Patti Brown Photography

I’m so pleased to introduce you all to the newest addition to Kaleidoscope’s digital family: Kaleidoscope Presets – The Storyteller’s Collection!  Storyteller’s is an absolutely delightful mix of beautiful vintage looks, bright color-drenched looks, and some absolutely amazing black & whites!  Storyteller’s contains over 60 original presets, plus over 15 unique “post effects” to give you near limitless options when it comes to post-processing RAW files!  Storyteller’s has also been uniquely designed for natural light shooters.  It’s important to note that Storyteller’s is recommended for RAW shooters only at this time – these presets have not been optimized for .jpg shooters.   Please view the B&A’s below, or you can watch a quick demonstration of the following images by watching this video (for Lightroom users) or this video (for ACR users).  It’s important to note that the only processing done in any of the “after” images has been with “one click” (didn’t touch those sliders…) of each referenced preset, nothing has been done outside of Lightroom or ACR.  If you’re interested, you can also view a video of my entire Lightroom workflow, which shows how I edit sessions quickly & easily.  It also shares my preferred settings, tips & tricks.

For More preset goodness, and to read tester raves, check out this post.

I really think you are going to love this collection, and as always, I’m so proud to be able to bring them to you at an amazing price!  Storyteller’s is just $69 for either ACR/Lightroom and $89 for the bundled set of both. Storyteller’s contains over 60 original presets & 15 posts.   You can purchase below, or by visiting the Kaleidoscope Website.  Please note, I strongly recommend you read the “How to Install Presets” tutorial by clicking on the “Tutorials” tab under the “Kaleidoscope” section of this blog.  There are also video tutorials here  demonstrating how I install presets (for both Mac’s & PC’s)  and a new video demonstration of my entire Lightroom workflow.  It shows how easy it is to quickly & easily sort & process RAW files.

Once again, please make sure you are comfortable installing presets prior to purchase.  If not, view the above mentioned sources to identify the installation path, and watch the videos – they are very helpful.  Although I will help you as much as possible with any questions you have, once you’ve purchased a digital product, the sale is final.

Since this is Kaleidoscope, we always celebrate a big launch with a big discount!  Although I have always strived to deliver unique, high quality products at an amazing price, sale time makes everything about Kaleidoscope even more amazing!  So take advantage!!  Now, through November 25th, use the code: story to receive 25% off your entire purchase.  That means textures and overlays too!

Kaleidoscope Storyteller’s Collection Presets for Lightroom (Versions 2 & 3 only)………$69  

Kaleidoscope Storyteller’s Collection Presets for ACR…………….$69

Kaleidoscope Storyteller’s Collection Lightroom (v2&v3)/ACR Bundle ………$89

As always, please email me with any questions prior to purchasing.  Per industry standard, all digital downloads are non-refundable, so it’s best to ask questions before purchasing.  Again, these are for Lightroom & ACR RAW file users only, they are not recommended for .JPG shooters.  Based on overall response, I’ll consider releasing a set for .JPG shooters early next year.

Well, thanks so much gang!  I have truly put my heart and soul into this collection, and I’m not sure you’ll find another one out there quite like it!  Thanks so much for taking a moment to check these out.  I sincerely appreciate it, and I hope you all are having a wonderful season!

Until next time – PB

After:

Before:

I mean, really I do.  What other computer program in the world allows you to take a somewhat average capture and turn it pretty?

So much fun.

For those of you curious about how I did this, it’s one of my upcoming presets plus some dodge/burn around her eyes. Oh, I also added a solid color layer in yellow and put the blending mode on “overlay” and lowered the opacity to about 10%.  Then I did a little bit of a high-pass sharp on her eyes/face, erased it off her skin, and added some blur.  I do all sorts of things with blur, probably too much to explain in a post.

Hope you all like it!  As always, I love hearing from ya.   Have a great evening! – PB

Oh, and also, I received about a dozen emails on my last post, mostly along the lines of “Amen, Sister!”  For those of you who slyly sent me an email, but were too shy to comment, I’m glad you liked it.  And I promise, I’ll keep it our little secret.  Until next time…..

Alrighty, we’re back from our little long weekend in the Keys, so I thought I’d write a bit  about these pics.  First of all, call me weird, but I’ve always wanted to do a session with the juxtaposition of a beautiful little girl against the backdrop of an old cemetery.  I’ve always loved cemeteries (I’m not one of those people who is at all into death stuff – I HATE horror movies and am not at all interested in the occult or anything like that…not sure why I feel the need to make that clear, but trust me, if I don’t, someone out there will start soliciting me to speak at their “Photographers who love the Dead” luncheon or something like that.  The internet.  It can be a weird place.  But I digress…back to the regularly scheduled post) for their beauty and sentiment, and I think they are extremely peaceful and moving places to visit.  Luckily for me, the part of Virginia that I call home (SOVA not NOVA) is absolutely covered with some of the oldest and most historically rich cemeteries in the nation, so I had no trouble finding a good backdrop for my little vision.  What I was worried about finding was the mix of the right little girl and what to put her in.  A full fledged ballerina outfit wouldn’t have worked because I didn’t want to give the impression she was dancing on graves or anything like that.  Regular clothes wouldn’t have fit, and I thought about using my cloak or some other prop, but they just didn’t quite seem right either.  Then, last weekend I was thumbing through a costume book at a sewing store, and saw a “Black Swan” costume.  I LOVED it – it was so gorgeous, and I was instantly enamored with it.  However, it was on a grown-up, and I had to figure out how I could translate a very, very adult look onto an innocent child without sexualizing her in any way, and without being disrespectful to those who peacefully resided six feet under what would be the backdrop of our little shoot.  So, I came up with a toned down version of the Black Swan, and combined it with the most Angelic looking little girl in the world, and a very SOFT overall shoot.  That was super important.  If I had made this session too edgy or dark, it would have been sort of disrespectful I think, and it was crucial to me that it be done right.

Of course, I also had to find the right mom – one who got my vision and didn’t think I was a crazed weirdo – and luckily that worked out well.  I found the perfect mom, the perfect little girl, and (although I only had a day to pull the costume together) the near perfect outfit & setting.

If you are inspired by these pics, and choose to do something similar, I’d love to see what you come up with.  I only ask that whatever ideas may strike you, please execute them with respect.  It’s honestly best to work with a child who has no concept of what a cemetery is, but who is old enough to understand that headstones are not to be climbed on, etc.  It is also CRUCIAL that you find a cemetery that isn’t in use.  If a service of any type is taking place, for goodness sakes, postpone your photography plans.

For those of you interested in editing, they were shot in RAW and edited with my presets that will be coming out soon – probably around Thanksgiving.  They were also processed with textures from my Supernatural Collection (Of Course!) and if memory serves, I used Paranormal II.  I originally envisioned these in black & white, but decided I liked them better in color.  I kept the background a tad dark & gloomy on purpose.  Hope you all enjoy’em!  As always, I love to hear your feedback so if you have thoughts or questions, just let me know.

Until next time – PB