expecting - part 2

B&W

is

classic

but

the colors

turned out

so beautifully...

Here's

some more
of my
favorite shots:

I handed the camera

to Aaron...

Kelly
with
soon-to-be
Aunt Erin and Grandma 'Mimi'

(the girls call me 'Mimi')


There's been significant speculation
about wee Fen's
haircolor.
We all agree:
the world needs
another
ginger.


***

Lightroom Preset:
Rainbow Pastel
from
Presets Galore

+

kk_waterfront
(Soft Light 24% + Multiply 60%)


Linking up
with
Texture Tuesday
Free & Easy eDition


***

(Grandma Mimi)

begin with an egg...

Two challenges.

Two versions.

Challenge #1

Set up a shot that includes eggs in the scene.

(Start to Finish 2)

Challenge #2

Find a simple subject and give it room to breathe;

apply the Rule of Thirds

and use that negative space.

(Be Still 52)

***

Version A

Notes:

Seemingly endless play

in Lightroom,

experimenting with multiple

presets and adjustments.
As for the
Rule of Thirds...
well, some 'rules'
make better guidelines.
Edges and Balance
won out here.

Then into Photoshop
to remove some of the
more distracting scratches
with the
Spot Healing Brush

and
to add a bit of texture.

(kk_rainyday Overlay20% opacity)

original shot SOOC

***

Version B

Notes:

In Lightroom

I played with multiple

presets, adjustments,
and some major cropping.
Same issues as before
with Rule of Thirds.
I continue to trust
my own intuition.

Then into Photoshop

for some texture:

kk_dollard_softandgentle

(Soft Light 63%)

original shot SOOC

***

Here's my setup:

Lillian was 'helping' as usual.

mouseover

to see

Lillian's

photobomb

***

The goal of solitude

is not simply

to be alone,

but to be present

and receptive.

~

David duChemin

***

Vinyl floor tile from Lowes

Font: SF-Karens

Highly recommended reading

by David duChemin

expecting...

Kelly & Aaron

and

Fen

May 18, 2014

Soon...

(make that 'Grandma Mimi')

***

Lightroom Preset:

Soft Matte with Vignette Cool

from

Presets Galore

+

kk_laura

(Multiply 30%)

***

Linking up

with

Texture Tuesday

Black & White eDition

be still: a beginning

This little

Beleek creamer

of my mother's

has always been a favorite.

Just a few lilacs

survived

our 

spring snowstorm.

I don't remember

where or how

I acquired

this wonderful

old, old

children's book.

I put it all together

with

an old

cutwork linen

doily

and set it up

with

some makeshift

painted plywood

backdrops.

And I played...

I'm shooting

in Manual Mode

now...

various f-stops,

shutter speeds,

exposures

and

auto-focus points.

Set up everything,

shoot some pix,

run downstairs

with the

flashcard

and load 'em

into Lightroom.

Study them closely,

mostly checking

for

'tack sharp'

focus.

Then

head back upstairs

and

try again.

The light is different
just a few feet away! 

Lillian

patiently

watched...

...and seemed to
understand
why I am
compelled
to do
this.


***

Thanks Kim
for
Be Still 52


***

I painted one side
of each of two
plywood scraps
flat white
then distressed them
by rubbing them
on gravel.

Top photos
edited in
Lightroom
and Photoshop
with Kim's
Texture Tuesday
recipe
this week
(I chose
the Beleek creamer
because of its
soft yellow
'ribbon'
and interior glaze).

I added
 kk_simple
to the top photo only
(just one layer at 38% Soft Light)
The other photos
needed the clarity
with all their busy-ness.

***

a mother's day album

So here's where my heart is

on this 

Mother's Day

***

Let me

illustrate with

some photos

from

the past

May 1960

Wheat Ridge, Colorado

Our family

with Mom

at the center

(I'm just 2 weeks old here)

Mom was 8 months pregnant

with me

+

three small children

in tow

when they moved in

this brand-new house

just a few weeks

before

June 1989

Toronto

My parents

came to visit

when Kelly (our first)

was born

 Grandma and Kelly

Grandma, me, and Grandpa

with Kelly

Not quite

two years later...

Grandpa and Grandma

came to Toronto to meet

our little 'Enna'

with Kelly (22 mo) and Erin (3 mo)

And now...

a few 'selfies'

from

Kelly's

Instagram

album

this year

 March 5

March 28

May 8

***

Making the decision

to have a child

is momentous.

It is to decide

forever

to have your heart

go walking around

outside

your body.

Elizabeth Stone

Happy Mother's Day

Mom!

and

to Kelly:

Welcome

to the

Club!

re: ephemera, wabi-sabi, still-life, and light

Start where you are.

Use what you have.

***

So

I started with

a scrap of

ephemera

from my Dad's

old stamp collection

'stash'

and dug up

this old chunk

of wood

and sifted

through

some

old potpourri

and

sorted

through

some

old buttons

and

in a

free-flowing

wabi-sabi

state of mind,

I

quickly

composed this

little

still life

it was if a story

was unfolding

as I assembled

the bits and pieces...

I've been to Wyoming

'though I don't know exactly where

Upton is.

Champa Street

is in

downtown Denver.

I searched for

some

early morning

light

and

the rest

is

history.

Or

rather

photography.

***

CAMERA SETTINGS:

Camera: Canon 6D (full frame)

Lens: Canon 28-135mm

Focal Length: 135mm

(Lens Image Stabilizer turned off for tripod use)

Mode: Manual

Auto Focus (center point focus) with Evaluative Metering

ISO 400, f/18, 1.3 sec

(I was going for 'tack sharp'

to emphasize the

assorted textures

and

light/shadow play)

***

PHOTO EDITING:

Lightroom:

lots of experimentation

with

cropping, snapshots

presets (mainly Kim's LightAiry Workflow)

then edited in

Photoshop CC:

just a bit of

layering

from Kim's Home Sweet Home Set

kk_hsh3 (Multiply 52%)

kk_hsh (Overlay 17%)

***

Linking up

with

Start to Finish 2

Friday Finds

(late as usual)