Flexible Edits

Picking Cattails; 9/25/10; 3:14 p.m.; Nature Park- Rexburg, ID; f/8.0; 1/100; Canon XS120 IS

Using the tutorial #3 I added an adjustment layer and applied a Multiply blending mode to darken the image. I used a black brush to mask the effect in the background, bringing it back to its original color. Through the use of this adjustment mask I was able to bring the person into the correct exposure.

 

Barber Shop; 9/17/10; 6:54 p.m.; Richland, WA; f/3.5; 1/40; Canon XS120 IS

Using CI tutorial #23, I converted the image to a Smart Object.  From here, I added a few different filters to get the effect I wanted.  First I applied a "Poster Edges" filter, giving it the look of a painting.  I then used a "Texture" filter to give it the soft grainy look. I desaturated the photo a little bit to give it an older feel and created the final touches by adding a vignette and stroke for the border.

Flora & Fauna

 

Squirrel; 9/23/10; 3:17 p.m.;  Rexburg, ID; f/4.3; 1/320; Canon PowerShot XS120 IS

I was walking home from class one day and saw this squirrel rummaging through the dumpster by my apartment complex. Luckily, I had my camera with me and I was able to capture it in the act. This shot was right after he jumped from the dumpster and was nibbling on his find. I adjusted levels and saturation for this shot and also added a vignette to make a nice looking border.

 

Cattails; 9/25/10; 3:12 p.m.; Nature Park-Rexburg; ID; f/8.0; 1/320; Canon PowerShot XS120 IS

I went to the Nature Park and loved the beautiful scenery from this place. I have always loved cattails, and I especially loved the look they had with the water in the background. I adjusted levels and saturation for this photo and also added a burned border and used the stroke effect to create the white border.

 

Goose; 9/25/10; 2:38 p.m.; Nature Park-Rexburg; ID; f/8.0; 1/400; Canon PowerShot XS120 IS

This photo was also taken at the Nature Park. I loved watching this goose swim around and captured this shot at the exact moment I wanted to. Its feet were just above the surface and I loved the way the reflection looked against the rippling water. I adjusted levels and saturation for this shot and also added a cooling adjustment layer to get the cooler temperature feel to the water. There were a few white specks floating in the water that I wanted to get rid of as well, so I used a spot healing brush to do this. I burned the edges and used a simple stroke to create the white outline effect.

Blends & Type

 

Both of these images were taken at a random spot in Pendleton, Oregon at a random gas station. I just started snapping pictures and was very pleased with what I got! I used the transparent layer technique found in tutorial 27 and stacked my two images. Then I reduced the opacity of the top image in the layers palette to create a nice blend.

  

Tractor; 9/17/2010; 1:49 pm; Pendleton, OR; f/5.0; 1/1000; Canon PowerShot SX120 IS; handheld

  

Nature; 9/17/10; 1:46 pm; Pendleton, OR; f/5.0; 1/400; Canon PowerShot SX120 IS; handheld 

 Richland Dock; 9.18.2010; 2:36 p.m.; Richland, WA; f/3.5; 1/1250; Canon PowerShot SX120 IS

Feet; 9.17.2010; 7:10 p.m.; Richland, WA; f/3.5; 1/50; Canon PowerShot XS120 IS

 

I took both of these pictures in Richland, Washington  over this past weekend. I love the lines the light posts on the dock create, and I felt it blended nicely with the sandals stepping on the textured image. I used Overlay to blend the two layers together and cropped the background image down and rotated it horizontally to fit the feel of the photo better. The clone stamp was used to recreate a section of the blue texture for consistency. Text was added using tutorial 16 and the opacity was reduced to 72%. Overall, I was pleased with the outcome of the image!

Color Study: Blue

I absolutely loved this photo study assignment. I couldn't decide on just one color, so I chose about 3 different colors and went to town! Blue is the one I finally decided on, and I had such a fun time finding subjects to photograph. It was a definite learning experience for me to stop and think about depth of field and use Aperture Priority, but I really enjoyed it. I also made an effort to capture a variety of subjects and photo types.

I went to Richland, Washington over the weekend and, oh my goodness, talk about beautiful things to photograph. Each of these photos were taken as my family and I were waiting to be seated at a cute, little Italian restaurant. I was amazed that once I started looking for the color it jumped out everywhere at me. My family even got into the project as well and spotted some really fun things for me to photograph :)

 

BlueBeauty; 9/17/10; 6:51 pm; Richland, WA;  f/8.0;  1/13; Canon PowerShot SX120 IS; Adjusted Levels

Handicap; 9/17/10; 6:56 pm; Richland, WA; f/3.5; 1/60; Canon PowerShot SX120 IS; Adjusted levels

Outhouses; 9/17/10; 6:56 pm; Richland, WA; f/4.3; 1/80; Canon PowerShot SX120 IS; Adjusted levels/saturation

BlueBench; 9/17/10; 6:48 pm; Richland, WA; f/8.0; 1/20; Canon PowerShot SX120 IS; Adjusted levels/saturation

Past Photos

I love taking pictures! I tried to choose a variety of photos that I have taken, and in the process realized that I love taking photos of nature. There is just something about it that makes me want to freeze that moment in time-how it looks, how it feels and revisit that place at another time. I hope you enjoy!

 

Arizona Christmas: December 28, 2008; 11:59 a.m.; Phoenix, Arizona; f/4.4;  1/400;  Casio EX-Z75

Fisherman's Sunset; September 4, 2010; 7:56 p.m.; Island Park, ID;  f/5.9;  1/160; Casio EX-Z75

Berry Frost; January 29, 2010; 12:39 p.m.; Rexburg, ID; f/8.4;  1/400; Casio EX-Z75

 

Cracked Wood; May 19, 2009; 8:35 p.m.; Inkom, ID; f/3.1;  1/50; Casio EX-Z75

 

Camping Boys; September 4, 2010; 2:26 p.m.; Island Park, ID; f/4.0;  1/60; Casio EX-Z75

I have never done any major editing and that is what I am most excited for in this course. In all of the pictures above the only editing that was done was color enhancement through iPhoto and Gaussian blur in the bottom photo. I am anxious to learn new skills and am so excited to enhance my own photos and create new masterpieces.