Fantasy Police.

Hi All,

As like most photographers i have had lots of ideas floating about in my note books and so it is time to start creating these images.

The following idea kinda grew out of something else.

The girl friend has got a new car, a lovely little Mazda MX5, which is great fun in the summer with the roof down by the way.

Being mega happy like a big kid i thought that it would be nice to take some pictures for her with her new toy.

I had the idea of long boots and jacket with the car right from the kick off, but was looking for the right location to set it. A fellow photographer friend suggested this place as it has all the items that i was looking for,

Cobbled streets, iron fire escape - it was perfect.

Using  a public street like this certainly comes with its own troubles.

We have to be polite and considerate, if other vehicles come by we have to move, plus all the local nutters come out and talk to you as they must not see things like this very often.

Back to the shot- 

as i was looking for quite a dark styled shot, sin city came to mind, and so this character was born. A sort of dark comic book styled female police officer.

The props - the guns and police badge come off Amazon for a couple of quid. The pistols are bright blue plastic toy guns, as you can not have replica weapons in the street and i did not fancy getting swarmed by REAL armed police.

I hope you enjoy.

Strobist info :- This image was lit with 2 SB900's, one bare on the left picking up the car and creating the pool of light on the ground where as the second was in a softbox on the right of the image picking up the female.

Kelly Moss Ramsden Cop police girl officer handcuffs

Adding Colour to your images with Photoshop.

Hello, 

Here are a couple of images taken 2 weeks ago. 

Its been awhile since i last worked with beauty editing, and so fancied having a play. 

I've missed playing on images like these, smoothing skin, enhancing colours, changing background lighting effects etc etc. 

But in todays post i wanted to show you how to add some colour to YOUR images, 

in a simple couple of clicks in Photoshop. 

Im using Photoshop CS5, but this technique certainly works in older versions and Pshop elements. 

Open your image that you are wanting to colour into Photoshop. 

Next add an adjustment layer of Hue/Saturation, as you can see in the following image. 

In the Hue/Saturation adjustment dialogue box there is a tick box called colorize, 

Tick this box and move the Hue slider from left to right and see the colour change. 

You can play with the saturation and light/darkness sliders to adjust to the desired effect. 

Don't forget by doing this adjustment on a separate layer, you can also adjust the opacity if you feel it is too strong for what you are wanting rather then directly to the image. 

In the coloured image of Kelly above, i used this technique with a mask on the colorized layer to "paint in" more colour onto the lips, and another layer to change and enhance the colour of the eyes, to really make them pop. 

There are many ways of doing this technique but i find this way certainly the quickest and most straight forward.

Also by trying the "Blend Modes" on the coloured layer you will see lots of cool effects and different looks to play with.

I hope you enjoyed this post and i look forward to produce other Photoshop technique posts.

If you have any questions on this post, or other techniques that you would like to see,

Please feel free to comment,

Thanks

Lee

Regiment Fitness training.

For a few months now i have been training with the guys and girls over at

Regiment Fitness

Here are a couple of images that i have created for them. 

Why not start Getting in shape,

Here are a few words from Regiment on what they are all about..

"We are a fitness company who specialize in military style training outdoors. Our classes take place on the fantastic site of Dunstable Downs, where we are surrounded by panoramic views and plenty of fresh air!

Regiment Fitness provides a variety of enjoyable training activities within a supportive group, so expect something different each session to keep you on your toes!

Your instructors are fully qualified with military backgrounds and are helpful and encouraging, aiming to help you achieve exactly what you want from your fitness programme.

We cater for all levels of fitness and interests including team runs, paired skills, endurance running, muscular endurance circuits and much more. This variety of activities means boredom is not an option, something many people find training at their local gym!

Whatever you are looking for to get fit and STAY fit, Regiment Fitness is at the core of what you need!

Come and see for yourself… train outside, feel great inside!"

‘Help for Heroes’ is supported by Regiment Fitness. 10% of each session fee will be donated to this charity.

Regiment Fitness classes are now running -

Saturday mornings from 10:00am – 11:00am - Dunstable Downs site.

Sundays mornings from 10:30am  - 1130am - Stockwood Park Luton. 

Tuesday evenings  from 18:30pm - 19:30pm - Stockwood Park Luton.

Wednesday evenings from 18:30pm - 19:30 - Dunstable Downs site. 

Regiment Fitness can show you the path to success!

New Bar Design by 4orm ltd Design.

Here are a few images taken for the guys over at 4orm.ltd.

They do the designs for the top bars and night clubs in and around London.

This Bar is situated in Notting Hill.