ELI dreyfuss

An unforgettable Mothers Day gift

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A mother’s day you will never forget, one that you, and I will cherish forever!IMG_0090 copy

What did you do this year on your mother’s special day? How did you honor the person we have the esteem pleasure of calling our “Moms”. For me a nice note, or chocolate dose not聽cut it. I needed to do something special for her.. So what do photographers do when they want to give someone a gift? They give them a free photoshoot! 馃槈

We never talk, and she hates photos, i asked her, today can i give you a mothers day photoshoot? At first she was hesitant then something happened, we truly connected with each other through the lens of a camera!

And what do i like to do a little more than photography? Writing..Below is what i wrote my mom yesterday to honor the amazing person that she is!

To the one who released me out of her womb, 17 years ago at 4:09 at the Cincinnati Hospital. To the one who generated an unconditional love. To the one who my first words were dedicated to “Mommy, i love you” and now 17 years later, today i still dedicate those words to you.

You are the one i’m blessed to call my mother. Heck i owe my whole life to you!
As years passed like usual, on mothers day we would all get together, write you some notes, sign my name on a letter, and call it a day. That tradition dates back to your mom, and her mom, and her mom before that. But to me that tradition is the most intimate and touching thing one can do. Ever since i was 3 or so, i still remember picking up a pen from your drawer, a paper from dad’s and sketching up a nice note for you on your special day. Signing it with… well… scribbles. But those scribbles were from my heart. A few laters i remember making those scribbles into a drawing of a world, with the quote underneath “Your the best mom in the entire world!!” I then remember turning that world upside down, left side up, forwards, backwards, no matter which way i looked at it you were always there, i always saw your glistening white teeth (obviously i dont get that from you), and your soothing soft voice, or can feel your sensational character traits that make up the amazing person you are! That amazingness(i only talk in superlatives) radiates even when you’re not there.

Me-Ok mom, i want you to think about your mom, and all that she鈥檚 done, all the good memories.. Describe her in 2 words.. Mom-BEST MOM..Alright, i think i might cry.. Me-Thats alright, at least if they鈥檙e tears of joy and happiness.. Mom- They are!

Tesse (my little poodle) is and always be there to comfort my mom, even in tears.

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This mothers day, a piece of all of us were absent from our special day. Gadi, who i KNOW would love to be here with you, and yammy who can’t travel. But they were there with us. YOU brought us them.
聽Today i asked you, inevitably knowing you would be hesitant to a photo shoot, 聽I聽asked you anyway.. i knew there is something special about you that i truly in my heart wanted to capture. My expectations were met beyond words, well thats why i make photographs.. I told you and continually stressed that YOU are YOU in front of the camera, and there was no one else in the room except me and you, and our souls.
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Today that mom, and Eli i know, was rekindled.
Magic happened. We were able to talk face to face, no distractions, just a conversation about our most inner thoughts, thats something you can’t do without something simply special. The bond (it may not seem like it sometimes) between us, a mother and her son, is something聽irreplaceable. A love that is never replenished, and unconditional, is聽embedded in our souls. It truly is magic.

 

You are a gift. A sensation. a gem in the ruff, you are the one i call “MOM”. A name that is not given to anyone but someone who has been there when i need them most, giving up every waking hour to please me, and to someone who gives me pride like Sumba in the Lion King. You’re the one i look up to when i’m at the bottom. You make me the luckiest, and most聽privileged son, i have the esteem honor on a daily basis to call you my mother, and to say “I love you” each night.
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“I love you mom, and good night” I will聽honorably conclude. The words that are worth more than my camera, the words that make me the proudest son on the universe!
Happy mothers day 5/10/15. It is one that i will NEVER forget. Thank you for being the amazing YOU, and truly a blessing to spend my day with you, and the rest of my life! LOVE you mom, and can’t ask for anything else! <3
Sincerely your son,
Eli Dreyfuss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What your camera manual did not teach you about shooting B&W portraits

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How many times have you read your camera’s manual? Backwards, forward, inside out, but you probably missed one of the key tools in your camera, Monochrome mode. Many people under estimate the power of shooting in B&W in your camera. 聽Shoot it first in B&W and you will be ahead of the game before even importing the photos into photoshop!

The difference between seeing in B&W, and pressing a conversion button..

The instant you press your “Monochrome” mode in your user settings, your world changes. You enter the world of black and white. Black and white consists of shadows, mid tones, and highlights. The tonality of your image can make or break it. When shooting in B&W on your camera, it enables you to visually see the gradual change of your tones right before your eyes. You’re able to see when your shadows are too dark, or your highlights are too bright. When lighting a subject, it shows what that light is doing, and is it creating a smooth gradation between your shadows, mid-tones, and highlights, ALL before even editing it.

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BEFORE AND AFTER

For most of us, 聽the B&W conversion comes after we had an entire shoot in color, and the idea suddenly pops into our heads “Oh wow, this would look good in black and white!” That person has no previous knowledge of what the tonality will be doing, or if the light was falling into the right places, their pretty much “winging” it. When you start it right in camera, you have a vast understanding of what the end result will look like. When you look at the end result, you can say, “This is exactly what i saw in the camera!”

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How do i get to “Monochrome” mode on my camera?

I know all cameras are different, but almost all of them have a place where you can change your user settings, and customize them.

To get to “Monochrome” mode:

  1. Go to “Manual” mode on your camera. (M on your dial)

  2. Press “User Settings” and change that to the “M” again (Monochrome)

  3. Next, press your file size, and change it to RAW mode. (This will give you a color copy of your image)

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And your good to go…!

How do i expose my shot in B&W?

You want your images looking properly exposed, so when your lighting, make sure you have a nice gradation from your darks to your lights, which聽means NOT blowing out any of your shadows, or highlights. (Your highlights are not too bright, and your shadows are not too dark) thus making the exposure neutral. These techniques will give you optimal control when editing.

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Why is shooting in RAW so important to the process?

When shooting on monochrome raw on your camera, when imported into Lightroom, it will give you a color copy..because the software can not read B&W tones.. when you convert it back to B&W, its exactly what you saw on your camera!

 

I hope this was helpful to you, and hope that this will become part of your everyday workflow’s!

Try it out for yourself, go out and shoot, and have fun!

If you create any images, feel free to tag me in your posts on facebook, i would love to see!

 

To see some more tips and tricks head over to my Facebook聽page, my youtube channel, or if you want to learn face to face i offer 1 on 1 mentoring sessions.

Have a good week!

 

 

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