Project Seven: You say stop, and I say go, go, go

Back in elementary school, my friends and I used to phone each other in order to coordinate matching outfits that we would wear to school the next day. Twin days, we'd call them. The outfits themselves were always pretty simple; the important thing was that we matched. But that's all in the past. These days I leave the matching outfits to Mother-daughter pageant teams.*
*Some incriminating family photos might suggest otherwise. 

However, when it comes to photographs, I still appreciate some coordination in the way of facial expressions. I guess I just like to know pretend that the subjects in a portrait are on the same emotional page (emotions, in this case, range from "happy to be here" to "not so happy to be here").

Which takes me to one of my favorite picture-taking games (i.e., the only picture-taking game I know of). In the game, two friends pose for two pictures: in the first picture they each pretend to be the other person, imitating what they think of as the other's "go-to" photo pose. In the second picture, they smile "naturally," using their afore-imitated go-to pose. 

Picture #1: 

An imperfect fit: posing in someone else's go-to

 He says go big. She says go smirk.

Picture #2:

Acting naturally

She tries for big; he goes for the grin. 

These are all good and fun, but what if you want to have both options in a more twin-friendly format?
No problem. 

PSG can take your favorite faces/hair/elements from two (or more) similar photographs and combine them to create your ideal, matchy-matchy picture.

Shall we complete this project with a bang?

 

...or a whimper?

Well, whichever one it is, at least they're in it together. 

Project Six: Sight-Seeing for the Lazy/Agoraphobic

Has this ever happened to you? 

Your friends spent a night on the town, and you kind of wish you had too.

It looks like they had a lot of fun, but your couch is just so comfy and other people are just so...peopley. 

Have no fear! 

PSG can take you from private to public with just a few clicks.

NOTE: social friends/body doubles required.

Project Five: I guess you DIDN'T have to be there

Did you miss another opportunity to eat flowers with your friends

because you were too busy measuring your height in "tall people" fractions?

PSG understands all too well. 

Let her help you eliminate any "I guess you had to be there" moments. 

This one is a little rough...let's call it a work in progress.

Project Four: Inserting yourself into someone else's (dress) shoes

One of my best friends from college married a wonderful, caring, and funny gentleman. Yadda yadda yadda, happy for them, etc.

What everyone seems to forget is that I proposed (albeit in a platonic, non-romantic, but incredibly practical fashion) to said friend months before her now-husband did.

Sadly, I don't have PlagiarismShop so this is the closest I will come to justice and--dare I use the elusive c-word? Yes, I dare. Closure.

Before:

After:

P.S. The Bride commissioned these photos. I'm not bitter. Well, not about this. 

Project Three: removing people from store front

For this project, a client wanted to give her father a picture of his father's (her grandfather's) shoe store, which no longer exists today. She wanted a picture of just the store front, but the only photo she had of the locale had two people standing in front of the store.

I edited out the people, and she and her father were both thrilled with the result.

Before:

After:

Project Two: Mrs. Hand-man

This is one of my "pieces" that have critics (aka my facebook friends) torn. I find it hilarious in a Tim Burton kind of way; others complain of its nausea-inducing properties.

 Oh well. I'll leave it up to you, and in the meantime continue to tell myself that
Van Gogh was under-appreciated too. 

Project One: Removing a stranger from a group photo

This photo crasher looks skeptical. Perhaps it's because he knows he won't be around for long. 

Before:

After:

Sorry, guy. No boys allowed in this picture.

Welcome & About DPSG

Welcome to DPSG!

We all have our weird little hobbies that we do during our "me time." Mine just so happens to be playing with photos on Photoshop. I'm hoping this blog will help me turn my hobby into a way to help those who don't have access to or interest in photo-editing software.

Here is the basic information:

WHAT:

I want to photoshop your photos for you (for free).

This might mean editing out a stranger/piece of trash from an (otherwise) favorite photo, correcting a blemish or bulge, or creating an ideal family photo in which everyone literally puts their best (or favorite) face forward.

HOW:

Scan your photo (the higher the quality of the original, the higher the quality of the finished result) and email the photo(s) to me at:

dearphotoshopgirl@gmail.com

I edit the photos on my Mac using Adobe Photoshop Elements 8. In terms of time, please indicate if you have a specific deadline to meet (preferably in both the message and subject line of your email). Otherwise, the speed with which I can provide your edited photo depends on both the difficulty of your request, as well as the number of other jobs I have to work on at the time.

WHY:

So I can use one of my favorite hobbies to serve others.

...WHY NOT?

You lose nothing.

There's no financial investment. If you're not satisfied with my work, your original photo is still intact. While I haven't taken any design classes, I believe my PS enthusiasm and frequent practice (at least somewhat) compensate for my lack of formal training. In terms of discretion, I promise that I will not share your photos anywhere without your consent.

All I ask in return is that you spread the word about DPSG!

(please)

Thanks!

PhotoShopGirl