Christmas Card Photo Shoot

Yes, I said Christmas Card Photo Shoot.

If you know me, you know that I LOVE taking photos.

I am OBSESSED with taking photos.

I take a LOT of photos.

My photography obsession has definitely evolved over the years. BK (that's Before Kids) Dale and I were really into landscape photography on our travels. We were always in search of that perfect sunset, that brilliant blue water, and that awe inspiring mountain shot. Of course, most of this time was (Gasp!) before digital photography, so we basically got what we got, and there weren't really any ways that we could change what we got. But now in the digital age, we are blessed to be able to see right away what we get, and I can also dramatically change the look of what we get by working some magic in Photoshop. Lately I have been playing with Photoshop more and more, and now I am also OBSESSED with Photoshop. The only problem with this is that now I am never happy with any SOOC (Straight Out Of the Camera) shots. They might be a great shot and something I would normally be happy with, but now with Photoshop, there is always some way I can make it better. To illustrate this, let me show you a shot before and after.

Today I took advantage of a gorgeous, sunny fall day and a half day of school and took the kids into downtown Vancouver in search of a large red door that I have been wanting to get photos of them with. I decided that now would be a good time to get photos for the annual photo Christmas card. As usual, the kids weren't thrilled with me dragging them away for a photo shoot, but I bribed them with candy and ice cream afterward if they were good. All in all, they were very good, and I got about 230 photos. So here is one shot I got with the SOOC shot and then my Photoshopped version. This isn't the best shot because I don't want to show you the best now and ruin the Christmas card for you. You'll have to wait until December for that.

SOOC (Straight Out Of the Camera)

Photoshopped

Did I tell you that I LOVE Photoshop?

I LOVE Photoshop.