Little Flower Girl

My friend Robin sent me this lovely photo of herself from when she was a little girl, acting as a flower girl for a private girl's high school graduation. She scanned it from a slide, so the bones are really good. One of the biggest adjustments I've had to make since going back to work, is the lack of creative time I have- so when I get a chance to do something fun with Photoshop, I grab it! When Robin emailed this to me last night, I just had to play with it. As much as I'd love to turn it into a lovely layout, I think I will simply post it with the before & after.

First I ran an action on it, that I created myself- which pops the color, and gives it an ethereal look. then I duplicated it, and ran a diffuse glow & a bit of a gaussian blur, then pulled down the opacity. I think it looks pretty good for an amateur.

Robin says she remembers that it was horribly hot, and that her shoes were tight and uncomfortable. Must have been worth it, because this is just one of the sweetest photos I've seen. The graduate, named Nadine, looks like a contestant for Miss America. What a beauty!