Has this ever happened to you?

You finish a session, say ‘goodbye’ to your clients, and immediately download your cards. Anxiously, you toggle from one shot to the next, looking for a perfect “Sneak Peek” to post on social media.  Aaah….found one! You apply action after action in Photoshop, trying to quickly achieve a perfect look for your Instagram feed.  But frustration and doubt creep in – you can’t seem to get the look you want to achieve.

We won’t lie. It happened to us. Heck, sometimes, it can still happen!

For years, we tried countless Photoshop actions and Lightroom presets; we even attempted making our versions of both! Finally, we found an editing system that we love—it only requires a few clicks and it yields picture-perfect results time after time.  Take a look…we can go from Before to After in just 15 seconds!

It’s as simple as applying the preset, and adjusting the white balance and exposure. Just a few seconds of editing yields results we will be happy with for a lifetime. And, there’s no need to keep RAW files and re-edit them in a couple of years if we change our editing style.

We’d been using the Fuji 400H preset from Mastin Labs.  We didn’t think it could any better – until it did.  We are now using the newly released Fuji 400H Pushed preset from Mastin. (Full disclosure: We love Mastin Labs so much, we’d tell you about their presets for free. But, Mastin Labs is so cool, they pay us a few bucks every time you purchase this product.)

If you’re not already in love with Mastin Labs, you should get yourself over there right away and check out the amazing set of film emulation presets they’ve created. Fuji 400H is our go-to option for almost everything that we shoot. We also use the Kodak series for receptions and the Ilford pack for a classic black and white moment.

Curious to see what your image would look like edited with a Mastin preset? Our love for Mastin Labs knows no bound, which is why we’re giving away free editing to the first twenty photographers who reach out. Just email your RAW file, and we’ll edit it and send it back!

Note: since we have thousands of photographers on our mailing list, we really do have to cap the offer after the first twenty replies. But, email us anyway - we’d be happy to share some more of our own Before and After examples privately, or answer any questions you may have.  And we have a question for you: What other editing struggles do you encounter? If we have answers, we’d be happy to share them.

Hungry for more of our secret editing sauce? How about a live editing demonstration? Stay tuned….we’ll be announcing the date for a demo soon.  And just like our beloved Fuji 400H Pushed, we promise that our demo will be short, sweet and packed with tips you can use instantly.  

Lightroom Tips & Consistent Images,

Luke & Cat 

Due to Hurricane Harvey, Kelsey's bridals had to be rescheduled, and boy we're glad we did! It was a lovely evening on the ranch, with a nice cool breeze. A beautiful evening made for beautiful bridal portraits!

Love & Cheer,

Luke & Cat

I heard somewhere that when it comes to raising children, "The days are long, but the years are short." Boy, that rings true as I look at our 3 month old little boy!

Here’s an update on Knox Harrison Neumayr and some of the highlights of his first 3 months!

• Took his first overnight trip and stayed in a hotel on the Williams family vacation to Schlitterbahn Corpus Christi.

• Rode out Hurricane Harvey and fell in love with watching weather radar on the television.

• Found his smile at about 7 weeks and has been smiling ever since.

• Got to meet Pa when he and Mimi came from Indiana for his baby blessing at church.

• Likes to go hang out at Nannie and Papa’s house and see his Uncle Dude, Aunt Gaggle, and cousins Mollie and Ann Catherine.

• Rides on the mule in the evenings but can’t stay awake even if he wants to.

• Favorite book is Go Dog Go. “Do you like my hat?”

• Sleeps 11.5 hours through the night since 10 weeks old.

• Doesn’t like to nap during the day, have a wet diaper, or be naked.

• Wakes up smiling and laughing in his crib.

• Is working very hard on holding his head up.

• Takes a bath every night because it is his favorite time of day.

• Is ticklish on his right cheek.

• Gets passed around at church and held by lots of sweet friends!

• Goes through around 15 burp rags and at least 3 outfits per day.

• Stares at Dad anytime we go out to eat and just waits for him to make eye contact.

• Ends up wearing his moose outfit or green panda outfit anytime Mom dresses him because those are her favorites.

• Has watched 3 Texas Aggie football games from Nannie and Papa’s house.

• Is in the 75th percentile for height and because of that, wears 6-9 month old clothes.

• Loves when Dad holds his fist and pretends to give people ‘knuckle sandwiches.’

• Likes to listen to Sam Cooke and dance with Mom in the dining room.

Here’s one very important thing I learned: caring for a newborn is tough! I have so much respect for all of you other parents and of course, my own parents for all they did for me! At least in the Casa de Luke and Cat, we’re running on a specific cocktail of exhaustion and elation, with different balances of the two from day to day. It’s rewarding work, but hard work!

It’s crazy to think that it’s been a quarter of a year with Knox in our lives and in our home. We’ve been slackers on taking regular photos of him, but I know 3 months is a milestone that’s worth documenting!

We’re looking forward to the next months - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, sitting up, hearing that first audible laugh, and getting to see his Aunt Cassie and Mimi again and meet his cousin Hunter when they comes and helps us put on our workshop in November!

Lots of Smiles & Coos,

Luke & Cat (and Knox, too!)