The kidnapping
Monday, January 7, 2008 by Kate Inglis 
I overstate for dramatic value. Kidnapping wasn’t necessary, nor was Nova Scotian saltwater torture. Jeanette is a willing avalanche of photographic tricksiness, and a good thing too, because I’m fresh out of ski masks.
K: This shot is so evocative, almost like a painting. How much of it came alive in post-processing, and how much was just chance and light and voodoo?
J: This picture is definitely one that came alive in Photoshop. The final shot is representative of what my heart saw when I took the picture, but my camera does not have the ability to capture that.
I probably used additional adjustment layers/layer masks here to intensify the colours beyond my usual, more natural processing. I also used both the burn and sponge tools to bring out the layers of colours that I could see that night but that were not apparent in the original image.
If you look closely at areas of the sky, you would actually see that areas of this image are somewhat degraded by processing. In this case, the artifacts of the burn/sponge tools were not only acceptable to me, but desired, as I wanted this image to have a more surreal, almost painted look. Normally though, I would not take such a heavy hand with these tools, as the final image quality would suffer.
K: In captures like your shot of Evan, subjects' eyes are watery, reflective pools. How do you capitalize on catchlights?
J: It's all about the light, and training yourself to make the most of it by how you position both yourself and your subject. Practice. Take an agreeable subject (probably not a two year old!) and position them outside in open shade. Circle around them, watching the shape and position of the light reflecting in their eyes.
As far as post processing goes, if a catchlight isn't there in your original capture, there’s not much you can do to create one that will look realistic. However, a catchlight can be enhanced and brought out by using the dodge tool in Photoshop. I use a soft brush set to about a third of the size of the eyes, and have the dodge tool set to midtones, and around 9-11%. Then I just lightly sweep the brush across the eyes, brightening the whites of the eyes slightly, bringing out the catchlights. This technique is one that can be easily overdone though—so have a light hand and make sure it still looks natural.
K: Can you share a few of your most admired photostreams, and tell us why they inspire you?
J: I'll just pick a few quickly, but there are so many more...
My good friend Brenda — her style is fresh, fun and nostalgic. Can't ever get enough of her work!
Tina Louise — her timeless, evocative portraits have made her one of my most admired photographers from the very beginning.
Jefra — She was the first photographer to teach me to think less and shoot more instinctively and her stream is a testament to this 'blink' style of shooting.
LaraJade — It's hard to believe such edge-pushing, raw portraiture can come from one so young. Her work blows me away.
Reader Comments (3)
I am blinded by the beauty of this image. Blinded I say!