I don’t know about you but, I’m always interested in learning more about the laws regarding photography.  Specifically, when, where and who I can shoot with impunity and copyright law.  It’s a good thing, then, that Scott Kelby has taken the bull by the horns and hooked up with Attorney, Ed Greenberg for some straight answers.  Visit Photoshop Insider for easy-to-understand answers to your questions about shooting in public, model releases and copyright. 

I was quite happy to know I was right about copyright law, though I’m sure many in the digi-world won’t be turning somersaults.  Also, I’ll be checking out the full interview next Monday to see if he addresses the “Orphan Works” bill. 

Head on over if the subject interests you - you’ll enjoy listening to Scott Kelby, in any case.

Tschüss!

Sorry for the absence but my baby was on a two-night trip away from home and I felt a little lost without him.  Apparently, it’s pretty common for the kindergartens to arrange an overnighter for their “school-starters” in the summer before they begin first grade and my youngest is in that group now. 

I picked him up an hour ago - moments after they arrived at their kindergarten - and let’s just say he was less-than-enthusiastic.  It seems he didn’t miss me quite as much as I missed him.  Well, that’s okay because I keep seeing him peek around corners to look at me and he’s dropped by for a bit of “lap-time” already so I know he really did miss me, he’s just becoming a big boy and he’s getting shy about expressing it.

So the big reunion didn’t go as I’d pictured it in my head, but it’s still nice to have my little boy back.

Anyway, I’ve been trying to decide what template I’d like to share next and several comments have had me second-guessing myself with regard to the file types I offer.  So, in a further effort to provide a valuable service to my readers, I’m asking you, once again, to tell me how you like it.  n

Once I’ve gotten a significant cohort to respond, I’ll post the latest template.  If you have a preference for one of the templates I’ve used but not shared, please feel free to leave a comment requesting your favorite.

Tschüss!

It’s done.

The last layouts were completed and uploaded yesterday.  I finished the front and back cover and spine and uploaded those.  I double-checked each page to make sure I hadn’t left VividPics on.  I previewed more than once.  I placed the order and clicked "submit."

It’s done.

Now, all I can do is wait for Shutterfly to do what they do best and hope for a call from my daughter once she sees the results.

Here are the last layouts and the album cover preview…

Yes, the final page of her album is a repeat of a previous page’s template and colors - the first page, actually.  It’s my way of starting it and finishing it with a theme - and sort of matching the first and last pages to the cover.

I think my next project will be our family yearbooks.  I’ve got a few pages from each of the past 3 years already completed, so there’s a few anchor points to build from.  Now that I’ve got this book completed, I feel more of a compulsion to get our family albums under construction.

Tschüss!

Credits: Friends: SMJ - foliage, Elegant Word Art - wordart, SUAS - chipboard element, Songbird Avenue Take Flight - paper.  Auf Wiedersehen: Michelle Coleman - paper, Katie Pertiet - graphics blob, GinaMaria - template and wordart. Cover: Lynn Grieveson - paper, Katie Pertiet - edges.

Who’s my favorite Photoshop instructor?  Oh, come on… you know who I like better than even Scott Kelby!  It’s Donnie!

Yes, Season 2 of "You Suck at Photoshop" is underway at My Damn Channel and I’ve gotten notice of the latest episode.  They’ll continue with new eps every other week, so just keep tuning in here for the links.

• YSAPS #11

Donnie’s starting us off with some really tough stuff - Smart Objects.  Hmm, I wonder why that sounds like a joke waiting to happen? 

If you haven’t experienced a tutorial led by Donnie, you’re in for a real treat but I’ll warn you that you’ll likely see and/or hear stuff that some might find objectionable, so don’t come back here and blame me.

Tschüss!

Two more completed and uploaded to Shutterfly!  I’m still waiting on one picture from my teen to finish a layout of her friends, then I’ll complete the last page of the album (I hope to make it special) and get the whole thing sent off for printing.

Here’s what I finished last night…

This one was done a while ago but I needed to finish it’s companion page before I could choose the background.  Since it will be paired with the following layout, I decided to use identical backgrounds - something I did with many pages in the album.

For this page, I had to combine two trips into one layout and I did that with the live round that my daughter found on Omaha Beach during her school trip the month before our family trip to the same location.  Can you tell it was getting harder and harder to get pictures from her?  Yeah, it was. 

I’ve felt really motivated and excited as I’ve worked on this album and I’m having a hard time deciding what I want to work on next.  What do you think?  Should I do something similar for my little ones?  Also, should I make albums that speak to who they are now or to the people they’ll become?  What are your opinions on that?

Tschüss!

Credits: Amsterdam: Shabby Princess - paper, SMJ - frame and foliage, Welcome to Holland - stamp, GinaMaria - template.  Normandie: Shabby Princess - paper, Oscraps collab - stamp, Tracy Collins - alpha, GinaMaria - template.