tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65697907149206892812024-03-07T23:29:38.185-08:00Southern Compositiona classy southern gals journey through photography, owning a business, and related DIY projects...BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-31166481707418451072011-07-07T10:03:00.001-07:002011-07-07T10:03:40.770-07:00And then there were ten- Humboldt County Fair 2011<div style="padding: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5681744963/in/set-72157626864640424/" title="Rock Stacks- Mad River" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5681744963_97ecb9033d_s.jpg" alt="Rock Stacks- Mad River" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5532431343/in/set-72157626864640424/" title="Redwood Path Creek" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5055/5532431343_072e26cbd0_s.jpg" alt="Redwood Path Creek" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5345595156/in/set-72157626864640424/" title="Fly Away Venice Canals" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5244/5345595156_2cdee097f3_s.jpg" alt="Fly Away Venice Canals" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5508242266/in/set-72157626864640424/" title="Black & White Bay" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5092/5508242266_11a3fb6405_s.jpg" alt="Black & White Bay" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5576345332/in/set-72157626864640424/" title="Topsy TurvyDiptych" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5300/5576345332_6acbbb23a9_s.jpg" alt="Topsy TurvyDiptych" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/4895772005/in/set-72157626864640424/" title="Devils Playground: Compartments 2" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4895772005_319e5fa1ea_s.jpg" alt="Devils Playground: Compartments 2" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/4748017468/in/set-72157626864640424/" title="Crystal Clear Van Duzen" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/4748017468_d9ed2ce46c_s.jpg" alt="Crystal Clear Van Duzen" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/4622655439/in/set-72157626864640424/" title="Flowers After the Rain Closeup" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4622655439_dcf94e6b3d_s.jpg" alt="Flowers After the Rain Closeup" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5830427678/in/set-72157626864640424/" title="ADDICTED- Vertical Crop" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3643/5830427678_258c30e220_s.jpg" alt="ADDICTED- Vertical Crop" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5858796022/in/set-72157626864640424/" title="O Autumn Re-Edit" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5037/5858796022_5d7c330efb_s.jpg" alt="O Autumn Re-Edit" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><div style="padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/gallery-empty-icon.gif" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"></div><div style="padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/gallery-empty-icon.gif" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"></div><br clear="all"/></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/sets/72157626864640424/">Humboldt County Fair 2011</a>, a set on Flickr.</p></div><p>I now have 10 possible entries for the county fair in August but I can only enter 6 images- Help me!!!! I'm not sure which to keep & which to toss- Leave a comment here, on f'book, or flickr & let me know which are your favorites & not-so favorites!!</p>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-9037281995846569012011-06-21T09:39:00.000-07:002011-06-21T09:45:45.401-07:002011 Know Wonder Contest Entries<a href="http://www.savetheredwoods.org/">Save the Redwoods League</a> is having their annual contest again!! I entered a few photos last year but didn't expect to win anything- So this year I'm goin big! I have almost met my limit for entries (8 outta 10 ain't bad!)- I did some pre-planning & research on which groves to shoot- & It seems they are having participation issues (out of the 200+ images submitted so far I can count less than 25 that I think even have a chance).<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/knowwonder2011/">See the Group Pool of the entries on Flickr</a><br />
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I even got some surprises along the way: 1. We found an awesome new river spot; 2. Most of the grove was pretty empty; 3. I have some new fair entries from the trip (Yay! for killin two birds with one stone!)...<br />
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<u><b>Rules: </b></u><br />
The image has to be taken within the last 2 years (no problemo!); limited editing only- ie burning, dodging, and HDR only (this was more of a challenge as I don't use those tools too often).<br />
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<u><b>Judging: </b></u><br />
Entries are being judged in a two round system: Round 1 each judge picks 12 images (50% emotional quality & 50% Technical) Round 2 the judges picks are voted on by the public with the winner announced Aug. 25!!<br />
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<b><u>MY ENTRIES</u></b><br />
So without further ado, Below are my entries<i> (starting with my favorites to least favorite)</i> for the contest (keeping fingers & toes crossed for<i> at least</i> an honorable mention):<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5854905255/in/photostream/">REDWOOD CREEK</a></b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aWMsO0iaxi0/TgDFR9HB_QI/AAAAAAAAEQQ/DA4EBX7GsB4/s1600/5854905255_0cd7943079_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aWMsO0iaxi0/TgDFR9HB_QI/AAAAAAAAEQQ/DA4EBX7GsB4/s640/5854905255_0cd7943079_b.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5855475712/in/photostream/">GRIEG FRENCH BELL LOOP</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>(I really wish they allowed gradient layers- background brightness would be easy to fix- Arggh!!)</i></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IQ_11KveX58/TgDFatRqvVI/AAAAAAAAEQk/hR527j-hppk/s1600/5855475712_c0ea60c4b7_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IQ_11KveX58/TgDFatRqvVI/AAAAAAAAEQk/hR527j-hppk/s640/5855475712_c0ea60c4b7_b.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5855492666/in/photostream/">REDWOOD SORREL</a></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DeFl03_yrtk/TgDFd_T69WI/AAAAAAAAEQs/jEctp3s3OXY/s1600/5855492666_381ce6fb25_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DeFl03_yrtk/TgDFd_T69WI/AAAAAAAAEQs/jEctp3s3OXY/s640/5855492666_381ce6fb25_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5855489870/in/photostream/">THE GIRDLED TREE</a></b> <i>(an HDR edit)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sHItXVGg5vU/TgDFc8zUJAI/AAAAAAAAEQo/HZuAgbe2UrU/s1600/5855489870_304aa52298_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sHItXVGg5vU/TgDFc8zUJAI/AAAAAAAAEQo/HZuAgbe2UrU/s640/5855489870_304aa52298_b.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5854928903/in/photostream/">MOSS & SORREL</a></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KHlBDxh29C0/TgDFTE0Af6I/AAAAAAAAEQU/pDA1aG3OWXs/s1600/5854928903_dbc1ef6734_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KHlBDxh29C0/TgDFTE0Af6I/AAAAAAAAEQU/pDA1aG3OWXs/s640/5854928903_dbc1ef6734_b.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5854947387/in/photostream/">STUMP SORREL</a></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4uf9HMpY78A/TgDFVhZ6vII/AAAAAAAAEQY/d7DI6ogJZ1U/s1600/5854947387_6cc5b64326_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4uf9HMpY78A/TgDFVhZ6vII/AAAAAAAAEQY/d7DI6ogJZ1U/s640/5854947387_6cc5b64326_b.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5855464944/in/photostream/">REDWOOD GROWTH</a></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j1Hl87pZS4E/TgDFXJJpLgI/AAAAAAAAEQc/xv_dCN8WjHs/s1600/5855464944_2d0495a738_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j1Hl87pZS4E/TgDFXJJpLgI/AAAAAAAAEQc/xv_dCN8WjHs/s640/5855464944_2d0495a738_b.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5855469354/in/photostream"><b>REDWOOD FLOOR</b> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>(i'm not too happy with this one- my focus on the closest right sorrel just doesn't work)</i></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fU9asmhOk9M/TgDFY1vqWZI/AAAAAAAAEQg/qOKwA3GfmVM/s1600/5855469354_53c9b53477_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fU9asmhOk9M/TgDFY1vqWZI/AAAAAAAAEQg/qOKwA3GfmVM/s640/5855469354_53c9b53477_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Location: Grieg French Bell Grove outside Pepperwood, CA<br />
Date/Time: Sunday 6/19/11 @ 11-3pm<br />
Subject(s): Redwoods, Redwood plants, forest floor, forest canopy, paths & trailsBECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Garberville, CA 95542, USA40.43835810934452 -123.9859945714111440.31062260934452 -124.13953707141114 40.56609360934452 -123.83245207141114tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-58301395119915353452011-06-13T11:46:00.000-07:002011-06-13T11:46:15.392-07:00Making a poster out of words...I needed to create a simple poster for the store to hang up & put online so people would know we are having a sale to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. So the first place I looked for tutorials was Smashing Magazine (if you don't read this you should- its got great articles & tips for graphic designers)- & BAM there it was<br />
<a href="http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/06/01/60-amazing-poster-and-advertisment-tutorials/">60 AMAZING POSTER AND ADVERTISEMENT TUTORIALS</a><br />
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I just picked one I liked the look of & set off on another tutorial adventure~!<br />
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Here's the link to the tutorial I choose: <a href="http://www.photoshopstar.com/graphics/poster-from-the-words/">CLICK HERE!</a><br />
It took some messing around with fonts & font sizes for a minute since I didn't use the font in the tutorial but i never follow the tutorial 100% anyways- how boring would that be!!<br />
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And here is my final product!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r4sZPjm3W_g/TfZaSB_ABrI/AAAAAAAAEQI/ok_wSJyzVFo/s1600/256073_190898784292292_114750111907160_479082_7442679_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r4sZPjm3W_g/TfZaSB_ABrI/AAAAAAAAEQI/ok_wSJyzVFo/s640/256073_190898784292292_114750111907160_479082_7442679_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-69445458663677159492011-05-27T10:48:00.000-07:002011-05-27T11:08:11.463-07:00I Heart Faces Fix it Friday # 99<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dnwWFYDz-fE/Td_og3NyyNI/AAAAAAAAEP8/L6nSM4vRK5A/s1600/i+Heart+Faces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dnwWFYDz-fE/Td_og3NyyNI/AAAAAAAAEP8/L6nSM4vRK5A/s1600/i+Heart+Faces.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ci9Cug_Eses/Td9JmN3TF-I/AAAAAAAAEPw/v14iWYVSiVo/s1600/I+Heart+Faces+Fix-It+Friday+%252399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ci9Cug_Eses/Td9JmN3TF-I/AAAAAAAAEPw/v14iWYVSiVo/s320/I+Heart+Faces+Fix-It+Friday+%252399.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PcN3eGhPa0w/Td9JszjPO7I/AAAAAAAAEP0/CrEpXCk9jYU/s1600/I+Heart+Faces+Fix-It+Friday+%252399+ED.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PcN3eGhPa0w/Td9JszjPO7I/AAAAAAAAEP0/CrEpXCk9jYU/s320/I+Heart+Faces+Fix-It+Friday+%252399+ED.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <u> ORIGINAL</u> <u>MY EDIT</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I recently found this great website- I Heart Faces- that offers some great tutorials and tips for photoshop as well as hosting weekly "fix-it-friday" events. Basically for fix-it-friday they let users download an un-edited image of theirs and try their hand and fixing it up in post processing. You then post a link to your edits on their website & see what others did with the same image.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> It really help keep the juices going & is a great way to get some practice in on editing portraits (not really my strong point!). My big discovery with this editing? <u><b>High pass filters on eyes look amazing ONLY when the blend mode is set to color dodge (and only the colored part of the eye is selected). </b></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>HOW I DID IT:</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Opened in Camera RAW & added Strong S Curve- opened in Photoshop</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-LAYER 1: Background Copy- used smudge tool to soften hair and skin blemishes (w layer mask over skin fixes)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- LAYER 2: Background Copy of Layer 1- disabled layer mask over skin fixes, adjusted opacity to 68% & fill to 57%</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- LAYER 3: Background Copy- blur filter applied to gray background only</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- LAYER 4: layer via copy (only eyes selected)- high pass filter, blend mode color dodge, added brightness/contrast adjustment layer (32 Brightness, 27 Contrast)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- LAYER 5: color fill layer (orange/sepia tone), blend mode overlay, adjusted opacity to 43%</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- LAYER 6: applied red photo filter at 35% density, then layer mask to show only red areas of image (candy & shirt)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- LAYER 7: The Pioneer Woman action Quick Edge Burn, blend mode linear burn, at 65% opacity</div>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-44324728934333413602011-05-13T11:21:00.000-07:002011-05-13T11:21:52.231-07:00Creative Self-PortraitsI am thinking about trying out some self-portraits lately. I recently read an article about how practicing with self-portraits can help increase both your portrait knowledge and confidence so I figured I'd give it a go...<br />
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I just wanted to make a quick post with some creative and inspiring self-portraits to help get my juices goin!<br />
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<u>- Multiple Exposure (showing a domestic action, showing pole positioning, self interacting with self, etc.)</u><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/axisgrid/2170482648/">"Either Way you Feel the Sting" Photo by Axisgrind (amazing example of self to self interaction))</a></div><div style="text-align: center;">/\ /\ Axisgrind has disabled their photo downloading so it's just a link - but it is an amazing photo!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8gNWkA4M8xs/Tc1n_oZDkiI/AAAAAAAAEOU/9B1CT1mhWO8/s1600/656370049_e4a26acf01_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8gNWkA4M8xs/Tc1n_oZDkiI/AAAAAAAAEOU/9B1CT1mhWO8/s320/656370049_e4a26acf01_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8622063@N04/656370049/">"The Resting Runner" Photo by Harvey Schiller- chateauglenuga</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>- Reflections (mirrors, building glass, items that mean something special to me, opposite mirror personalities, etc.)</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wvcoVLKyH6I/Tc1ozXR5EYI/AAAAAAAAEOY/T8B1mhs9BAI/s1600/2163713642_12cd5bf758_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wvcoVLKyH6I/Tc1ozXR5EYI/AAAAAAAAEOY/T8B1mhs9BAI/s320/2163713642_12cd5bf758_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steelcitycanada/2163713642/">"Money Can't Buy Happiness" Photo by SteelcityCanada - Garret D.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sUk2FdqyQOs/Tc1rWFZ1hJI/AAAAAAAAEOg/82d9P1v4DLk/s1600/2519292117_c47d2ed14a_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sUk2FdqyQOs/Tc1rWFZ1hJI/AAAAAAAAEOg/82d9P1v4DLk/s320/2519292117_c47d2ed14a_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midwestsky/2519292117/">"Ready" Photo by *midtownsky*</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">/\ /\ I used to have a really old pic of myself putting on makeup as well & I loved it! Unfortunately I think it was on my laptop which was stolen a few years back =( Time for a new one!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>- Get Dirty! (paint, dirt, smeared makeup, etc...)</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br />
</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PLS-II5dkiQ/Tc1ugpjPZPI/AAAAAAAAEOo/OfGgqOPy-GI/s1600/5224848695_d2fcee1be2_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PLS-II5dkiQ/Tc1ugpjPZPI/AAAAAAAAEOo/OfGgqOPy-GI/s320/5224848695_d2fcee1be2_z.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannahhart/5224848695/">"Untitled" Photo by Hannah Hart</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>- Light Painting (using x-mas lights, flaslights, glowsticks- shapes, words, and highlighting objects or body parts)</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9jqctWF4YQ8/Tc1v3nmMNnI/AAAAAAAAEOw/4yIjWB1I5-Q/s1600/3077463722_10e9518957_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9jqctWF4YQ8/Tc1v3nmMNnI/AAAAAAAAEOw/4yIjWB1I5-Q/s320/3077463722_10e9518957_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/caste_aka_adrem/3077463722/">"Light Painting Portrait No 1" Photo by caste_aka_adrem- Nicolo Castellini</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>- Body Part focusing (specific parts only- legs, feet, eyes, hands, back)</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_8Lizq4_JDI/Tc1xVnT1mYI/AAAAAAAAEO4/mdzRbQB7G2c/s1600/5083012614_88d48fc639_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_8Lizq4_JDI/Tc1xVnT1mYI/AAAAAAAAEO4/mdzRbQB7G2c/s320/5083012614_88d48fc639_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashleylynphotography/5083012614/">"Legs- Self Portrait" Photo by Ashley, Lynn</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>- Favorite activites as props (books, photography, etc.)</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br />
</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l_Rs_BJZWic/Tc1yUvEHcJI/AAAAAAAAEPA/-me3OQ3JDN0/s1600/4501129960_0473ce3de5_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l_Rs_BJZWic/Tc1yUvEHcJI/AAAAAAAAEPA/-me3OQ3JDN0/s320/4501129960_0473ce3de5_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/45583513@N02/4501129960/">"A Most Illuminating Book" Photo by Swedish Goose- Martin Sandberg</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eqfK4Q49dYE/Tc1zHJh70sI/AAAAAAAAEPI/YGqAtjGxQjY/s1600/5487868316_0c599c2927_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eqfK4Q49dYE/Tc1zHJh70sI/AAAAAAAAEPI/YGqAtjGxQjY/s320/5487868316_0c599c2927_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tacticdesigns/5487868316/">"Self Portrait with my Pentax!" Photo by tacitdesigns- Glen Fujino</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<u>Techniques/ Things to try not pictured: </u><br />
- Skin overlay (tattoos, textures, colors, cracking, peeling, words, etc.)<br />
- Artsy Fartsy (partial nudes, selective coloring, natural light portrait)<br />
- Diptych/Triptych<br />
- Jumping/ FloatingBECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-75273613142259897332011-05-03T13:22:00.001-07:002011-05-03T13:38:13.149-07:00It's Summatime!!!<div style="line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Well the summers here and the time is right -- for _________ (insert favorite summer activity here)"</span></div><div style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5681744963/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Rock Stacks- Mad River"><img alt="Rock Stacks- Mad River by Becky Simmons" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5681744963_97ecb9033d.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">I had such a good time relaxing at the Mad River this past Sunday. It was a wonderful day for our first river trip of the year- a bit chilly for swimming but I really needed to beef up my base tan anyway. I love playing with the rocks at the river - there are so many & they are all so different- so I made a few rock stacks next to my inner tube (btw, much harder said then done thanks to all my ripples) - and proceeded to snap some right before the sun's glorious warmth left us behind the tree line... </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Edits: Strong S cuve; 8x10 crop; minor vibrance & clarity; layered with two images- hand aligned (one of back rocks in focus, other of front rocks in focus) with layer mask to reveal the in-focus points of the back image (the farthest rocks); The Pioneer Woman action seventies @ 60% opacity...</span></div><div style="font-size: 0.8em;"><br />
</div></div>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-10034837353573904112011-04-30T09:42:00.000-07:002011-05-03T13:22:05.416-07:00Using Gradient on blown out skies I was on my way out to Willow Creek last weekend when I noticed this absolutely stunning sunset as we were coming over the mountains. We were in a hurry but a sunset like that is impossible to pass by without at least stopping for a second... I took a few pics but nothing serious as I really just wanted to capture the beauty & not take too long (it was getting chilly yo!!) I kicked myself in the ass when I got home & looked at the pics b/c every single image had hugely blown out skies but the grounds was dark as all get out- like this one:<br />
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<b><u>ORIGINAL- SOOC</u></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5681744645/" title="original hwy 299 by Becky Simmons, on Flickr"><img alt="original hwy 299" height="680" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5065/5681744645_f8f9984fe8_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> So I opened handy dandy photoshop & went to work trying to bring up the light on the ground, & fixing the blown out areas while also making the clouds pop. Mainly I used the brightness/contrast adjustment layer, but found that while it made the clouds pop it made the blown out areas 10x worse:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>FIRST EDIT</u>- not too happy with the sky/clouds area, not enough pop but very blown out...</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Adjusted levels on the sky/clouds only; Selective Coloring on entire image- yellows, reds, & greens; Added hexagon layers (@ 12% Opacity) in pink, orange & green (getting smaller as they go) to imitate lens flare... </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5668435360/" title="HWY 299 by Becky Simmons, on Flickr"><img alt="HWY 299" height="576" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5068/5668435360_b3038b17c1_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> I still wasn't super happy with the way it turned out so I did what every flickr lovr does & posted the original and edited image in a group <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/photographycritique/discuss/72157626507497191/">"Photography Critique"</a> and got some great feedback from one user recommending I use a gradient layer- get this- with DETAILED instructions!! Thank God!!! </div><div style="text-align: left;">I have been so scared to use the gradient tool- I think because whenever I pull it up all I see is crazy colors... But I gave it a try & love the new image:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>SECOND EDIT</u>- Love it!! adjusting the blown out sky while making clouds pop with Gradient layer</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Adjusted Levels of sky/clouds only; Selective Color over entire image adjusting the reds, yellows and greens; Hexagon layers in pink, orange & green (getting smaller closer to viewer) to imitate lens flare; Gradient Fill Layer set to linear, black & reversed, med. opacity (used a layer mask to reveal the mountains that the gradient layer was over and keep them bright)...</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br />
</i></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5682357020/" title="HWY 299 Gradient by Becky Simmons, on Flickr"><img alt="HWY 299 Gradient" height="576" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5682357020_ef2c9818e0_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Which edit is your favorite & why? Or is something you would have done differently to this image? Feel free to download and edit- show me what you can do!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><br />
Location: Vista Point off HWY 299 between Blue Lake & Willow Creek, CA<br />
Date/Time: Wed. 4/27/11 @ 7:30pm<br />
Subject(s): Sunset, Rolling Hills, Clouds, Sun rays<br />
Notes: used polarizing filter & edited in photoshopBECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-76483359802814916312011-04-15T10:30:00.000-07:002011-04-15T10:30:46.310-07:00Tutorial- Using Textures, Layer Masks, & CroppingI was out on my lunch break the other day taking photos of textures to use in photoshop and in graphic design. I need to start working on a website for the store so the more textures and backgrounds I have to choose from the better! Anywhoo.. I stopped at some blooming cherry trees for a few minutes. I took some cherry blossom photos last year but I wasn't too happy with ow they turned out so I was excited to give it another go... And pleased with the results of my 5 minutes...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4FHJpQj0t1c/TafR5g1TYNI/AAAAAAAAEN8/sbRgZzDK2Oc/s1600/Eureka+Walk+4.14.1115_6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4FHJpQj0t1c/TafR5g1TYNI/AAAAAAAAEN8/sbRgZzDK2Oc/s640/Eureka+Walk+4.14.1115_6.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b_cWIhY4Zi4/TafR2X6dfNI/AAAAAAAAEN4/yatjB0jl0bA/s1600/Eureka+Walk+4.14.1115_5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b_cWIhY4Zi4/TafR2X6dfNI/AAAAAAAAEN4/yatjB0jl0bA/s640/Eureka+Walk+4.14.1115_5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3i9X4O99mYk/TafSEXvoQFI/AAAAAAAAEOA/1YGnNkYkzxQ/s1600/Eureka+Walk+4.14.1115_4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3i9X4O99mYk/TafSEXvoQFI/AAAAAAAAEOA/1YGnNkYkzxQ/s640/Eureka+Walk+4.14.1115_4.JPG" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kb8pPt-P9Hc/TafRwGdUWdI/AAAAAAAAEN0/SLH3urgT2dE/s1600/Eureka+Walk+4.14.1115_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kb8pPt-P9Hc/TafRwGdUWdI/AAAAAAAAEN0/SLH3urgT2dE/s320/Eureka+Walk+4.14.1115_3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kb8pPt-P9Hc/TafRwGdUWdI/AAAAAAAAEN0/SLH3urgT2dE/s1600/Eureka+Walk+4.14.1115_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">OVERLAY USED:</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-knwzRAb7Gms/TafIzmW4D0I/AAAAAAAAENg/VMSTJ7zhWkg/s1600/ItsMyHx_04_Fleur+Striped+Olive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-knwzRAb7Gms/TafIzmW4D0I/AAAAAAAAENg/VMSTJ7zhWkg/s400/ItsMyHx_04_Fleur+Striped+Olive.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's My History Kit (came with my old ps elements disc) Olive Fleur De Lis</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QKhM8PxxEl8/TafDjcWRcGI/AAAAAAAAENA/VwLByr1HEoU/s1600/Cherry+Fleur+CLONE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QKhM8PxxEl8/TafDjcWRcGI/AAAAAAAAENA/VwLByr1HEoU/s400/Cherry+Fleur+CLONE.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AOXiRM2t6Ec/TafDfIKZkJI/AAAAAAAAEM8/tS8QV9VqG3g/s1600/Cherry+Fleur+ORIG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AOXiRM2t6Ec/TafDfIKZkJI/AAAAAAAAEM8/tS8QV9VqG3g/s400/Cherry+Fleur+ORIG.jpg" width="265" /></a><br />
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ORIGINAL<br />
mildly edited- Strong SCurve & Contrast & Clarity...<br />
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STEP 2<br />
cloned out the weird wrinkly raisin looking thing in the upper right of the blossom<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GLQjknBZfso/TafDmGN0UOI/AAAAAAAAENE/WjdJqWmllOE/s1600/Cherry+Fleur+OVERLAY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GLQjknBZfso/TafDmGN0UOI/AAAAAAAAENE/WjdJqWmllOE/s400/Cherry+Fleur+OVERLAY.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XoYnFiy1R0Y/TafDrDyWSMI/AAAAAAAAENI/ELXG7Jwnaf4/s1600/Cherry+Fleur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XoYnFiy1R0Y/TafDrDyWSMI/AAAAAAAAENI/ELXG7Jwnaf4/s400/Cherry+Fleur.jpg" width="265" /></a><br />
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STEP 3<br />
green fleur de lis paper overlay (as a new layer on top) with low opacity<br />
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STEP 4<br />
layer mask (use the paintbrush tool- black to hide, white to reveal) painted over the flowers to keep them clear of the overlay (feathered)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">DIFFERENT CROPS</span></span><br />
I wanted to try a few different crops to see what fit this image the best. I'm trying to get a better understanding of how subject matter relates to the crop selection so this was kind of a neat quick exercise to see how it played out...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--OnX9HuURzY/TafGQMS_BbI/AAAAAAAAENQ/Eu30qTAKStY/s1600/Cherry+Fleur+4t3+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--OnX9HuURzY/TafGQMS_BbI/AAAAAAAAENQ/Eu30qTAKStY/s640/Cherry+Fleur+4t3+crop.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">4:3 Crop -- for Windows Screensavers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VfFSl0MESrA/TafGi812W6I/AAAAAAAAENU/4ASiU7XFFXo/s1600/Cherry+Fleur+dim+16t9+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VfFSl0MESrA/TafGi812W6I/AAAAAAAAENU/4ASiU7XFFXo/s640/Cherry+Fleur+dim+16t9+crop.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">16:9 Crop, for HD Screens</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cA9Cew68HXs/TafG717S80I/AAAAAAAAENY/XTBZsnnyLr0/s1600/Cherry+Fleur+Sq+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cA9Cew68HXs/TafG717S80I/AAAAAAAAENY/XTBZsnnyLr0/s640/Cherry+Fleur+Sq+crop.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1:1 Crop, Square Size</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-byTrOVKkxzI/TafMPfs5JNI/AAAAAAAAENo/eI-Uhi5L9Ew/s1600/Cherry+Fleur+dim+4t6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-byTrOVKkxzI/TafMPfs5JNI/AAAAAAAAENo/eI-Uhi5L9Ew/s640/Cherry+Fleur+dim+4t6.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2:3 Crop, Traditional 4x6 Print</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUyXYcHlTg4/TafMj9B7BBI/AAAAAAAAENs/TkXSTet9FG8/s1600/Cherry+Fleur+dim+5t10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUyXYcHlTg4/TafMj9B7BBI/AAAAAAAAENs/TkXSTet9FG8/s640/Cherry+Fleur+dim+5t10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2.5:5 Crop, 5x10 Print</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>AND.... I am having a hard time choosing between the 16:9 HD crop and the 5x10 crop....<br />
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I need an external hard drive for all this STUFF!!!<br />
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Location: 7th & I -- Eureka, CA<br />
Date/Time: April 14, 2011<br />
Subject(s): Cherry Blossom<br />
Notes:BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-13075403714836869722011-03-16T16:42:00.000-07:002011-06-03T13:43:21.190-07:00AVENUE OF THE GIANTS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fIta5S2zLIk/TYFET0Nu4fI/AAAAAAAAELs/4NRLRnuAY-k/s1600/Redwood+Growth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fIta5S2zLIk/TYFET0Nu4fI/AAAAAAAAELs/4NRLRnuAY-k/s640/Redwood+Growth.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Location: Avenue of the Giants, Founders Grove Trial -- Outside Redway, CA<br />
Date/Time: Monday 3/14/11 -- afternoon<br />
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Location: Patricks Point State Park, Wedding Rock & Trail<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Date/Time: Tuesday 3/15/11 -- afternoon</div>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-10206297914390932392011-03-16T10:04:00.000-07:002011-03-16T10:04:28.766-07:00My #1 Must Have!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I recently ordered a lenspen from amazon and it arrived this past weekend. Up until I got this item I have been cleaning my lenses and such with a microfiber cloth- eeeek!!! It worked okay but i was starting to notice that it was just moving the dirt around the lens and creating tiny scratches- enter the lenspen!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This thing is AMAZING!!! It was only like $6 on amazon.com (they have them at Swanlunds if you wanna go local but its around $20 there) and arrived within a week of placing the order. Looks fancy huh? Well, its not really but let me tell you how it works:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Step 1- that brush on the end is retractable into the barrel- simply push it out and wipe all your glass</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Step 2- the other end is a microfiber covered suction cup (oooh yeah!!) after the brush clears the dirt use this in small circular motions to clean your smudges... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Step 3- VOILA!! Clean, clear, and gorgeous lenses free of all dust, oils and particles!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At only $6 this thing is a life (& lens) saver!!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.2filter.com/images/lenspen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="http://www.2filter.com/images/lenspen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-16403157484676137562011-03-04T09:34:00.000-08:002011-03-04T09:35:35.761-08:00Design WorkWe have now hosted 5 arts arcata events since we have been open. These events are great and we have been getting a larger and larger turnout for them every time. This is great and all but it does lead to more problems like stolen merchandise, plastic cups littering the road, and gaggles of people in the stock room smoking out (most of whom I have never seen before). So I decided it's time to crack down (especially since the upcoming arts arcata is somewhat of a sensitive matter- local graff artists I'm sure the pd will be interested in).<br />
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It took me a while to think about how to go about this & it finally just hit me- pow- right in the kisser (not really, but I almost never get to say that!). BACKSTAGE/VIP PASSES!!! Dooi- how could I not have thought about that for 2 whole weeks? So I googled the dimensions (2.6x4.7) and went to work in Photoshop.<br />
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I knew that the passes had to have the store name & logo along with our clothing lines logo's but that was just the easy part... The pass started off saying MEMBER but I thought that would just encourage the idea that we are a dispensary (FYI- we are not!) so I changed it to STAFF. I also knew that I wanted red on the pass so I picked a red as close to our T-shirts as possible.<br />
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The background was the final step. I played around with solid color background but they just didn't give me the pop/professional look I wanted. So I started working with pics I normally use for textures & was going to layer the textures with a solid background. Once I tried a metal countertop image the deal was sealed.<br />
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The passes were starting to look like large dog tags- Not my intention but still pretty cool! However the text and logo's still looked flat and dull. Suddenly I remembered my Photoshop video's and thought of the layer properties box. I started playing around with the embossing feature and settled with pillow embossing. I was amazed- it was just what the passes needed & the logo's and text stood out like it had been stamped on the metal. They are being printed and laminated as I type this.<br />
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Pretty good for my first try at actually designing something pro-fession-al looking, although I'm sure in about 6 months I'll look back at them and go- "ew- what was I thinking, that is so amataur looking" but for now I LOVE them!!<br />
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I went in and added a "do not duplicate" watermark on the one I was posting online so that it couldn't be downloaded and printed by just anyone... Now I just have to find about 10-20 black cheapo lanyards & we are in biz-nazz...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5496852505/" title="DTA STAFF PASS by Becky Simmons, on Flickr"><img alt="DTA STAFF PASS" height="640" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5100/5496852505_89eca3b0d3_z.jpg" width="354" /></a><br />
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</div>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-14899448857376583782011-03-03T16:30:00.000-08:002011-06-03T13:48:51.167-07:00Experimenting with Motion Blur<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have been seeing a ton of motion blur images on flickr lately & decided to give the technique a try. I didn't expect much considering I had never tried this before and my hands are anything but steady however after looking through the images I was fairly surprised. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>What is Motion Blur?</u> According to Wikipedia <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_blur">Motion blur</a></b> is the apparent streaking of rapidly moving objects in a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photography" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Photography">still image</a> or a sequence of images such as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Film">movie</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animation" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">animation</a>. It results when the image being recorded changes during the recording of a single frame, either due to rapid movement or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulb_(photography)" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: underline;" title="Bulb (photography)">long exposure</a>. (click on this posts title to link to a great DPS tutorial on this technique).</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>What did I do?</u> First off, I had to find a subject, which is not all that easy in an office setting! I saw my new valentines orchid on my way back into my office and thought that would be the perfect subject- I really wanted a pic of the orchid but I have orchid pics & wanted something unique and different this time. I set my camera to manual (because I also wanted to see what bokeh my lens would get at f/11- the supposed perfect aperature) & played with the times as I went... </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R_WP8Y0tH40/TXAkSiBb-xI/AAAAAAAAELM/JRoPNC_dAAQ/s1600/Motion+Blur.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R_WP8Y0tH40/TXAkSiBb-xI/AAAAAAAAELM/JRoPNC_dAAQ/s640/Motion+Blur.JPG" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">f/11 @ 1.3 seconds</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This one was one of my first tries... Not very pretty to look at, it's just generally blurry as my hands were a bit shaky and moving up/down/left/right... So I tried to steady myself on the edge of my chair and decided to try short tight movements to the side instead...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hGQqCfRkBac/TXAkWbtVIqI/AAAAAAAAELQ/8o72xZLs1CI/s1600/Motion+Blur_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hGQqCfRkBac/TXAkWbtVIqI/AAAAAAAAELQ/8o72xZLs1CI/s640/Motion+Blur_1.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">f/11 @ 1.3 seconds</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Getting there- I really like the dreaminess of the flower in this photo but I wanted it to be a little more defined also (how's that for an oxymoron?). My hands were getting steadier though- evidenced by the lines going to the right (pretty straight huh?) So I decided to try holding the camera still for a brief second, then panning to the right & shortened my shutter speed to 1/2 a second just to see what I came up with... </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hLbzTRo2kno/TXAkc2HjX9I/AAAAAAAAELU/IuqkUdHt3ZM/s1600/Motion+Blur_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hLbzTRo2kno/TXAkc2HjX9I/AAAAAAAAELU/IuqkUdHt3ZM/s640/Motion+Blur_2.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">f/11 @ 1/2 second</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This one is just okay... I definitely got the flowers to be more defined but I lost quite a bit of detail in them as well due to the amount of motion blur. My hands are getting steadier and steadier but I just panned too much in this. Plus the background had too much going on with the file cabinet off to the left... </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iWzunVKaeK8/TXAkiWIY7JI/AAAAAAAAELY/xoM1WdZDDSw/s1600/Motion+Blur_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iWzunVKaeK8/TXAkiWIY7JI/AAAAAAAAELY/xoM1WdZDDSw/s640/Motion+Blur_3.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">f/11 @ .8 seconds</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This one is a hot mess... Increasing the shutter speed to .8 seconds instead of .5 did not seem the way to go... Add that to the fact that my hands/arms were getting kinda shaky & tired = a hot mess of blur. So I tried going back to my beginning settings and lowered them just a tad (from 1.3 sec. to 1 sec.)...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kbiudua4K7w/TXAwWPhOeSI/AAAAAAAAELg/Ff0VXWYU8SQ/s1600/5477970458_5b729334e9_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kbiudua4K7w/TXAwWPhOeSI/AAAAAAAAELg/Ff0VXWYU8SQ/s640/5477970458_5b729334e9_o.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kbiudua4K7w/TXAwWPhOeSI/AAAAAAAAELg/Ff0VXWYU8SQ/s1600/5477970458_5b729334e9_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><i>f/11 @ 1 second</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">FINALLY!! I got exactly what I wanted!! The perfect amount of blur, detail, bokeh, and dreaminess. I tried to hold my hands very still for this image and probably went through at least 10 before this one which were almost perfect but some were a little too blurry or too solid or had too much motion. I just stuck with it and knew that it would work once my hands relaxed and I had time to practice... I went into Camera Raw & edited this image, mostly working on the white balance as the fluorescents made everything kinda crazy looking. I also added a white border around this image.... </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am definitely going be to be trying motion blur more and more using different subjects. There's just something fun and slightly exciting about breaking a rule I almost live by when photographic things (ie NEVER move the camera)!!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Location: My office- Eureka, CA</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Date/Time: 2/25/11 @ lunch</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Subject(s): Orchid- Motion Blur</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Notes: handheld-- panning left in some images & right in others-- edited in Camera Raw</span>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-17399268709800554732011-03-03T15:07:00.000-08:002011-03-03T15:07:25.626-08:00The Pioneer Woman ActionsWho doesn't LOVE actions for photoshop?!! I recently downloaded The Pioneer Woman's action sets (1 & 2) from her blog (for link click on title to this post) and started playing around with them. All I can say is WOW~! Her actions are spot on- the seventies action reminded me of my family's old pics & the vintage action actually makes the image look like it really was taken with an old camera.<br />
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What is an action? Basically, it's a saved file for Photoshop which contains multiple editing steps- these are different for each action depending on the look the action is going for. So if I like alot my photos to be sharpened +10 and lightened +5 I can set up Photoshop to record the steps I take to get that and then it compresses it all into one file, saved in my actions tab. This file can then be used on any image with just one click, instead of having to adjust sharpness and lightness individually for each image. BRILLIANT!! It saves me time and quite a bit of hassle. Even better is that after each action finishes it shows up as a layer (or depending on the action multiple layers) which can then be further adjusted (ie opacity, fill, or blending mode, just to name a few) to make the image pop. You can save your own actions or you can download them from the net. These Pioneer Woman actions are the best I have come across yet & I was thoroughly impressed- she should be charging for these!!<br />
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If you use photoshop I would highly recommend taking a look at her site in general- topics range from momhood to cooking to photography. She has some great tips and tutorials in addition to her rockin actions...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">ORIGINAL IMAGE #1 (the famous Carson Mansion in Eureka, CA-- built 1884-1886):</span></u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-YPZyBJKlBIQ/TXAMdg4-SHI/AAAAAAAAEKE/IP2FDQEF6YI/s1600/CARSON+MANSION.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-YPZyBJKlBIQ/TXAMdg4-SHI/AAAAAAAAEKE/IP2FDQEF6YI/s640/CARSON+MANSION.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-YPZyBJKlBIQ/TXAMdg4-SHI/AAAAAAAAEKE/IP2FDQEF6YI/s1600/CARSON+MANSION.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><u><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">THE PIONEER WOMAN ACTION'S ON IMAGE #1:</span></b></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qAruByrtxb4/TXAQdi0eIQI/AAAAAAAAEKQ/-JajUq_04R8/s1600/Carson+Mansion+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qAruByrtxb4/TXAQdi0eIQI/AAAAAAAAEKQ/-JajUq_04R8/s640/Carson+Mansion+4.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qAruByrtxb4/TXAQdi0eIQI/AAAAAAAAEKQ/-JajUq_04R8/s1600/Carson+Mansion+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Action Used: SEVENTIES</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-oc9ASNLH30c/TXASDACvuLI/AAAAAAAAEKY/iUX9IHcwmK0/s1600/Carson+Mansion+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-oc9ASNLH30c/TXASDACvuLI/AAAAAAAAEKY/iUX9IHcwmK0/s640/Carson+Mansion+3.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-oc9ASNLH30c/TXASDACvuLI/AAAAAAAAEKY/iUX9IHcwmK0/s1600/Carson+Mansion+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Action Used: DIM THE LIGHTS with OLD WEST</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_8v0lAHQHwM/TXATDJ2lf6I/AAAAAAAAEKc/8am9XmeNeBY/s1600/Carson+Mansion+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_8v0lAHQHwM/TXATDJ2lf6I/AAAAAAAAEKc/8am9XmeNeBY/s640/Carson+Mansion+2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_8v0lAHQHwM/TXATDJ2lf6I/AAAAAAAAEKc/8am9XmeNeBY/s1600/Carson+Mansion+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Action Used: VINTAGE</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IvwqifKLWto/TXANARcSFpI/AAAAAAAAEKI/Oar1YJRzV1w/s1600/Carson+Mansion+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IvwqifKLWto/TXANARcSFpI/AAAAAAAAEKI/Oar1YJRzV1w/s640/Carson+Mansion+1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IvwqifKLWto/TXANARcSFpI/AAAAAAAAEKI/Oar1YJRzV1w/s1600/Carson+Mansion+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Action Used: LOVELY & ETHEREAL with SOFT & FADED (deleted light layer)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">ORIGINAL IMAGE #2 (my lovely friend and model for the day)</span></u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xEBbMLOUKGY/TXAU1_jV6hI/AAAAAAAAEKk/7u8O7jFEsv8/s1600/KNEELAND.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xEBbMLOUKGY/TXAU1_jV6hI/AAAAAAAAEKk/7u8O7jFEsv8/s640/KNEELAND.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">MY OLD EDIT OF IMAGE #2:</span></u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EbD5o21Aa-M/TXAVPHcB6WI/AAAAAAAAEKo/iGcWv5E110Y/s1600/Kneeland+old+edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EbD5o21Aa-M/TXAVPHcB6WI/AAAAAAAAEKo/iGcWv5E110Y/s640/Kneeland+old+edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">THE PIONEER WOMAN ACTION'S ON IMAGE #2:</span></b></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Z-x0sK9PBmU/TXAV2-fMolI/AAAAAAAAEKs/GM6uRe55SnQ/s1600/Kneeland+Barn+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Z-x0sK9PBmU/TXAV2-fMolI/AAAAAAAAEKs/GM6uRe55SnQ/s640/Kneeland+Barn+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Z-x0sK9PBmU/TXAV2-fMolI/AAAAAAAAEKs/GM6uRe55SnQ/s1600/Kneeland+Barn+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Action Used: VINTAGE</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Je-X-WM4v8g/TXAXmwmtX2I/AAAAAAAAEK4/T06YVmsTOLs/s1600/Kneeland+Barn+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Je-X-WM4v8g/TXAXmwmtX2I/AAAAAAAAEK4/T06YVmsTOLs/s640/Kneeland+Barn+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Je-X-WM4v8g/TXAXmwmtX2I/AAAAAAAAEK4/T06YVmsTOLs/s1600/Kneeland+Barn+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Action Used: QUICK EDGE BURN with BOOST</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N3WRUAfTcos/TXAYQKxSzSI/AAAAAAAAEK8/l2RL28ZcYvU/s1600/Kneeland+Barn+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N3WRUAfTcos/TXAYQKxSzSI/AAAAAAAAEK8/l2RL28ZcYvU/s640/Kneeland+Barn+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N3WRUAfTcos/TXAYQKxSzSI/AAAAAAAAEK8/l2RL28ZcYvU/s1600/Kneeland+Barn+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Action Used: HEARTLAND</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I said they were amazing actions (& free to boot!)- was I right or what??!!</div>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-61603764329465559502011-02-14T16:55:00.000-08:002011-02-14T16:55:08.594-08:00Fun Photo ProjectsMy boss is going to be out most of this week so I am browsing the net for fun photo projects I want to try-(when I actually have time to dedicate to something other than work)...<br />
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f1c232; font-size: large;">Family Tree's</span></u></b><br />
<i> I have never really been interested in any family tree/history type stuff- until I moved away from home & that info and the memories are not so readily available. I would love to have something around my house reminding my everyday of my loved ones & the great times we've had, & pictures are just too boring & plain jane for me!!</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/heirloom-family-tree-in-a-glass-dome?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/make-a-family-tree#slide_3">Heirloom Family Tree in Glass Dome</a> -- Martha Stewart</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iR_cUN25oFc/TVlvda6seSI/AAAAAAAAEIc/GnCWRzp2-04/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iR_cUN25oFc/TVlvda6seSI/AAAAAAAAEIc/GnCWRzp2-04/s320/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" width="256" /></i></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I LOVE this!! I can't really think of any heirlooms or keepsakes that I have around so I would probably have to get some sent to me... This does worry me though because it is so easy for someone to just pickup and steal and with so many sentimental items inside it is slightly terrifying... Maybe I need a more secure house before I try this.... </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/birds-of-a-feather-family-tree?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/make-a-family-tree#slide_1">Birds of a Feather Family Tree</a> -- Martha Stewart</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bCfglT27nlw/TVlwcpJ8H2I/AAAAAAAAEIk/Y9G2A_kU-9s/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bCfglT27nlw/TVlwcpJ8H2I/AAAAAAAAEIk/Y9G2A_kU-9s/s320/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I really like this- it's simple, clean & modern looking. However I rent so I would have to put this on a large canvas or painted wood or something--OOO, maybe even a large mirror or on top of some chalkboard paint... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f1c232; font-size: large;"><b><u>Print Items</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i> </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=162a809dc732f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&backto=true">Personalized Postcards</a> -- Martha Stewart</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S5TmF_PtQDA/TVl62_wUVvI/AAAAAAAAEIs/9oN_yaBgHe8/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S5TmF_PtQDA/TVl62_wUVvI/AAAAAAAAEIs/9oN_yaBgHe8/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S5TmF_PtQDA/TVl62_wUVvI/AAAAAAAAEIs/9oN_yaBgHe8/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>I have been wanting to make my own postcards for the longest time. However it is way too time consuming for me to create my own template for it- afterall isn't that what Martha Stewart is for??</i></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><br />
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</i></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/article/stationery-set?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/photo-opportunities#slide_24">Pet Stationary</a> -- Martha Stewart</i></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--UKHrJ-SsKg/TVmCDN0Z0gI/AAAAAAAAEJQ/Ev2DhDWohKU/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--UKHrJ-SsKg/TVmCDN0Z0gI/AAAAAAAAEJQ/Ev2DhDWohKU/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>So obviously this project doesn't have to be pets, but I would ADORE some blank notecards with my poochie on the front!!! The bold graphic look is great too!!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><br />
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</i></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><a href="http://www.parents.com/fun/arts-crafts/photography/photo-crafts/?page=3">Fridge Fun Magnets</a> -- Parents Magazine</i></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BURf9fJczwc/TVmDixa_adI/AAAAAAAAEJY/4wFGQ1OEHC4/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BURf9fJczwc/TVmDixa_adI/AAAAAAAAEJY/4wFGQ1OEHC4/s320/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This isn't just for kids- I would love this as well!!! Great for regular magnets or for fun stress relieving....</i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><br />
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</i></span></i></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/article/temporary-tattoo-designs?backto=true">Temporary Tattoo Designs</a> -- Martha Stewart</i></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DyfM5Tl6Q10/TVl8PlIJ3fI/AAAAAAAAEI0/iw-WcZoHF0g/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DyfM5Tl6Q10/TVl8PlIJ3fI/AAAAAAAAEI0/iw-WcZoHF0g/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I actually needed this template/instructions last Friday. I got all dolled up for a pin-up party & some realistic tats would have been great. Martha gives a downloadable clip art designs you can print on tattoo paper (av. at a scrapping store), but I would love to try using some cut-outs from my own images also... </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
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</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f1c232; font-size: large;">House & Home</span></u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/article/photo-transfer-tote-bag?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/photo-opportunities#slide_1">Photo Transfer Tote Bag</a> -- Martha Stewart</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9wrK3AjQJ8Y/TVl-Xw9YTFI/AAAAAAAAEI8/-z4SetfCbIk/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9wrK3AjQJ8Y/TVl-Xw9YTFI/AAAAAAAAEI8/-z4SetfCbIk/s320/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I have been wanting to make one of these for the longest time-- Well, actually more like ten of these... I need one for the river, one for the dog, one for work, one for the truck, I think you get the idea... </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
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</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=82561e218dac6110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/photo-opportunities#slide_3">Photo Cubes</a> -- Martha Stewart</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4xQH1zA8440/TVl_BS1Eg4I/AAAAAAAAEJA/95QFzwfODYw/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4xQH1zA8440/TVl_BS1Eg4I/AAAAAAAAEJA/95QFzwfODYw/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I always need bookends, & I love the idea of using my own images in such a dimensional multi-purpose design. Idea- make these out of transparent or semi-transparent plastic & stick a light in the bottom for nice personalized mood lighting... </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
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</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/article/picture-pillow-how-to?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/photo-opportunities#slide_12">Picture Pillow</a> -- Martha Stewart</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ceDecG5puC4/TVmATo7RJUI/AAAAAAAAEJI/IB2VEQ45OIY/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ceDecG5puC4/TVmATo7RJUI/AAAAAAAAEJI/IB2VEQ45OIY/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Who doesn't need more throw pillows!! I can already think of quite a few photos that would look great on my sofa & bed-- Also at the shop at work... </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
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</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/article/decorative-photo-plate?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/photo-opportunities#slide_23">Photo Plates</a> -- Martha Stewart</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3mxnQUbCU2U/TVmBXq3XceI/AAAAAAAAEJM/U3Lp77o4Vfg/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3mxnQUbCU2U/TVmBXq3XceI/AAAAAAAAEJM/U3Lp77o4Vfg/s1600/mld106413_1110_dome_67_xl.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This project brings back great memories.... My grandmother used to cater so she had alot of old dishes around. I grabbed a set of four plates one year & used paint pens on them to create my mom personalized snowflake dishes for x-mas... This is like the grown-up version.... =)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
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<a href="http://www.diynetwork.com/videos/digital-photo-paper-lanterns/5218.html">Photo Lanterns-VIDEO-</a> DIY Network</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>These are great- I could see myself making these with texture photos as well as flowers, landcapes, etc... However the lanterns in the video are paper & look like they wouldn't last long so I would probably use paper over a heavier open base like plastic piping or wooden dowels... </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
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</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/how-to/how-to-paint-your-own-wall-mural-076157">Paint A Wall Mural</a> -- Apartment Therapy</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3n_tl0JtQFo/TVmw7i1Rh3I/AAAAAAAAEJg/3WoZJWToWgo/s1600/020909mural01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3n_tl0JtQFo/TVmw7i1Rh3I/AAAAAAAAEJg/3WoZJWToWgo/s320/020909mural01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I have been wanting a wall mural for the longest time but I rent so it's probably not the best idea to put something permanent and personal like that up. I would probably use a large piece of plywood or multiple smaller pieces to make the piece look more artsy (that would be easier to move and each piece could be spaced). This could also be done with a photo instead of the Illustrator graphic- I would just go into Photoshop and use the photocopy filter on my image (adjusted to show the details you do & don't want in the mural) and then print the image on transparent paper. Just a suggestion- If you use a photo it's probably easier to do Black & White instead of color... </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
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</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/kitchen/cabinets/photo-finish-cabinet/">Photo Finish Cabinets</a> -- Better Homes & Gardens</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sSIKrefD3ws/TVnE4pTqp2I/AAAAAAAAEJo/uXUHJ9KXEHg/s1600/020909mural01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sSIKrefD3ws/TVnE4pTqp2I/AAAAAAAAEJo/uXUHJ9KXEHg/s1600/020909mural01.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This would be really cool for remodeling a kitchen but I would probably use this more as a framing device since I rent & cabinet doors are cheap and easy to find.... </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-65075974773166700842011-01-23T19:00:00.000-08:002011-01-23T19:00:09.917-08:00DTA- It's What's for Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
LDecided to take a few pics to show off my hard work after getting the shop ready for the Christmas shopping season! Enjoy:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzof96ZGfI/AAAAAAAAEH0/4dTYo5K86v0/s1600/DTA+Xmas_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzof96ZGfI/AAAAAAAAEH0/4dTYo5K86v0/s640/DTA+Xmas_1.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="424" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzpvlXWIpI/AAAAAAAAEH8/N9HvutNKdQg/s1600/DTA+Xmas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzpvlXWIpI/AAAAAAAAEH8/N9HvutNKdQg/s640/DTA+Xmas.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Location: DTA Humboldt- 1063 H Street Arcata, CA</div>Date/Time:<br />
Subject(s): Christmas tree, decorations, logo's<br />
Notes:BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-19735417401540440812011-01-23T18:40:00.000-08:002011-01-23T18:40:26.042-08:00It's a Carson Mansion Christmas!!Finally some Christmas lights!! The Carson house has been haunting my photographic dreams ever since they put the lights up on it. Problem is, the only free time I have had to shoot it has been while it was raining and my camera is not exactly waterproof... Well, the rain finally cleared up a few nights ago (at least for the night) and I saw the lights on my way home over the Samoa bridge & jumped at the opportunity.<br />
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I have been reading up on HDR and looking at examples online for quite some time & thought that the Carson Mansion would provide the perfect subject for an HDR photo, especially with the Christmas lights all strung up. So I grabbed my tripod out of the car, and my cross-screen filter (makes lights have four points) just for fun, and set up everything from 2-3 different locations in front of the house and to the side of it. I used my Exposure bracketing feature on the camera taking three pictures each time I pressed the shutter button (the first at my set exposure, the second a stop below, and the third a stop above) and planned to combine them later in Photoshop using the automate HDR feature. Below are each of the three images before editing:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzhcQ8_t6I/AAAAAAAAEHM/ykffS0stv48/s1600/hdr+combine+_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzhcQ8_t6I/AAAAAAAAEHM/ykffS0stv48/s400/hdr+combine+_2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzhO8rSjJI/AAAAAAAAEHI/djphY73r04E/s1600/hdr+combine+_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzhO8rSjJI/AAAAAAAAEHI/djphY73r04E/s400/hdr+combine+_1.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzhng2cuvI/AAAAAAAAEHQ/zaVvfdi6I9g/s1600/hdr+combine+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzhng2cuvI/AAAAAAAAEHQ/zaVvfdi6I9g/s400/hdr+combine+.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzhng2cuvI/AAAAAAAAEHQ/zaVvfdi6I9g/s1600/hdr+combine+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>I was surprised at how easy it was! However what was not easy was trying to get the picture to look as close to real life as possible. I got close enough to make me happy for my first attempt, but I might try coming back and doing it over again after I get a bit more familiar with the ins and outs of the feature. Personally, I think it looks a little Tron-ish but I did watch the new movie the day before I took the photo's so I'm sure that didn't help! By the way, GREAT movie- I really enjoyed the first one but the second was even better! Back to business- Below are the combined photos, which were then edited in the HDR feature of Photoshop:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzgfovXv-I/AAAAAAAAEHE/qkJTzTLTAp0/s1600/Carson+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzgfovXv-I/AAAAAAAAEHE/qkJTzTLTAp0/s640/Carson+HDR.jpg" width="638" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzgfovXv-I/AAAAAAAAEHE/qkJTzTLTAp0/s1600/Carson+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>I used the corss-screen filter for a few shots before I noticed that the four-points it was making around the lights were much larger and pronounced than I wanted. So I remembered my focus-stacking technique and used it here. I took one pic of the house with the cross-screen filter:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTziDEeiIwI/AAAAAAAAEHU/t6BtCyrmIdg/s1600/stack+combine_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTziDEeiIwI/AAAAAAAAEHU/t6BtCyrmIdg/s640/stack+combine_1.JPG" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">and one without the cross-screen filter:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzkDE0lgyI/AAAAAAAAEHk/nTmowLhCFEU/s1600/stack+combine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzkDE0lgyI/AAAAAAAAEHk/nTmowLhCFEU/s640/stack+combine.JPG" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> and then combined them as partially transparent layers in Photoshop. By making them transparent layers I could control the power of the four-points coming off the lights.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzlsXlLC8I/AAAAAAAAEHs/zcfYgP-iEuI/s1600/Carson+Mansion+Twinkle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzlsXlLC8I/AAAAAAAAEHs/zcfYgP-iEuI/s640/Carson+Mansion+Twinkle.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Location: Carson House Mansion-- at the foot of M Street in Eureka, CA</div><div style="text-align: left;">Date/Time: 12/ /10</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subject(s): Long exposure, christmas lights, HDR, architecture</div><div style="text-align: left;">Notes: some photos used a cross-screen filter, others no filter, all taken with tripod and long shutter speeds</div>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-27179054780548667922011-01-23T18:11:00.000-08:002011-01-23T18:11:13.463-08:00The benefits of RAWThe more I shoot RAW images the more I love them. That's all for today!<br />
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No really, RAW images are the creme brulee of images... Our last few days in GA we went over to a friends house to hang out and the guys ended up re-hashing old times with some flaming irish car bombs. Of course, I was enlisted to photograph this glorious event, all the while thinking "I'm not so sure this is a good idea..."<br />
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The kitchen was the only place irish car bombs could be had without catching the carpet on fire or burning his gorgeous hardwood floors. Problem with that was that the kitchen was really dark- on top of that once I did a few test shots (with the camera- not the car bombs!!) I realized that if I wanted to catch the fire coming off the glasses I would need to make the kitchen even darker. Was I worried? HELLS NO!! Why- because I was shooting RAW!!! <i><insert here="" of="" praise="" trumpets=""> </insert></i>I just set my shutter speed around 1/60 which made it low enough to just barely make out what would be in the image and set my camera for continuous shutter release.<br />
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Of course, the images were too dark to see much of anything in:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzeKD-NMcI/AAAAAAAAEG4/rzTh2UNMOL0/s1600/raw+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzeKD-NMcI/AAAAAAAAEG4/rzTh2UNMOL0/s640/raw+1.JPG" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzeKD-NMcI/AAAAAAAAEG4/rzTh2UNMOL0/s1600/raw+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>However I just opened each one in camera raw and edited them as a batch to lighten them up and keep the fire showing. I mostly tinkered with the exposure, fill light (which I normally try not to use because of the noise), brightness, and white balance. BIM BAM BOP- a few minutes later (okay, maybe like 20) I had the pictures I wanted from the beginning!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTze5AGaeJI/AAAAAAAAEG8/G_Z1RcuAsso/s1600/GA+Thanksgiving_9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTze5AGaeJI/AAAAAAAAEG8/G_Z1RcuAsso/s640/GA+Thanksgiving_9.JPG" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Location: Inside, very dark lighting</div><div style="text-align: left;">Subject(s): Irish Car Bombs, flame, people</div><div style="text-align: left;">Notes: shot in RAW, edited in Camera RAW & Photoshop</div>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-83104744385075011612011-01-23T17:56:00.000-08:002011-01-23T17:56:39.862-08:00ThanksgivingThanksgiving brings back memories of tables and counter-tops crammed with every food imaginable. I remember how hectic thanksgiving always was trying to make it to everyone's dinners/lunches, which between my dad & step-mom's family, grandma's family, grandpa's family, step-dad's family, and boyfriends family left me pooped everytime. So this year since we were in town for the big headache and belly-ache inducing day we decided to gather everyone together at one house for one dinner. Sounds crazy right? Well, we survived, scratch that- we rocked that thanksgiving.<br />
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With all the people around and the different families my goal for the day was to get group shot to give to each of the families, as well as a few random candid shots. Last year I spent quite a bit of time shooting the food so I wanted to focus on the people this year, since I only get to see them once a year!<br />
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I shot everything in RAW instead of JPG (now that I have photoshop & camera raw I will never go back to jpg's!!) and then did some short (ie- 5-10 min per picture) editing in camera raw then photoshop to finish them up with the border.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzbmAnQdjI/AAAAAAAAEGs/ORn6ER2Lvfk/s1600/Elsie+Xmas+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzbmAnQdjI/AAAAAAAAEGs/ORn6ER2Lvfk/s640/Elsie+Xmas+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzcE-goURI/AAAAAAAAEGw/heIeKM-qd2E/s1600/Elsies+Xmas+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TTzcE-goURI/AAAAAAAAEGw/heIeKM-qd2E/s640/Elsies+Xmas+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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After thanksgiving we went skeet shooting- my first time- where I shot a shotgun- also my first time- AND I actually hit a few skeets! By a few I mean like three out of at least 20-30, but that seems okay for a first-timer. It was really cold and windy out so I didn't take too many pics (expensive camera + freezing fingers + muddy hills & lakes= IMPENDING DOOM) but I tried to focus on getting images where the shooter and the skeet were both in the frame, and hoped I could get a few shots of the skeet being hit and breaking. I didn't have much faith in the later as I left my polarizing filter at the house and the reflection off the lake was killer.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5345567318/" title="Perfect Shot!! by Becky Simmons, on Flickr"><img alt="Perfect Shot!!" height="332" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5283/5345567318_2673ffa6ee.jpg" width="500" /></a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5345568330/" title="DTA Skeet Skeet by Becky Simmons, on Flickr"><img alt="DTA Skeet Skeet" height="500" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5123/5345568330_5d77493733.jpg" width="352" /></a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</b></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><b>Location: Lagrange, GA</b></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><b>Date/Time: 11/25/10</b></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><b>Subject(s): group shots</b></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><b>Notes: shot in RAW, minor editing</b></div>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-23415976766430540502010-11-09T15:04:00.000-08:002010-11-09T15:04:28.741-08:00Atlanta: Scout it Out...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Georgia on my mind.... </span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I am getting ready to go back home to visit family & friends in a few weeks- YAY!!! So I decided to look through my pics from the last visit & was horrified to see I only took 20 pics the entire week and a half we were there!! How did that happen? I have maybe four or five nice shots of family but everything else was crap... </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b>Not this time around!</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I decided to scout out a few locations- don't laugh, just b/c I'm from the land of peaches & cream doesn't mean I can't act like a tourist when I want! I am scouring the net, mostly Flickr & Panoramio to find locations that I wouldn't normally think of or that I have no idea even exists. Atlanta is a big place, and I only lived in the city proper for 4 years, hardly long enough to know it all! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><u>LOCATIONS</u></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">1. The Swan House -- Buckhead 130 W. Paces Ferry-- Gorgeous italian style mansion & gardens</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> Ideal Subjects: architecture, english gardens, history, perspectives, HDR, fall plants & leaves</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TNBLsjUN1PI/AAAAAAAAEGU/VPFLUuSaiKs/s1600/Swan+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TNBLsjUN1PI/AAAAAAAAEGU/VPFLUuSaiKs/s320/Swan+House.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Croquet, Anyone" by Atlanta History Center<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/atlantahistorycenter/4721084238/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/atlantahistorycenter/4721084238/</a></td></tr>
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">2. Piedmont Park -- Midtown Atlanta -- never bothered to take pics here for some reason- it has a sweet view!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> Ideal Subjects: skyline, night skyline, HDR, landscapes</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TNBMW1NB_DI/AAAAAAAAEGY/5lquIJpvMwE/s1600/Piedmont.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TNBMW1NB_DI/AAAAAAAAEGY/5lquIJpvMwE/s320/Piedmont.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Midtown From Piedmont Park" by Adam Preble<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/preble/59079707/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/preble/59079707/</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">3. Old Town Griffin -- Subjects: architecture, buildings, HDR, </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">4. Sundial/Westin -- Downtown Atlanta -- $5 gets u to the top of the Westin for a 360 panoramic view</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">5. 17th St. / SCAD/ Jackson St. Bridge -- Midtown -- Subjects: long exposure, cityscape, night cityscape</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> ** FYI: found info. on flickr that Atlantic Station & SCAD security run ppl off those bridges**</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TNBWD6Ka_dI/AAAAAAAAEGg/3udC9QXutYs/s1600/jackson+st.+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TNBWD6Ka_dI/AAAAAAAAEGg/3udC9QXutYs/s320/jackson+st.+bridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hotlanta" by James Duckworth -- taken on the Jackson St. Bridge<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44124573@N00/2092105665/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/44124573@N00/2092105665/</a><br />
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</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">6. Midtown Classics-- Skyline with Varsity in foreground // Fox Theatre // World of Coke // Centennial Park </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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</span></span></div>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-50352569285561573342010-10-13T14:39:00.001-07:002010-10-13T14:42:16.960-07:00My DIY camera/laptop bagMaybe this is just because I'm a chick but has anyone else noticed that the camera/laptop bags out there don't leave alot to the imagination... Mostly all are black, backpack or sling, and everyone screams "STEAL ME OFF THIS ITTY BITTY GALS ARM- WHAT'S SHE GONNA DO ABOUT IT"<br />
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After searching online I got an idea (I didn't say it was original) & decided to make my own. Sort of.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncomposition/5079528328/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" height="250" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4045/5079528328_788a91ffc0_m.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 2px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 2px;" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I found a large purse at Kohls with dividers inside that felt durable and tough- the one I chose also happened to already have a laptop sleeve which made my project even easier. I even had durable upholstery fabric in the house leftover from my re-upholstering project a while back. So all I needed was some foam to pad and protect my gear and stitch witch to make assembly easier. <br />
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I probably tried 2 or three other designs including a cardboard box i was going to pad with foam but this one worked this best!<br />
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I had a hard time finding foam I was happy with- so much of it is low density foam... So I used the next best thing- craft foam (that stuff is super dense). I layered 3 pieces on top of one another, taped them together with gorilla tape, and slid them into my stitch witched pocket of fabric.<br />
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Then I folded it all in half and began sewing the ends and compartments together for my lenses and camera.<br />
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In the end I realized that the insert sort of looks like a shootsac, is nice and flexible, and is super padded. I am thinking about adding a top to this piece but that would make retrieval a bit harder.<br />
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It fit perfectly inside my purse (b/c I measured it like 10 times), is easily removable to any other bag I want, and I now have a bitchin, unique, totally me camera & laptop bag!!<br />
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**Sorry about the pic quality- these were taken with my cell phone**BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-48428065721738243702010-09-14T12:02:00.000-07:002010-09-14T12:02:20.907-07:00Arts Arcata- SeptemberWe did it again & it was bigger & better than ever! Arts Arcata @ the DTA store that is...<br />
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First off, let me say that I was nervous for probably two days before the event. By the time everything got started I was so jacked up on adrenaline and serotonin from my anxious-ness that I was a hot mess all night!<br />
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We started the night off with DJ Psy-Fi (Miles) doin some dub step with Ethan scratching on the tables in the breaks, followed by a live & awesome performance from Never Die (Kyser-J & HiWay). Going on simultaneously was the Live Art Duel between Shiek and Wong- the theme the second time round seemed to be DTA/cartoons. We had a great turnout- even had ppl gathering outside on the sidewalk b/c we didn't have any room inside- and even sold quite a bit.<br />
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Of course, I am the 'official' picture taker for the store so I have been working on product placement in alot of my event pictures. Mostly just staying conscious of the items in the frame and background and trying to get a different perspective that might highlight the store, brand, or what have you. I think I'm getting good!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI_CFArokFI/AAAAAAAAEEk/RlZyig9bBts/s1600/arts+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI_CFArokFI/AAAAAAAAEEk/RlZyig9bBts/s640/arts+7.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Had to get some action musical shots- of course with the DTA product placement!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI_CLjTahhI/AAAAAAAAEEs/6iHcOgGra1c/s1600/arts+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI_CLjTahhI/AAAAAAAAEEs/6iHcOgGra1c/s640/arts+8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I think this image will become a model for every event we have. Since we hung up these black logo boxes from the windows I have been utilizing them in my event photos as I can get a clear logo in the image and the whole store/crowd.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI_CUc_BxuI/AAAAAAAAEE0/HSZbyXV5Mr8/s1600/arts+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI_CUc_BxuI/AAAAAAAAEE0/HSZbyXV5Mr8/s640/arts+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Not the best shot- not even a good shot really- but I had to take a pic of unurban samosas- this guy makes the samosas and delivers by bike- they are SOOO WONDERFUL! Keep an eye out for him in Arcata & at HSU...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI_EYXTg3II/AAAAAAAAEFA/dre71P7Qebw/s1600/arts+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI_EYXTg3II/AAAAAAAAEFA/dre71P7Qebw/s640/arts+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Even more product placement- didn't mean to get so gun crazy but it's whats in stock until our holiday order arrives in the next month... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI_EpHUNZqI/AAAAAAAAEFI/5e2DZulp5Sc/s1600/arts+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI_EpHUNZqI/AAAAAAAAEFI/5e2DZulp5Sc/s640/arts+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is one of my favorites- Triple product placement threat! Politicks shirt in the mirror (and yes, I planned it that way!) DTA on the right shirt down the side, DTA & guns on the paintings... Love it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI_E0mn-D4I/AAAAAAAAEFQ/yUPowDFPNq8/s1600/arts+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI_E0mn-D4I/AAAAAAAAEFQ/yUPowDFPNq8/s640/arts+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The finished product. Wong on the left with Foghorn Leghorn and Shiek on the right with Daffy Duck. My favorite and my personal winner is Wong- but maybe thats b/c I loved foghorn leghorn cartoons growing up!</div><br />
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Location: DTA store (1063 H St. Arcata, CA)<br />
Date/Time: Friday, 9/10/10 from 6-9pm<br />
Subject(s): art, people, crowd, music act, product placement<br />
Notes: post processed in IphotoBECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-79318649699874374272010-09-14T11:11:00.000-07:002010-09-14T13:31:34.712-07:00Just another day in Eureka....The past week in Eureka has been gorgeous! We got a short taste of some summer heat and sun for a few lovely days but now the fog is rolling back in & with a thickness! Of course, this gorgeous weather has had me out and about with my camera on the ready almost every day. In the interest of time (because there is not even close to enough hours in the day anymore) I am combining all my Eureka images from the past week into one blog post with subtitles. Hope you enjoy!!<br />
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<b><u>ST. BERNARD CHURCH'S FLOWER GARDEN</u></b><br />
All controversy aside (the priest is being investigated for molestation), the St. Bernard's church has a beautiful (yet small) flower garden around the backside of the building (7th & I). This is such a tiny garden that I normally walk right past it in search of bigger and better gardens but that day I looked over from across the st. and saw so many colors I had to take a peek....<br />
I noticed as I was going back through alot of these images that I am 100% guilty of leaving the camera on auto the whole time... I was in a hurry b/c I had to get back to work, but NO EXCUSES- I need to stop doing the whole auto thing...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI-tkhaJQzI/AAAAAAAAEDA/6kJ_XsgWgZQ/s1600/Eureka+Walking+052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="402" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI-tkhaJQzI/AAAAAAAAEDA/6kJ_XsgWgZQ/s640/Eureka+Walking+052.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I saw this flower getting ready to open up and thought that the curled up red petals would look gorgeous against some green bokeh... I wanted to leave open space for the bokeh to balance out and make this image a little more simplistic than a closeup of such a intricate flower might create... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI-u89eyXDI/AAAAAAAAEDY/6gcccso37rQ/s1600/Eureka+Walking+048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI-u89eyXDI/AAAAAAAAEDY/6gcccso37rQ/s640/Eureka+Walking+048.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This flower is such a gorgeous pink- plus all the curled up petals forming the circle around the budding middle creates a nice concentric image...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI-v_ixRWbI/AAAAAAAAEDk/tdZ0s2CCfnc/s1600/Eureka+Walking+077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI-v_ixRWbI/AAAAAAAAEDk/tdZ0s2CCfnc/s640/Eureka+Walking+077.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I had a previous image of this plant but it didn't turn out the way I wanted. So I decided to give it another go- I was trying to focus on the texture of the leafs and trying to work in a shadow here or there....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Location: <a href="http://www.saintbernards.org/">St. Bernard's Church</a> (Corner of 7th & I Streets) in Eureka, CA</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Date/Time: Friday. 9/10/10 at lunch</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Subject(s): Flowers</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Notes: post processed in picasa</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>SEQUOIA PARK ZOO</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Odly enough I have not been to the zoo a single time in the 2 1/2 years I have been living here. Ya, we've been to the park right next to the zoo too many times to count, but the zoo itself- NEVER. Part of the reason we haven't been to the zoo is b/c I basically grew up at the Atlanta zoo- which is HUGE and takes all day to experience- so I thought that the local zoo would be nothing but a disappointment. We got invited to a friends kid birthday party last weekend at the zoo- kinda odd to show up at a 5 yr old's birthday party when we don't have any kids, but what the heck.... We really wanted to see the zoo! Overall, I was really impressed. It didn't take long to go through the zoo but it was really clean & well manicured, the few exhibits were very nice, there were no crowds, and you could get pretty close to the animals. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI-0YLgwqYI/AAAAAAAAEDw/HQ2VIXqI7eI/s1600/Barnyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI-0YLgwqYI/AAAAAAAAEDw/HQ2VIXqI7eI/s640/Barnyard.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is the barnyard animals exhibit at the zoo. The barn itself is very nice looking; so clean and shiny with the gorgeous blonde polished wood knotted siding. After playing around with this image I think the selective color tool was perfect as it helps bring out the warmth of the building as well as draws your eye through to the back of the barn to the window....</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI-1YNpmyzI/AAAAAAAAED8/EC1jEZ90Q_4/s1600/Monkey+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="638" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI-1YNpmyzI/AAAAAAAAED8/EC1jEZ90Q_4/s640/Monkey+Shot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This little guy was all too cute! I stood in front of his window for quite a while trying to get him to look at me. Right when I was about to give up and leave he gave me what I wanted. I chose to crop this image square to help remove alot of the distracting background from the branches and other out of focus monkeys...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI-2Fxh_sxI/AAAAAAAAEEE/CgLTEq0vHCs/s1600/Tree+Fox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/TI-2Fxh_sxI/AAAAAAAAEEE/CgLTEq0vHCs/s640/Tree+Fox.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At the end of our zoo adventure we walked over to the bear cage- we were pretty disappointed as the only bear was sleeping but I did notice this cute fox sleeping in the redwood tree.... Again, I used a square crop to remove alot of the distracting leaves and branches from the frame. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Location: <a href="http://www.sequoiaparkzoo.net/">Sequoia Park Zoo</a> (3414 W St. Eureka, CA)<br />
Date/Time: Sunday 9/5/10 at 11am<br />
Subject(s): Animals, exhibits<br />
Notes: polarizing filter used on all images, post processed in picasa<br />
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<b><u>SEQUOIA PARK FLOWER GARDEN</u></b><br />
I have been wanting to visit the small flower garden next to the zoo ever since I first drove by it. Combine that with the fact that I keep seeing awesome images from the garden on flickr from a guy named <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41639038@N04/">D. Swensen</a>- he must live nearby & go early b/c he always has gorgeous dew shots and posts a new image almost daily. I finally got my man to take the pooch over to the garden and stand around bored while I take pictures (he's not really the flower garden type!)...<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Location: <a href="http://www.ci.eureka.ca.gov/faqs/answers.asp?id=483">Sequoia Park Flower Garden</a> (3414 W Street Eureka, CA )</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Date/Time: Sunday, 9/12/10 at 3pm</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Subject(s): Flowers, Garden, Walkways</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Notes: post processed in picasa</div>BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-39820194241774392442010-08-27T16:56:00.000-07:002010-08-27T16:56:09.587-07:00The Devil's PlaygroundSince the store has been open we keep hearing about this place behind Bayshore Mall called (dum dum dum) "THE DEVILS PLAYGROUND". Apparently this is where quite a few things happen:<br />
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1) where alot of the houseless people have set up their own group 'house'<br />
2) where the good graf artists in this county put up their handiwork<br />
3) where alot of the houseless people dump any and all trash (mattresses, food, needles, you name it, Devils Playground has it!)<br />
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So we HAD to go check it out. I couldn't believe that someplace like this was right down the street from me- I could walk there if I wanted to! Packed up the dog and the camera and less than 5 min later we are driving around the parking lot behind the mall looking for a trail.... POOF there it was! A little hobo trail through the bushes to some forbidden location.... We walked through some bushes and trees and came out to quite a view:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhLNUKcChI/AAAAAAAAECE/U6IKxyHs9N4/s1600/_DSC0315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhLNUKcChI/AAAAAAAAECE/U6IKxyHs9N4/s640/_DSC0315.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My first reaction was "WHAT THE HELL- HOW DID WE NEVER SEE THIS BEFORE NOW!!! IT'S HUGE!!" Apparently this used to be a mill of some sort, according to local hearsay... We started walking around & finally found a way over the marshy creek over some old mattresses. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhM4wsfwkI/AAAAAAAAECQ/231oFm5u4ng/s1600/_DSC0326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhM4wsfwkI/AAAAAAAAECQ/231oFm5u4ng/s640/_DSC0326.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And this was what we found inside the mill- this huge open space totally COVERED in graffiti... I especially love the Virgin Mary on the right and the Gas Mask guy on the left. How odd that they are on the same wall!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhOCpKFYjI/AAAAAAAAECc/-B-gky13kto/s1600/_DSC0351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhOCpKFYjI/AAAAAAAAECc/-B-gky13kto/s640/_DSC0351.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Then we saw these compartments off to the side of the larger open space... I am still working on product placement but this shot was a good one with the skulls & the RS Mean Streets Hoddie in the background....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhONvtc_9I/AAAAAAAAECk/GBY2nsPT9i4/s1600/_DSC0410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhONvtc_9I/AAAAAAAAECk/GBY2nsPT9i4/s640/_DSC0410.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The compartments I was talking about- we had to be careful where we stepped- underneath these walkways was nothing but trash & old scumy water...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhOoMAOWsI/AAAAAAAAECs/8Lq0kEAOesA/s1600/_DSC0436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhOoMAOWsI/AAAAAAAAECs/8Lq0kEAOesA/s640/_DSC0436.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And this is probably why ppl told us not to go beyond the "third compartment".... We could hear a few ppl behind the gate pushing buggies and doing God only knows what else... However, they made a pretty nice gate!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhOzSx06SI/AAAAAAAAEC0/jgfFEhSsx_A/s1600/_DSC0444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhOzSx06SI/AAAAAAAAEC0/jgfFEhSsx_A/s640/_DSC0444.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And this is the namesake- The Devils Playground....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>It was lots of fun to explore this new place & I will definetly be going back for some RS/DTA photo shoot when we get some girls stuff in... Of course, with a man, a dog, a 4Runner, and some mace! =)<br />
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Location: Eureka, CA - behind bayshore mall<br />
Date/Time: 8/15/10 @ 11am<br />
Subject(s): urban decay, architecture, graffiti, trash<br />
Notes: most of the images were taken with my polarizing filter on the lens as it was early morning and pretty bright out.BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-27591838968407132652010-08-27T16:24:00.000-07:002010-08-27T16:24:03.331-07:00Ferndale CemeteryHooray for my first ever visit to the Ferndale Cemetery! Kinda morbid & creepy I know, but I just couldn't pass up seeing such an old cemetery- some graves date back to the early 1800's! We had to go to the fairgrounds to pickup my entries and arrived a little early so I thought the cemetery would be cool to stroll through (of course with my camera in tow!).<br />
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The entrance was pretty non-descript just a simple wrought iron archway behind a newer looking church.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhCfH-IEiI/AAAAAAAAEBE/Cg6HyUXoR8Y/s1600/Ferndale+Cemetery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhCfH-IEiI/AAAAAAAAEBE/Cg6HyUXoR8Y/s640/Ferndale+Cemetery.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I took this image on our way out rather than on the way in so it would be a little darker. I also added a warming tone over the image to make it appear more antique as well as film grain to help add to the antique feeling. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhDAGUKhLI/AAAAAAAAEBM/dS4nFNCEd2I/s1600/Ferndale+Cemetery+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhDAGUKhLI/AAAAAAAAEBM/dS4nFNCEd2I/s320/Ferndale+Cemetery+(1).jpg" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhDzXYKQMI/AAAAAAAAEBU/662ByRpDKkA/s1600/Ferndale+Cemetery+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhDzXYKQMI/AAAAAAAAEBU/662ByRpDKkA/s320/Ferndale+Cemetery+(2).jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This was the first mausoleum we saw as we came up over the top of the hill. I had to sneak a peak inside at that gorgeous stained glass window & boy am I glad I did as I really like the picture on the right of the inside with the light reflecting off the walls. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhFtg6sznI/AAAAAAAAEBg/OzpSZ1nnlGk/s1600/Ferndale+Cemetery+(11).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhFtg6sznI/AAAAAAAAEBg/OzpSZ1nnlGk/s640/Ferndale+Cemetery+(11).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As we neared the top of the cemetery I noticed this tiny angel statue in front of Mother Rainbow's grave (no joke!). It took some angling but I finally got the angel and the city in the same frame. I added a slight brown tint in post processing to get the antique-y apocalyptic feel... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhGsruTIBI/AAAAAAAAEBs/5CeL-5eeOJc/s1600/Ferndale+Cemetery+(18).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhGsruTIBI/AAAAAAAAEBs/5CeL-5eeOJc/s640/Ferndale+Cemetery+(18).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I saw these little round wall toppers as we were getting ready to leave. I really loved the shapes and textures of the balls- they looked like they had been there since the beginning. I'm sure they were gorgeous when they were new with that pretty pattern on the front. I really liked the way the balls lined up and the orange poppies and blue skies behind them also.... I played around with the focus on this set of images- focusing on the front for one image, then the second for another, and the last, etc... But this image with the shallow DOF (Depth of Field) came out the best. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhHnu2Q_jI/AAAAAAAAEB4/AJmUL44PJgY/s1600/Ferndale+Cemetery+Triptych.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhHnu2Q_jI/AAAAAAAAEB4/AJmUL44PJgY/s640/Ferndale+Cemetery+Triptych.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There were way to many unnamed headstones in the cemetery. There were also quite a few headstones that were anonymous to me- like these Mother and Daddy ones that were in a family plot. At first I didn't realize they were in a family plot & thought how sad it was that someone's mom & dad were buried so non-descriptly.... I thought it would make a good triptych (3 image set) so I compiled them together & got this...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The cemetery was great and it was nice to walk around outside on such a gorgeous day. I will have to go back & visit for each season to get some repetitive shots... =)</div><br />
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Location: Ferndale, CA Cemetery<br />
Date/Time: 8/22/10 5-7pm<br />
Subject(s): Flowers, landscapes, graves, statues<br />
Notes: I took most of the images with my polarizing filter on the lens because even though it was 6ish in the afternoon it was still pretty darn bright out.BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6569790714920689281.post-63888157898164184472010-08-27T15:49:00.000-07:002010-08-27T15:49:46.722-07:00Humboldt County Fair<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Whooo have I been busy! I finally made it to the fair this past weekend to see if I won any ribbons for my photography entries. Sadly, no ribbons for me this year =( but they did hang every one of my entries which is awesome considering they only have to hang 2!! So at least I am still moving in the right direction!</div></div><br />
I was very surprised by the Judges picks this year. Last year I was able to locate tons of information on the Judges themselves which helped me tailor my entries to something more their 'style'. This year I couldn't even find out who the Judges were! Alot of the first and second place photos looked like snapshots to me, and there were quite a few photos that didn't place that I thought were better than the first place winner.<br />
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After my disappointment we went to check out the livestock and bird exhibits since we skipped those last year. I was really surprised at how large this part of the fair was & have decided that next year we will have to go for the judging....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THg5yYlwAwI/AAAAAAAAEAM/W60ERj_v0Ds/s1600/_DSC0141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THg5yYlwAwI/AAAAAAAAEAM/W60ERj_v0Ds/s640/_DSC0141.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This bird is absolutley crazy looking. I have no idea how he even flies with all those curly feathers... It was difficult to get an image of these birds without the bars from the cage getting in the way. But in the end I just changed my angle & voila! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THg6PoU-2dI/AAAAAAAAEAc/JfVmcr4fNAk/s1600/_DSC0131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THg6PoU-2dI/AAAAAAAAEAc/JfVmcr4fNAk/s640/_DSC0131.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And this little chicken was so stunning- it looked as if someone had painted the edges of every single feather with black paint.... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then we took on the horse races for a few. We went up into the stands this year instead of bringing our own chairs & sitting next to the track. I was impressed by the view from the stands both of the track and the city. We bet on a few races & my picks won a whole $4 on my box trifecta bet.... YEAH! That paid for the beer I would have bought had we not snuck in a flask of good-ol Jack! =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhAuO8iScI/AAAAAAAAEA4/W6gOawyr2S4/s1600/_DSC0168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OmvW1Au5yHE/THhAuO8iScI/AAAAAAAAEA4/W6gOawyr2S4/s640/_DSC0168.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span id="goog_2101748407"></span><span id="goog_2101748408"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">GET IT!!! Thats my horses- #5 & #4!! Pulling through for the win!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had a great time at the fair this year but next year I am all about the rides & livestock shows!!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Location: Ferndale, CA Fairgrounds<br />
Date/Time: 8/22/10 2-4pm<br />
Subject(s): Fair, Carnivals, Racing, Exhibits, Animals<br />
Notes:BECKYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06107452358041651961noreply@blogger.com0