How To Fix Crooked Photos In Photoshop // Tip Tuesday

Although we hate to admit it, we've all had it - that one crooked image in a session that we wish we could quickly fix before our client arrived for their portrait viewing. Well, surprise! It can be done in less than five seconds! Watch the video below to find out how! 

Want to see more Tip Tuesday posts? CLICK HERE and check back next Tuesday for another helpful tip for photographers! 

I have a confession... // A Look Inside The Modern Collective Design Process

I, Adam, have a confession to make... it's messy, it's a bit dirty, and it's not my finest quality but today I'm sharing it with all of you. So here it goes..... 

I am a packrat! Now, hold on a second. I'm not to the stage of being featured on TLC's show about hoarders or to the point where I need an intervention! I just like my stuff and I struggle with parting with some things from time to time. Especially things that I know could be useful in the future, and for once my inability to throw things away actually worked in my favor. Let me explain! :)

It all goes back to my 9th Grade Art Class. Our assignment was to make a layered "tape" painting. Although the painting as a whole was a horrendous mess, certain areas had a lot of potential! Many opportunities came to throw this painting away over the past few years, but I just couldn't part with it. The painting landed on a shelf collecting dust... that is until the other week!

While flipping through the mail, a new GAP flier caught my eye. The paint styled text sparked my creativity and I instantly had the perfect plan for a new template design! It was the perfect project to incorporate my 9th grade art! I went to work, combining my old "hoarded" painting with a little digital magic and TAH DAH the Modern Artistry 4x8 Accordion Book was born! From 2004 to 2013, this template design has been a work in progress! I'm so glad I didn't throw that painting away!

Here's a look at how it all came together! 

Want to see more photos of the Modern Artistry Accordion Book? View it IN THE SHOP.

Choosing the Best Paper for Your Press Products // Tip Tuesday

As a self proclaimed paper snob, choosing the best press paper for a design project can be a challenging task! I love the options that lab offer these days, but the variety of press papers available from labs such as WHCC and Millers doesn't make the decision process any easier! With choices like pearl, linen, watercolor, bamboo, and recycled; the options are nearly endless. So how exactly does a person choose the best press paper for their printed designs and products? I share a few of my tips below!

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DOES MY PAPER CHOICE FIT WITH MY DESIGN //

Many photographers fall in love with anything new and different and are eager to try out the newest paper options from their labs, but it's important to not fall into this trap when choosing the best paper for your product. Make sure your paper choice matches your design. Is your design warm, is it modern, is it vibrant or bold? Some papers pair better with different designs. Below are a few products from The Modern Collective and the papers we would choose to best highlight the product's design. 

see this product in the shop: Chalk Me Up Birth Announcement

see this product in the shop: Liam Grad Card

see this product in the shop: Senior Model How-To Marketing Set

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DOES MY PAPER CHOICE FIT MY BRAND? //

Not all paper options offered by your lab match with your studio's brand. Modern portrait studios probably won't use many of the heavy textured paper options because they fit better with rich and warm designs that more traditional studio's may prefer. Pearl or Standard UV coated papers may be a better option for a modern studio. 

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WILL MY PAPER CHOICE WORK FOR HOW THE PRODUCT WILL BE USED? //

Not all paper options work for each use. If your client is planning on adding a written note to the inside of a press printed card, make sure you are choosing a press paper that will accept ink and will not smudge. UV Coating would not be a good option for this use. However, a watercolor paper would be an excellent choice!

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DOES MY PAPER CHOICE MATCH MY CLIENT'S EXPECTATIONS? //

In the end the client really does have the choice, but it's your job as a their photographer to help them choose a paper that will highlight your work the best. Don't overwhelm your client with all the paper options. Choose one or two that you feel would be the best options for their product and help them choose the final paper choice! 

Wheww! Who knew there would be so much thought involved when choosing paper! Hopefully these tips will help you determine the best match for your next design project! Want to see more Tip Tuesday posts? CLICK HERE and check back next Tuesday for another helpful tip for photographers! 

Creating Stylized Text In Photoshop // Tip Tuesday

font used in this demo // Nevis

SEE THIS TYPE DESIGN USED IN THESE MODERN COLLECTIVE TEMPLATES //Sean 5x7 Grad Card Template

Love S-Truck Newborn Wall Art

Want to see more Tip Tuesday posts? CLICK HERE

Reduce Your Editing Time In Camera // Tip Tuesday

We got a little behind so this week's Tip Tuesday happens to fall on a Wednesday! We hope you don't mind! Today we want to discuss portrait lighting and pose refining. Simple changes to your subject's pose can make a huge difference in the final look of your portrait and it can greatly reduce your time spent in post production! Take a look at the image below to see for yourself! 

SIDE NOTE //  The image used in the above tutorial was edited using actions from Michelle Kane Photography. If you want to reduce your editing time without sacrificing the quality of your images, you need to check out Michelle's action collections! Serious time savers, people! And no, this isn't a sponsored sales pitch... we really do LOVE all of Michelle's actions!!

$50 SHOPPING SPREE GIVEAWAY WINNER  //

We posted a little challenge in last week's Tip Tuesday post. We asked how you would use extra wallet prints in your studio. We have a winner! Congrats to Susan Dodd for sharing her tips! You are the winner of the $50 Shopping Spree in The Modern Collective Shop!

Come back next week for another Tip Tuesday! 

Introducing Urban Crossroads // New Product

Say hello to Urban Crossroads, the new senior layflat book design from The Modern Collective! Need that perfect product to impress your senior guys? This 20 page book design will do the trick! Included with the design is theMC's exclusive Album Splitter Action. The Album Splitter Action allows you to export your design for any of WHCC's square book designs in less than five minutes! Sizes include 5x5, 8x8, 10x10, and 12x12 books! Easy, simple, done! 

You can see larger images of this design's layouts, HERE.

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 Visit The Shop Buy Now

Free Wallets for Marketing // Tip Tuesday

We are back with another Tip Tuesday! Today the topic is WALLETS! Wallets are a fun product to offer. Moms love them, seniors trade them, dads put them in their wallets, etc. Wallets aren't just for your clients; they can be a great tool in your studio too! Selling wallets in sets of seven leaves one extra wallet for you to use! The best part, it doesn't cost you a dime!! Below are a few things you can do with your extra wallets!

IDEAS FOR YOUR EXTRA WALLETS //

- place them in your studio's waiting area for clients to look at during consultations or before their session

- use them as a style guide for your clients. Love what a past client wore? Share it with other clients! 

- bind them with a binder ring and throw them in your camera bag for a quick pose guide for times you lack inspiration at a session.

- make a wall of wallets in your studio. Your clients will love seeing their face on your wall! 

- use them in your marketing pieces! Client's love seeing other client's photos!

WIN $50 FOR theMC SHOP!

We want to hear how YOU would use your extra wallets? Share this post with the share links below (facebook | pin | tweet) and then leave a comment telling us how you would use extra wallets in your studio. Once person who shares their ideas in the comments below will be chosen for at $50 shop credit to The Modern Collective Shop! We will announce the winner in next Tuesday's Tip Tuesday post! 

Ready, set, GO! 

How To Link Your Facebook Pages for More Marketing Potential // Tip Tuesday

We all know that Facebook has a ton of marketing potential if used correctly. Today's Tip Tuesday will show you how to lead potential clients from your personal facebook page to your studio's business page on Facebook! It will increase your marketing potential and increase the traffic to your business page! Watch the short video below to find out how!

Check back next week for another Tip Tuesday! Want to read our past tips for photographers? Click HERE.

How To Create Banners With The Pen Tool // Tip Tuesday

Today we have a HUGE Tip Tuesday for you! We have a video tutorial and FREEBIES! Yay, we know everyone loves freebies! 

Today's Tip Tuesday video will show you how to use the pen tool in Photoshop to create banner and tag shapes! Watch the video and then click the link below to access the banner downloads! 

FREEBIES! Click the link below to download these six banner freebies shapes! The freebie is a layered PSD file. All colors and text can be changed!

ACCESS THE FREEBIES HERE // http://bit.ly/Banner_Freebies

Check back next week for another Tip Tuesday and feel free to share this post with your friends with the share links below!

Grad Announcement for Senior Guys // Product Spotlight

Last week we featured two of our favorite grad card designs for the senior girls. We thought it wasn't fair to leave the guys out, so today we are featuring Liam + Sean, two of the senior grad card templates from the 2013 Grad Card Collection! 

These two designs are modern, masculine, and filled with plenty of style for those senior guys that want something different! Plus, these designs will make their mom happy too! We all know that is who we really are trying to impress!

Like all templates in The Modern Collective Shop, designing with these grad card templates is as easy as dragging and dropping your images and changing the text to match your client's party details! Quick, easy, and DONE!  

Featured Templates:  Liam 5x7 Flat Grad Card Design  //  Sean 5x7 Flat Grad Card Design