For One Word Sunday. “Entwined” tree roots photo art created using Pixlr and PicsArt apps.
When I came across Debbie Smyth’s One Word Sunday’s prompt of “Abstract,” I couldn’t help but go through my archives and reminisce over all the photo art I used to digitally create. These days there are apps that do it all for you with one tap of the screen.
Boy, did I use to dodge and burn, cut and paste, mask and layer, and layer and layer and layer. And pinch and whirl, brush and overlay, multiply and screen, distort and blur. You get the idea.
Each piece began as a photo taken with my camera and then edited in GIMP, which is a free software program very similar to Photoshop from what I hear. I love it.
I did these years ago, and because our style sometimes evolves over time, I imagine my pieces would look different today…or maybe not. I may start experimenting again to find out.
This is my very first attempt at light painting an object and I must say it was very…unsuccessful as far as light painting goes. The light beam was too wide so the back wall was illuminated which was not good.
I decided to get creative with it and messed around in GIMP (Photoshop equivalent) and with some filters…
Fellow photographer, Julie Powell, gave me a tip on how to pinpoint that light, so hopefully my next attempt will yield better results. Can’t wait to try again!
This week’s Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge is “Dense.” Now, dense has more than one meaning. The first being “stupid or foolish” which could be applied to my husband and I as we embarked down a never before explored (by us) gated path that displayed this sign at its start:
Turns out we didn’t get shot and the risk was worth it as we enjoyed some beautiful sunset views of “dense” brush, fields, and trees.
I know I said no more sunsets, but I just couldn’t help myself!
While walking down a wooded path we had never before traveled, we came upon a clearing where a family of deer were enjoying a sunset meal in the grassy field. Of course they scattered before I could even get my camera raised.
Now that I know they are there, I will be sneakier the next time we go back. 🙂
A recent post of mine was of a baby bird that I heard chirping outside on my front porch rocker. These are some more shots of the little cutie for Cee’s Black and White Challenge.
Taken with a not so great smart phone camera, but it was fun to snap some images of what is along the roads I travel so often, which I hardly ever notice otherwise.
Posted for The Daily Post Challenge: Evanescent
ev·a·nes·cent [evəˈnes(ə)nt]
adjective
Soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing.
Also sharing with Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge.
Light painting, or light drawing, is a photographic technique in which exposures are made by moving a hand-held light source while taking a long exposure photograph, either to illuminate a subject or to shine a point of light directly at the camera, or by moving the camera itself during exposure.
My daughters and I had fun experimenting with light painting recently. They used a small flash light to create these designs. We happen to catch my pup in the first one. 🙂
The fam and I went to Costco last weekend. For those of you who don’t know what Costco is, it is a huge warehouse with lots of stuff, everything from electronics to clothing to groceries to you name it.
How it differs from your typical mega-super store is that you can get mass quantities for a greatly reduced price. Think toilet paper. 😀
We also got a fabulous deal on my new laptop last month. This week our purchase included a 100-count box of granola bars and a six-pack of deodorant.
We grabbed some lunch from the snack bar to keep up our energy for the long check out lines.
I took all of these photos with my smart phone, which doesn’t have a great camera, but I am snap-happy, and also taking the advice of some fellow photographers, who told me recently to just “point and click.” 🙂
I was sitting in my living room when I heard this little guy chirping outside on the front porch. He was perched a top a pillow on the rocker. I sneakily snapped these images through the window, so as not to scare him away.
I feel like lately I have been editing my images on the safe side; not pushing the contrast or saturation a little more for greater depth and interest, for example. Somewhere along the way, I have lost the creative aspect of it all. Hoping to rediscover that soon.
I took this image a year or two ago of my daughter and have been holding on to it to post for the “perfect challenge.” Today, I thought, Who cares! What am I waiting for? Life is too short and we are never guaranteed tomorrow.
These are some shots of the sunset in my neighborhood. I think I am finished with sunsets and sunrises; not that I have mastered them. Far from it! I just need a ND filter and a good spot to capture anything better than what I can get among suburban obstacles like houses, tree lines, power lines, etc., neither of which I have at the moment.
I am not sure what I am going to photograph in the meantime. I have a few more images to post here before I run out of unpublished ones. I would really love to do more portraits, but the opportunity hasn’t presented itself lately. I suppose I could rework some old images. I seem to be stuck. Any suggestions?
The temperatures sure are interesting around here. Yesterday it was 39F in the morning and warmed up to 77F by late afternoon. Even the foliage is showing signs of the dead winter and the buds of spring.
These trees were literally right next to one another!
It’s amazing how quickly the sun sets, or maybe just how fast time goes by when I am out walking and taking pictures. We went to a neighborhood trail last night and walked east which gave me a chance to turn back and take these shots of the setting sun backlighting the tree line.
What seemed like ten short minutes later, when we returned along the same path, the sun had disappeared.
The gnat clusters (I don’t know what else to call them!) were out in full force. If you look close, you can see them in the sunlight below. They were all along our walking path, so I felt like I had to keep my head down a lot.
All in all, it was a nice after-dinner outing. My daughter rode her bike; I got some decent shots (more to come), and my husband kept us both company.
I got a new camera a few months back and the remote shutter control from my old camera doesn’t fit on my new one, so this longer exposure shot of the sunrise through my backyard trees isn’t as sharp as it could have been.
Then my husband, who is not a photographer per se, reminded me I could have used the self-timer to avoid the camera shake and I just had to laugh at myself. Oh well! It was 6am and I hadn’t had my coffee yet. 🙂
Tonight we dyed Easter eggs, an annual tradition in our household that my two daughters have always enjoyed. This year, however, my oldest one who is just shy of sixteen, decided to forgo the family tradition to go out with a friend instead.
It was a little strange not having her there, but the rest of us were just as goofy as ever, trying to outdo one another’s colorful creations.
I think we all did an equally fine job! Happy Easter!
So, yeah, it’s been almost four months since I posted anything here, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been taking photos. I’ve been shooting lots of photos. Hundreds of photos!
Both of my daughters’ volleyball seasons started back in January and we have had tournaments every weekend since then except for one. We absolutely love it! Watching them play and cheering them on is always so exciting!
One of the tournaments was held at an old high school, and the lockers caught my eye. I felt like I was back in the 1970’s or 80’s with the look and feel of the lockers and hallways of this school.
An up-close look reveals how old the lockers really are, showing the rusted hinges, layers of paint, dents, and chips.
We have one more month of tournaments left, so I am hoping to move onto other photographic subjects soon. Until then…
Santa always comes to our house even though the kids know how things work. 😉 He wraps his presents in green and red tissue paper just like he did when I was a child.
It appears I fell off of the photographic wagon for a night. This made me happy. I hope to keep it up. After not posting for well over 6 weeks, here are some shots of various angles of our modest Christmas tree.
I will be doing the last bit of shopping tomorrow. Only three gifts left to pick up and then some cleaning since we are having family over both Christmas Eve and Christmas day.
Hopefully, I will be inspired to shoot more this weekend. I will post once more before the end of the week and I will get back to visiting everyone soon.
Barn kitten
These 3 photos were taken in a corn maze. I only got lost a few times because I kept stopping to take pictures! 🙂
I’ve been very busy editing hundreds of images from high school events including senior pictures, volleyball games, a powder puff game and homecoming. Here is one of my favorite candid shots of my daughter on homecoming night and a photo of her pretty corsage.
f/9, 1/30, ISO 200
Not feeling these last few and can’t quite put my finger on it. Macro is hard.
f/11, 1/15, ISO 400
Like yesterday’s white berries, I am not sure if these are actually “berries,” or what this plant is called. I suppose I could research it, but…nah. 😉
f/11, 1/40, ISO 1600
I have been busy all week editing over 80 photos from my very first official portrait photo shoot (that is, outside of the unofficial ones I have done of my own daughters.) I shot my friend’s son’s senior pictures and loved every minute of it. Since I almost exclusively shoot nature, doing the portraits was a nice change of pace. I was glad to have gotten the opportunity to branch out of my comfort zone.
I am not sure what this plant is called or if these are even “berries,” but they look like berries to me. 🙂
f/13, 1/50, ISO 800
50mm prime
f/4.5, 1/125, ISO 800
I mentioned the other day that I was using a new post-processing program called Capture One Pro 9 and loving it. Since I mostly shoot nature photography, yesterday, I practiced taking some portraits of my lovely daughter, Caitlin. In this one she is backlit by the bright afternoon sun.
(f/1.8, 1/4000, ISO 200)
I complained about not having a reflector to chase the shadows away from her face. (Husband later went out and got me a 5-in-1 reflector kit. Love him; can’t wait to use it!) Yet, even without the reflector I was able to adjust for under-exposed Caitlin (AND the over-exposed sky) in Capture One.
What do you think? So, I’m a little excited because I have never worked with a RAW converter before. Thanks for bearing with me. 🙂
I started using a new photo editing program a few weeks ago that I really like: Capture One Pro 9. For Sony users the price is very cheap. The reviews are great, the support is above par, and it has lived up to everything it’s promised so far. Now, to just keep improving my own technical skills. 🙂
50mm prime
f/11, 1/20, ISO 800
“The Edge…there is no honest way to explain it because
the only people who really know where it is are the ones
who have gone over.” ~ Hunter S. Thompson
50mm prime
f/11, 1/20, ISO 100
