Let it go....

[Mike Bons]

Here are a couple of images I shot recently of this little girl (friend of the family).




and another one from last month.

[JAS_Photo]

Both lovely! I especially like the second photo!

[Runmonty]

Beautiful - 2nd shot for me too. Nominated.

I think I must be your #1 fanboy, as I always seem to be nominating your photos.

[Marko]

Lovely set Mike!
Care to comment on the PP?

[theantiquetiger]

Wow!!!! #2 is amazing!!! Both are great, but #2 is poetry!!!

[Iguanasan]

The light in number two is freaking awesome and gorgeous.

[Mike Bons]

Lovely set Mike!
Care to comment on the PP?

Thanks everyone for you comments. Marko, the PP for #1 is a couple of overlays made by Jessica Drossin. I start in LR and do standard adjustments, then taken into PS to work in layers and masks with the overlays, then back into LR for final adjustments. #2 is made with a technique I learned from Jake Olson. I have admired Jake's work for a long time and have made some attempts to get his "look" in other images but couldn't quite get to be as seamless as I would like. Recently he brought out a downloadable tutorial that really helped me. Basically its sort of like shooting an HDR, except that the sky doesn't even have to be from the original scene. The issue is always trying to blending the two scenes together. Again, I did the standard adjustments in LR, take it into PS to blend the 2 images together. Using layers masks is really important with this. I then use topaz labs for further adjustments, then back into LR for final touches.

[theantiquetiger]

I would love to see a step by step on your processing on these (esp #2).

If I could capture and produce an image like #2, I would quit photography because there is no more higher to go.

[Hillbillygirl]

Both are lighting magic, but do agree, that second one is just amazing. Lovely work as always Mike.