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| Hi! I'm Anna Kuperberg. |
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I photograph weddings, families, and dogs in San Francisco and beyond. Follow me on twitter. Photographers sign up for the KuperSkool workshop mailing list here.
Office hours Tues - Fri: 9am - 5pm  415.401.0806  anna@kuperberg.com
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| I love my Aeron chair |
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 |
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This is seriously one of the best investments I've made for my office. I love my Herman Miller Aeron chair! Mine is size A but I think most people get size B.
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| Maya Angelou Quote |
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 |
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"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
— Maya Angelou |
| Totally Rad! Dirty Pictures |
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 |
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For photographers! Here's the newest brainchild of my genius friend Doug Boutwell, photographer and programmer. It's called Dirty Pictures and it's an easy, fast way to add texture overlays to your photos. Get It Here!
Here are some of my experiments with Dirty Pictures and some tips.
Tip #1
Why use just one texture when you can use 4 or 5? Several textures at low opacity give a more subtle effect.
Tip #2
Don't overdo it! Using textures is like eating Sweet Onion Kettle Chips. Too much and you have a tummy ache.
Tip #3
Don't mask too much, it will be obvious. DP does provide a great masking solution-- it builds in a mask that doesn't erase the texture, just makes the masked part blurry and softer... less dirty.
Tip #4
Sometimes you need to add a lot of contrast or sharpening before you lay on the textures, especially if the photo is flat. On the other hand if you have a contrasty photo (like the horse photo below on a bright sunny day), a texture can appear to increase the dynamic range. (Dynamic Range just means detail in highlights and shadows).
Tip #5
Don't forget, you still have to take a great photo. Textures and actions do not make up for bad photos. There are no shortcuts to this one, sorry.
Now onto the photos.
For this first one, I just tried one texture: Cherry Amore at Hard Light at 100%. Hard light is the most extreme mode. |
Then I tried stacking textures on textures to tone it down. This photo has two. (I love that the textures have stripper names.)
1. Queenie Madison, soft light, 70%
2. Cinnamon Windsor, soft light, 40%
I prefer using several textures at lower opacities. |
For this one I stacked 4 textures for an even subtler effect. I like that it just looks like an old newspaper. First I turned the photo BW and then I used:
1. Dixie Mimosa, hard light 53%
2. Roxie Glitterhips, screen 38%
3. Cherry Amore, multiply 11%
4. Ginger Savannah, multiply 13% |
| Candy Beaver, Soft light, 53% |
| Destiny Star, Overlay 15% |
Dixie Mimosa, Soft light 100%
Queenie Madison, Overlay 3% |
Cinnamon Windsor, Soft Light 38%
Johnny Thunderpants, Soft Light 100%
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| Edited to add: the "before" photos. As you can see, for some photos the texture is not too strong, just adds a little "grit" to the photos, as if they were printed on Strathmore drawing paper. |
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