Thank You!

{PJ and Pamela - new friends from Missouri who trusted me with their photos}

I have always wanted to ask Aileen how she post-processes her photos. I really like how she does them.  The subject comes out perfectly sharp (though I’m sure this has more to do with how she took the photos than how she processed them).  The effects are visible yet subtle in such a way that the true colors are still predominantly there (unless of course, she turns them to monochrome).  And there is something in them that tells me “these are signature Aileey Siroy photos” the moment I see them in Facebook even as thumbnails.

So when I came across her Tagaytay Wedding album, I just had to ask, thinking maybe she’ll give me a tip or two. I told her that I would completely understand if she says “no”. But she not only gave me tips. She sent me a set of actions and taught me how to use them. She told me which ones she likes the most and which one she used for one particular photo that I asked her about.

I went crazy after that—spending hours playing around with my new-found tools. Thanks to Aileen, I even managed to fix photos that I thought were unusable because they were too overexposed their colors were completely washed out.

Aileen didn’t have to do what she did. As a professional, she has the rights to her own recipe and didn’t have to share the secret spices. She said she works with a lot of pros who tell her not to share her techniques, but she feels better sharing. She said she is happier that way.

I have always admired Aileen for her beauty, her talent and her wits. But now I know why she is beloved by many and I think that’s because of her kindness and generosity.  She is a good soul!

Thank you, AILEEN SIROY for teaching and inspiring. I feel lucky to have known you and I wish that someday, hopefully soon, I will finally meet you in person.

Sharing more photos here...

{The windy city of Chicago, Illinois}

{Chicago skyline by night}

{My sister-in-law, Hannah at six months}