simple gifts: roadside bouquet

mouse over to see the original

***

Notes:

INSPIRATION
noticing the weeds/flowers along the road
(as usual)
during a bike ride last Sunday;
I drove back right after our ride
and gathered
'a roadside bouquet'

SETUP

Side Lighting

(Be Still 52 Assignment: Week 5)

early morning, before work

summer sun streaming in thru patio door

north-facing, with a covered patio...

more light than I expected

IMPROVISATION

I just needed a bit more height:

two tuna cans under each tripod leg

worked just fine.

I hung a black t-shirt from the chandelier

opposite the light source

to heighten the effect.

Subtle, but definitely noticeable

in the photos.

I tried various backdrops...

After reviewing the early morning shots

with the light quilt background

I realized that the white dandelions

needed more contrast.

Home for lunch on a mission:

arrange dark fabrics

and re-shoot

the whole thing.

I should have listened

to Lillian

in the first place.

I also noticed

the different quality of light

in the early afternoon -

again, more noticeable

in the photos.

original photo SOOC

I purposely over-expose my shots

(+2 on my camera's Exposure Level Indicator)

because most of the data is located

on the right end,

giving me more digital 'stuff'

to play with in Lightroom.

David duChemin explains this

much more clearly in his book

Vision & Voice:

"The more elasticity my digital negative has,

the greater chance that I can make

a gorgeous print

that expresses my vision."

LIGHTROOM

I cropped (4x5),

started with Auto Tone

then adjusted Exposure and White Balance;

I experimented a lot with the Tone Curve

then several presets

before settling on Kim's

kk_daysofold.

PHOTOSHOP

one layer of kk_simplemagic (Screen 64%)

with the blossoms masked off

Font:

Dearest Script

***

Linking up with

Texture Tuesday

Start to Finish 2

Be Still 52

Friday Finds

new life

Fenris Kenneth Robert McFadden

June 15, 2014

***

Linking up with

Texture Tuesday

Start to Finish 2

Notes:

In Lightroom

I cropped

did some basic edits

then

preset: kk_likeadream

and

my own B&W split tone

In Photoshop

***

(Grandma 'Mimi')

playtime

mouse over to see the original

***

Notes:

SETUP

teddy bear

belonging to

young Bobbie Swainson

c. 1960

+ 

wooden top and plaid scrapbook

belonging to

young Aldo Notarianni

c. 1930

+

wooden crate magazine rack

belonging to

my late sister Elissa

before I painted/distressed it 'shabby chic' style

setup

(+ tripod)

original photo

SOOC

Numerous shots in Manual mode,

playing with depth of field,

focal point

and shutter speed.

***

 In Lightroom

I cropped (4x5),

cloned away the dark corner,

played with

multiple adjustments

...

and then I scrapped it all

and started over

with Kim's

kk_oldendays preset.

Perfect!

Just the effect I was looking for.

***

In Photoshop

I added two layers of

kk_waterfront1

Hard Light 20%

and

Multiply 30%

(I lowered the saturation on this layer)

I masked the texture

off of the bear and the top.

Font:

2Peas Just Plain Little

***

Linking up with

Start to Finish 2

Be Still 52

a job worth doing

Etching brush and ladle

belonging to

Joe Toomey

I often heard this saying from my mother, who likely heard the same words from her father. I assumed that Grandpa Joe had coined the phrase himself, but eventually realized that it is an old proverb.

***

John Joseph Toomey, my "Grandpa Joe," was born August 7, 1894, in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, to Michael and Ann (Murphy) Toomey. Joe's father, a railroad worker, was "gone a lot," leaving his wife and two young sons to fend for themselves. Ann died when the boys were very young, so their aunt, Ellen (Murphy) Baker, raised them.

Joe's childhood was spent in the loving care of his Aunt 'Nell' and her family, where he learned the value of hard work and a good education. There on the Baker farm in Wisconsin he grew up, working alongside the hired hands, and attending the local one-room school.

After high school, Joe worked on the railroad while taking correspondence courses from the University of Wisconsin. He eventually saved enough money to attend classes at the university, working in a fraternity house kitchen and typing term papers to make ends meet. He never did graduate.

In his late twenties, Joe went to work for the Minneapolis Tribune, which was founded by his cousin, William J. Murphy. Eventually, he was sent to Los Angeles to learn the rotogravure process, including photoengraving and etching, so that he could set up such a department at the Tribune. Joe worked at the Tribune until 1940, when the newspaper was sold.

***

Notes:

SETUP
Backdrop: plywood scrap, painted white and roughed up
I actually 'skated' the plywood over gravel.
+
Shop rag from Home Depot (already a bit dirty!)

I didn't spend a lot of time setting up;
just figured I'd see what happened
and deal with it
in a Wabi Sabi fashion.

original photo

SOOC

LIGHTROOM

Lens Corrections:

fix distortion, perspective, and angle

Crop:

Rule of Thirds - sort of

ample empty space

Presets:

Kim's Light&Airy Workflow

after Lightroom edits

cropped and ready for
Photoshop edit

PHOTOSHOP

Cloning to fill in the right side
kk_rainyday Soft Light 35%
another layer of the same at 47%
+ a layer mask to bring back some clarity
kk_grungedup_2 Multiply 35%

Fonts:
Old Newspaper
Dear Joe
(I know...too easy)

***

Linking up with

Be Still 52 - Day 3

Start to Finish 2 - Day 10