Now you see him...now you don't!

[imgr8stmom]

Hi Folks..Happy New Year to all.

First of all, I'm really excited to be posting these pictures. I haven't shared much in this last year, but I have been to DPS nearly everyday, trying to absorb everything i can. I do feel that I am a better photographer, and my thanks goes out to all of you!

So, on to my posting. I was contacted by a friend of a friend, desperate to fix a family portrait that had gone terribly wrong. This young woman's grandma was in town on a very rare visit, and she wanted to take the rare opportunity to have some family pictures taken.

First of all..as you can see by the pic, the studio did not have a backdrop big enough for the size group they had, so she asked if there was any way I could fix the background. I knew that would be an easy fix. Next, she explained that her younger brother had recently been shipped off to Iraq, and wanted to know if there was anyway I could include him into the pic. I had never attempted anything like that, but I was pretty confident I might be able to help her.

She had taken her pictures to an established photographer who was going to charge her $1700. Yes...that's right...........$1700!

Thank goodness I was able to help her out. It took me a matter of only a couple of hours, once I figured out how to do it. She was thrilled, and has already passed my name around, and have since gotten 3 new assignments!!!

She had full rights to the pics...fyi. Please let me know what you think!!!

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/...2010/GROUP.jpghttp://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/...0/NewGroup.jpg

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/...0/NewGroup.jpg

[angd]

I think you did a great job with it.

[pokermanuel]

Great job. Looks natural to me!

[Poider]

I don't know how out of line I am here but $1700, I hope this particular "professional" has a long hard think.I would be telling the world all about thuis blatant rip off, and hopefully enough customers would drop him like a sack of doggy doodoo and he would be forced to be a little more realistic.
Peter

[smitheyes]

Great job, shame she didnt have a photo with her brother in a white shirt would have blended in with all the others a little better than in the dark suit.

[looking4OPH]

What I'm scratching my head about is that a professional photographer would actually take a shot like this knowing the background wasn't wide enough. I guess if you've got nothing else to work with, it is better than nothing. I wouldn't pay for that.

You did a pretty good job with what you had to work with....and little experience. I've tried similar only to have them come out not nearly as nice.

[klam]

Excellent job.

[imgr8stmom]

Thanks everybody, I was extremly pleased as well! I don't wanna give any names but the studio where the original picutre was taken was located in a department store. When she was telling me about the situation, she expressed, that she got a great deal on a ton of pictures. The picture of her Brother was done at the same studio the year before taken for his Senior pictures. She sent several pics, and I was just amazed on how bad they were. Most of his pictures were just as bad or worse, and some of the poses...OMG! Imagine this, a grown man on his belly....as a pose.

I had very little to work with, in fact, I agree, it would have been much better had her brother been in white as well...however the bottom half of him was cut off..and since it was black, it actually blended in well. Honestly, had you not known he was not originally in the picture, you may not have even noticed that.

Thanks again for your replys!!

[Indigo November]

Hmm, I don't think it looks quite natural...
I have done this kind of thing before, and I think that you should have been able to do better.
I also thing that it is a shame that all you did was crop the photo to "fix" the background.
All it would have taken was a few minutes in photoshop to extend it.

But I suppose if the family was happy with it, you did well. That is really the point, that the customer be happy with the work.

[zona5101]

I'm with Indigo on this one. For a relatively new PS user, ya, nice work...but far from well done. And I am not trying to rain on your parade but simply point out there may be a reason for an accomplished photoshop editor to ask for $1700 and you didn't.