Here is my running list of resources and editing videos. I will be updating it as I have more done from the workshop.
Lighting! Click here for Paul Buff I recommend the Alien Bee 400 with an 86" PLM. It appears that Paul Buff is not offering the 86" in the soft silver that we used yesterday. An equivalent would be the white with the back outer cover and diffuser fabric. Let us know if you have any questions on the lighting. You will need a lighting stand either through Paul Buff or a heavy duty stand that you can find on Amazon, http://www.bhphotovideo.com or locally at Delaware Camera. With the Alien Bee 400 you will need a hot shoe mount and I recommend getting triggers. Paul Buff sells CyberSync Triggers or you can get off brand ones that are like Yongnuo or Phototix on Amazon. Just make sure you get ones that are compatible with your body.
Actions! The ones I own that I use regularly... Erin Tole's Paintbox Set and Greater Than Gatsby Newborn 2. I am not huge on actions but I do use a few of each set pretty regularly so if you are interested in those I can tell you a little more about them.
SEO! Go check out your website. You want to submit your website to the search engines! They need to know you exist. They slowly crawl the internet and may find you but it is not likely you are going to end up on the front page of google without some work. Go here and learn how to get your website on the search engines. Once you submit to Google you can start submitting blog posts and gallery pages.
Editing Tip: Get test prints and Calibrate your monitor. You can rent from borrow lenses, buy here or on Amazon or stop by and borrow from me. It is important to be editing to the lab that you generally print at. If you send clients to a particular lab like www.mpix.com you would likely want to calibrate to mpix prints. Get 5 test prints (5x7s or 8x10s) and really look at the color compared to your monitor. The Spyder Calibration System measures the color output as well as brightness of your monitor and ambient light that you are editing in. This will make a difference. When you calibrate at first your monitor will look strange. You may feel like your colors are off but try to edit again to your liking and get new prints to see how you feel with the newly calibrated screen. Both PC and MAC monitors should be calibrated.
Click here to download the actions that I put together for you and if you do not know how to load them watch the first video and I explain them.
This first video is on the frog composite and has some posing tips as well!
This video talks about the mocha backdrop. Lots of us use it for parent and family photos. I have a specific action just for it!
Here is an edit of the flokati. If you don't remember during this pose we used about a 4" circular basket with a rolled up blanket to make a nice soft ring around baby. Once she was tightly wrapped in a stretchy gauze wrap we wrapped her in the pretty lace wrap and she was stable enough with the tight wrap to be supported by herself in the basket I like to fluff my flokati around them. This one is a 5x7 from RugsUSA. They always have sales but sometimes they have better sales than others. I have a few 3x5s that work just as well. If needed this can be done as a composite like the frog pose. Some babies are harder to wrap or not as stable with their heads so you can do it with an assistant.
So here is the blanket color change. It is all preference of course. This image can be edited as is but it is nice to know how to change the color if you wanted to. There is also more than one way. I used a hue/saturation mask. You could also use a fill layer set to color. If photoshop is seeming over your head or you have any questions about brushes or tools, please be sure to ask. I also had to do this as two parts because I missed the liquify step in the first one.
This is just the liquify part.