"I want some Christmas cards..."

"I want some Christmas cards..." he says.

You do know Christmas is only 8 days away, right? - is the first thought that goes through my head.  "Not a problem," I say.  And it really isn't.  But of course, like all else, more time equals better outcome (for the most part).  But since I know this individual personally, this project takes top priority.

"Do you know what you're looking for?" I ask.

I am given two photos to work with.  One with 7 people, and one with the last person that did not make it into the previous photo (shown below).

"See what you can do with it..." he says.

That is the best line any customer can say.  It means they have no real expectation of the outcome, but most importantly that you (the designer) are now in control.

Now, for the person who's not OCD about photos and presentation (with the exception of the missing person), this photo is not too bad to add to a pre-made template, add a caption, and bam!  Instant Christmas cards ready to mail out.  To the person that is OCD, like myself, this is just not enough.

Lets break it down.  1.) Extra person must be added to the group  2.) Group is a bit spread apart for such a small canvas, such as a 5 x 7" card  3.) Background is not the greatest.  This is at no fault of the photographer, but very important items have been covered by the subjects, such as the US flag, Brazilian flag, and logo.

So after a bit of color correction, cropping, and graphical magic, the card below is presented before the end of the day so my customer can happily order his prints online.