Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Inspiration


My mom is a collector of many things (books, journals, pens, collages) so whenever I'm in need of a good book to read, I go to her house. I was browsing her shelves recently and saw this book.

afterimage

I am a sucker for old B/W prints, so the image on the front immediatly drew me in. After starting the book, I'm hooked. The book is loosely based on the work of Julia Margaret Cameron, whom I'd admittedly never heard of before.

I have to say, I am totally inspired and in love with her work.



I'm on a quest now to read more about her (after I finish the book). Have you ever read a book/quote or seen a photograph that just invigorates you and reminds you of why you picked up this crazy hobby? I love that. Sometimes in the day to day routine of taking pictures and doing client orders, you forget about the love of photography that got you started in the first place. Things like this always bring be back full circle to where I started and remind me of the most important things.

I'd love to hear of books/quotes/photographers that inspire you... drop me a line, comment, whatever!

Here's a few quotes of hers that I loved:

Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough - that we should try harder.
Julia Margaret Cameron (1815 - 1879)


The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.
Julia Margaret Cameron


When we are angry or depressed in our creativity, we have misplaced our power. We have allowed someone else to determine our worth, and then we are angry at being undervalued.
Julia Margaret Cameron

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

What a fun Day!

If you didn't catch it, I was interviewed by Mai from the Pay it Forward Blog today. Although I 'd hardly put myself "on par" with the other people that have been interviewed, it was fun to pretend to be famous for a day. I'm hoping everyone enjoys the actions and remembers to Pay it Forward in your own way! If you missed the download, they're still there.. Have fun!

I'm still recovering from the camping trip, trying to get life in line again.. But I thought I'd share the link to this program:


Hello

Jeremi introduced me to the program a few months ago, and I'm hooked. It's seriously the best IM program if you're a photographer or just like to share photos. Now I just have to get all my MSN and Yahoo chat buddies to switch over!

Hey, if you download it and need a friend to add, add me! My username is (duh) phaunt.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Home!!!

Hello everyone! We are home from the camping trip!

Let me tell you, camping with an 8 month old is hard work... Let alone an 8 month old who JUST started crawling and is determined to eat anything and everything she can get her hands on.

We had a wonderful time, but I am all camped out. Thank GOD for toilets, showers, refrigerators, and CLEAN FLOORS (okay, so my floors aren't that clean, but they're better than dirt!).

I'll be updating soon with some pics and a new tutorial, just wanted to say hello. I'll be answering emails tonite, so just hold on a few more hours!

Also, notice anything different? Aren't you jealous of my adorable new graphic? I had it custom drawn for me. I'm so so stoked about it. I haven't figured out exactly how to upload it without it getting pixely, so it doesn't look perfect yet, but I wanted to put it up because I'm so happy about it. I'll be changing around the look of the blog soon, so don't be surprised if things move around a bit.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Friday, May 25, 2007

Weekend Fun

Okay, so the tutorial is going to be next week. I just realized that I don't have any editing software for tutorials. So unless you want to hear a bunch of "ums" and Lilly coming in to ask for juice.. I'll have to redo the tutorial. I definitely don't have a career in video productions, that's for sure!

But, to tide you over, I wanted to share a link to an AWESOME new photography blog:

Pay It Forward

The premise is: "This is a FREE only blog, no money will be made from this, everything is free for you to use for your photography buisness, but is not for RESALE. We call it pay it forward because it feels good to give it away"

How cool is that? The goodies posted there should keep you busy for the weekend, and then I promise to post something early next week. Also, keep your eyes peeled for some phauntly action on the Pay it Forward blog.... You may see an interview of yours truly! :)

Had to share this picture of Lilly... She decided that she needed a new haircut yesterday..

Pre hair cut:


After Lilly's lovely new styling


She loved her handiwork so much that she even offered to cut my hair for free! She's convinced that she is going to be a "Hair cutter girl". Watch out Paul Mitchell!!

We're headed up camping for the weekend, and I will be back to answer emails and send out actions on Monday evening. Have a GREAT weekend everyone, be safe and enjoy it!

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Halfway through the Week!

I hope everyone is having a good week! I had another tutorial in the works for today, but haven't gotten it edited yet to post, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow.

In the meantime I thought I'd post some pics thatGerri our contest winner sent me. I absolutly LOVE seeing examples of how people are using the actions. It's awesome to see how everyone uses them differently.

Here's a few that she sent me:





Thank you Gerri for letting me share your amazing photography!

Okay, I have to make a confession here... I am an infomercial junky. In the wee hours of the morning you can often find me watching cheesy infomercials and drooling over the products they are selling.

I don't know if it's the change-your-life promises they make, or just the fact that they get so darn excited about the products that make me want them. My husband think's I'm crazy, but I'm almost convinced that I NEED this:

AeroGrow Garden


I mean CMON! Plants grow in AIR and water!.. No Gardening skill NEEDED!

Someone tell me they've bought this and loved it? Please? Or at least pretend ;)

Monday, May 21, 2007

How to Load an Action into Photoshop


Click to Play

The first of many (hopefully) tutorials on how to use photoshop. First up: How to Load actions into Photoshop. A bit elementary, I know, but I wanted to see if this works.. if it does there will be more to come. Even if you know how to load actions, test it out, just to hear my lovely voice ;) The tutorial will pop open in a new window so that you can actually see what is happening. If you have pop blockers turned on you might have to disable them to see it.

Enjoy!
 

Friday, May 18, 2007

Our Grand Prize Winner!!!

Well, All good things must end, right? I've had fun doing the contest this week, though. I have a few other things in mind for contests.

Our Grand prize winner is...................

Gerri Weatherbee!!!

Gerri gets the FULL set, plus an Amazon gift certificate!

I've loved giving away all these actions and hearing thoughts and comments from so many people.

So.. what's next? Well something *is* happening this week that I'm really excited about. I can't say what yet, but I can't wait to reveal it.

Also.. A few people reported having some problems with the Soul Searcher action and running it with more than one photo opened. I HAVE gotten this glitch worked out, and will be emailing all those who mentioned it to me with an updated action. But if you've had this problem, please email me (actions@kyliebanks.com) and I can send out a new Color set that will fix the problem.

Also.. if you're wanting to try out a few actions, or see some more examples of the actions in use.. be sure to visit the new flicrk group.. photos are being added daily!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/phauntactions/



Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Contest Day #7

And today's winner is....... Cheyenne!! I have to admit, I picked Cheyenne because her website is so darn cute... Congrats Cheyenne!

For those of you who Flickr.. I've started a Flickr group to share photos editing with phaunt actions. If you've bought the actions, or even are just thinking about it.. Check it out! A great way to see the actions IN action, and find some new Flickr Friends:

phaunt actions Flickr Group!

I'll also be giving away another teaser action there.. you can only get it if you join up.. I know, I know.. I'm so stingy huh?

Last day to enter the contest.. You have until 5pm tomorrow, the winner will be posted tomorrow evening.. Don't miss out.. all the cool kids are doing it!

I had to share this pic of my two girlies....Lilly said that having a sister is better than ice cream! Who can argue with that?

Contest Day #6

A bit late announcing yesterday's winner.. but our winner was CYNDI KAY! Congrats Cyndi!!

I'll be announcing Thursday's winner later today, and then tommorow will be the grand prize drawing!!

Have you checked out What the Duck?? If not, you're missing a hilarious online comic..How true is this?



Only one day to get your entries in.. Don't wait! Have a great Thursday.. the weekend is almost here!

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Contest Day #5

Tuesday already? Our winner for today is Becky Breedlove! Congrats Becky!

I don't have much time for a long post today (we have a teething, cranky 8 month old!), but wanted to share this video.. Ahhhh the wonders of Photoshop!

(CAUTION, may not be WORK or KID safe!)
Weight Loss With Photoshop!

If only they had the liquify tool available for every day usage!

Till Tomorrow.. Only 3 days left to enter the contest, don't miss out!!

Monday, May 14, 2007

Contest Day #4

Well whaddya know, I got the contest results up on the same day.. How about that? Our winner for Day #4 is...... Cindy Yen! Congrats Cindy! You get your pick of the B/W or Color Set.

A quick note.. If you have purchased ANY actions from me and have not recieved them within 24 hours, PLEASE email me. I get the sets out as soon as I get the notification, so you should be getting them in less than 24 hours. I have had a few problems with Yahoo! mail marking the emails as spam, so especially if you are using a Yahoo address, please please let me know if you haven't gotten your action. And check your SPAM folder too!

I cannot believe it's already the 15th of May.. The year is just flying by. I thought I'd share a few shots I took of Katie, my youngest (8 1/2 months old) today in our living room. She's usually pretty cooperative, but as you can see, she decided she'd had enough by the end of the shoot.






Only 3 more days of winning left, be sure to get your entries in!

Contest Day #3

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Mother's Day! Our winner for day #3 is Chrissie Raysor!! Congrats Chrissie! You win your choice of the B/W or Color Workflow Set!

I'm an avid googler, and am constantly looking for new blogs and/or tutorial websites for Photoshop related questions. One of the amazing things about Photoshop is that it has a million different ways to tackle each problem, all depending on the person using the program! Just a few links that I have saved to my "Photoshop Stuff" folder are:

Scott Kelby's Blog
Photoshop Quick Tips
Brusheezy

And I promised some kind of "special" today didn't I? Well, today only, I'm offering $5 off the Whole Shebang (Color, B/W, extras). To get the deal you have to purchase by sending a paypal for the $20 to actions@kyliebanks.com. Be sure to put "Blog Contest sale" in the email so I know what it's for. This is ONLY good for today (May 14th) so better jump on it!

Happy Late Mother's Day.. have a great week! :)

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Contest Day #2

First off, our winner for Saturday is: Jessica Calvillo!!! Congrats Jessica! You win your choice of the color or B/W sets.

Sorry for being a bit late on the announcement, we had a long day yesterday and I forgot to post the winner. I'll make another post tonite with the winner for Sunday.

In the meantime, I'm contemplating getting this shirt:



Link Here

How big of a photoshop nerd would I be if I did? I know I'm a geek, but I wonder if I'm ready for the rest of the normal world to know?

Somehow I feel like that's just one step away from attending Star Trek conventions and dressing up as photoshop tools for Halloween. I'll keep you updated on whether I get the shirt or not. I just find it hilarious for some reason.

Keep those entries coming.. We still have 5 days left of winning to go!!

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Props Group Buy

For those on Props..






First Day of the Contest

The first day of the contest, and we're off with a bang! I loved getting all the entries today, I felt so popular with my inbox getting new messages. If you could only see me, checking it every 10 minutes, cursing the email gods when no new messages appeared..

Our first winner, chosen at random (actually, Lilly picked the number 9 and we counted down that many emails on the current list).. The winner is.. *DRUM ROLL PLEASE* Dum Da Da Dum.....

Leah Savage!!!!


She gets her choice of either the Color or B/W actions.... and is still in the pot for the grand prize. Congrats Leah!!!!

Remember, no matter when you entered, you will be eligible for the grand prize (oh that sounds so special.. Grand prize!!), as well as the daily prizes, so just because you didn't win today doesn't mean you won't win tommorrow! But if you want to enter again just to make sure I keep getting emails, you can do that ;)

I had to include an image with this post... On this day (May 12th) 4 years ago, our little Lilly bug was born:



And here she is, blowing out the candles on her cake at her party:



My little Lilly Bug, you light up my life, I'm so lucky to have you as a daughter. Happy Birthday my beautiful girl!!

Keep those entries coming...thanks everyone for participating!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

As Promised.......phaunt's Contest!!!

A crazy week this week, but I've finally gotten around to posting. Our first contest/giveaway!

I thought long and hard (okay maybe not so long, but definitely hard) about what to give away, and I wanted to make it fun, but keep it simple so people get the hang of it. Besides, I just love giving things away.. ask my husband, he's always getting his Christmas and birthday presents early because I can't wait to give them to him!

So.. Here's the rules. I decided to keep our first contest simple, you don't have to do anything to win.. just enter!

To enter, you must email me at actions@kyliebanks.com with CONTEST in the subject line. You DO NOT have to have purchased any of my actions to enter.. Anyone is free to enter! The only thing you need to include in your email is your Name, where you heard of the site/actions, and a link to your blog or business website/portfolio. So.. Copy paste this into your email, fill it out, and you're ready to go:

If you're lazy like me and don't want to open up your outlook to create an email.. Use this link and fill out the form to send me an email HERE Just make sure you put contest in the subject line.

Name:
Blog/Business site:
Where you heard of phaunt Actions:


At the end of the week, one person will be chosen at random to win not only The Whole SheBang (both the color and B/w sets, plus extras), but ALSO a $20 gift certificate to Amazon.com, where you can buy anything you want! I was going to chose a photography related book, but I decided to let you decide for yourself! If the winner has already purchased the actions, you will still get the gift certificate, and will have a credit with me for any future set you want.

But WAIT.. there's more! Just for entering, I'll send you a FREE action teaser! I'm working on a NEW bleach action that I'm really excited about.. here's a few examples of what it does:

(click photos to view larger)




To really kick things off with a bang, I'm going to be giving away one of the action sets to one entrant PER DAY! So you not only get a FREE action just for entering, and a chance for the big prize, but you also could get one of the action sets! I'm choosing one entrant per day from the entire pool, so you don't need to enter every day to be eligible for the daily drawing.

So that's the skinny.. Don't just stand there, ENTER... You never know, you may win! Check back to see our daily winners.. and there MAY just be a few specials posted on the blog *hint* *hint*.. you never know :)

((The contest is starting May 11th, first single set winner will be picked Friday evening, but you can enter any time between now and then. Contest ends Thursday the 17th at midnite.. the GRAND PRIZE winner will be announced Friday, May 18th))

Saturday, May 5, 2007

Our First Showcase!

I had this super cool idea to showcase other photographers and some of their work, to see how they use the actions, and to get to know them better. Also I like to have an excuse to ask people anything I want.

So our fist victim...er.. I mean Volunteer is the uber talented Jeremi Broadhurst, from Logan, UT.

So.. we'll just envision that Jeremi and I just sat down for a cup of Starbucks.. Me with my Grande Java Chip Frappucino and a huge chocolate chip cookie (all mine!).... I'll let you listen in to our conversation..

Kylie: Sooooo Jeremi, how did you get into photography?

Jeremi: My Grandfather and my Dad were always hobbyist’s and so they had camera’s laying around. Of course my little hands found them and used up quite a bit of film. My favorite was the Polaroid since I got near instant results. Maybe that is why I am so drawn to digital. I didn’t get serious about it until after my children were born and then I wanted to capture beautiful images of them doing the things they do everyday, hence my slogan: Life….as it happens!

K: Describe your Style in 3 words:
J: Fresh
Relaxed
Real




K: What is your favorite Subject to Photograph?

J: My girls!

K :When you need to get inspired what do you do?

J: Check out other photographer’s work! I especially love going to the library to check out the old books with black and white photography in them from years ago. The images are truly timeless and emotional.




K: You have a whole day to yourself, no kids, work, or any other chores to do, what do you do?


J: Well my day wouldn’t be complete without checking my daily blogline of other photographers. I also love to read and take hot baths so you’d probably find me in a hot bath reading a novel or a photography magazine, lol.

K: What are your fave websites to waste time on?
J: Props & Lime Light Photography

K: What's your favorite Photoshop Tool or tip?
J: I seem to be good friends with the burn tool for some reason!

K: What is your favorite phaunt Action?
J: Oooh this is a tough one! I love to use the Sunshine in your hand in combination with Beastly color for the color pop! But the contrasty Whole Lotta Soul is right up my alley as well.



Links to Jeremi's Sites:

Business

Blog



Thanks Jeremi for being the first brave soul.. I hope to feature other awesome photographers periodically....

Also.. The next post WILL Feature a contest/give away of some sort, so be watching.. you don't wanna miss it..

Till next time....

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Engagement

I really didn't think that I'd like doing anything other than children's portraits when I started out, but I've found that engagement photos are a lot of fun. I think the fact that the subjects actually LISTEN to you and take direction well (some kids do, but lets face it, most don't!), as well as how much fun it is to see two people in love! It's fun to remember how new love feels, those giddy months before the wedding. Here's a few shots from my latest engagement shoot. We went to an awesome orchard, I wish I could take some kids there, but it's full of bees right now so I'm afraid one of them would get stung!

(CLICK PHOTOS TO SEE THEM LARGER)


We also headed to a park and took a few pics on a bridge...




Then headed downtown to get those urban/grunge/brick shots. ;)








Later this week I'll be posting our first "showcase"... with the talented Jeremi Broadhurst so be sure to check back and see her awesome images and learn a little bit about her!

Also.. I have a contest in the works.. more details to come.. :)

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Awesome Product

One of the BEST things I ever have done to speed up my photoshop workflow was to learn the shortcuts! PS has a ton of handy keyboard shortcuts built in that really do save you time. I think the figure was that you can shave 40% off your workflow time by using shortcuts!

This site: Editor Keys
has some awesome stickers for your keyboard that have the shortcuts on them.



I've always wanted one of the neato Photoshop keyboards, but couldn't drop $60 on one. These are on sale for only $13!

I got mine a few days ago and already have learned a bunch of new shortcuts.