Sandralise Photography Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 18:41:00 +0000

Loving this little camera!

I'm not one to do camera reviews but I had to say something about this little camera!
Recently I purchased the Sony A6000 with the 16-50mm Lens and also the E 55-210 mm f/4.5-6.3 oss E-mount Lens and I just love it! I found my Canon 5D just to heavy for outdoors with a telephoto lens(getting old I guess, the old arms can't hold the weight like in my youthful days) ;) I will still use my beloved Canon 5d Mark lll at home in studio but for outdoors and walk about camera this will be my new camera.
Just to show the difference in size with my Canon 5D Mark lll and the Sony A6000 both having a telephoto lens attached. I love a telephoto lens outdoors, very versatile for me but was very heavy...now this camera and lens solves the problem!
You also can buy an adapter to be able to use all your Canon,Nikon, and other lenses, if you wish, so quite versatile. :)
Loving it a lot!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 14:57:00 +0000

ANOTHER BEFORE AND AFTER!

It's been a while since I have done another "before and after" and since I did this fun shoot last week I thought I would share this one!
Here is the original image:

First off, I erased the string from the flying bird(duh)...we don't want that there, right! We want to make it as realistic as possible! ;)
Then I added a starry night sky as a layer for the background set to "screen" and then erased where I didn't need it to show(mostly over the bird and T-Rex). When I was happy with the look I flattened it and put the image through OnOne Perfect Effects to get a little more punch and here is how it turned out.

I did a few variations...on the 3rd and 4th image I also added a bokeh effect light layer I affectionately call my "bubble effect". I also added a motion blur to the 3rd image.
Toy animals are a fun way to experiment and create fun fanciful worlds...they let the child in you get out and have fun sometimes!! :)

ANOTHER DAY INTO NIGHT! (BEFORE AND AFTER BUT WITH SNOW)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 16:47:00 +0000

I thought I would share another image that was daytime originally and turn it into a snowy winter night scene. The image is a composite of three images. The technique I used is very similar to a previous image I did here:

Plugin I used is Perfect Effects from onOne Software...it's a great tool for creating special effects for you images. I also added a snow effect in the last image to give it a cold snowy winter effect!
Just a little tip: I keep all my snow and rain filter effects in a PNG. form...then it's so easy to drop them in when working in Photoshop. :)
Here is a Before and After of the image:

AUTUMN IS COMING!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 16:30:00 +0000

New RF work!
Copyright © Sandra Cunningham. All rights reserved!
New stock images at Shutterstock!
http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?gallery_id=54497&safesearch=1&prev_sort_method=popular&sort_method=newest&page=1

New exclusive images in my portfolio at Stocksy!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 16:28:00 +0000

http://www.stocksy.com/Sandralise?type=latest&page=1

HOW TO CREATE DIFFERENT SPACES AND MOODS IN THE SAME STUDIO!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 23:22:00 +0000

I love where I live but it is a modern condo and even though it's windows and rooms are great for a contemporary look I use in my images sometimes it can't give me a rustic look I love and look for sometimes!
I don't have old looking windows with character but I have found a solution...I purchased a fake window and placed in my back door studio! It is perfect for still life shots that don't require a lot of room. Here are some shots of the faux window and how it was used in my work!

I often shoot my bedroom which has a more modern feeling and look...it works very well for certain shoots I do but my heart and favorite mood and look is the rustic country life! :)
I did a shoot yesterday and created a fake bed in my studio...it offered me a little more of a country shabby chic look and feeling...I like the way they came out and I think I will try it more often!!
Hope this gives you some fun and interesting ideas to try. Have fun!! :)

LATEST IMAGES FOR SUMMER!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 16:04:00 +0000

So much fun to create!

I thought I'd share some of my latest SUMMER IMAGES that are available now online!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy summer! :)

Images are available for download at Shutterstock, Depositphoto, Fotolia, Dreamstime, Stockfresh.There are more links located on left side.

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 17:44:00 +0000

DOORS, FLOORS AND PHOTOGRAPHY PROPS!
ANOTHER BEFORE AND AFTER

I haven't touched my blog in a while...sorry for that but it has been a busy summer and it seems it went by so fast! It's a good thing I love the change of the seasons and just love Autumn!
Recent changes in my photography direction has led me to seeking more vintage and antique props. It has brought me back to really appreciating objects of long ago when times were more simpler and slowed down...when things weren't thrown out but were repaired and used again.
My quest for all things vintage led me to watching Canadian Pickers on the History channel and by chance they had come to my neck of the woods in Saint-Joseph-du-lac! What a nice surprise to know how close I was to this great Antique Shop(La Maison Théoret)and so close to me!! Last weekend with the help of my brother and the owners Paul and Armand (bringing everything back and up the stairs) I purchased 2 great doors, a window and 3 fantastic chairs full of vintage charm!! They really give the look of a quaint country kitchen without leaving my studio! The doors have an added bonus because both sides have a different look...that means it gives me 4 doors instead of 2. :)

Here is what my studio looked like set up just before the shoot. It worked very well in the small space I have and when finished everything can be placed against the wall for future shoots. I have lots of ideas for shoots in the future and can't wait to get started, lol!
Here are some images of the shoot...edited in PS and onOne Software. Happy prop hunting everyone! :)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 20:27:00 +0000

ANOTHER BEFORE AND AFTER!

In response to the image I posted on FB this week I decided to show the "BEFORE and AFTER" trying to show you the steps involved to the final stage! Here is the original image...it's not a bad image and certainly does serve a purpose...it leaves plenty of copy space for advertising but I wanted to create something more that told a bit of a story!

I created a mask layer for this image then inserted my cloud image (back of boots) in a "hard light" layer and played around with the intensity till I got it just right. I then created another layer with the second image inserting in front of the cloud image...erasing (set around 30 to 40 % opacity) some of the image at the top and bottom ...again putting it in "hard light" and adjusting the intensity.

After tweaking each layer to get the best fit and the right intensity I flattened the image and opened onOne software Perfect Effects 4 and passed it through the Vintage filter (vintage cool) and played with the opacity...did a little sharpening and that is about it.

Here is the final Image! :)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 01:24:00 +0000

BOOK COVERS FOR 2012!

Very pleased so far as this is my first year creating imagery for
the book cover Industry. Here is to 2013!
Thank you Arcangel in helping me achieve this for 2012 :)
http://tinyurl.com/8u4avus

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 13:24:00 +0000

FUN WITH POTTED ROOTS!

Winter is almost upon us...time to prepare and protect summer furniture, cut down the last of summer's flowers that have died and are brown and maybe if it's not too cold start putting outdoor decorations for the Holidays!
These are some of this week's projects to do and as always my two great sons Chris and Nick are always there to give a helping hand(actually they do most of the work), lol! :)
Some of my plants had over grown their pots and were very hard to remove. The one good thing that happened to my amazement was the incredible design of the roots against the sides of the pots and I had to take photos of them! I did various shots with different lenses...my EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM and my favorite Lensbaby with Sweet 35 for a distorted creepy look. Here is what the roots looked like unedited:

I then stuck some small doll heads in the earth for later photo manipulations. Here is an idea of the layout in Photoshop and the images used for the final image! The doll heads were cut and pasted in an overlay or luminosity layer...I used my favorite program OnOne Software Perfect Effects4 and finally added a couple of textures to give it a grungy vignette.
I know it's a little spooky, creepy but sometimes it's just fun to go and play on the dark side! ;)

Here are some final images of creepiness, lol! Have fun going to the dark side yourself...you may like it!! ;)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 22:54:00 +0000

ANOTHER BEFORE AND AFTER!

Some people have been emailing me and wondering when I will add something new to my blog!
I have been quite busy as of lately trying to establish some new markets for my work so I've been neglecting it a little lately but I"m very glad to know that people find the blog interesting, Lol! :)

So, I was editing this image Friday and thought it would make an interesting post because I too was quite surprised how this image turned out!
Here are some Before and After images:

(1) I started out with the first image. It was taken about 3 weeks ago in my favorite secret spot in a forest nearby. I used my Canon 5D but with the Lensbaby Composer Pro and the Sweet 35 Sweet Optic lens. I love the look it gives and is a good base for a "Creepy cabin in the woods effect"

(2) Then I copied and pasted a cabin image I shot this summer...played around a little with it to make the right size and did a little motion blur also to make the crop fit perfectly in the forest and flattened it!

(3)I then ran it through OnOne software Perfect Effects to get a red hellish effect I was looking for and because the tree background was quite distorted with the Lensbaby to my amazement it gave this hellish forest fire look which I love! Finally, I put a dark vignette around the image to made it darker at the bottom so there would be plenty of room for text. This image was created for RM book-covers and not for RF stock.

That's it...you just never know how an image will turn out and it's always a surprise for me!

Here is the finished image:

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 21:16:00 +0000

NOT SO MUCH GOING ON THESE DAYS!!

I guess I'm not the only one that is busy doing so many things now that summer is here like summer activities, vacation etc... I'm trying to keep up with some photo editing this summer but those lazy days of summer can sure get to you, LOL!

I thought I'd share some of my latest SPA IMAGES that are available now online!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy summer! :)

Images are available for download at Shutterstock, Fotolia, Dreamstime, Stockfresh.There are more links located on left side.

CREATING "FAKE" WOOD FLOORS AND WALLS!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:04:00 +0000

I'm often get ask what kind of surfaces I shoot on or against and thought I would show some of the "Fake" wood floors I have. When I say "Fake" I mean the illusion of a wood floor or wall. I use real wood but distress the wood to look old by using a "Dry Brush Effect". Here is some work for that "Look" from my gallery in a past life(just over 15 years before going full-time as a photographer) as a Decorative Painter!
It doesn't take large pieces of wood to create the look of a floor or wall and it's not hard to put them together. I prefer pine because it's easier to work with so all you have to do is purchase 4 of or 5 pieces and assemble then with smaller strips in back with screws(I like to use drywall screws). You can also use stain to darken the wood then distress to give an antique, well worn look for image themes!

I also use both sides and it's very economical.You can create two different wood surfaces in totally different color tones and techniques! It is limitless what you can create and it can help you be very creative in your future image shoots. Here is another image showing what I mean:

I hope this gives you ideas to create some panels and wood surfaces of your own!
Here are some images using these wood creations:

DOLLAR STORE DINOSAUR(Before and after)!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:29:00 +0000

Here is a brief look at a before and after I did recently of a small dinosaur I purchased at the dollar store. (If anyone is not familiar with this it's a store that only sells items for a dollar). It's cheap and I think it makes a great prop for many different projects!
Here is the original image:

(1) It was shot on some fake grass with a black background. (2) I changed the image from a horizontal image to vertical and added clouds in a luminosity blending mode set at 100%. (3)I then added some mountains above the sky in a soft light blending mode set at 100%. (5) A couple of grungy textures with scratches in an overlay mode set to about 40%.
(4) For fun some bird and tree brushes were added to give movement, depth and drama to the final image.
And finally a slight radial blur was done at the end to add some quirkiness to the final feeling and look of the image!

That's it and here is the finished Image with two variations! :)

SPRING GARDENING COMPOSITE!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:44:00 +0000

It's been quiet for blogging lately. I have been very busy creating new moody images for RM. I must say it's quite different from creating bright and sunny images.
I'm also trying to do some new images for RF at the same time and find it weird switching from light and cheery to dark and menacing! It's like exploring different sides of your personalities, LOL!
Here is an image I worked on this past weekend and thought I'd show you a little how it was done.

Here is the original image:

Here is a look at the different images I used to achieve the final look of the image.
The grass image was placed towards the lower bottom and the farm with sky was placed on top of the grass and blended into the background.

I did a little dodge and burn on the grass and the earth in the foreground. I also added a few more clouds to make it interesting. That's it and here is the finished Image!! :)

NOT MUCH GOING ON IN BLOGGING!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:15:00 +0000

Getting ready for the holidays so I haven't been doing updates to my blog lately! I will be posting some great spring ideas in January! Wishing everyone safe Happy Holidays and a fantastic New Year!! :)
Here is the newest and last on this years images! More to come in the new year!

DAY INTO NIGHT!! (Before and After)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:12:00 +0000

I just wanted to share this cool effect with you that I found in one of my plug-ins that work with Photoshop CS5!
I'm sure there is a way to do this with just PS but this way is a lot quicker.
It's Perfect Effects 3 from onOne Software. It's a great tool for creating special effects for you images:
onOne Software.com
First, here is a Before and After of the image:

Here is the image in Photo Effects. It's in effects/ movie looks/ day for night. You then can make a few adjustments for a lighter or darker effect!

I then brought the image back to Photoshop for the last tweaking. I drew some small windows, duplicated them 5x in different sizes then cut & pasted a Christmas tree. I also darkened the tree for a night effect.
For another fun effect I put what looks like tiny lights in the foreground tree into a blending layer mode of "Color Dodge".
Finally, I added a layer of snow to the whole image for a final snowing scene and that's it!! :)

A VINTAGE CHRISTMAS!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:28:00 +0000

There are some images that can make a great Vintage image! You just know when you see them. Even with bright
and vibrant colors I know when an image can be turned into something with a vintage feeling and look.
Here are some images with a before and after vintage look:

I achieve this look with some actions I have in Photoshop but mostly with filters and textures, some I've created and some I've purchased. Try a few of your own images, it's lots of fun!! :)

CHRISTMAS COMPOSITE/RECYCLING IMAGES!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:55:00 +0000

I recently did an image for this year's Christmas season that is soon approaching. After uploading it I realized it could have another life or two left in it to create something new! Here is the original image:

It's nice as it is but I found this image different and fun to do and this is how I created image no.2.
I masked out the background and enlarged the height of the image to accommodate the new background.

I added an image of red curtains and duplicated the layer for more of a curtain feeling. In the last back layer I then added a red bokeh background and added some sparkle brushes in a separate layer and set the layer to "Color Dodge". That's it and here is the finished Image!! :)

Images are available for download at Shutterstock.com, Fotolia.com and Dreamstime.com.
There are more links located on left side.

MORE APPLE FUN!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:13:00 +0000

With all the apples I bought recently I had to do something with them so I decided to make a delicious Apple Crisp Pie! I usually buy McIntosh apples because they are my favorite.
Of course as a photographer you have to take photos of the food you bake, right...so I took my baking to the studio and here are some images that came from the shoot!

There are many recipes out there so you certainly can experiment but here is a favorite of mine!

Here is a terrific recipe for Apple Crisp Pie:

4 cups sliced apples - use 4 medium tart apples
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (you can also use self rising flour if you want)
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
If you want you can also use cream or Ice cream.

1. First, heat your oven to 375F. Then take a square pan or pie plate and grease it with shortening.
2. Take all your sliced apples and spread them in the pan or pie plate. Then take a medium sized bowl and mix in all the remaining ingredients - packed brown sugar, all-purpose flour, oats, melted butter or margarine, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. When its well mixed, sprinkle them over the apples.
3. Put the baking pan or plate into the oven and bake for like 30 minutes. It's alway hard to wait for the apple crisp to be finished :) How you know it's done? The topping should be golden brown and apples should be tender when you pierce them with a knife or a fork.
When your apple crisp is done you can cover it with ice cream or cream. I hope you enjoyed the recipe! :)

Images are available for download at Shutterstock.com, Fotolia.com and Dreamstime.com.
There are more links located on left side.

APPLE DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:48:00 +0000

Well, it's that time of year again, the smell of sweet juicy apples in the crisp cool air! I'm not a big apple eater all year round but just love apples at this time of year because they are new, fresh, hard and they just seem to be much more juicier, LOL! When the leaves begin to turn in the autumn season, it's time for fresh apples. Many families traditionally trek to the apple orchards for a fun day of picking apples in anticipation of the fall season. Apples are quite versatile and can be used in all types of dishes from salads to main courses to desserts as well as a fresh, raw snack.

Here is a little bit of apple history:

The word apple comes from the Old English aeppel. It's been around since the Iron Age and was cultivated in Egypt. In the first century A.D., the Roman Pliny the Elder listed thirty-six varieties of apples. There are many mythological associations over various civilizations, with the apple in the Garden of Eden being the most widely-known. Apple trees can live for hundreds of years.

The apple was brought to the United States by the Pilgrims in 1620. The French brought the apple to Canada.

There so many varieties of apples such as McIntosh, Red Delicious, Jonathan, Rome Beauty, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Ginger Gold, Gala, Fuji, Empire, Cortland and Honeycrisp just to name a few.

A couple of weeks ago I did a fun shoot in an apple orchard not far from where I live in Saint-Joseph-du-Lac region. It's about 40 minutes north of Montreal. I waited for the sun to have that golden color(I always call it the magic hour) around 5:00 PM in the afternoon. It was so peaceful shooting there and all you could hear were the occasional farmer's tractor from far away and the odd thumping sounds as ripened apples fell to the ground!!
It was magical!! Here are a few images from that shoot...

Here are some very useful apple tips:

To prevent discoloration of peeled apples, place peeled slices in a pan of cold water with a pinch of salt added (for each whole apple peeled).

When making salads, dip apple slices in fresh lemon juice to prevent slices from turning brown.

Discoloration of aluminum utensils can be removed just as effectively by boiling a number of apple peelings in them as by the old method of boiling a little vinegar in water.

Sprinkling salt on spilled juice from apple pies in a hot oven will cause the juice to burn crisply, making it easier to remove.

To peel apples, dip them quickly in and out of boiling water. The skin will come off much more readily.

The next day I took my little bushel and did a studio shoot with the same apples. Here are some examples...

Images are available for download at Shutterstock.com, Fotolia.com and Dreamstime.com.
There are more links located on left side.

HALLOWEEN FUN TIME!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 19:07:00 +0000

I love autumn with all its beautiful vivid colors and the cooler temperature in brings. It's also that time of year again for making Halloween images! I LOVE PUMPKINS AND GOURDS!

I took some shots of a very old cemetery in my area last year. I actually brought two pumpkins with me that day and placed them in various places for the shoot. Let me say first I love cemeteries and feel very peaceful and calm there with all the gravestones.

They can make a great image for Halloween but please always show respect and leave everything like it was like before you came.

There are a couple of places I go to quite regularly to shoot old fences and vines. The second was taken in studio with natural light in the late afternoon.

It can be a fun time to just have fun, be created and let your imagination run wild!!

I love spooky and scary but I also love fun colorful images for Halloween.

I’m working on a few image composites right now with all these ideas in mind. I thought I would show you one I've just finished yesterday and explain the way it came together. This is the finished image.

I only used two images for this composite. I masked out the foreground image in Photoshop and place it in front of the background shot but also increasing the overall size of the final project to accommodate both. Some cleaning up was needed on the pumpkin image with the eraser tool.

After tweaking it a little I flattened both images and saved it as a JPG.

I added a couple of ghosts just for fun with some brushes I created and applied them in an overlay and inverted the layer. For me the fun starts here with some layers of dodging, burning and blending modes.

It takes a little time but composites are a lot of fun to do and with practice you get better and better!!

Here is another image done the same way but with another "color theme".

Here are some other images created with the same type of composite work!
Now back to doing more fun images for the Halloween season! :)

FINALLY TOOK THE PLUNGE!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 06:30:00 +0000

I have always wanted a vintage mannequin(dress form). For the last few months I finally decided to look for one on Ebay, Etsy and various online stores to find the best one! Each one I loved was too expensive ($500.00 to $750.00) or they would not ship to Canada.

So last Sunday I took the plunge and bought a brand new dress form that I found on ebay!
It cost me $189.00 USD+ shipping and within 4 days(Thursday) I received my beloved dress form at 2:30 PM in the afternoon, LOL!! It cost me a total of about $300.00 CAD and I think I did a great deal!
When purchasing the the new form I decided to antique and distress it to look like a vintage mannequin.
I plan to use it a lot and have many ideas for this in the future. Thursday night the transformation happened, LOL!!
This is how it looked when purchased.

I brewed a big pot of strong coffee(the aroma was fantastic in my studio) and painted the dress form with a natural bristle brush (acrylic bristle will curl from the hot coffee)...don`t be afraid to wet the form thoroughly.

After I saturated it with coffee I let it dry a little and then began the distressing with a dry brush and a little acrylic paint. I antiqued the stand, skirt cage and finial with some burnt umber, antique bronze and gold.
It took about three hours to finish and I think it turned out fantastic!!

The next day I took some test shots and here are the final images with my fabulous Vintage dress form.Of course Photoshop helped a little with the final process. I added a couple of vintage textures and voila!I actually like the before image just as much as the vintage one.

Here are some other images from the same series!

Images are available for download at Shutterstock.com, Fotolia.com and Dreamstime.com.

There are more links located on left side.

BEHIND THE SCENES: Making of an "At the beach image"!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandralise) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:38:00 +0000

A day at the beach is the best place to capture beautiful summer images but sometimes it's just not possible. Here are several images that were from a photo shoot I did last week. Hopefully it shows you that you can do some summer images indoors and not under the hot summer sun.

This is what it looked like in the studio.

The background was masked out and a beach image of sun and water (that was taken last year) was inserted into the background.
With a little tweaking in Photoshop for vibrancy and saturation this is the finished image.

Here's another finished image with basically the same setup from that shoot!

They are a lot of fun to do and the possibilities are endless!!

Hopefully I've given you some ideas to do your own SUMMER FUN IMAGES!! :)

These images is available for download at Shutterstock.com, Fotolia.com and Dreamstime.com