Michelle and I are always up for something new, so when our clients told us they had a piece of driftwood and a fishing hat they would like to include in their newborn photographs, it got our "creative juices" going. We knew right away that our boat prop would fit with the items they wanted us to include, even though we weren't sure how we were going to use any of the props in a cohesive image.
We love to incorporate meaningful items into our images. When parents bring something of their own that they want to include in a photograph, it gives us the chance to create a photo that is unique to them. We love this! In this case, the piece of driftwood has been in Baby A's mommy's family for many years. In fact, she had photographs taken of her with the driftwood when she was little. We thought it was pretty cool that she wanted to include it in her baby girl's photos. The fishing hat, on the other hand, was daddy's grandmother's hat - so both items have a special significance to them.
Both Michelle and I knew we wanted some sort of reflective surface under the boat to create the look of water, but didn't have anything readily available to use. So, I laid down a piece of whiteboard that I had cut in half and placed the boat on top. It had a somewhat reflective surface, but nothing like what we needed. At the very least, I knew the white color would give me the contrast I needed to easily extract the boat and driftwood from the image background in Photoshop.
I knew I'd have to do a bit of work in Photoshop, but the project evolved and I ended up doing a lot more digital art on the photo than I typically do - and more than I've ever done for a portrait before. Yet, I think I was able to create a realistic-looking, reflective water surface with ripples. It took a bit of work to create the look of the "water" lapping up against the driftwood and boat, but I'm pretty happy with it.
For those who like to see the before and after images, you can easily see the work that was done to the original image below:
What'cha think?? We'd love to hear your comments!
Eternal Forms Photography, Austin newborn photographers, have served Round Rock, Austin and surrounding cities since 2010.
All of our packages include high-resolution digital image files with print release. Thinking about Austin maternity photos? We also specialize in pregnancy portraits and maternity clients earn $100 off their choice of any newborn portrait session. We'd love the opportunity to speak with you about creating your baby's photos! Give us a call at (512) 433-6823, drop us an email, or use our easy online contact form! We hope to have the opportunity to work with you and to earn your trust so we can be your family photographer!