01.25.09
Photoshop Tutorial Tip: Watercolor Edge Effect
This is the first of many photoshop tutorials I hope to create and share with the photographic community.
09.27.06
Dodging Raindrops Part I
Last Saturday I had the honor of capturing the memories of Karin & Mike’s wedding day at the Mooreland Mansion in Kirtland, Ohio. Grey skies and threatening weather kept us in suspense for this outdoor wedding, but through positive wishes and faith, only a few raindrops didn’t upset the plan. I don’t claim to have any real control over the weather, but I take credit for getting what I ask for.
As in the past, I enjoyed the photographic opportunities at the Mooreland Mansion. Karin & Mike held their ceremony outside and dinner inside. Cocktails and the reception were out on the covered porch. The staff provided their usual minimal service and good food. Shooting weddings is such a passion I often forget at some locations that I am working as a vendor and feel like a guest, but they are polite to the hired hands.
Here are a few pictures from the event.
Click on the link below to view more pictures of Karin & Mikes wedding. http://www.dalekincaid.net/karinandmike.html
Dale Kincaid
Dodging Raindrops Part II
I suppose your wondering why there is a part two to this posting. That’s because we had a second wedding on the same day. I was pleased for the opportunity to have Jeff and Tammy Royer photograph Kathryn & Noah’s wedding held in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Although there were a few more random raindrops at that location, the weather didn’t alter their plans any.
Jeff & Tammy did a great job capturing a special “wedding in the park” event. Kathryn & Noah hosted a wonderful wine and cheese theme to their reception followed by Noah serenading his bride with a special song.
View more pictures of their wedding day by clicking Kathy & Noah’s link here
http://www.dalekincaid.net/weddingsandevents.html
Dale Kincaid
09.20.06
The Great Escape
Like many photographers, I occasionally find myself totally immersed with being creative in Photoshop. You might say it’s a diversion or an escape from the day-to-day routine of duty, work and/or stresses. Photoshop is a very powerful software program in many respects. I thought I would share one of my time saving tips for anyone who likes to test the limits of the power of Photoshop.
Many of the features, filters and scripts in Photoshop require a great deal of computer memory and ram when executing commands. Especially when working with multiple images or large image files of 200mb or more. If at any time you apply a command that seems to take forever to complete, you can abort the process by hitting the “escape” key. This is especially helpful if you applied something by mistake or batch processing files and you need to stop.
Dale
09.15.06
Wedding Day Fun
I had the pleasure of sharing a “not so ordinary day” with Beth & Mark Libertine. They were married at the Old Stone Church in Downtown Cleveland with an intimate ceremony that was simply beautiful. As you can see from the pictures below, a little creative imagination and fun produced some very meaningful memories of this special day that begins their lives together, forever.
I’ve never heard it mentioned before, but I think being graced by a Great Blue Heron while taking pictures near the Art Museum has to be a sign of good luck. I have heard it said to be good luck if it rains on your wedding day though. And we did have to dodge a few raindrops.
View more picture of their wedding day by clicking Beth & Mark’s link here
http://www.dalekincaid.net/weddingsandevents.html
Dale Kincaid
09.12.06
Lighting Up The Dance Floor
Let me introduce Mr. & Mrs. Scott Lytle. Laura & Scott graced the dance floor at their wedding on Saturday, September 9th with an eloquent and beautiful dance routine. They were married at Mentor Baptist Church and held their reception at The Patrician Party Center in Eastlake.
In-between the ceremony and reception, Laura & Scott along with the bridal party, had some fun visiting the falls in Chagrin Falls. Negotiating the down the stone stairway and the boulders along the banks of the river wasn’t easy in formal attire, but made for some interesting pictures.
View their pictures at http://www.dalekincaid.net/lauraandscott.html
Thank You Laura & Scott for the opportunity to be a part of your special day.
Dale Kincaid
09.06.06
The Seven Second Kiss
Last Sunday, I had the delightful pleasure of photographing Christine & Nescher Pyscher’s wedding, which was held at the Hines Hill location in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The weather turned out to be a beautiful September day for a wedding in the park. As I arrived early, my friend Martha Zelinski (special events coordinator for the park association) was already working her magic in preparing for the event.
What a unique joy it was to be a part of this special day with a group of warm hearted, fun loving and high-spirited people. They could have charged an admission fee. The cake, of course, is always a special treat for me and I didn’t hesitate to participate in the tradition of bestowing good luck for the bride & groom by having a piece. Hats off to Pallotta’s Pastries in Cuyahoga Falls for delectable delight.
One of the cool little things of digital photography is the date and time information recorded with the picture. During a wedding ceremony, I always like to snap a picture as the couple are pronounced husband and wife. The information from the digital file reveals the very second that bond takes place. Christine & Nescher were united at precisely 6:07:03. Two of the next series of pictures revealed their kiss lasting 7 seconds long. Seven is a very luck number.
View their pictures at http://www.dalekincaid.net/christineandnescher.html
Dale Kincaid
09.01.06
Jessica Hirsh Bat Mitzvah
This past Saturday I had the pleasure of photographing Jessica’s Bat Mitzvah party held at the Marriott East in Warrensville Heights. I can only describe the event as the “perfect party”; A great setting, beautiful decorations, excellent food and wonderful people. I especially enjoyed watching the fun Jessica and her friends were having on the dance floor. Terry Macklin’s Sounds of Entertainment, Inc. did a spectacular job at providing the music and entertainment.
Congratulations Jessica, JoAnn & Larry Hirsh and Family. Mazel Tov!!
Dale Kincaid
08.26.06
Editing In Adobe Camera Raw
Whether I am out doing a nature shoot or an event such as a wedding or portrait session, I generally arrive home with at least several hundred digital files. When I first began shooting in digital 6 years ago, I was faced with the big question…”Do I shoot in jpeg or raw file format”? Although my results with both formats were similar, I determined very quickly that I would commit to capturing images in raw format to maintain the highest quality and flexibility possible. I knew this would require a little more work editing and processing images, but as a professional, I believe quality has top priority over saving time using what I call the “Digital Polaroid”.
Once I have all my images downloaded into the computer its time to edit using Adobe Camera Raw. This program has enough features to cover more the 90% of the editing process, which nearly eliminates using Photoshop altogether. Some of these features are not always apparent on the screen, so I thought I would share one with you.
One of the steps in editing pictures is to trash any that were unsuccessful and eliminate any that will not be saved or used. You can delete these images right inside the Camera Raw window. With the thumbnail selected, press the ‘delete’ key on the keyboard. A red ‘X’ will appear on the image, marking it for deletion. This will send that file to the trash bin when you click ‘done’ or ‘save’. If you change your mind to keep the file, pressing the delete key again will unmark it.
How does the saying go…”There’s more the meets the eye” in Adobe Camera Raw.
Dale Kincaid
08.20.06
Butterflies & Other Things: Part II
Last Sunday was the conclusion of our Natureslite series of butterfly photography sessions. We were greeted with “mostly cloudy” for sunrise, but some breaks here and there gave way to an impressive illumination of the rising fog.
The highlight of the morning was an unfortunate swallowtail that found itself entangled in a garden spider web. It appeared to be quite a sizable meal for the spider. Most of the butterflies we visited throughout the morning looked battered and beaten as if they have experienced some rough tumblings with nature.
As the bright sun began to challenge our photography skills, we decided to call it a morning and head back to the car. Of course there were at least a half-a-dozen stops to take a picture here and there on the way back. Often, the last shot of the day can be the best. A quick glance and there it was…a beautiful species of butterfly I have never seen before. In trying to match up identification, the best I can find is a Red Admiral. I could be color ignorant, but it appears more orange then red to me.
Dale Kincaid
