almost every black and white file I have manipulated in Photoshop has one of these actions run on it.  (Now would be an important time to mention that ANY action will give you a bad result if your file isn’t properly exposed with the appropriate white balance BEFORE running the action.  Garbage in, garbage out.)

Finally, I will occasionally run a specialty action to “season” my black and white images.  I like them to be a bit grainier, with a subtle vignette and blurred edges.  I also like a touch of a warm tone, and a more subtle contrast shift.  There are two actions that I really like when it comes to seasoning my black and white images, and both of them come from the Totally Rad Action set (one from the original, the second from the remix set).   The thing I love about these actions is that they are completely customizable.  So many action sets out there flatten your images or make the adjustments to the background layer, leaving you unable to tweak them.  The TRA set is different- the layers are left open, letting you play with the opacity of each layer to come up with a look that is your own.  My favorite is the Old Skool action (the set has several)- I run it and then lower the opacity to anywhere from 20 to 40%.  (Keep in mind that I am starting with an image that has already been adjusted with a Jeff Ascough black and white action.)  This gives my images just a touch of grain, vignette, and tone, adding a bit of a vintage look to them.  The second action that I use to season my black and white images (used less frequently) is the Homestead black and white image.  Once again, I change the tone and compression layers and then lower the opacity on the overall effect.  For me, it is important to add just a touch of these actions.  I don’t want my images to scream “TOTALLY RAD OLD SKOOL ACTION” or any action at all; rather, I want the effect to bit a bit more subtle.

The great thing about Lightroom and Photoshop is that MY black and white may not be YOUR black and white.  But these two programs (along with the actions and presets that I and others have developed) will give you endless options for coming up with your own look!

Post by Michelle Turner, Maine Portait Photographer and Maine Wedding Photographer
Tags: Maine Portrait Photography, Maine Portrait Photographer, Photoshop Actions, Lightroom Presets, Black and White Actions and Presets

Yesterday I photographed Abby- she will be a senior this year at Monmouth Academy. One of the things I love about photographing seniors is that the styles and trends change every year- this year seems to be dominated by a lot neutral colors, resulting in a very natural look (which I love!)- Abby definitely rocks the natural look!  And I am pleased to say that plaid is back (as are boots- I love when chunky boots make a comeback)!

Abby runs cross country over at Monmouth- we talked about how crazy preseason was this year- it was FREEZING all summer and then the second that double sessions started it jumped into the mid to high 90s!  Abby was a good sport- after all of the rain we had over the weekend, the ground was quite wet.  It’s a good thing that she brought a lot of outfits to change into, because both of us had wet clothes by the end of the session.  Abby’s mom also wins the award for bush-whacking — she blazed trails through the raspberry patch for Abby– all to find the good shots!  I was pleased that it ended up being such a beautiful day- fall is definitely here, though!

Post by Michelle Turner, Maine Portait Photographer and Maine Wedding Photographer
Tags: Maine Portrait Photography, Maine Portrait Photographer, Maine Senior Portraits

To view their slideshow click here, or you can view their gallery by clicking here.

A few weeks ago I blogged about the wedding of Emma and Jason – they held their destination wedding in Maine at the gorgeous Retreat at French’s Point.  Emma and Jason had some very original table decorations- Emma is a cheese lover (Jason even jokes that she must be made of cheese), so the table cards were set in blocks of cheese.  Each table had a different type of cheese, and the tables were named after the kind of cheese that was at the table.  I’ve never seen that before- it was such a cool idea!  Of course, the rest of the details were fabulous as well- Jessika at the Retreat does such a fabulous job pulling everything together!

One of the things that I loved about Emma and Jason was the fact that they were willing to go outside during dinner to take some pics in the gorgeous Maine evening light.  In fact, the two photographs on the right side of the header above were taken in the few minutes that we had between dinner and dancing- the five minutes that they gave me during that time yielded some of my favorite photographs of the day!  One of the great things about Maine wedding photography is that if you wait long enough, you will usually get some gorgeous light!

Emma and Jason had such a fun group, and some of their guests were from quite far away!  Emma’s mom and dad spend most of the year living in Australia (although they have a house on the Maine coast), and Emma’s godparents are from Australia as well.  They also had guests from all over the country who made the trek to Maine for the wedding (and they sure lucked out with the weather- it was one of the most beautiful weekends all summer)!

I enjoyed hearing the story of how Emma and Jason met- it was through a mutual friend (someone that Emma met on her first day of law school!).  Emma and Jason both said that they knew immediately that they were going to get married some day- they just clicked that quickly and completely.  It was so much fun to see these two interact throughout the day!  And their bridal party was wonderful- it was such a fun group to work with.

You will need to have flash on your computer in order to view their slideshow or gallery- if you are checking this post from your iPhone or an older computer, scroll down a few posts (to their original post) to see more of their images in a non-flash format.

Post by Michelle Turner, Maine Wedding Photographer and Destination Wedding Photographer
Tags: Maine Wedding Photography, Maine Wedding Photographer, Retreat at French’s Point Wedding

Upon hiring Michelle Turner to shoot your wedding or portrait, two rather delightful things are soon to happen: you’ll certainly come away with an album full of emotionally acute photography — but it’s going to be delivered in a style that’s also funky and fashionable.  For Michelle, those aren’t contradictory means to an end, it’s simply the essence of her technique.  Peek inside her maine studio, or follow her to the wedding destinations she shoots all over the world, and you’ll find her crafting colorful, even occasionally grungy portraiture that is uniquely Michelle’s.  But it’s how she manages to imbue both her shots and your experience with a fun, laidback vibe that will have you connecting with her in an entirely familiar, friendly way.

Michelle is an international wedding photographer who specializes in Maine wedding photography and Puerto Vallarta wedding photography, although she also travels to destinations around the world.  Michelle is both a coveted national speaker and author, having published Wedding Photography Now about fashionable wedding photography and the evolution of the image.  Her work has appeared in Marriage Magazine, Destination Weddings and Honeymoons, Real Maine Weddings, Experience Magazine, Gala Weddings, and Michelle was featured as the 2009 wedding and portrait photographer in the 2009 edition of Photographer’s Market.  She is an alumna of Georgetown University and worked on her Master’s at Darmouth.  She currently resides in Maine, although she spends most of the winter photographing weddings in Mexico and Central America.

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