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Sunday, July 27, 2014

baby spoon





a simple little still life
for our
Be Still 52
assignment
for Week 10:
playing with
lighting direction...
and spoons.



***

Notes:

Quickly assembled
Friday morning
before work:

The silver spoon and dish
were my mother's
as a baby.
(I know I should get out the silver polish
but the tarnished patina is so lovely!)
+
a wonderfully old, humble washcloth
from I don't know where
+
daisies from our garden
+
a very old children's book.

I played for over an hour
with various
ISOs, shutter speeds, apertures and angles.
I tried flash, but it diminished the shadows,
so I practiced holding the camera
v e r y steady.
I repeatedly repositioned the little table
with an eye for directional shadows.

Lillian helped with the setup...
...and then she just relaxed
and let the process
evolve on its own.
Feline 'insight' maybe?

CAMERA
Canon EOS 6D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 lens
Manual Mode

both photos:
ISO 1600
f/5.0
1/30 sec

LIGHTROOM
I 'painted' in some basic edits
to emphasize
dramatic light/shadow play;
applied two of Kim's presets:
sharpen still life
&
kk_summersun
then I kept playing around
in the Develop module:
I de-saturized the yellows and greens
and applied a faded split tone
(blue highlights + pink shadows)
to keep things cool.
Then I synced the edits
with the second photo
and fine-tuned things there too.

PHOTOSHOP
Just two layers of
kk_pinitonly4
Soft Light ~30%
Vivid Light 15%
masking off the spoon

***

Linking up with





Saturday, July 12, 2014

light of morn




daybreak
our back yard
Summer 2014

Prompted by a class assignment for
a scavenger hunt for subjects
that represent
openness.

This is how I feel
at the beginning of each day:
refreshed
renewed
inspired
energized
optimistic
open

I'm usually pulling
- and cursing -
these messy ivy tangles
that grow from the other side of the fence.
They are kinda interesting...

***

Notes:

My camera is a tool for
seeing
focusing
being attentive
...
simply
capturing and recording
what strikes me
at a given
time and place.

It's a different kind of photography
than still life;
a different creative process
altogether
(well...sort of)

I love to compose
still life scenes,
but I also love
to capture
the world as it is.

Once I noticed the sun rising
I positioned myself to take advantage of
the possibility of

 original photo SOOC

LIGHTROOM
Some creative play with the
Develop Module
to 'refine my vision.'
Then I tried out
several presets
before deciding on Kim's
kk_hazeydazy
and fine-tuned it even further.

PHOTOSHOP
I cloned out two little annoying bits
near the edges
which distracted me.
(seems I get a bit more control here than in LR)
One layer of kk_0405
(Overlay 24%)

***

Truly the light of morn is sweet
And sweet it is to see the sun...
excerpt from
a hymn by

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Friday, July 4, 2014

friday finds: zen seeing

Not quite sure
just how
I got to this place
...
but here I am.

Somehow I wandered into
- or rather -
discovered
the art of
Contemplative Photography
which led me
back to my roots:


d  r  a  w  i  n  g




mouseover to see original


I was drawing
long before
I ever picked up
a paintbrush
or a needle & thread
or a camera.

I was never one to say
"I can't draw."
I can draw anything
as long as it
doesn't move.

So when Kim (Manley Ort, that is)
started talking about
photography versus drawing,
and Betty Edwards
(I still have my old 1979 edition)
and Frederick Franck
(got that one too)
I unearthed
my books
and my sketchbook
and
my favorite tool:
a
mechanical pencil.


I have often returned
to these roots
over the years.
Each time
more meaningfully
and fondly
than before.

And I ask:
why did I ever stop?

***

Notes:

I enjoyed playing around with this
humble, yet meaningful little still life.

Be Still 52 assignment: Week 7
Focus, Blur, & Creative Play
I love this process!


Lillian was there
to oversee every little thing
of course.

Canon EOS 6D
continuing to purposely over-expose
(it really does help in the editing process)

LIGHTROOM
using Snapshots my own way:
to remember
where and when
I got an idea
Kim's split tone really helped
get rid of the yellow undertone.
I had already tried
various ways to do this.


PHOTOSHOP


***

Linking up with








Wednesday, July 2, 2014

birth...of a mother and father



My
favorite captures
from last week's
'newborn portrait shoot'
of our new grandson
Fen


 
1
A spontaneous gesture
(on Kelly's part)
+
being present and mindful
with camera in hand
(on my part)



2
Connection:
father and son
delight and devotion
(this is how Aaron is with Fen)

***

Notes:

CAMERA
Canon EOS 6D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens
Continuous Shooting Mode (silent)
experimented with
DOF, indoor/outdoor lighting

LIGHTROOM
Lots of experimenting with
Develop Module and Presets
to 'refine my vision'

Presets:
1
PRESETS GALORE Rich Lavender
(I desaturated Kelly's bright blue top)

2
LR B&W Look 1
Color was distracting in this shot;
I never even noticed the bokeh
'til I made it B&W!
(I fine-tuned the Split Tones and Contrast)

PHOTOSHOP
Both photos:
one layer of
kk_dollard_softand gentle
(Soft Light ~40-45%)
desaturated to get the effect without the color

***
But my favorite photo of Fen
was captured by my friend
Lidia West
(a new mother herself)
who graciously offered to
help me with our photoshoot.

Fen
10 days old
I didn't do a thing to this photo!
Seriously.


***

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