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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

solitude



We went on a little hike last Saturday at Flatirons Vista, where we used to hike with the girls many years ago. This time it was just Bob and me...and my Canon 6D. This was my favorite shot of the day: a perfect portrait of my husband, enjoying solitude, in his element...seriously, I just saw it unfolding, raised camera to eye, and 'click!' Well, maybe I did ask Bob to go back and re-trace his steps - s l o w l y - so I could frame it a little better. Only once though.

I played around with the image quite a bit before settling on this final version; first some fine-tuning in Lightroom. As you can see below, the color was so drab I knew immediately that a black & white filter would be a good starting point. I tried several B&W presets before settling on David duChemin's Green Filter Cool Duo, which I further tweaked in the Split Toning panel til it felt right. Then into Photoshop, where I smoothed out the sky with a gradient fill adjustment layer and applied two of Kim's textures: kk_vintageteal (Multiply 53%) and then scratchedmagic (Screen 56%). I must have cropped and re-cropped fifty times, mostly a matter of where I wanted the figure to be within the frame, and how to best use the strong diagonal lines of the fence.

Here's the original photo, SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera)

***
And the bit about 'solitude'...it's more than just an obvious choice for me to paste onto this image. I've always enjoyed solitude, usually content to amuse myself. Matthew Kelly calls it 'The Classroom of Silence.' A genuine respite from the chatter of everyday life.


Linking up with Texture Tuesday

xoxo
Cindy


16 comments:

  1. Love this, Cindy! Amazing texture and tones. I could pretty much see my husband in the same image!! He's just like that in his quiet solitude, as am I! And the quote - so very true!! {visiting from Texture Tuesday}

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    1. It does kinda have an "everyman" feel to it, doesn't it?

      Thanks for visiting!

      xoxo

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  2. Gorgeous photo and a wonderful portrait, textures and tones are amazing. love the quote too, so very true

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    1. Thanks Zena! It all just seemed to flow once I felt the photo 'grab' me.

      xoxo

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  3. Very nice. I realize that the older I get and the longer I'm retired, I truly enjoy solitude. I don't even listen to music when I'm working in PSE or when I'm painting. The quiet is very nice.

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    1. I sometimes try to put on a bit of music when I am creating, but it distracts me and like you I don't even hear it! I think that means that we are 'in the Zone'...which is a good place to be.

      xoxo

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  4. Great photo. Nicely done. The coloring really gives a feeling of solitude.

    Earl

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    1. Thank you Earl. I really worked at that, listening to my heart - as corny as that sounds.

      xoxo

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  5. You nailed this so perfectly, I love everything you did to it. That is so funny that you made Bob go back and stand there. I would make Glen do the same thing :)

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    1. I just knew I'd have to 'fess up to that fact or I'd never be able to live with myself! Glad I'm not the only one to resort to such tactics. LOL

      xoxo

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  6. Fantastic Cindy and black and white is perfect...

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    1. Thanks Viv,

      B&W seems to have the ability to strip some images down to the essentials.

      xoxo

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  7. Incredibly gorgeous edit! What more can I say.....

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    1. Thanks Roxi...don't you love it when it just "clicks?"

      xoxo

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  8. a wonderful image and I loved the textures you selected. visiting from tt.

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