Photography Hints

Roses on a Blanket

2009-08-25T08:16:00.003-05:00

THAT SOFT LOOK

My husband was sick so I decided to drop by a florist's shop and check in on their flowers. It was towards the end of a Friday afternoon and the above roses were $1.00 each. Boy did I have fun photographing roses that weekend!

The above roses are resting on a creamy colored blanket.

The only thing I did on this image was to smudge everything and clone a few places.

When I was entering competition this never won any awards, but this image got my highest score in 4 state competition - it got a score of 91.

Challenge for today:

Bring out the beauty in flowers in a simple setting.

Mosaic Vase

2009-08-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

COLORFUL MOSAIC GLASSWARE

Mosaic glassware is beautiful with light shining upon it....however......it pretty well has to be empty in order to get the best advantage of light bouncing off of it. I have photograph the above vase many times, but most of the time I have flowers in it.

Anyway, back to the photo. The background I used for this image is the same I used for the image I posted on August 18.

For the flowers I used a couple of roses which were past their prime and placed them in front of the vase.

After I photographed the image and got it into the computer I placed a textured image I had created and placed it as a layer upon the image I had just photographed. Because I only wanted the final result to look a little like a painting, I adjusted the opacity of the textured layer so that only a bit of it was showing up on the original photograph.

Challenge for today:

Remember you can still photograph flowers which are past their prime. Try it.

Tulips and Glassware

2009-08-22T10:07:00.002-05:00

HAVING FUN IN YOUR CREATIVITY!

This may not look too creative, but for me having the glass plate in an upright position in front of a glass jar is being creative.

For me this was just a fun photo shoot experimenting with clear glass and tulips/daffodils. I actually have quite a few versions of all of this and I'll be sharing at least one more version further on.

Anyway, the background in the original image was white poster board.

After I got the image into the computer I took a textured image I had created which is just made up of colors. I then darkened it quite a bit before I placed it as a layer on the image I had just photographed. Then after quite a bit of mixing and erasing and adding back onto the original image, I got the above look.

It looks kinda wild and modern and I like the final result.

Challenge for today:

Experiment with positioning glassware in unusual positions.

Roses in a Cookie Jar

2009-08-21T09:20:00.000-05:00

USING UNUSUAL ITEMS

The one thing about looking at magazines - you gain new ideas. However using a cookie jar was entirely of my own thinking.

Now actually this isn't a very good picture - the roses look too pale. Yet, I like the image because I used an antique cookie jar AND the background is one of my own images printed out to a size 12" by 18" in length.

Nothing special was done to the image except smudging the foreground material a bit.

Challenge for today:

Once again, try your hand at printing out and use one of your own images as the background.

Morning Glories and Other Flowers

2009-08-20T10:08:00.002-05:00

LETTING THE MATERIAL GUIDE THE PHOTO SHOOT!

I had a soft, pastel colored night gown. I love it; however when you start using clothes as a part of the background/foreground, you generally are limited on how much material you actually have to use in the picture.

Anyway, I was willing to take the risk and I helped minimize my photography problem by using the material only in the foreground and I used white poster board for the background.

I'm not a floral arranger and the flowers in the vase proves it, but I do like the way the morning glories are arranged on the material. (Remember, morning glories tear easily and they are called morning glories for a reason.)

After I got the shot I wanted and downloaded the image into the computer, I got out a textured image I had created and placed that as a layer. With such light colors on the background/foreground it was easy to adjust the opacity of the layer and get just enough of a "painting" look.

Challenge for today:

Start thinking about photographing some morning glories - the blossoms are large and they can fill up a lot of space in an image.

Hollyhocks and Peppermint

2009-08-19T07:41:00.004-05:00

HOLLYHOCKS AREN'T FUN TO ARRANGE!

I love it when flowers have large blossoms because they take up a lot of space.....And to be able to photograph flowers which seem SO much a part of the past - WOW!!!!

BUT.......hollyhocks DO have major photographing problems.

1. The flower stems are extremely tall - some over 6 feet!
2. Their seed pods makes the stems top heavy which causes the stem to twirl around and difficult to arrange in a vase.
3. When you are in the flower garden you pretty much have to decide which stem to cut into. A stem may have over 25 unopened buds on it, 3 blossoms in full bloom, 1 blossom starting to open, and 7 seed pods. And everything seems to be randomly placed on the stem. You might have 1 full blossom 5 inches down from the top of the stem.....then another flower in full bloom 7 inches further down........
4. And hollyhocks are biannual.

Now back to the above image.

I chose a few stems which had blossoms close to the top. Because the blooms were toward the top, I was able to leave most of the stem still intact with the plant for further blooming.

I then picked some fresh peppermint to add a different color to the picture and to add more foliage to the image.

I chose cream color material for the foreground and background because I knew I was going to add a light colored textured background later with the computer.

After I shot the picture I wanted, I downloaded it into the computer and placed a textured layer over the hollyhock image. I adjusted the opacity and then I went into Photoshop Elements 3 and used the pastel filter. Because I wanted to offset the brightness of the pastel image, I went back and made a layer of the pastel filter and placed it over the combined textured layer/hollyhock image and then adjusted the pastel image's opacity.

Challenge for today:

Hurry up and plant those hollyhock seeds. You still might be able to get some blooms next year. But you have to hurry now!!!!!!

Oranges and Flowers

2009-08-18T08:08:00.003-05:00

GET SOME FRUIT INTO THE PICTURE!

Many paintings use the combination of fruit and flowers and you can too. If you don't have any in your yard, next time you go to the store just purchase several oranges, apples, etc. Of course you should know ahead of time how you will use the fruit in your photo shoot.

In order to minimize the cost of purchasing fresh produce, it helps when you plan on using a small vase. A small vase means you don't have to have a lot of space to fill up with flowers and fruits/vegetables.

Now on to the above image. The vase I used in the image wasn't too much bigger in height than the oranges I used.

For the background material, I used my favorite all around Wal-Mart purchased material. It is VERY WIDE and I have at least 3 yards of it. This gives me a lot of moving around room. One thing I love about about this material is the coloring. It has different shades of brown, yellow, red, etc., in it.

One of the hard things about still life images is trying to make everything seem like it ISN'T a still life and trying to keep it from being boring. Somehow peeling one of the oranges and leaving what I peeled on the table beside the orange makes it seem more realistic and not boring.

Challenge for today:

Check out the fruits and vegetables available and try your hand at combining them into an image with flowers.

Pretty Petals

2009-08-17T19:06:00.003-05:00

LOOKING AT PETALS!

I fell in love with these flowers, though I'm not quite sure what they are. There is something about the petals which excite me!

I placed the flowers and some ground cover in a small vase.

For the background I used white poster board because I knew I wanted to add a textured background. White would not compete against the colors of the background I was going to add later.

After I got the image I wanted into my computer I added the textured background and adjusted the opacity of the textured layer.

I then combined the added textured layer to the original image and then saved everything as a different image.

As a finishing touch I softened the image a bit.

Challenge for today:

Take a close look at those flower petals.

Morning Glories

2009-08-16T20:22:00.003-05:00

GETTING CLOSE TO THE FLOWERS!

Morning glories are beautiful, but you DO have to get to them early in the morning for they close when it gets pretty sunny outside and they do close on you after a while inside. Also be careful in picking them because their petals are very delicate and tear easily!

For this image I picked a few and placed them in a simple vase. The background I used was white poster board. I knew I was going to place a textured background as a layer on top of the photograph so I went ahead and made everything simple by using white as the background.

After I took the photo and chose which one I wanted to use, I got the image into the computer and pasted a textured layer on top of the original photograph. I then adjusted the opacity of the textured layer.

Then when I was pleased with the way the image looked, I softened the combined image/layer and "softened" it.

Challenge for tomorrow:

See if you can find some morning glories or some wild morning glories to photograph.

Gentle Flower

2009-08-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

SOFT AND SIMPLE!

I had a surprise show up in my garden - a single gladiola. I had planted it the year before and though it came up......it never bloomed. I know you are supposed to dig up those bulbs, but I've never done so. Well anyway....I sure was surprised to see the thing up and blooming the year after I planted it.

Now back to the photo. I had a medium sized nightgown which had soft colors on it. So I decided to try and use the nightgown as the material for this shoot. Since I didn't have a lot of material to work with, I had trouble hanging and draping the material. And the material had seams in it and it had a front and a back as clothes do have. So it WAS difficult to work with.

With such a shortage of material, I had to use a small vase which worked out fine since I didn't have too much of a flower to work with. (The gladiola was just about gone before I knew I had a blossom out in my garden.)

Though I really do hate the way the top part of the material drapes down, I really do like the way it ends up curving around the vase and on out to the edge of the image.

Though I did smudge the vase because it actually had a green line and small pink flowers on it, I didn't smudge anything else in the picture. I didn't want to destroy the curve of the material.

Challenge for today:

Check your flower garden again to see if something interesting has started blooming.

The Fog

2009-08-14T08:55:00.002-05:00

LOOKING OUT FOR THE FOG!

I had gone on a camping trip and had gotten up before dawn because I wanted to get a photo of colors of the sun rising. The above image was taken as I looked down at a river as the sun was rising. There was some fog in the area, but I sure was surprised when I got the image back from processing and I had the fog as a golden color. I scanned the negative into my computer AND the color was golden. The processing center had not adjusted the color.

The only thing I did with the above image was to clone out a couple of areas in the foreground.

Challenge for today:

Capture some of the dawns and sunsets in your area.

The Cat

2009-08-13T08:13:00.003-05:00

Sometimes You Cannot Create the Pose!

Sometimes you get poses which you cannot create, but you CAN kinda push it along.

My cat was on a table and I just put the bowl in front of her.

I then did a special effect in some software.

But the main thing is the cat looking down at an empty bowl.

Challenge for today:

Look around for possible photos with your pets.

The Pathway

2009-08-12T09:14:00.003-05:00

NOTICE THE GENTLE PATHWAYS IN YOUR LIFE!

I took this picture about 10 years ago and it is gentle enough that I like it.

This image is the result of going into some software and letting the software do a special effect. That is all that I remember about this picture's history. I'm sorry, but at least you can enjoy a little bit of the calm of nature.

Challenge for today:

Take a walk and photograph the trees.

Spring in the City

2009-08-11T19:15:00.003-05:00

USING TWO VASES!

I wanted to utilize 2 antique vases. They are called "Gufus Glassware." (I'm not sure if Gufus is the right spelling....) Anyway, the glassware is painted in the inside of the vase. So, a lot of this kind of antique glassware has the paint coming off from the inside of the vase.

Now back to the actual photo. I placed the two vases close enough together so it looks like all of the flowers are in one vase; however, I placed the vases enough at an angle that you can clearly see the flower design on each one of the vases.

I used a really dark lavender material for the background. Then I placed some yellow material on a table to be a part of the foreground.

After I shot the photo I went added a texture image and placed it as a layer onto the photo I had just taken. I then adjusted the opacity enough to give the final image some extra interesting color/texture.

Challenge for Today:

Try and photograph two vases together.

Purple Coneflower

2009-08-08T15:15:00.003-05:00

MERGING OF TWO IMAGES

Photographers have had fun for years merging photos together. The above image is what I merged by using the computer.

I took a photo I had taken of a purple coneflower on a small blue dish. I then took a photograph I had taken of an outside light by my front door.

And I just combined the two images together!

Challenge for today:

Again, I think I am well protected from a computer crash. As far as I know everything I've ever done I have on both DVD's and portable hard drives. Are you as well protected?????

Cosmos and Zinnias

2009-08-07T21:02:00.004-05:00

CHOOSING PLEASING COLORS!

Forgive me for such a long time between posts. I never knew that a thunderstorm can create problems for your computer even though your computer is unplugged AND the lightning is just only too close for comfort.

Now that I'm back in business, I'll start with the above image.

I chose orange and yellow and a touch of lavender because the colors go so well together.

The pot is only about 4 inches high - so you see the entire image fits quite closely together.

After I shot the image I got it into my computer and made a layer out of one of my textured images and started adjusting the opacity of the textured layer. I only wanted enough of the textured image to show to give the final image an overall idea of being a painting.

Challenge for today:

Make sure you have adequate backup for all the images you have placed into your computer and make sure you keep the backup in a safe place!

Anniversary Roses by Candlelight

2009-07-20T15:26:00.003-05:00

TRY DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE SAME SUBJECT!

The above subject is another attempt at photographing a subject, printing it out as a 12 x 18 inches image, framing it and then using the framed image in another photographic still life. And if you would refer to May 15 you would see a slightly different still life image of the above subject.

But for today's image I used a different vase and a different frame. I also changed the layout of the candle and the dried roses. I also let more of the mantle show in this picture.

There was NOTHING done with this image after it was downloaded into my computer.

Now, which image do you prefer - the image for May 15 or the one for today?

Challenge for today:

Frame one of your own creations and then photograph away.

Roses and Others

2009-07-19T14:11:00.003-05:00

MAKING IT DRAMATIC!

Somehow having a dark background/foreground really helps in making an image dramatic looking.

And you don't HAVE to do anything to an image after it is downloaded into your computer - this image is a perfect example of having nothing special added or deducted.

This image is just about darkness and lightness of subjects and using what you have at the moment.

Challenge for today:

Photograph some images using a very dark background.

Middle of the Summer Blooms

2009-07-18T18:26:00.003-05:00

YOU CAN HAVE FUN WITH PHOTOGRAPHY!

The above image was just plain old fun to do!

I took one of my images and printed it out to be 12" by 18" in size and used it as the background.

I then took a small blue vase which pretty well matched the color of the plate in the background image.

I took some day lilies and zinnias and placed them in the vase. I placed in the foreground a bunch of black eyed susans (which also happens to be the flower in the background image).

Then the photography shooting began and there you pretty well have the completed image.

Challenge for today:

Try and get an image together that you can print out and use as your own background for another image.

Yellow and White

2009-07-17T18:49:00.002-05:00

I HAD A GRAY AND WHITE DRESS!

Yes, that's right - the background material is a gray and white dress.

Basically the above image is simple. I placed a few spring flowers in a clear vase and placed a few flower petals and leaves around the vase - then I started the photography session.

After I got the shot I wanted, I downloaded the image into my computer.

I then got out a textured background I had created and pasted it as a layer onto the original flower image. I didn't want to actually cover up the pattern in the dress; I only wanted to add some additional color and drama. In fact you can see some of the white flowers in the dress material.

Challenge for Today:

Use a dress or shirt for the background of some picture.

Fresh and Old

2009-07-16T20:23:00.004-05:00

DON'T BE IN A HURRY TO THROW AWAY THOSE OLD ROSES!

The day before yesterday I posted an image with different arrangements of these same pottery vases.

This picture is about fresh flowers and old roses which seem to go with the brownish colored pottery containers.

However, I don't remember exactly how I did this image.

I know I must have used the see through curtains which have white flowered patterns in them, because I can see a faint outline at the top of this image of those white flowers.

In my computer I must have placed a textured layer on top of the original image to get the "painting look."

But, like I said, I don't really recall HOW i COMPLETED THIS IMAGE.

I'm sorry, but I do hope you'll enjoy the image for itself.

Challenge for today:

Just stop and smell the flowers.

Roses and Zinnias

2009-07-15T09:20:00.003-05:00

PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR OWN WORK!

Actually there was little done to the actual final image, but there is a lot to tell about the composing of the picture and there IS a story behind the framed picture.

So, first I'll start with the picture in the frame.

I went to a local antique store and bought this tiny hob nail vase for less than $15. I used as the background a sweater which has colored specks on it. Having a sweater as a background limited me on the amount of space I had for photography purposes. After I got the shot I liked, I smudged the sweater a WHOLE LOT. I then added a textured background I had done. I then gave a copy of the image to the antique store owner. She was thrilled!

Now on to the story behind this new image.

First, for me it is HARD to photograph a frame so it ends out looking like it should be - straight.

Secondly, for this picture I wanted to use the same sweater as the background. So to the right of the picture I used clothes pins to hold the sweater into place.

Thirdly, I wanted to use the same hob nail vase. But the light was coming from a different angle so in this picture the vase doesn't look white. You CAN clearly see the lips of the vases are the same and of course you can see the hob nails.

And for the final touch, I wanted to use pink as the color in the foreground flowers. Unfortunately, I was limited on the number of pink zinnias I had on hand - one. And one pink flower doesn't make a majority. But that turned out fine because I had plenty of darker colors. Placing the one pink blossom next to the framed picture keeps the eye coming back to the inside of the image because that is where the lightest colors are.

And that is how I did this photo.

Challenge for today:

Compose one of your own images into the making of another image.

Pottery, Flowers and Letters

2009-07-14T13:30:00.000-05:00

MIXING THINGS UP A BIT!

I arranged this image because my husband bought me some roses and I couldn't let them go unphotographed.

To help make the rose bouquet larger I decided to pick some daffodils which were blooming.

Since the roses were kinda an orange color, I decided to place the flowers in a pottery vase I had purchased at a garage sale.

I then added some more pottery vases of various sizes which were a flea market find.

The dog actually is about 61 years old. Before my parents were married they went on a date to a carnival and my dad "won" this dog as a prize. My mother named the dog "Pedro."

My dad loved to save birthday cards, sympathy cards, etc., so I placed a couple in the photo.

I used a very dark background material when I photographed the picture and then later added a textured background when I got the picture into the computer.

Challenge for Today:

Photograph some vases or pots of various heights and shapes.

Iris, Lily-of-the Valley and Peonies

2009-07-13T19:36:00.000-05:00

THE SOFTNESS OF COLORS!

Colors can really create a mood and I believe the above is an example of "COLOR SOFTNESS" in an image.

The initial background of the above image is a see through curtain which is slightly pink in color and has a white flowered pattern.

After I got the photo into my computer, I took a background of various colors I had created and through various steps and layers, I got the above final image.

Challenge for the day:

Photograph the softness of color.

Assorted Summer Blooms

2009-07-12T21:26:00.002-05:00

GATHERING BLOOMS OF THE SAME COLOR

It is always neat to see hollyhock blossoms in paintings, but they really are hard to photograph!

The trouble with hollyhocks is that the stem is never fully in bloom. There may be 1 blossom and then 3 inches down or up the stem there might be another bloom. So you don't get a continuous stem in bloom. And another thing about hollyhocks is that they they tend to droop the day after you have picked them.

Anyway, now on to the above photo.

Since I had plenty of different pink flowers, I decided to have a color bouquet of pink blossoms.

I had so much trouble arranging the above flowers that once I was through photographing the flowers in one vase I just put the vase and all into an old crock and added a few more flowers. You can't really see the actual vase and I didn't have to rearrange the bouquet again.

After I got the image I wanted, I did something new. I used Paint Shop Pro's arithmetic option and then did an "average" arithmetic of 2 backgrounds I had previously worked up and then when I had 1 new background I chose another different background and did an "average" arithmetic of the new background I had just created.

I then used the final resulting arithmetic and did an arithmetic of the pink blossom image. I then adjusted the levels of brightness and pasted the image onto the original pink blossom image.

Then I adjusted the opacity to give the image enough of a "wild painting" look.

Briefly speaking the above image is the final result of using 3 different backgrounds to get 1 new background to use as a layer on the original photo.

Challenge for today:

Photograph some flowers of the same color.

My Cat

2009-07-02T09:37:00.004-05:00

WHAT????????

Everything about this high key image is unplanned and nothing has been added to this image to get it to look like this.

Now the first thing to this story is I had been photographing some hollyhocks and I had taken the flowers away into my kitchen to get them into cooler conditions for awhile. (My photographing room is not air conditioned.)

The second part to this story is that though I had removed the flowers/vase I had left everything else on my photography table because I planned on resuming my hollyhock photographing session later. (I was using the penny to straighten up the vase a bit.)

Unfortunately, the last key element to this image's story is that I THINK my 28-200 zoom lens has gone bad.

Anyway when I went back with my flowers to try and see what my lens would do, my cat, Abby, was sound asleep amidst my faded blossoms and penny.

I went ahead and tried out my lens with Abby instead of the hollyhocks.

In my attempts to get my lens/camera to work this is one of the images I got.

This definitely isn't a still life image or is it?

Like I said earlier there was nothing done to this image except to take out the noise in the image and remove the purple fringe which happens in digital photography.

Anyway, I've placed my 28-200 zooms lens into a different camera bag and have gotten out the cheap zoom lens which came with my camera and I'm back to taking pictures.

Now I'm trying to decide which new lens to buy or whether I should purchase a new digital camera.....decisions are generally NEVER EASY!!!!!

Challenge for today:

None....I don't want this misfortune to come your way.

Corn Cob and Zinnias

2009-06-28T19:20:00.003-05:00

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT IS AVAILABLE!

We had a few ears of corn given to us a couple of years ago.

I decided to try and photograph the gift.

I took two cooking pans I had purchased earlier at a thrift store. I then took a few white zinnias from my garden and placed them in a red and white teapot. I cut some corn off of the cob and I started photographing.

About the only thing I did to this image was to take out a few blemishes from the wood and softened the image a bit.

Challenge for today:

This is summer. Start photographing some vegetables or fruit!

Love those Peonies

2009-06-26T10:37:00.000-05:00

IS LESS WILD BETTER??????

For today's image I am going to let you decide what you like.

The above image is what I call "a toned down image." If you would refer back to my posting of June 11, you would find what I term as a "wild" image. The flowers and the basic background of today's posting and the posting of June 11 are the same BUT the image of June 11 is a much wilder version of the above image.

Actually the above image has just enough of the added textured layer showing to give the image sort of a painted look. The colors and shape of the flowers and crock are completely in view. However, the shape and colors of the crock and flowers in the June 11 image are NOT nearly as identifiable as they are in today's image.

I'm not saying these images are "art".........and yet, people DO have a preference in what they like in art. And the good thing about photography and computers is that you have more of a chance to please the various tastes of viewers.

Challenge for today:

Try and turn a basic image into 2 images to please to two spectrums of viewers.

Summer Bouquet

2009-06-25T13:21:00.002-05:00

USING WHITE POSTER BOARD AS A BACKGROUND

It really does help to know WHAT your plans are with an image AFTER you photograph it so you know how to set up the image.

I wanted an image that had some empty space for text.

So I photographed a clear vase/flowers against white poster board.

After I uploaded the image into the computer I chose a textured background and made it to be a layer. I then adjusted the layer's opacity so it added just enough color to make the total image interesting. But I didn't want the added texture/color to overpower the flowers and the text I would later add.

Challenge for the day:

Start a collection of colored poster boards - but start out with white.

Bowl of Oatmeal and Raspberries

2009-06-18T18:30:00.005-05:00

EXPLORATION IN PHOTOGRAPHY!

This day and age of digital photography it is much easier to really let the "inner you" come out. One of the main reasons for that is you don't have the film and processing costs to contend with anymore. Of course you may be one of those many individuals who have digital images converted over at Wal-Mart and actually printed out as pictures - BUT at least you have the option.

When you don't have to conserve on the actual costs of your photo taking session, then you are really free to explore the creative composition of your still life pictures.

A lot of times I find myself working around a theme in photos until I've grown tired of a particular type of images.

The above image was one of the results of a series I did with old crocks and food.

This image was done using an old dresser, old wood, old crocks, and fresh food.

I placed an old board down for the surface and placed some old boards against the dresser's mirror and used those old boards for the backdrop.

I arranged the old crocks and got out a newer bowl which had a cranberry colored lid. If you notice that cranberry lid goes well with the raspberries - especially that little one to the left the oatmeal bowl.

I actually did make up a bowl of oatmeal and then I got some frozen raspberries out of the freezer.

After I scattered some sugar and some raspberries on the old board, I was ready to start clicking away.

After I chose an image I liked and got it uploaded into the computer, I chose a background I had created made out of just colors and placed it as a layer onto the image I had just taken.

I then worked with the "color layer" and with the original image for awhile until I got just the right look - the wood used as the backdrop has a lot of the "color layer" and the rest of the image has a lot less of the "color layer."

Challenge for today:

Go ahead and photograph some food!

In Remembrance

2009-06-17T20:36:00.003-05:00

TO HELP EASE THE PAIN

When my father died at the age of 93, I decided to photograph some of the plants that were given in honor of him and use them as "thank you" cards.

You don't need to tell me that that type of thing sounds like a terrible thing to do. Yet, it really did help me in my grief by making something pretty out of the plants and it also occupied my time.

The above image was sent by a few of my dear co-workers.

I photographed the plant with some red books. (I thought the red in the flower would look prettier if the books were of the same color.)

The background was a very light colored blank wall. The wood behind the plant was an open door.

I placed one of my created backgrounds as a layer over the photograph and then I erased everything on the layer except I did allow the background to replace the blank wall.

The final image result looks like the plant is in front of a view of the sky.

And this is an image in memory of my father and the kindness of my friend's in my sorrow.

Challenge for today:

Remember that Father's Day is coming up. Photograph something that has happy memories that belongs in his past.

Wild Peonies

2009-06-11T17:50:00.004-05:00

HAVE MORE THAN ONE VERSION OF AN IMAGE!

This image IS different from yesterday's peonies, but I did use the same crock and the same window curtain as the background.

Peonies seem to demand to be shown as being delicate even if they are in a dark setting. So I worked up the image of these peonies in a delicate image by using Paint Shop Pro's arithmetic effect.

BUT....BUT....BUT....the above image is AFTER I used the arithmetic effect and after I darkened the arithmetic effect but BEFORE I did anything else and definitely before I started toning the image down.

Again let me explain what "arithmetic" means. In Paint Shop Pro you take 2 images of the same size. (I used the peonies image and then an image which was composed of strokes which were made up of random colors - done in Microsoft Photodraw.) Then in Paint Shop Pro you have a choice of 3 different arithmetic options: 1. an average of the 2 images, 2. the darkest of the 2 images, or 3. the lightest of the 2 images. (Actually there are other options, but I don't understand them.)

For the above image I did an average of the 2 images - this is the option I generally use.

Of course after I do the first arithmetic effect and the first initial darkening procedure I then start toning down the arithmetic effect. It just seems to me that the darkening of the arithmetic effect ends up helping the overall final result.

If you find yourself using the arithmetic effect in Paint Shop Pro you will find the first arithmetic version really comes out looking more like a wild painting (especially if you darken it).

Challenge for today:

Download a free trial version of Corel Paint Shop Pro .

Peonies in a Crock

2009-06-10T19:11:00.004-05:00

NOTHING LIKE AN ABUNDANCE!

One of the neat things about peonies is that they have such large blossoms! It doesn't take too many to make you feel like you have a lot and when you actually have a lot......

I didn't plant these peonies, but I'm glad someone did. I do like white peonies; however, the pale pink peonies have such a delicate look about them.

In composing this picture, I used as the material a see through curtain I bought as some thrift store.

Since I wanted to make sure that the light colored peonies wouldn't fade in the background, I used the darker colored peonies and the sage(?) to help break the curtains from the rest of the flowers.

After I chose a picture I liked and got it uploaded into the computer, I made a layer out of another image I had worked on and pasted it on the peonies image. Then I worked with the layer and peonies photo a while.

When I finally got the right combination of layer and peonies, I printed the result out and admired it for awhile!

Challenge for today:

Go to a thrift store and look for some good cheap curtains you can later use.

Catalpa Tree Blossoms

2009-06-08T09:45:00.005-05:00

USING WHAT YOU HAVE!

I will keep on stressing the importance on using what you already have.

First off - when was the last time you saw an image of roses? Yesterday or just a couple of hours ago?

Why not start photographing items or flowers which most people overlook? Why not photograph some flowers/weeds that most people don't think are "worthy" of being photographed?

I chose the above catalpa tree blossoms because who else would. But in defense of the subject matter - the catalpa leaves are really big and the blossoms aren't too small.

I chose the clear round thrift store bowl because I thought it would be pretty.

My husband had a small old brown stained table. I sat the bowl of blossoms down upon the table.

I then brought out some large brown material to use as the background. With the table and the background being brown I thought it would make the shades of green in the leaves to really show up. To really make the blossoms show up I made sure that some of them were right in front of the dark brown background.

And that was the image - no special computer additions - just an image of some "plain catalpa leaves and blossoms."

Challenge for the day:

Photograph what is generally overlooked.

Tea and Tea Roses

2009-06-06T08:59:00.007-05:00

DO MORE WITH SWEATERS THAN WEAR THEM!

I have this sweater which is a really deep bluish/lavender color and has a lot of different raised color speckles on it.

For this particular photography hour I had 3 tea roses, a few grapes and some Coke to work with.

One of the important things in setting up still life photography is to try and make an image seem real and inviting. And it is hard to set up an image when you have limited props for it is ALWAYS better to have too many roses, too many grapes, etc.

And that really was the challenge here.

(Oh, I forgot....a different kind of challenge was because I was working with a sweater. The sweater is only about waist long and of course has sleeves. This all creates a limitation on how much material you have to use with the props.)

So with these different challenges, I finally got an image I like.

After I got it uploaded into the computer, I then added a layer which adds painting like textures. I then worked with the layer and the image until I got what I wanted. I then deepened the color to more of a blue because that seemed to go better with the yellow.

Challenge for today:

Though it is almost summer, get out those sweaters and photograph them with flowers.

Playing with Patterns

2009-06-04T12:20:00.007-05:00

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE
TO KNOW WHEN TO START
OVER!

I purchased the vase used in these 2 pictures because
I thought it had an interesting
pattern.

I also purchase a large roll of wallpaper which was on sale.

On two separate days about 3 weeks later I decided play with the vase and the wallpaper.

The image on the top is one
of the photographs I took
on the first day.

The image on the bottom is an image I took on the second day. And by the way, the background for the top photograph was a short brown winter jacket which belonged to my father. The jacket's brown corduroy material added an interesting texture to the photo - almost like the texture of wood.

Now that I have the 2 images posted, perhaps I should just start over and NEVER USE THE VASE AND THE WALLPAPER TOGETHER!!!!!

Challenge for today:

Experiment with patterns.

Depression Glass

2009-06-03T06:58:00.004-05:00

REMEMBER THE DETAILS OF YOUR PROPS

Do you what to know what I see when I look at this image?

I see fake roses matching a flower bowel.

I also remember that the bowl was purchased at an antique shop very cheaply because there is a slight crack in the bottom which prevents it from holding any kind of liquid.

I see a teacup which really has Coke in it because I was as in a hurry to start photographing as usual and I didn't want to wait for the tea or coffee to brew.

And what I finally see is a tea bag which has a perfectly straight string.

(I remember from a long time back how I was raked over the coals by a really wise and famous photographer for having an EMPTY TEACUP in an image. Then I was rebuked for having a crook in the tea bag string - it detracted from the overall image.)

By now you must be thinking, "Why tell me all about this?"

Well, for reason number 1: you don't have to throw away an object like the bowl. Fresh flowers CAN live a short period of time without water....but you DO have to remember that there is a crack. Anyway, I purchased this bowl because I like the cut design on the glass. If there were flowers in the bowl, you wouldn't see the design.

Then for reason number 2: you really can use fake flowers if you position them wisely.

Now for reason number 3: follow through with what should be logical. A teacup is meant to have something in it and if you want it to be tea then a tea bag follows through with the overall idea of tea.

And by the way - look at the image for May 26 - but there may not be a tea bag in that image.

Challenge for the day:

Do some remembering.

Fresh Eggs and Old Crockery

2009-06-02T08:44:00.003-05:00

IT ALL STARTED WITH SOME GREEN EGGS!

I'm still not used to having fresh eggs. And having fresh GREEN EGGS!!!!!! I just had to photograph the eggs.

So, I had some eggs.....what do I do to make an image using the eggs look at least believable? That is what I have said before, "I haven't seen any books on how to compose still life photos."

In my quest to make the scene likely, I decided to try and make what would seem to be an old fashioned setting.

I got out some old crockery, I placed some cocoa in a bowl, I got some chopped up walnuts from out of the freezer and placed them in an old nut chopper, placed a couple of old walnuts around, put a few chopped up nuts on the board I was using, scattered some sugar on the board, broke one egg, and then I was all set to photograph.

I think that the photograph does look realistic.

After I got the image I wanted, I went to my computer and added a layer to give it a painting look. I worked with the layer awhile and finally got what I wanted. I was done.

Challenge for today:

Try and photograph some food.

Completely Spring

2009-05-31T19:33:00.003-05:00

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT SPRING FLOWERS!

Whether you have spring flowers or tree blossoms, there is a certain magic about getting out the camera and photographing something other than snow scenes.

For this image I just picked a bunch of spring blossoms and placed them in a clear jar.

I used a white blanket for the background and after I chose this image, I put the image in the computer and started working on it.

I had a background which had a lot of blue, yellow and a tinge of lavender. Since I wanted the final image to appear a little wild and yet, not too wild - I did quite a bit of manipulation. I did an arithmetic effect using PaintShop Pro and then I did a lot of layering and erasing.

All this is clear as mud....right? I thought so.

Well, anyway....the result is that the background is wilder looking than the flowers and the vase and yet, the flowers and vase still look like they have been painted.

I finally got the result I wanted.

Challenge for today:

Keep in mind what kind of spring flowers you'll want to photograph next year and plan on planting some of them this fall.

Tiger Lilies and Butterflies

2009-05-29T21:59:00.003-05:00

BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR BACKGROUND MATERIAL

The particular background material I used in this image has been packed away. I come across it now and then but I'll have to think hard before I use it again. As a sheet, the butterflies and flowers are really pretty, but the butterflies and flowers do make the image busy. Yet, I do like the image.

After I settled for this photo and got it into the computer, I decided to try and diminish the busyness in the background. And guess what I used to try and diminish the overpowering background? I got out one of my created backgrounds and made it as a layer on the photograph. By adjusting the opacity of the layer just right, I was able to kinda tone down the butterflies and flowers on the sheet.

Now when I look at the image I primarily see a LOT of lilies and a lot of color!

Oh, by the way, since I was using a clear vase I made sure that the "water line" in the vase was near the top and wasn't way down in the middle of the vase.

Challenge for today:

Use a sheet for the background of some photograph.

Peonies

2009-05-28T18:30:00.000-05:00

USING DARK AND LIGHT

Sometimes the vase and flower helps to decide if the photo should be dramatic or kinda fun.

When I picked the peonies and looked around for a vase I decided to use a gold colored one. Then I decided to make the photo dramatic. With this in mind I used a very dark gray cloth to use as the backdrop. I took off the light colored cloth I had on the table top...and I was all set.

I took a lot of different photos - some with books - some without the books. Though there were a few I really did like, I decided to work on this one.

Once I got the image into the computer I placed a background layer which I had created earlier on top of the image. Then I adjusted the opacity until just a little bit of the background layer was showing. I DID NOT WANT the background layer to overpower the already dramatic look for the image!

Challenge for today:

Plant some flowers today that you can photograph later this year. It still isn't too late!

Spring Blossoms

2009-05-27T19:21:00.000-05:00

GETTING A FEEL OF ABUNDANCE ISN'T EASY!

It really is hard to get enough blossoms and such into an image to give a feeling of abundance! (That is why I am really trying to get a lot of flowers planted which will bloom from summer till fall.)

Anyway, I had a few late blooming daffodils but not a whole lot....thank goodness I had a lot of tree and shrub blossoms.

I generally like one color vases, but I fell in love with the above tin. I guess I liked the yellow gold and green color combination. (What I don't like about the tin is that it has a handle on each side. Almost every time I photograph this vase I try to hide the handles, but sometimes it just isn't possible.)

Now back to the image. I photographed it against a white background. Then when I got it into the computer I created a layer out of a background I had previously created. I chose enough of a opacity of the layer so you could SEE the layer, but still the flowers and vase are the main objects in the image - NOT THE BACKGROUND LAYER.

Challenge for today:

Look around for some unusual colored vases.

Tea Roses?

2009-05-26T09:49:00.002-05:00

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE FRESH FLOWERS?

Well you could dig around in your collection of fake flowers, if you have one. If you don't, I would highly suggest that you get at least a small collection.

There are many stores which carry artificial flowers and of course, there are the thrift stores. Also Hobby Lobby sometimes offers really good prices for their wide selection of flowers. Of course there are many flowers which are highly expensive - but you can use them over and over and you really don't have to go the expensive route.

The above image was taken to help me beat the winter blues and to help calm my soul. My father was exhibiting signs of a type of dementia which made it necessary that someone always was home with him. And photography was an easy outlet to help my mind escape even though I was at home as a care giver.

I had purchased some depression glass at a local antique store and since the above pieces actually did pretty well in matching in color, I decided to photograph them with some fake roses which kinda went with the color scheme.

I place everything on white material so I could easily work with the image after I got it into the computer.

After I chose the above layout and got it into the computer, I found a background I had earlier worked up and made it a layer. I then worked with the image and the layer and finally got that "I can live with this" result. I then went into Photoshop Elements 3 and used a special effect to get the above final result.

Challenge which is ongoing:

Keep in mind to be at least somewhat on the lookout for good buys on artificial flowers.

Wedding Dress and White Roses

2009-05-25T18:53:00.006-05:00

WELL HERE IT IS - THE PROMISED IMAGE

The past couple of weeks I've posted images I did while playing around with some curtains with white roses on them, real white roses, and a white crock.

During the month of May in 2002 I did the above image and decided that was the one I liked the most.

Then because my boyfriend loved roses, I used the above image as a birthday card for him.

Then on Memorial Day we got engaged!

In the background you can see some material which is wrapped behind and beside the crock of flowers. That is a used wedding dress which was given me in the early 90's. And I used that as MY wedding dress.

I know it is fairly common for people to print out their own wedding invitations. So, I worked on the image quite a bit and printed out my own invitations. However, MY wedding invitation had my own wedding dress on it!

Challenge for today:

If you have anything which pertains to a wedding, try photographing it.

Blue, Orange and Green

2009-05-24T19:53:00.003-05:00

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FRUIT, FLOWERS, BOWELS, AND COLORS

As far as I know there are NO instructional books written on the placement of items in a still life image. Everything is by trial, error, experiments, and just keeping at it.

I thought the above colors would go well together.

It was the "how do I place everything together" which was hard. So I just took a whole lot of different arrangements and settled on this one. It just "felt" right.

There was no smudging done to this image. But I did soften it a little.

Challenge for today:

Try and do an image combining fruit and flowers or vegetables and flowers or a combination of them all.

City Garden

2009-05-19T18:53:00.003-05:00

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A FRIEND'S GARDEN!

When you are in a garden there isn't much you can do to PLAN a photo. All you can really do is try and control the lighting and try not to get anything in the image that doesn't belong there.

I have a friend who has a wonderful garden and this was just a wonderful setting!

With the daisies in the foreground and the foxglove in the background (I think) this is a delicate photo shoot.

I don't know why I did a special photo treatment with this image, but I did. By using Microsoft's PhotoDraw I did an antique look.

All in all, I am satisfied with the gentleness of the photo.

Challenge for today:

Ask your friends if they have flowers they want photographed.

Magnolia Blossoms

2009-05-17T19:26:00.003-05:00

JUST A COUPLE OF SIMPLE BLOSSOMS!

I love magnolia blossoms. I think they are one of the prettiest tree blossoms around. But I don't have a magnolia tree and unfortunately they are one of the first blossoms to get hit hard by the freezing weather.

A friend of mine from work DID have a tree and I went over and gathered up just a few blooms.

When I got home I placed the blooms on a gold colored serving dish which really works well when I want something to have a reflection - like the above blooms.

The only changes in this image is I made the photo darker and took out my favorite smudge tool to make it more like a painting.

Challenge for today:

Find something that you can place objects on that would work well in showing reflections.

White Roses and Jewelry

2009-05-16T18:45:00.001-05:00

PLAY AROUND WITH INEXPENSIVE JEWELRY!

I got the idea of mixing the roses and the jewelry as I was photographing the roses in the little gold colored vase (or whatever you want to call it).

And since I had the fake pearl necklace and the barrette was also made out of fake pearls.......

Well anyway, I thought the white of it all would look well with the white roses.

I actually used as the background for this picture some dark brown material which has a slight pattern on it. The material is very wide and long - probably about the same size of a twin sized bedspread.

Over a period of several days, I took many different poses of this image. Then what normally doesn't happen did. I had a hard time choosing which image to use. But I finally settled on the above photo.

After I got the image into my computer, I took a very dark background I had created and placed it as a layer on the image. I adjusted the opacity so just a slight amount of the added layer was showing.

Challenge for today:

Why not go to a thrift store and shop around for some inexpensive jewelry you could photograph.

What a Memory of Roses

2009-05-15T12:08:00.005-05:00

WHY NOT PHOTOGRAPH YOUR PHOTOGRAPH?

A good way to make a memory a "good memory" is to photograph it.

The above image has many elements.

To start off - my husband gave me some roses.

I took many different pictures of the roses and settled on one image I liked.

I then added to the image a background that I had created and made some adjustments on the opacity of the background layer.

I then did some smudging to the image.

I then printed the image out to 11 x 14 in size. I then placed the printed out image into the frame.

The roses in the foreground were the actual roses in the "framed painting." Of course the roses were 1 or 2 days older. I can't remember how long it took me to get the picture ready to photographed in the frame.

The hardest thing about this image AFTER it was framed was getting the actual frame to be straight so I could photograph it! You can't imagine how hard it was and how many pictures I took before I settled on this one.

Challenge for today:

Keep on thinking about photographing a photograph!

Tulips in a Row

2009-05-14T08:15:00.000-05:00

SOMETIMES FLOWERS JUST DON'T COOPERATE!

Here are 3 tulips and like I said in a previous posting tulips just aren't known for cooperating. They like to lean or flop over. In this case, none of the three tulips have a really pretty bloom....but.....

I looked in my records and I took 2 different poses of these tulips. One of the poses was on that colored plate/dish I spoke of earlier and then I took this photo.

I think what really makes this image at least decent is the background I used after I got the photo into my computer AND by smudging everything in the picture.

Anyway, I really like the softness of this image.

Challenge for today:

Take a photo of some flowers and then use the smudge tool in some photo software.

Still Not Quite Wedding Flowers

2009-05-13T00:25:00.002-05:00

THIS IS PROMISED IMAGE NUMBER TWO

Well I told you last week that I would post an image for the next few weeks leading up to THE IMAGE THAT I USED FOR MY WEDDING INVITATION!

Well, this isn't it, but I'll be posting it in a few more weeks.

Now back to the image.

Last week I explained all about getting the props and how I took a lot of photos with different poses, different flowers, etc.

Nothing has been added in this image except for general clean up of some scratches, dust, etc.
I really do like this photo and if I had entered it into competition I would have named it, "Waiting in the Wings."

Challenge for the day:

Nothing except enjoy yourself.

Bradford Pear Blossoms in Blue Vase

2009-05-12T18:41:00.003-05:00

WHEN WHAT YOU WANTED DOES NOT SUCCEED

The above image is what I finally settled on.

I first off photographed the white blossoms in the blue vase and thought a yellow background would look good. However the yellow scarf background was not big enough so I had a "draped" yellow scarf and a yellow dress was in the foreground.

When I got the image into the computer the shading and draping of the scarf just didn't look quite what I wanted.

So, I started off smudging all of the yellow in the image. Then I chose a background I had worked on previously and placed that background on the image as a layer. Then I ended up going for a "wild" look. I left enough of the draping of the yellow scarf because when I completely hid the draping of the scarf it looked like the vase was sitting in mid air.

I like this picture because it REALLY DOES LOOK LIKE A PAINTING. But it wasn't my original idea!

Challenge for the day:

See how the draping of material can alter the look of an image.

A Wedding Bouquet

2009-05-11T09:55:00.002-05:00

GRAB THE OPPORTUNITY!

A couple at our church got married and left two vases of flowers.

So I took the opportunity the day or so after the wedding to go back to the church and photograph the flowers.

You can't believe how hard it is to photograph arrangements of flowers without making them look like they are just "occupying space."

I place the two vases together so there would be an abundance of blooms. I also wanted to show off the bows so I had the vases together yet each is sorta separate from the other. The same with the plants stands. I staggered them a bit.

Then when I got home I got one of my created backgrounds and worked with it in the image to give the whole image of sense of being a painting.

The family was thrilled with the result!

Challenge for each day:

See what opportunities you can grab in getting extra flowers to photograph.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T07:51:00.002-05:00

JEWELRY OF THE PAST

My husband's mother died when he was in his 30's. I never knew her, but I hear she was wonderful.

This is one memory of her he treasures and really, I just photographed this as a last thing.

When I was on my 2nd roll of film and only had 2 shots left, I decided to place this on the table I had been working on.

You can see the results.

Please, treasure your mother today and always.

Floral Basket with Book

2009-05-09T09:00:00.002-05:00

GOOD MATCHING OF COLORS BUT......

I like this photo because the colors of the basket and the colors on the scarf match up SO WELL!

But I have a question to ask and I want your opinion......

As a photograph is this image "too busy" because of the pattern on the scarf conflicts with the flowers in the basket?

So I am asking your opinion....is this image too busy?????

Antique Iris

2009-05-08T00:00:00.003-05:00

JUST A TOUCH OF AN OLD FASHION IMAGE!

I have many different versions of this - some more green and some less old fashion looking. But I chose to present this image.

I placed the the 3 flowers on a light background. Then when I got a pose I enjoyed I scanned it into my computer. (This was before my digital camera.)

I chose a background I had created earlier and set to work using the arithmetic tool in Paint Shop Pro. When I got just the right look, I quit. This image has no smudging - just working with the arithmetic tool and layers.

Challenge for the day:

See what blossoms you can bring inside and place on some light material and just photograph the flowers.

Not Quite Wedding Roses

2009-05-07T00:00:00.004-05:00

I DIDN'T USE THIS IMAGE FOR MY WEDDING INVITATION, BUT........!

The reason I brought this photo out of storage is that in the next few weeks I will be showing a few more photos of the same objects but in different poses.

You see one of the images I finally worked on, I gave to my boyfriend for a birthday card. And it later became my wedding invitation.

But, now I am going far beyond what I want to at this moment. So stay tuned....for later on I'll work my way to the rest of the story.

Now, more about the image.

First, notice the roses on the background material. Normally it would be too busy for a photo, but when I saw the curtains at a thrift store I fell in love with the pattern. (Take a peek at the other material draped down behind the crock and flowers. At a later date I'll reveal the importance of that material.)

(Though I knew I was taking a chance when I bought the curtains, I never knew how important they would later serve me.)

Now on to the flowers.

A week before Mother's Day in 2002, a friend invited me to go floral shopping with her at a nursery. I ended up purchasing 2 large rose plants that had an abundance of blossoms.

I took the rose bushes home and picked some of the flowers off the bushes to photograph. I placed some of the roses in a crock that belonged to my grandmother. Over a period of several days I photographed many different versions of the roses, various vases and background materials. (The rose bushes never survived once I planted them.)

In my estimation this is not a good photo and I never have done anything with it....but like I said, I later took an image that became my wedding invitation. So, I'm letting you see one of my "practice shots" which I chose not to use.

So continue reading this blog because before the end of this month, you will actually see the image I used for my wedding invitation. AND YOU'LL FIND OUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE OTHER MATERIAL I MENTIONED.

Challenge for the day:

Sit back and smell the roses.

Watcher of the Flock

2009-05-06T08:50:00.000-05:00

YOU CAN'T TAKE PHOTOS IF YOU HAVE NO EQUIPMENT!

Yeah, I know many phones have photography options, but nothing like having a good camera with you.

I had gone with a friend to a reproduction of an 1800's farming community.

Maybe it was the mood I was in or something, but I took very few photos.

Out of the whole trip two things made an impression in my mind.

One, there was this farm cat and a huge barn! I had never seen a cat catch a mouse before, but I had a chance to witness it. It was fascinating! However, I never got a photo! I waited too long...I was waiting for the right shot....

One moment the mouse was in the cat's mouth....the next minute....the cat placed it on the ground.....the next minute it was in the cat's mouth with the tail hanging out.....and then the mouse was gone.....and I mean gone....the cat swallowed the mouse whole!!!!!!!!

And two, I later caught up with the cat as it was watching the chickens. This time I quickly took the picture.

Like I've said before and like you also know....sometimes you have to work around the objects you want to photograph. There was no way I could remove the wire/boards and I couldn't make the cat move closer to the chickens or the chickens move closer to the cat.

So, I shot the picture and later went into Microsoft Photo Draw and did a special effect to kinda make the wire and boards look a little softer.

And that is the story behind this picture.

Challenge for the day:

Get in closer to the world of your animals and photograph them!

Roses for My Husband

2009-05-05T08:40:00.000-05:00

HE WAS SICK AND THAT GAVE ME AN EXCUSE TO BUY SOME ROSES!

My husband was sick and out of town and I was going out of town to spend the weekend with him.

Since he was ill, I didn't think that we would accomplish very much during our visit. So I stopped in a small town and purchased some roses which were on sale at a floral shop.

Then during the weekend while my husband felt miserable, I had fun photographing the roses I bought him.

Keep in mind when you are photographing anything it is always wise to use different layouts/props. You never can tell which image will turn out the best. (Actually I did photograph these roses on a light colored blanket and it received a score of 91 in a 4 state photographic competition. But that's another posting for this blog.)

Now back to the above image. After I photographed this image I later did some smudging and the image was done!

Challenge for the day:

Look in your closets and view your clothes and bedding as potential props!

Pink Zinnia on Pastel Plate

2009-05-04T00:00:00.001-05:00

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO USE A PLATE!

And why not photograph a flower with it?

I got this large serving glass platter at a thrift store. Around the platter there was a flower pattern which consisted of yellow, blue, and pink colors.

I used this platter many different times with different flowers, but there was always the challenge of where to place the flower(s) in relation to the colored flowers on the platter.

On the above image I decided to place the pink zinnia on top of the blue platter flower.

It looked pretty good and when I got an image I liked, I smudged it a bit.....

And there I got a "fresh flower" platter.

Challenge for the day:

Take stock of possible kitchen dishes you could use with flowers.

Antique Doll

2009-05-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

THERE SHE WAS UP IN THE WINDOW!

When you go to a friend's house sometimes you don't want to make a big deal out of wanting to photograph something. And this was an instance here.

I had gone over to my "adopted mother's house." (My own mother died when I was 21.) There was this very interesting doll up above my head sitting on a shelf in front of the window and there was this potted plant, etc.

I just couldn't resist taking several photos and I didn't disturb anything.

Later I added a background to give the image a lot of "character" and to put some color into what was just a clear window pane.

My adopted mother loves this image and often reminds me that this was a doll SHE played with when she was little.

Challenge for the day:

Mother's Day is right around the corner. Perhaps you can photograph something that has some memory for that dear person in your life.

Calla Lilies

2009-05-02T08:20:00.000-05:00

SOMETIMES IT 'S SO VERY HARD!

We have a tradition at church - you can order flowers for Easter Sunday in memory of someone. The flowers are brought in for Palm Sunday and you get to take your flower home on Easter.

Well, I offered to photograph a flower for a lady. BUT I COULDN'T FIND A DECENT WALL TO PLACE THE FLOWER IN FRONT OF.

I ended up photographing it against a blue wall and then I went home and made MAJOR CHANGES.

I turned the blue into white, put in a layer of a colored background of my own creation and then I pretty much smudged the whole image.

It was a very trying experience!

But I like the way it turned out!

Challenge for today:

Photograph some flowers against a "white" wall.

Geraniums Standing in the Pink

2009-05-01T11:20:00.001-05:00

I LOVE THE HONEYSUCKLE VINE!

When you need green stuff in a vase, honeysuckle vine drapes gracefully downward. At least that is what I think. Also, when you are photographing into the early winter months you can still go outside and get some of the vine - it stays green fairly long.

Now, back to the image.

Let me explain something. You really don't have to have a room dedicated to still life photography. (But it sure helps.)

Let me explain my main photographing room in my other house before I moved.

My previous room was something smaller than 11 x 12. That room had a large computer desk, 2 small tables for other printers, etc. A rather large closet, a 4 foot low bookcase and 2 tall 36 inches wide bookcases. The room had 2 east windows with a short space between the 2 windows and then it had 2 south windows which were side by side. The windows had venetian blinds which were great!

And this was my main photography room!

Now, back to the above image.

The pink flowers were geraniums and of course the green stuff is the honeysuckle vine. I placed a small fold up table underneath the south windows and draped a pink fancy thrift store dress beneath the vase.

I had to use one of my background creations to hide the painting imperfections on the window sill panes.

I kinda like this image because it seems so light.....even sorta fluffy.

Challenge for today:

Look at your surroundings and see if you can kinda create a photography room.

The Wild Side of Tulips

2009-04-30T00:05:00.003-05:00

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN FLOWERS DON'T COOPERATE?

Well, there's not much you can do except go with the flow!

These flowers weren't from my garden - they were from Wal-Mart and I bought a bunch because that is how they were sold.

When I got home and put them in a vase, they flopped all over the place. It was quite plain it wasn't going to be a dignified photo shoot of stately tulips in a vase.

Anyway I shot these tulips against a really white background.

Then when I started to work with the image in Paint Shop Pro, I selected a rather wild background image I had previously created.

I then worked with the "arithmetic" portion of Paint Shop Pro and finally got the tulips to be what I call "toned down wild."

I'm not sure, but I rather think that tulips are not the easiest flower to photograph in a floral still life.

Oh, well.....

Challenge for today:

See if you can have any luck with tulips!!!!!

Iron Fence and Hat

2009-04-29T08:47:00.006-05:00

WOULDN'T YOU LIKE THIS TO BE IN YOUR YARD?

Unfortunately, this fence was in a park about 7 miles from my house and in an area which was trying to reproduce a garden in the 1800's.

The bad thing about photography is that many times you have to deal with not so ideal settings. Sure the fence and the vine looked great.......but there was no good way to get a clear shot of the fence. At the edge of the fence where I hung a hat there was a clearing which didn't go with the fence. And the vine itself!!!!!! There were enough gaps in the vine that exposed the ugly gray pavement on the other side of the fence.

So, I did what I normally don't do. I cloned a lot.

Then after I cloned it I went into a different software and did an antique look.

But I liked the results! And really the picture looks better because I did change it.

Challenge for today:

Take some second looks at fences and photograph some.

Tulips in a Glass Basket

2009-04-28T00:05:00.001-05:00

KEEPING MY MOTHER'S MEMORY ALIVE!

The above glass basket belonged to my mother and I had never photographed it before. So when I decided to give it a try I chose a bunch of tulips I bought at a local grocery store.

The background I chose was beige, but I made a mistake when I tried to put another background of my making as a layer onto the original image.

The purple tulips merged in A LITTLE TOO WELL WITH THE BACKGROUND! (The eyes can discern the slightest color change but printers can have a hard time printing out those slight color tones.)

But in the end it worked out all right.

But it showed me that I have to be careful in the color of the foreground and the colors of the background. When I want the colors to match I need to make sure I can tell where one ends and the other begins.

Challenge for today:

Have fun!!!!!!!!

Blue Morning Glories and Picture

2009-04-26T16:38:00.003-05:00

THERE IT IS! MY FAVORITE BACKGROUND IMAGE IN A FRAME!

There really isn't anything special done with this image, but I had one object:

......... to frame my favorite background image and then choose a flower which would go well with the colors in the framed image.

When I stepped outside and saw my blue morning glories I thought, "that's just the color I need!"

However there were three difficulties in this photo:

..... morning glories only stay open during the morning

..... the flowers tear really easily

..... I had to make sure the frame was straight in the picture

Once I got past those 3 troublesome spots, I just shot enough images and chose one I liked. There was no smudging nor layering done. This was just an image incorporating my favorite background image in a frame.

Challenge for today:

Photograph one of your images!

Flowering Quince with a Different Look

2009-04-26T07:28:00.006-05:00

YES, THIS IS THE VERY SAME BACKGROUND/FLOWER AS YESTERDAY!

It is kinda good when you are able to have different versions of the same image. But then when you run into a situation like this - how do You decide which image you like?

I'll tell you what I do sometimes when I have that "problem" - I create a document in CorelDraw and call it "unsure....." then I copy the images onto that document. Then depending on what mood I'm in I'll have a choice later on.

Now, the difference between yesterday's image and today's image is that the "wilder" image was toned down. You can do this by various ways: I'll share one.

You take the original image, then you take the "wilder" image and make a copy of that. You paste the "wilder" copy and paste it on top of the original image. You have now created a "layer."

Then by working on the "wilder" copy you adjust what degree of opacity you want. In other words - you decide how much of the "wilder" copy you want to be seen. Then you merge the layer down. You have created a new image and then don't forget - SAVE THIS AS A NEW IMAGE.

Challenge for today:

None. Just have your own fun day photographing - just keep in mind what you later might want to do with the images you take today.

Flowering Quince

2009-04-25T07:57:00.004-05:00

GO AHEAD AND REUSE THOSE BACKGROUNDS!

The background I used for the Lily-of-the-Valley image posted on April 21 is the same background as today's image.

The colors of the background are toned down in the flowering quince photo, but I have several different versions of this image. That's the problem, sometimes I like a kinda wild and bold image of flowers and sometimes I like a kinda milder version.

For photographing purposes I placed the flowering quince on a white background. That is the best thing to do when you know ahead of time you are going to use the arithmetic portion of Paint Shop Pro.

Because the beauty of the flowering quince is bold and glossy, I felt I could be boldly daring with the background colors.

So you can see what a difference the background can make in an image, I will either tomorrow or the next day post what I call a "toned down" version of the same image.

Challenge for today:

Since it is spring plant some flowers you can photograph later!

My Wedding Hydrangeas

2009-04-24T08:54:00.006-05:00

A PHOTOGRAPHER'S DREAM WEDDING

Well, we are coming up to the summer months when many men and women will get married. I was one of them a few years ago.

And in the month of May I will be sharing some of my photographing stories leading up to my engagement, etc.

With that thought in mind, I am kinda jumping the gun.

But here it goes....

The above image shows some of my wedding hydrangeas. The evening before my marriage I went with a good friend to another good friend's house to pick the hydrangeas out of the garden. The little card you see at the left of the flowers is the thank you card I created.

I used two things in the background - a bedspread and MY WEDDING DRESS!

And for all of you who are planning marriage ceremonies, I will give you a challenge - if you are going to have a very small marriage - why not create your own invitation card?

I will explain this all later during the month of May.

Challenge for today:

If you are planning your wedding, look hard at what you could do to incorporate your own photography. If you are married now, why not create a still life photographic memory of your special day.

Fresh Zinnias and Old Books

2009-04-23T07:42:00.006-05:00

ANOTHER USE FOR OLD BOOKS!

I love to read. I inherited that love from my mother and I later got my father to love it also. When I was growing up we used to go to a city that had a fabulous old bookstore. That was a time when you could buy good old books at a cheap price.

Anyway, now I'm dependent upon purchasing old books at flea markets, thrift stores, garage sales, etc. But you can still get them.

Well, I love placing old books in an image.

The vase in the above image was purchased very cheaply at an antique store. Though it is crooked, it is simple and I like the lines around it.

I chose the zinnias because I like the colors of the flowers.

I photographed the image against a very plain and light material.

Then when I got the image into the computer I used a textured yellow background which I had created and then a different created background to give the image more color. But I thought the yellow would look good with the red.

It is a simple image - but I do like it.

Challenge for today:

Take stock of your old books for picture purposes

Roses in a Glass

2009-04-22T08:12:00.002-05:00

CREATE A MOOD WITH FILTERS!

There is something about roses which creates a special mood about any image. Perhaps our mind creates a mood, but a lot of filters are created to create a mood.

The softness of the above image was made by using a pastel filter, using soft white material for the complete background/foreground and smudging the image with my favorite smudge tool.

Challenge for Today:

If you have a camera which will accept filters, think about purchasing one.

Lily-of-the-Valley

2009-04-21T08:42:00.004-05:00

BE DARING IN COLORS AND HAVE FUN!

There is nothing unusual about this image. It is just another example of using the "arithmetic" part of Corel Paint Shop Pro.

I took two images of the same size - one of just pure color and the other image was a photograph of lily-of-the valley blooms. I chose the software to give me a new image using the average of the 2 photographs.

I got a mass of color which I like and it is kinda abstract. Perhaps that is why it like it -it doesn't look like the average photograph.

Anyway, that is it with the image. Nothing else was done.

Challenge for the day:

Have fun with colors!

Oranges, Cosmos and Glasses

2009-04-20T08:26:00.000-05:00

LEARN TO WORK WITH YOUR BACKGROUND!

Believe it or not....sometimes I actually do little computer work with an image after I photograph it! And this is an example here.

I composed the above image with one view in mind: making a still life image around an 12" x 18" image I had done earlier.

If you would go back to my posting of Problems of Having too Little - on March 24, you would recognize the background image.

All that I did with the foreground part of the above image was just use colors in the foreground which worked well with the background and I used a different green glass to offset the green bottle in the background.

So to sum it all up - this whole new image was to incorporate an older photograph into a newer image.

Challenge for today:

Think, think of your older images. What could you reuse????

Only Roses

2009-04-19T18:37:00.006-05:00

IT MATTERS NOT THE TIME OF YEAR FOR ROSES!

There is nothing much about the above image - just 1 rose in full bloom and a bud in the background.

BUT.......the rose is resting on the same background as the background I used on the image I posted yesterday.

(Once you get a background you like, you can use it for many things!!!!!!!)

The yellows in the background go well with the cream color in the roses.

I didn't do very much after I took this image except I used my favorite smudge tool.

Challenge for today:

It is still spring and flowers are beginning to bloom - now is the time to get that special background ready that you can use for the rest of the year.

What Are Yellow Daffodils Doing in a Shoe?

2009-04-18T07:51:00.005-05:00

I DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING WITH THE SHOE SITTING ON THE SHELF!

Though it is the time of daffodils, I decided to post an image I did about 4 years ago. (I've already posted 2 images of daffodils I've done this year.)

The background I used for this image is one I created. It basically is an "arithmetic" one I did by using Corel's Paint Shop Pro.

After I got this image by using 2 of mine, I smudged it a lot.

I then printed it out as an 12" x 18" inch image. I use it a lot because the colors are soft and works well with flowers.

Anyway, I just wanted to showcase the ceramic shoe which belonged to my mother. However, I was off in my decision to photograph the shoe because all my daffodils were pretty well done for. (Some flowers still can look pretty when they're dried - daffodils aren't on that list.)

I chose to use the color yellow because it went well with the gold lines on the shoe and also yellow complements lavender.

When I got out my 12" by 18" background, I halfway stood it up so the shoe could completely sit on the background. And that was it.

Basically, I really don't think this is a good image, but I use it to stress two things: you can create some of your own backgrounds AND you can create still life images of items that mean a lot.

Challenge for the day:

Work at getting your own background images ready for future photographic sessions.

Nothing Like the Bright-eyed Black Eye Susan

2009-04-17T07:40:00.003-05:00

NOTHING LIKE HAVING FUN WITH PHOTOGRAPHING FLOWERS AND OTHER THINGS!

If you work with computers with manipulating images, you really should check out Corel's Paint Shop Pro software. There are some really neat tools, but I usually use the "arithmetic" part of their program.

First thing you take 2 images which are exactly the same size. Then you let the software do the "arithmetic" version of the 2 images you chose. The "arithmetic" choices are: 1. an average of the 2 images - 2. the lightest of the 2 images - and 3. the darkest of the 2 images.

Broken down - this means you get a completely new image based upon which one of the 3 choices you choose.

Now for the example.

I had 2 images - 1 image was of some old wood with a emblem and some pealing paint and the other image was of 2 black-eyed susans on a small blue plate.

Since I did this image about 4 years ago, I don't remember which choice I made, but I think it was an average of the 2. (Remember, I THINK it was that choice.)

Notice you can see some of the wood underneath the lighter portion of the plate. Also, you can see some of the wood underneath the flowers. This all gives the image a rather "unique" look.

Now that I've worked through this example, I firmly believe I used the "average of the two images." I couldn't have gotten the results I achieved if I had used either of the other two choices.

Challenge for today:

Seriously think about purchasing Corel Paint Shop Pro.

Chicory Flowers Are Wild Flowers and Beautiful in a Bunch

2009-04-16T09:53:00.007-05:00

WHEN YOU THINK OF COFFEE SUBSTITUTE DO YOU EVER THINK OF CHICORY?

Yeah, those tall, small blossomed blue flowers which are in abundance beside many roads in the summer and fall were a substitute for coffee during World War II.

Each blossom blooms for only a half of a day (they don't like the heat of the day), but there are many blossoms on a plant.

For photographing purposes they create their own problems: They have one large upright stem and many smaller branches which reach out to the sides. So they aren't really pretty to put in a vase and the individual blossoms don't really have much of a stem.

But the flowers look beautiful in a mass, they spread as plants, and you don't have to worry about them!

Now, enough about the plant.

Because not many people ever think of beautifying chicory flowers in still life images, I thought of taking up the challenge. And I thought the flowers had enough of a delicate blue coloring they would be pretty once the image was done. I picked a few blossoms and since their leaves are small and rather unsightly, I picked a few leaves of something else.

I placed the completely dry items on top of one of my background images and photographed away.

After I got done, I got out my favorite smudge tool and did some smudging.

And the image was done.

Challenge for the day:

Work on getting one background which will be suitable for photographing flowers on later.

Peonies in a Vase and Sometimes Be Daring

2009-04-15T07:56:00.026-05:00

On a personal note before information about the image:

Yesterday despite the wet grass, I went out and weeded some. There is so much to do, but I let our 7 hens out to eat the grass in their penned in areas. The only rooster we have flew over his fence and joined me in the garden.

The rooster really likes people. Nothing satisfies him more than to sit in a swing on your lap. So after I worked a while I sat down on with the cat and rooster. I finally left them to go inside and get a few gardening books and a coke. When I came outside, the rooster and cat were waiting for me on the porch. (The swing is in the yard.)

Anyway, when my husband came home from a visit to the church, I had the neighbor's dog, the rooster, and the cat all sitting with me on the porch. We were all pretty content. I was reading gardening tips and I don't know what the animals were thinking.

NOW ABOUT THE IMAGE

YES, SOMETIMES BE DARING!

A co-worker gave me freedom to come over anytime to photograph the flowers in her yard. And I will be eternally grateful for her kindness to me.

Anyway, my co-worker had a next door neighbor who had rows and rows of peonies in bloom.

Though the neighbor knew me just by acquaintance, one day I just couldn't take it any longer. I walked up to her door and asked her if I could pick some peonies and turn them into still life images. I was even daring enough to ask if there was something she would like me to photograph with the peonies. She brought out her grandmother's Bible. She allowed me to take the Bible home and some peonies. I carefully photographed the Bible and because I had lots of peonies, I had lots of fun photographing the flowers in various vases.

When I returned the Bible, the neighbor received a 5 x 7 image the Bible and peonies.

Though the image above is not the one with the Bible, it is of some of the peonies from that neighbor. (I will post the Bible and peonies image at a later date.)

Challenge for the day:

Check with friends. They might be thrilled if you photographed their flowers. Just be careful and don't disturb anything! Be sure NOT to pick anything. And be sure to give the kind friend copies of what you did.

White Hydrangeas as if they were in a dream

2009-04-14T09:07:00.009-05:00

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL - WHICH IMAGE SHOULD I CHOOSE?

I have so many versions of this one image! I cannot decide which one to choose.

A friend of mine had some hydrangeas on the north side of her house. I photographed some of them up close.

Then much later I decided to do some fun things with the image.

I got a flower image which had some ribbon and lace in it.

Then I did an arithmetic thing with it using Corel Draw's Paint Shop Pro where you use 2 images to make 1 new image.

After a while I got this version of the image.

Of course if you want to try utilizing "arithmetic" in Paint Shop Pro you HAVE to have 2 images of the same size.

As I have said previously, "Never crop your images until you are finally through and only after you have made a copy of your work right before you decide to crop."

You always want to have copies of your work as it progresses.

And I never send to the trash unwanted versions. You never can tell, you may want to use those versions later. (I keep 1 file for each image I am working on. This is my white hydrangea. I have a file called "Hydrangea." If this image had been taken by my digital camera, I would have called the file folder whatever the digital file number would have been.)

Anyway, I like the image because it is soft and unusual.

Challenge for today:

Combine some flowers with some lace and ribbons. See what you get.

White Wild Roses (I Think)

2009-04-13T08:07:00.008-05:00

I KNOW IT DOESN'T MATTER NOW....BUT.....

I think these are wild roses. I didn't plant them - somehow these blossoms appeared amidst my red wegilia bush. And boy! The flowers sure had a lot of thorns!

I cannot stress enough the wisdom of creating some of your own backgrounds for still life images. I have 2 backgrounds which I keep reusing. This is one of those two.

This image has a lot of blues and pinks in it and I just arrange the flowers accordingly.

In order to get some of a painting look, I smudged the image with my smudge tool and then I placed a layer I had worked up in Microsoft PhotoDraw. I adjusted the layer's opacity.

I think the resulting image kinda looks like an old fashioned picture.

Challenge for today:

Photograph a few blossoms against one of your own images.

Just Field Flowers

2009-04-12T12:23:00.003-05:00

BUT WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT FIELD FLOWERS?

Field flowers are SPECIAL because people overlook them.

I got at a thrift store a bottle that had been painted.

When I did this photo, I placed the 7 inch tall bottle in front of a gold colored serving tray.

I put the field flowers in the bottle and some in front of the bottle.

I liked the idea of the flowers AND the bottle being reflected in the serving tray. (I did work hard in getting the bottle situated just right for the reflection of the flowers and bottle.)

In the computer I used the smudging tool to smudge a portion of the serving tray.

When I entered this image in competition at a size of 13 x 17 it was chosen for exhibition purposes and then retained to go on loan.

Challenge for today:

Look at the loveliness of things which are SO common and try and make them uncommon.

MORNING GLORY BOWL

2009-04-11T12:40:00.008-05:00

IF A FRIEND GIVES YOU A GIFT, PHOTOGRAPH THE GIFT!

Actually I didn't photograph the gift. I ate it.

But I did photograph the bowl with morning glories in it and THEN returned the bowl back to her with a 5 x 7 image of my result.

The above image is another example of photographing the image on very light material and also having a very light background.

Then after I got the image into my computer, I got one of my digital files which I had worked up earlier in Microsoft PhotoDraw.

After a mixture of using the arithmetic tool in Paint Shop Pro, various degrees of layers and using the soften focus adjustment, I came up with the above photo.

Challenge for today:

Tomorrow is Easter. If you get a gift, perhaps you can photograph it and give the result back to the giver.

PLAYING WITH WORDS AND FLOWERS

2009-04-10T09:00:00.003-05:00

DO YOU YOU SEE THE PLAY ON WORDS IN THIS IMAGE?

I had an idea of a photo I wanted, but I had to wait.

I had an old fashioned lilac bush which took 7 years to bloom. (Perhaps that is why it is called old fashioned.) Anyway, my mother died before the lilac ever bloomed.

I also have some old books.

I liked the idea of photographing the book "Under the Lilacs" by Louisa May Alcott while the book WAS under some lilacs.

And that is what I did here along with a couple of other books to give it some balance.

I used yellow material because yellow goes well with lavender.

I also placed a textured layer of my own making over the image to give it more of a "painting" look.

So, I now have the "Under the Lilacs" book REALLY under some lilacs!

Challenge for today:

Play around with books and flowers.

STRESS SIMPLE VASES

2009-04-09T00:24:00.000-05:00

BUT THE VASE IS SO SIMPLE!

Yes, the vase is simple, but that is what is needed.

Do you want to see mostly the flowers or do you want to see mostly the vase?

Something has GOT to be the main feature in the photo!

The vase complements the flowers but the vase doesn't compete with the flowers.

I photographed this image against a plain light colored wall.

After I shot the digital image, I then manipulated it in the computer.

I used my favorite smudge tool and then I placed textured layer which I designed onto the image.

Then I adjusted the opacity of the pasted in layer.

Challenge for the day:

Take a look at your vases. What vases could be candidates of later being used in an image?

2009-04-08T08:03:00.000-05:00

THE FLOWERS AND THE BACKGROUND JUST SEEMED TO GO TOGETHER!

So, after I allowed the flowers to completely dry, I placed them on a 13 x 19 image abstract image I had worked up earlier.

The colors went SO WELL TOGETHER!

I then scanned the image into my computer.

And after getting out my favorite smudge tool, I set to work smudging the image.

I loved the resulting image.

Challenge for today:

Photograph something you can use later as the background in a new image.

CREATING A FEELING

2009-04-07T17:12:00.000-05:00

MAKE OTHERS FEEL LIKE THEY ARE ALMOST IN THE PHOTO!

It was just an old chair.

The blossoms were taken from some wild shrubs.

The green clippers seemed to create the feeling that the owner was still close at hand.

The red plastic pail added extra color to the image.

After I took the image and scanned it into the computer, I cloned out the unsightly door lock.

I, also, darkened the area behind the chair to hide the background.

I smudged both the door and the concrete floor.

The image isn't great, but I like the feeling.

Challenge for today:

Create a scene with some feeling.

GETTING FRAMED

2009-04-06T09:48:00.000-05:00

LOOK FOR THE OBVIOUS IN LINES TO GETTING GREAT FRAMING

This flower looks like it is sitting in front of a window.

Actually it is sitting outdoors on a table on a type of small curio shelf piece that can hang on the wall. The "curtain" is just some cloth I placed behind as background to hide the grass.

After I photographed the image, I went back in and used the "smudged" tool to give it some extra "texture."

Challenge for today:

See how you can "frame" something today.

KEEPSAKE MEMORIES

2009-04-04T09:24:00.001-05:00

FRAME THOSE MEMORY KEEPSAKES!

We all have keepsakes passed down through the family.

The shame is that keepsakes ARE keepsakes AND only 1 individual can be in possession of a keepsake.

BUT IF YOU COULD PHOTOGRAPH A KEEPSAKE THEN YOU COULD AT LEAST PASS THAT MEMORY ON TO OTHERS.

The above image is very important to me.

The above dog's name is Pedro. He was a fun thing my father "won" at a carnival when he was on a date with my mother. My mother never got rid of it - it was something precious to her even after my parents were married.

The piece of paper in the image was a letter my aunt found after my mother died. In the letter mother mentions that as a toddler I had been walking, but I had briefly quit after I had come down sick.

I decided to photograph these items together and I used the smudged tool to wipe out any mentioning of my name to a copy of the image later on.

Through the result of this photograph, Pedro is not now confined to my house. He can now "dwell" in the house of other family members. And if he should break beyond repair or if the letter gets lost, the image will still be there.

Challenge for Today:

Create an image of a keepsake and pass that image to others in your family.

CREATING UNREAL REALITY

2009-04-03T13:44:00.000-05:00

AH, NOTHING LIKE SETTING UP YOUR STILL LIFE
IMAGE BESIDE A WINDOW! RIGHT????

But there is NO window in this image, because the "woodwork" belonging to the "window" is an illusion.

Oh, the woodwork is real, but the woodwork is basically broken off edging from off the ceiling of my grandmother's house.

And oh, I had a terrible time getting the scrap of edging to stand up straight!

(By the way...the peaches were fake, I got the vase at a garage sale and the flowers were picked from my garden.)

Challenge for today:

Try and create a "window" yourself.

Don't Have More Than 1 Competitor

2009-04-02T09:46:00.000-05:00

THIS ISN'T EVEN A GOOD PHOTO! SO WHY AM I BOTHERING EVEN USING IT?

Cause I'm trying to drive home a point:

Don't let an item in an image compete with other items in the same image.

As in this photo the plain looking little vase does NOT detract from the overall image.

The eye is drawn to the material (which happened to be an old fashion dress of my mother).

As the vase is clear and very plain, it blends IN with the material and that is the objective of the vase - just blending in.

Again, I want to stress - the vase isn't in any type of competition with the rest of this image which happens to be mostly just of a dress.

And yes....during this same photo session, I tried placing some apple blossoms - white with a touch of pink - into the vase.

And you know......the image just wasn't right.

The flowers competed with the dress!

THINK OF A SERIES

2009-04-01T17:44:00.000-05:00

THINKING OF GETTING ONE GOOD SHOT? WHY NOT TRY FOR 2 OR 3 GOOD IMAGES?

When you get into a "series" you are thinking of more possibilities.

Go into an interior decorating store and browse around. Many images on the wall are in groups of 2 or 3. Walk into an office building - many paintings on the wall are of one subject but in different settings.

Look on your on walls of your home.

Why settle for something ANYONE can purchase at the local store.

Why not showcase your own originality?

This is the 1st of April. Spring has just started. Flowers are starting to bloom.

If you have some flowers - photograph them.

If you don't have space for flowers - photograph something of the family that means a lot.

And speaking of photographing something of the family - Mother's Day is coming up.

Why not surprise mom or your grandmother with an image(s) of some treasured thing that is extra special to them.

Now, on the 2 images above.

I took a little over 200 photos Sunday. I have worked these 2 up.

The background was some type of smooth art board and I added a different background later on the computer to give the images a more "artistic" look.

So It's Not Photogenic!

2009-03-31T12:24:00.000-05:00

YIPES! YOU WANT ME TO PHOTOGRAPH WHAT?

A friend of mine was intrigued with an unusual flower in her garden and she wanted me to photograph it.

When I got to the house my friend's daughter had already picked the flower along with a few other flowers and had brought them inside.
But I inwardly groaned when I saw the flower.

It was weird looking and all I saw was the ugly thing in the middle of the flower (stamen???) coming straight out towards me!

There was NO position I could get the orange flower into to make it pretty. Sure, I could do as my friend WISHED - JUST PHOTOGRAPH IT.

BUT I WANTED TO MAKE THE FLOWER PRETTY!

So I did what my friend wanted. I photographed it in all of its original design.

Then I did what I wanted.

I placed the weird flower in a vase along with a prettier blossom.

Then I had a different problem.......Where should I put the vase to photograph the flowers?

I had no movable table to place the vase on so I could photograph facing a blank wall, but my friend had an enclosed screen porch with lawn chairs.

I picked out two matching chair cushions and balanced the vase on one of the pads and the other chair pad served as the background.

I was pleased with the result! The weird flower was pretty enough in this image and helped to balance the other blossom!

Later I used a different layer to give extra color to the chair cushions.

Challenge for the day:

Take an object and make it photogenic.

Difficulty with the Simple Things in Life

2009-03-30T12:57:00.000-05:00

SIMPLE OBJECTS MADE TO LOOK UNIQUE IS A HARD ACHIEVEMENT!

How would YOU have photographed the first few eggs of your very own chickens? Would you have photographed them in the barn? Would you have photographed the eggs still in the various nests?

JUST HOW WOULD YOU HAVE HANDLED THIS PHOTOGRAPHIC SITUATION?

Now, whatever you would have done is still part of your own unique creative mind. What you would have done would have been fine! It would have been great!

I just wanted some pretty eggs.

So, I tried to create a pretty setting and then I photographed the scene.

I then just used the "smudge tool" and there.......I have a photograph fresh chicken eggs.

Challenge for today:

Easter is coming up. Photograph some of those pretty eggs.

EXPERIMENTS MAKES EXPERIENCES

2009-03-29T07:51:00.000-05:00

YES, THAT'S RIGHT! TURN YOUR PHOTO EXPERIMENTS INTO EXPERIENCES FOR YOUR BENEFIT!

Now, the above example doesn't look much like an experiment does it?

Outside of a playing around with colors the photo looks pretty simple.

Before I go any further let me stress here:

MANY TIMES THE BEAUTY OF A PHOTO IS BECAUSE IT IS SO SIMPLE!

Now I'm not saying the image above is beautiful - but it is simple.

But it DOES incorporate something that you can do - but have never thought about utilizing!

Why not use some of your own photos as the background in some of your upcoming photo sessions?

That is what I did here.

And I think the orange in the background worked well in this overall photo!

Now if you own a printer which can print an 13 by 19 inch photo you're all set. You can even use an 8 by 10 photo if you work with small enough subjects.

Challenge for today:

Go through your own photos and pick out some you can use as backgrounds. Then try one or two or three.

SHAPES AND ANGLES

2009-03-28T16:13:00.000-05:00

MATERIAL FROM AN OUTFIT CAN REALLY MAKE THE PHOTOGRAPH STAND OUT LIKE THIS BLOUSE IN THIS IMAGE.

Composing this image was so simple.

I loved the angles, shapes, and colors in this blouse.

I chose a bottle which was very simple and kinda had the same color as the background. (There is no design on the bottle so it does not detract from the overall photo.)

The jewelry placed around the bottle kinda matches up with some of the designs on the material.

The only extra thing I did with this photo after I decided which pose to use was I used the "smudge" tool to smudge the table top the bottle was standing on.

Challenge for Today:

Take some material and photograph it with a simple vase or bottle.

SURPRISE! SURPRISE! SURPRISE!

2009-03-27T11:01:00.000-05:00

THERE IS SOMETHING MAGICAL ABOUT SEEING SOMETHING TODAY THAT WASN'T THERE YESTERDAY!

And yet, that is the wonder of surprise lilies.

This photo is made of one image but utilizes parts of another photo.

I placed the lily on a large plate which has a few designs.

I then took a few poses of this lily and plate.

Then in my computer I did the following:

1. Used the smudge tool to smudge the flower and the plate.

2. I then went to another photo I had previously taken of some decorative old wood.

3. I copied only some of the scrolled portion of the wood.

4. I made what I had copied as a new image.

5. I resized the "new image."

6. I copied and pasted the "new image" as a new layer to the smudged flower and plate photo.

7. I then adjusted the opacity of the wood scroll layer so that it was faint, but yet not too faint.

8. I went back to the "new image" and after rotating it and copying it I repeated steps 6 and 7.

9. When I was satisfied with the results, I merged all the layers and presto I saved the resulting "new surprised lily."

Challenge for today:

See if you can photograph some decorative wood scrolls you can add later to another photo.

TAKE SOME MATERIAL AND MAKE SOME MEMORIES

2009-03-26T11:18:00.000-05:00

TAKE A CLEAR PLATE, SOME MATERIAL, A FRESH FLOWER.......

And there you have the makings of a photography session.

My mother has been in heaven for a long, but that doesn't mean I don't want to keep her memory alive.

On this particular day I decided to photograph a quilt she never finished.

But........I wanted the photo to be different.

I got out the quilt.

I retrieved a fairly fresh flower. I then placed a large clear plate upside down.

I ended up with many different photos I liked.

But I settled for this....but then again, I think I never could make up my mind.

Challenge for Today:

Take some a dress, a quilt, a scarf, etc., and make some memories.

UNCOMMON COMMON THINGS

2009-03-25T07:30:00.000-05:00

I was helping clean up a vacant, littered, dirty house and then I saw IT on the ceiling........

There IT was in all its unkempt, dirty originality.....

A ceiling lamp with a vacated bird's nest!

SUCH AN UNCOMMON COMMON THING

I took it home in a large yellow trash bag.

However, when it came to photograph it, I had several problems.

1. The ceiling lamp was meant to hang from a ceiling. It wouldn't stand up by itself on a table.

2. How could I make capture the bird's nest so it would really show up?

3. How could I photograph the ceiling lamp so other people would know what it actually was?

I finally propped it up against a wall and took many photo angles of the bird's nest.

I ended up liking this image because it shows enough of the ceiling lamp to show where the bird's nest really was built.

I then did the trick of using Corel Paint Shop Pro's "arithmetic" tool to enhance the whole bird's nest and light. (See March 20 to get an idea of this technique.)

Challenge for today:

Look for and photograph the UNCOMMON COMMON THINGS

PROBLEMS OF HAVING TOO LITTLE

2009-03-24T14:41:00.000-05:00

You know what it's like. And it's no fun having to deal with having too little.

And it was a problem I had been faced with many times previously.

Somehow, though, this time seemed SO different!

I was in an outbuilding that had pretty yellow walls and a shelf!

I had a green bottle.

I had purple flowers.

The colors would go great together!

What more could any photographer need?

What was the CHALLENGE of the day?

SPACE...........SPACE..................SPACE....................SPACE

The shelf was only 4 inches deep at the most.

I was to "compose" and "create" a photo right there?

I took a deep breath and set to work.

I placed the bottle on its side at a slight angle.

I then put some of the flowers in front of the bottle and then I placed some flowers all along the length of the bottle.

Just doing these simple steps made the photo "look" more roomy than it actually was.

Challenge of the Day:

Take an area that has little depth and make it appear like it has a lot.