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J. C. Ayer & Co. and The Finer Image Collaborate to Create Virtual Family Portraits |
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For years, J.C. Ayer & Company has been creating custom puzzles that
bring families together. Whether it's a wedding, an anniversary party,
family reunion, or other special event, photo puzzles offer a fun way
to stay connected.
Now, using digital photography, J.C. Ayer & Company and The Finer Image, a photo lab and studio in Danvers, Massachusetts, have teamed up to create virtual family reunion photo puzzles. Susan Humerian found the virtual family reunion concept an ideal gift for her parents.
Susan Humerian wanted to honor her parents on their 50th wedding anniversary with a family portrait, but with her brothers and sisters spread out in five different cities, getting together to sit for a portrait was inconvenient. A wiz at digital photo enhancement, Barry Kaplan of The Finer Image came up with a novel solution: have individual photos of the siblings taken using the same background and lighting, and then digitally merge the images together into one.
Each family member brought their spouse and children to their local photo studio, and asked the photographer to take a picture using a white background and general soft overhead lighting. Susan gave recommendations to the families about certain colors and hues to wear so that the images didn’t clash when merged together.
They then sent all the digital files to Barry, who using digital photo enhancement software to blend the photos together to make it look as though everyone was in the same room. First, he looked at the individual photos to sketch out where they should be placed within the family portrait. Next, he using Photoshop to cut and paste the individual images into the appropriate place within the family portrait. He then made test prints to ensure that the color and density were correct, and tightened up the composition for enhanced clarity. The results were so realistic that Susan’s parents first reaction was “How did you all get together for a picture?”
