Hi, everyone. :)

[KelliShaver]

Hello, everyone. I've been lurking for a while now and have posted a couple of times, but I thought I would take a moment to actually intruduce myself, since I can forsee spending a lot of time here. I'm not good at these "about me" posts, though (they always sound so cheesy) so bear with me. ;)

Where to start? Well, let's see. I'm 26, living in east-central Kentucky. I do web development and graphic design to pay the bills, and various other types of art to keep me sane. I'm married and have a little girl who will be three at the end of May.

I first got bitten with the photography bug back in college, when I took a basic 35mm course as part of my art program. I was hooked instantly.

I also discovered at that point that getting that great shot was as much about what went on in the processing as it was in actually taking the picture. I vowed from that point on never to let anyone else develop my photos for me.

Dark rooms are, however, quite expensive.

So then I started looking to digital. Since I already knew Photoshop like the back of my hand, it seemed the best way to get the sort of control over my photography that I desire.

I suffered along on low-end digital cameras for a couple of years because of financial constraints due to big medical bills. Finally, however, I have purchased my first digital SLR - a 300D w 20-80mm lens. It should arrive sometime next week.

I'm very excited. I feel I have a good eye for photography (also, my degree is in fine art) and I can't wait to get started taking photos now that a lack of good equipment is no longer limiting me.

For those interested, just a couple of days ago, I threw a site together (http://peel.kellishaver.com) for my digital photography, which I'm sure I will fill soon enough. In the mean time, it has a few select photos in it that were taken with an old HP point & shoot digital - not great quality, but gives you an idea of my attempts to at least capture the moment. Also, if anyone would like the script that the site uses for their own use, I've made it freely available, just follow the link at the bottom of the page.

*phew*

I think that's it. So, again, hi everyone (I recognize a couple of you). :) I hope to be sticking around.

[Belmondo]

Kelli:
We're really pleased to have you here. Mother of three? That sure sounds like a lot of photo opportunities to me.

We look forward to seeing a lot of your work

[ilya]

Welcome to (probably) the only sight on the net dedicated exclusively to the study of poutine :)

[JAZZ D.P.G.]

Sounds like some one with a clue!!! Artistic bend with a DSLR and photoshop!!

Welcome Kelli.

Enjoy the site. We don't just talk about poutine (Don't knock it til you try it. ilya!), occasionally we even cover photography.

[mikesd]

Welcome Kelli from a neighbor in S.E.Illinois.

[KelliShaver]

Thanks, folks. :)

poutine = good

Nono... mother of a 3yr old! I would probably go insane(r) with 3 kids!

[cactusclay]

Welcome Kelli.

[Conk]

Welcome Kelli. Look forward to seeing your photos. Also knowing photoshop like the back of your hand should get you lots of pm's. :mrgreen:

[CyberDyneSystems]

Sounds like some one with a clue!!! ....

I'm not sure that is allowed in the by-laws,.. ;) Should we make an exception?

Welcome to the forum Kelli,. and please excuse Tom's desire to give you two more children,.. (wait a minute,. that's not what I meant !! .. :shock: )

:)

[Canuck]

I'm not sure that is allowed in the by-laws,.. ;) Should we make an exception?

Welcome to the forum Kelli,. and please excuse Tom's desire to give you two more children,.. (wait a minute,. that's not what I meant !! .. :shock: )

:)

Foot in mouth has reached the North East US! :lol: :shock:

[KelliShaver]

Hahaha! I'm honored, but I don't think my husband would go for it. ;)

And I will gladly field any questions re: photoshop.

[aam1234]

And I will gladly field any questions re: photoshop.

Are you really? How about a simple and effective B&W conversion. See, my knowledge in PSE (PS Elements) is hovering just above zero, at the same time I love B&W. And there are some tutorials here for that, but they are either too complex for a noob like me or the links/pics don't work. Do you think you can give it a shot. Would appreciate if you do.

[Belmondo]

Kelli:
We're really pleased to have you here. Mother of three? That sure sounds like a lot of photo opportunities to me.

We look forward to seeing a lot of your work


Ummmmm. Please notice it was phrased as a question. I was simply doing my duty as a moderator trying to see if she was being truthful in her original post.

This is a common interrogation technique.

Besides, at my age, there is little I could do to help increase that number. And, in the spirit of full disclosure, I should point out that I have no practical experience in that department having scrupulously avoid it during the 43 years of my marriage.

Sorry for the mistake……..that’s what happens when you watch television and try to respond in the forum at the same time. :o

[KelliShaver]

No problem! I can see how that could be misread. I probably paniced a little. I just get a little freaked out when I try to picture myself with more kids. I love my little girl to pieces, but honestly, I think one is my limit. :) I'd go crazy. I'm a much better mom to one than I could ever be to... er, more than one. Besides, when you get the perfect kid on the first try...... ;)

As for converting to B&W, this is the technique I've started using. There are shorter processes out there, but this one is still fairly easy to do and I've found that it retains image integrity better than a lot of others. that was good for me, because until recently, all of my digitla photos were taken on very bad cameras. Keep in mind, though, that I'm not too familliar with PS Elements, so I'm not too up on what functionality the full version of Photoshop has that Elements leaves out...

Convert to Lab Color (Image > Mode > Lab Color)
Select the "Lightness" channel (Channels palette > "Lightness" channel)

Convert to Grayscale (Image > Mode > Grayscale)

Make the new channel the selection (Control-click the thumbnail in the new "Gray" channel)

Invert selection (Select > Inverse) (Leave this selection active for the next steps)

Fill the selection with black (Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color... > Select color #000000)

Tweak the opacity of the fill layer (Layers palette > select "Color Fill 1" > set opacity to ~50%)

Create a new Levels (or Curves if you prefer) adjustment layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels)

Tweak the levels in the adjustment layer as you like

If that's too much fo ryou, go to Image - Adjust - Channel Mixer, select Monochrome, and tweak as desired. :)

[aam1234]

Way too much for me. But many thanks for trying. And oh, welcome here, you will like the guys & gals here (hide your credit card though, they make you buy expensive stuff here...things that start with the letter L).

[KelliShaver]

No nworries, my credit card ran away screaming shortly after the initial camera purchase.... which was supposed to ship today but hasn't... grrrr.

Give the channel mixer a tpry and then adjust levels if needed. You get pretty good results, but it can cause some noise, or maybe enhance any existing noise is a better way of putting it. If you're working in RAW or high quality JPG's it shouldn't be too much of a problem, I wouldn't think. There are about 20 ways to convert a pic to black and white. I think a lot of it is just personal preference.

Of course, there's always ctrl+shift+u then adjust your levels (or curves if you prefer). :) The trouble with doing a "how to" is that it's impossible to say what those levels or curves or hue/sat, etc. should be adjusted to, because it's going to be different for each photo.