Tag Archives: Tips + Tutorials

A Little Resourcefulness Goes a Long Way

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of photographing four gorgeous ladies for a boudoir shoot.  We were 7 girls, lots of clothes and makeup, tons of fun….but very little room.  So we had to make the best of the limited space available in the hotel suite. For this shot, I had Beverly sit on […]

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June 18, 2012 - 7:48 am

Amy - I do love before and afters. The green makes a perfect backdrop . . . and the end result is stunning!

June 18, 2012 - 9:46 am

Life with Kaishon - She looks impeccable : )
Thanks so much for making the trip.

June 18, 2012 - 11:11 am

Gloria - You did a great retouching job! I would never have guessed that this photo was taken on the floor of a hotel room :-)

June 18, 2012 - 1:17 pm

Adrion - Stellar work! You have to show me how you use that mixer brush. I really don’t have a clue how to use it.

June 18, 2012 - 2:15 pm

The Guilty Hyena - Gotta love the age where everyone has access to photoshop and retouching. The hair dryer did the trick :)

June 18, 2012 - 3:05 pm

thestripedelephant - Love these photos! And sounds like a fun time.

June 18, 2012 - 3:37 pm
June 18, 2012 - 4:59 pm

katherine - i love the before and after shot the b&w is gorgeous.

June 18, 2012 - 6:03 pm

DITA - No wonder you went with the name MAD Hearts, Girl….because you have MAD SKILLS! You are amazing…truly. I love every single thing about this shot!

xoxoxo
Dita

June 19, 2012 - 8:25 am

yummychunklet - Stunning photos!

June 19, 2012 - 3:39 pm

Dodeline - What a great example! The image is beautiful even before you did anything to it!

June 19, 2012 - 6:38 pm

Keeley @ My Life on a Plate - Green is my favorite color, but I love the black and white photo!

June 24, 2012 - 1:59 am

Donna - love the photos :) the clone brush is my favorite/savior.

Why I Don’t Do Selective Color

Before I left on vacation, I posted a side-by-side comparison on my Facebook page. I asked my readers which photo they preferred.   It was a close race with the majority choosing the color version.  However, I did have a few people suggest a third option: a BW version with color accent. I found it to be the perfect opportunity […]

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June 4, 2012 - 9:45 am

Mindy - excellent points, Maddy! I totally agree with you that some things around now seem to be the next “white shirt with jeans” of our time. I think another good example are the infant composite pictures that are so popular now. Those squishy little faces propped up on hands are cute, but I dont think they are going to lend to a timeless photo. plus, they are hard to do, so I also try to avoid them for that reason, too :)

June 4, 2012 - 10:32 am

Life with Kaishon - I agree : ) I really am not a fan of selective color for that exact reason! I want to see a face! : ) I want to focus on a face. I think this post was perfect. Thank you for sharing. LaTonya looks amazing in these images. She is a beauty.

June 4, 2012 - 11:52 am

Camila Faria - I totally agree Maddy. And I find the B&W picture stunning!!! Definitely my favorite!

June 4, 2012 - 2:34 pm

Adrion - I am was never a fan of selective color of anything that is overly saturated. Now I really need a tutorial on your post-processing. You really have some MAD (no pun intended) skills in post processing. :)

here’s the tutorial link i promised to send.

http://www.planetneil.com

June 4, 2012 - 3:56 pm

Sabine - You explained in clear, logical words what I always intuitively felt (without any understanding why) – I just refuse to use this effect. I recently had a discussion about this for a new project and when someone in the group suggested it this was my only No. Additionally to all your points I’m finding it looks too much ‘Look, I know how to use Photoshop’ to me. Beautiful photo, Maddy!

June 4, 2012 - 4:03 pm

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - You’re so right! Every Photoshop newbie (myself included!) has attempted this once before :)

June 4, 2012 - 4:10 pm

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - Awww…thanks Adrion! Seriously, I find that I use Photoshop less and less these days, relying on getting it as “right” as possible in camera and really just boosting contrast, sharpening and light skin retouching. No secret…just everytime I think it’s “perfect”, I tone it down just a bit further.

And thanks for the link! I’m definitely going to check it out :)

June 4, 2012 - 4:24 pm

Elly - Good call, hey. I’m not a huge fan either, and it’s a relief to have it explained :)

June 4, 2012 - 8:20 pm

Hannah - Perfect explanation for how I feel!!

June 4, 2012 - 8:30 pm

Keeley @ My Life on a Plate - Great explanation! Selective color was the hot thing when I got married 7 years ago and I can see now that it would date an image. I also agree with the comment about the newborns in the squishy poses with all the props… it’ll get dated. I’ll remember that when we’re photographing our baby later this summer.

I love the images you composed for my maternity shoot. Everything looks natural and relaxed, just like we try to be. I want photos that will go in our family archive forever and not scream 2012.

June 4, 2012 - 9:40 pm

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - You guys are the perfect example: your happiness just radiated through in your photos! Why would I ever want to detract from that?! Someday Baby P will be big enough to go through the pictures and see how happy and excited you were for his arrival – not the selective color of your red shirt (or something along those lines) ;)

June 4, 2012 - 10:10 pm

Sarah - Wow this is an excellent point! I never thought about that!

June 4, 2012 - 10:31 pm

Kristin - I much prefer the photo without!

June 5, 2012 - 8:07 am

Amy - Fabulous points, Maddy!

June 5, 2012 - 3:52 pm

Otilio - Also, its just plain tacky!!!

July 19, 2012 - 6:49 pm

Charisma Moran - I HATE selective coloring and will never use it. To each their own though, I guess.

{What I Learned…} How to Dress for a City Session

It seems city sessions are all the rage at the moment!  The last three Mad Hearts sessions have all been in New York City – how cool is that?!  Since people seem to love them (and I love to do them!), I thought I’d share some helpful tips on  how to dress for a city photo shoot.  […]

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April 19, 2012 - 2:40 am

Tiera - Awesome tips! You most definitely do NOT want to get caught flashing all of NYC during your wardrobe change, lol!

April 19, 2012 - 7:38 am

Amy - I always love your tips, Maddy! Although, the mere idea of flashing all of NYC made me chuckle. :)

April 19, 2012 - 7:49 am

Life with Kaishon - This girl is so beautiful! I love all of your pictures with her! Great tips.

April 19, 2012 - 7:53 am

The Guilty Hyena - Wise..bringing killer shoes along and changing into them. Never occurred to me that shoots like this of course have two three looks, and transitioning effortlessly between the changes helps a great deal.

April 19, 2012 - 8:13 am

Cafe Fashionista - “Don’t forget to wear a camisole or plain tee underneath your top. That way you can change out of your shirt discreetly in public without worrying about flashing all of NYC.”

This is an awesome tip, Maddy; and something I never actually thought about before. I always assumed people had to run off to find a bathroom for quick changes – a cami is the perfect solution! :)

April 19, 2012 - 8:43 am

Sabine - Spot on, Maddy, and great examples how accessoirising can change the whole look. I think the first 3 points also apply to the photographer – when I was lying on the ground to get a good shot the other day I was SO glad I was wearing dark grey jeans :)

April 19, 2012 - 9:09 am

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - You bring up a great point! Bathrooms are really hard to come by in the city – believe it or not! They’re usually for patron use only or they’re really disgusting. So that’s why I don’t recommend head-to-toe outfit changes. Otherwise, we’d spend precious time looking for a place to change (and then waiting in line for said place), as opposed to spending the most time possible taking picture :)

April 19, 2012 - 9:15 am

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - You’re so right! I admire those photographers that look like they stepped out of a cover of a fashion mag when out shooting, but I’m definitely not one of those. I always dress comfortably for walking, climbing, bending, kneeling and everything else I usually do for the “perfect” shot :)

April 19, 2012 - 11:26 am

Keeley @ My Life on a Plate - Thanks for these tips! I’m starting to think about outfits for Imani and I for our session next month! Excited!

April 19, 2012 - 12:50 pm

Christina Lee - I always have a tank or cami on under everything but until you mentioned it…it IS hard to come by a public restroom in the city!

April 19, 2012 - 9:13 pm

Elle Sees - great pics
great tips
as always!!

April 20, 2012 - 12:40 am

Hannah - Great tips! Hmm…I think this might be a sign that I NEED to do a shoot in NYC when I’m there in July. ;)

April 20, 2012 - 8:35 am

yummychunklet - Cute and easy tips! Thanks!

April 21, 2012 - 8:36 pm

Sarah - What great tips! Thank you!

April 22, 2012 - 10:29 pm

Audrey Allure - Agree with the comfy shoes – esp on those cobblestone streets!

April 22, 2012 - 11:05 pm

thestripedelephant - Love these! All great tips.

April 24, 2012 - 4:01 pm

Kristin - So I guess I shouldn’t have worn five inch wedges for mine? Haha!