Playing with Light -- Market Day

I have been playing with the Lighting Effects filters.  Lots to learn here.  As Well!!  Oh my, this could keep me busy for a very long time to come!!

I am trying to choose where I want to place the emphasis in a photo, and then of course I can't resist adding  a few of my favourite filters and then a few masks. The idea of Where and Why one takes a photo is being thrown up into question now.  And also the idea of taking photos simply to use as texture.  SO much more to see now!  Fun!

Re-visiting Pears

A few years ago I took a lot, A LOT of photos of pears, garlic and other bits and pieces, on my shiny kitchen table.  Took a bit of bending and twisting so as not to get any table edges, or anything else for that matter, but the result was quite a lot of fairly acceptable photos that I am putting to good use, once again.  And I'm not up to much bending and twisting at the moment, so it's all good!

Still such a far way to go, and there are lots of things here I will change next time, but I am anxious to try again.  Already thinking about 'the next time,' and not feeling discouraged at all.  It is such a lot of fun!  Who knew!!??!!

I'll be back.

My kitchen table

Even though I am somewhat shackled to my kitchen table, it is nonetheless becoming a decidedly favourite spot to 'hang out.'  Still no word on a surgery date for my second hip so I expect we're into the fall now.  So, onward with the photoshop learning.....quite a lot of fun at the moment!

I have a shiny white kitchen table that creates the perfect surface for doing small photo shoots and since  I have taken quite a few pictures in the past, I now have plenty to choose from.  This is one that I played about a bit with this morning.  I'm glad I have so many photos to play with...makes the prospect of a few more months at my table quite acceptable!!  And so another day has slipped by and I am another day closer to my surgery date.  It's all good.

I'll be back.

Moving along with Photoshop

Bleary eyed, often frustrated, always amazed.  Pretty much constants at the moment.  But I can't seem to leave it alone.  Baby steps.

This first one is just me trying out many layers on a photo I took at a friend's place years ago.  Can't seem to figure out how to de-emphasize certain parts.  It'll come, I expect.  But I'm starting to get the hang of the layers process.

And this last one I call "Nana's spoons."  The top one and then the third and fourth ones from the top, were my grandmother's spoons.  They are worn down on one side from constant use: she used to make the most amazing Orange or Lemon Chiffon cake and I expect it was whipping the eggs that was one of the moves that would have contributed to the wearing down of the edges.  She would beat in time to her singing.  For her left hand she would sing "Onward Christian Soldiers" since the beat was a little slower that she was able to manage with her right hand.  I can't remember what song she beat along to with her right hand.  And now of course, there is no one left to ask.  And so it goes.  But I love the spoons, and the story, nonetheless.

Anyway, just trying out layers with some of my older pics.  It's fun.  I'm learning lots but it's slow going.  Posting them here as a reminder of the journey.  Thanks for your patience!!

I'll be back.

Oh deer!

I was out the other day, not particularly early, and two of these lovely creatures were just snacking at the buffet that is my neighbour's garden.  Footprints in my garden tell me they have been stopping by my garden again, and that is why there are no longer any tulips around in spring time (a favourite snack) and why there are no roses in anyone's front gardens.  Not to mention pretty much everything else that seems to be fodder for these hungry creatures, especially the young ones who will chomp on Everything!  They are, in fact, something of a problem in my neighbourhood (and elsewhere throughout the city).  Much heated debate re culling, etc. and ticks, lyme disease, car accidents, etc.  Difficult issues.  Early yesterday morning I was out in my car and there were four beautiful young bucks, with velvet-y antlers, grazing at the plantings beside the golf course.  What to do, what to do.....

This is a quick pic I snapped, because I always seem to have my iPad with me, and then I processed it in iColorama. His buddy had just stepped out of view.

Back soon.

Grain and grunge

I am working away on my learning curve in Lightroom and Photoshop, sometimes moving forward, sometimes Sysiphus-fashion, slipping backwards, starting again.  And again.  I am not hi-tech, that is for sure, and I am sometimes, no often, totally confounded by what is happening, or not happening, and trying to figure out what is going on....I am quite obsessed.  Round and round I go.  My head is very full!!

But I am discovering some things that I do like.  I like a grain-y quality to some of my pictures.  Sort of a grunge look.  Like this one.  And I am hoping that as I go along I will be able to add a more sophisticated look to my grunge (can those two thoughts even exist together???).  I am excited at the thought that as one learns more, one sees things that didn't seem evident at the outset. So this is a first-take, baby steps.  Starting somewhere.  Seeing nothing, feeling my way.

To this one, I have added layers of marks that I made on paper with water soluble graphite.  And grain.  And grunge.  Baby steps!

(Steph, this is one of the shots that I took when you kindly pulled over and let me take photos on the way to La Conner.  Thanks for your patience!!!)

I'll be back.

Photoshop and Who am I again?????

Apparently I am trying to drive myself totally nuts!  I have installed Lightroom and Photoshop and have embarked on the (oh my goodness) VERY LONG learning curve.  Oh well, I was wanting to keep myself busy as I await a surgery date for my second hip.  Now I suspect they could call me in a couple of years and I'd still have too much to do!

But I have messed about with one of my older pics, trying out a few backgrounds, some filters, moving things about (mostly my sanity it seems), etc. etc.  This is just me playing to see what the photos might look like on my blog.  Photoshop CC 2015 has removed the Save for Web option and replaced it with some other pathway that makes no sense to me, (well, at this point, not much does), so I'm not sure about the photo size, etc.  We'll see.  Hopefully you'll see too.

In the meantime, I'm still messing about with Susan Tuttle's class, classes with Phil Steele and with Sebastian Michaels.  Wouldn't do to be bored, now, would it?

I'll be back.