A Summer Adventure...

Fun news! Emma and I are happy to announce that we are partnering up with Adobe Photoshop Elements for the summer! Wait, what does this mean? It means we will be sharing tips and tricks using Photoshop each month from now until September. We use Photoshop every single day to prepare content for this blog, so we really felt like it was a perfect fit. 

We take photos daily for A Beautiful Mess. Whether it's for a DIY, recipe or Today Is features, we feel like we have a camera in front of our face at all times. We love the challenge of always improving. We love the process of going from an idea to a finished photo. We love playing with color and texture. Most of all, we love capturing people and creating photographs that tell a little bit about a person's life. Here's a little peek into our everyday photo routine... 

GEAR/ I've posted a full list of gear here. We like to keep it simple in this department. The only updates we have had since then are that I now use a Canon 60D, I use a Bamboo Tablet to write/draw on my photos and I use Totally Rad Actions! to edit my images. 

LIGHTING/ We use 100% natural lighting. We do have some lights that we used in the past for retail photos and we found that it just didn't fit with our style. We love the vibe of natural light so we often shuffle around our schedule to make sure we can take photos during the daylight. For DIY or recipes we prefer to shoot early in the day. For fashion photos we love the magic hour. 

BACKDROPS + LOCATIONS/ We collect props and wood backdrops at our studio and homes to use for blog photos. For fashion photos (or any photos with people) we love to drive around our city and scout out cool walls and fences. We usually spend more time finding the perfect spot than taking the actual photos. :)

PHOTOSHOP/ I mentioned the actions we use above. When using actions we still do lots of tweaks before and after we run the action. We use photoshop to correct colors, exposure and then to create a fun vibe with colors. In the future I'll share some before/after examples with you. Our photos sometimes start out pretty dull looking and after we play with the colors they have a lot more personality. I prefer very warm tones in my photos. We also add fonts and handwriting to photos pretty much every day.

We're passionate about capturing our lives with our cameras. Our photos don't have to be perfect. We care about celebrating the little things and capturing moments that our children will look back on. They might laugh at our ridiculous outfits and they might make fun of the way we styled our homes... but they will know us better and they will get to see a part of our lives from before they were born. We love this! Details are everything.We believe the little things are what really count when it comes to photography. This photo was snapped during the first month I dated Jeremy. Each time I look at it, I feel something. I'm instantly nostalgic, warm and so thankful. I think that's what a photograph should do. That's a little idealistic maybe, but it's something to strive for. It's a beautiful goal. 

We're excited to share more over the next few months. This weekend we are heading to San Francisco to meet everyone from Photoshop and get prepared for the campaign. We will probably post a bunch of instagrams (@elsiecake + @emmaredvelvet) if you want to follow along. XO. elsie + emma 

Adobe Photoshop Elements/ Facebook.Twitter.YouTube.Pinterest

Comments

[Agathe]

I'm really looking forward about this project! I love the way you think ; little things are the best !

[Malina]

Sounds like a great project. Unfortunately do I not have photoshop, I´m using some freeware for editing once in a while. But maybe I could still learn from your projects, even though it is a different program.

[Ася]

Cool cool cool

[Alyssa]

I'm always so inspired by the photography on your blog--I can't wait to hear some of your tips and tricks with Photoshop!

[Kira]

Great tips! I have that tablet on my birthday wish list. So affordable for a tablet!

[Emily]

I'm so excited about this! I have PSE and love messing around with photos but it's always fantastic to get tips and tricks from fresh pairs of eyes! Can't wait :-)

Emily
emilysummers-designer.blogspot.com

[Jill]

Thanks for sharing where you get your Photoshop Actions! I've been looking for a place that has quality actions but can never seem to find any I like. These are great!

[czarina anonuevo]

i'm excited for this!! photos that came straight out of the camera look dull and lifeless but Photoshop makes the colors alive!! i can relate to that!

czarina♥
paint it stripes

New DIY post "DIY: floral headband" is up on the blog, Hope you can check it out :)

[Anke]

Wow, that's exciting! I've always wanted to learn how to use photoshop, but found it rather daunting and never really knew how to go about it! I think great images are the most important thing on a blog, so I'm excited and very much looking forward to the new series!

[Freya]

I love the dress in the main picture!!! And the white dress with horses on it...still love that :) Can't wait to do some learnin!

http://fromfreyawithlove.blogspot.com/

[itziar]

Your photos is one of the best things on this blog....

[Kimberly]

Cool! I'm always looking for easy to follow PS tutorials! Looking forward to what you share.

[Golla]

Congratulations, well deserved!

[Hermiana]

Wonderful news!!! I can't wait to see your Photoshop tutorials :)

[noell]

This is exactly the kind of stuff I've been wanting to hear from you! YAY and thank you! I use Photoshop and a Wacom tablet for my blog photography and I've been so curious to know you process and compare it to my own. Can't wait to see more!

[Julia]

I used to say that photography is sheer, because you can see peoples' souls in it. They tell stories. Oh, that's my favourite topic:)
can't wait for more posts like this!

http://www.thesheerstories.blogspot.com/

[Katherine of Kitten's Lost Her Mittens]

Hey! That's so cool. My brother works for Adobe, but I don't know if you'll be meeting him because he works on Lightroom, not Photoshop. Since he's pretty much an expert on Lightroom, that's what I use for my photo editing. Then I have a pro to help me. :)
Have an awesome time in SF!!!
x Katherine

[riris]

never borring with your post, always get inspiration.. thanks beautiful mess :)

[Leah]

Congratulations! I am so excited! I just got Photoshop Elements and could definitely use a few pointers and tips. Especially from somebody whose pictures I simply adore!

[Nastya]

Nice photos!!