July 9, 2011

The Siren of Lake Chelan. Commissioned Portrait, Summer 2010 by Gavin Seim.

Water. Once we sink below the surface of its shimmering waves, we enter a foreign world of untold beauty. A silent land of bending light, murky depths, and unknown dangers…

Whew, did that sound enough like a nature show for you? Good, now let’s move on. Seriously, though, I working with water and I loved making portraits under it. I did it for the first–though probably not the last–time during a portrait commission for Jenaia. I learned a lot about working in the water, and we brought her home some beautiful images, but this is my favorite piece.

It took some trail and error, but my visualization was a calm ethereal portrait, and I think I managed it. I love the color hues and the way the light streams from the surface. We’re in a lake, not a pool, and it’s around 1500 feet deep, making the light fade into infinity. Just don’t drop anything that doesn’t float, or it’s gone for good. I lost a fin during the project, and once it was out of sight, there was no way I was going after it. It’s truly dark down there.

While my fin has joined the aforementioned murky depths, I’m very satisfied with this work. It taught me a lot and it helped make Jenaia’s portrait collection a real success.

For photographers. How it was made…

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February 13, 2009

Most of us know about print templates in Lightroom, but the cool secret is that you can make multi image page layouts too.

This article over on Seim Effects give the details, as well as a set of FREE layout presets to get you going. I’m pretty stoked about the new possibilities of making multi image layouts right from Lightroom. While it won’t replace In Design for my full scale albums, it’s so fast at making quick attractive layouts for things like Press Printed Books. Check it out.

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August 27, 2008

I’ve been on the run with seniors this part week, and loving some of the results. Between a great subject, the umbrella, and the cool fence this was exactly what I wanted. I’m humbled at God’s amazing world that we use as a backdrop, and often take for granted. Even a simple wood fence can give just the look needed. Simplicity is KEY to a great portrait.

On a technical note, I know her hand is positioned a bit odd. I like the feel though. I try to encourage hand movement and let things go naturally. I just presetted with Power Workflow, and them smooth with action. My latest fav it the Simply Soft series from Creative Essentials. It’s just simple, and soft. The border is done automatically with a color coordinating action I made.

I getting into what I call the three keys. The eye’s, the moth and the hands. I think the key to controlling all these is learning to direct your subject in such a way that it happens naturally.

See more from this session on my siteGavin Seim

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