not still life...real life

So

I've been busy lately

...

watching my child

watch her child.

It doesn't get any better.

***

Canon 6D

Tamron SP 24-70 f/2.8 lens

Manual Mode

ISO 1600

f 3.2  1/100 sec

LR preset: kk_barelycolor

Texture: kk_epic

Drawing

done with

Sanford UniBall Fine pen

***

Linking up with

Be Still 52 (week 30)

Texture Tuesday

P.S.
Happy Birthday
to my own
Mom
Great-Grandma Peggie

an american-italian thanksgiving

These things

say

'Thanksgiving'

to me:

Canon 6D + Tamron 24-70 lens
LR preset: kk_earthywgrain

PS textures: kk_waterfront1 and kk_waterfront21

as seen on Instagram
iPhone 6 captured with Camera+ app
edited with Leonardo and Stackables apps

family heirlooms

now in my keep:

ravioli rolling pin,

collander,

macaroni pot,

Italian embroidered linen tablecloth
and matching napkins

(a wedding gift for my folks in 1953)

***

This is what

Thanksgiving dinner

looked like

in our family:

homemade ravioli

with

homemade ricotta filling

and

the best ragu

you ever tasted.

We kids never had a traditional

Thanksgiving turkey dinner

until we were

grown

and living on our own.

For the record,

none of us

ever objected.

Also for the record,
we considered ourselves
Americans
of
Italian/Irish/Swedish
descent.

Greg, Cindy, Mom, Grandpa,

'Dudie,' Adrienne, Lissa

(Dad was behind the camera)

Thanksgiving 1966

at Dudie & Grandpa's house

Dudie wisely got out her best

plastic faux lace tablecloth

for us kids

(tomato sauce stains quite reliably)

Greg, Cindy, Adrienne, Lissa

making ravioli with Grandpa

in our kitchen

November 1969

See the rolling pin?

The tradition continued

- in a way -

when we kids

had kids,

only now it's

Christmas Eve

dinner...

Linking up with

Texture Tuesday

Be Still 52 (week 25)

Happy Thanksgiving!

humble of heart

There's something about

dried flowers

that speaks

to me

so

eloquently

of

life.

LR preset: kk_pause
Textures: kk_anne and kk_bamboo

I gathered several of these
'daisy heads'
from my garden
this fall.
I found them
to be
infinitely more
captivating
than their
showy summertime
incarnation,
the black-eyed susan

I set up
this little still life
and captured it
with my iPhone 5
just so I could
experiment
with some apps.

as seen on Instagram

It is a mystery that unless unless the seed falls to the ground and unless it dies, it remains alone. I realize that there are many things in me that must die before He can live: my pride, my ambition, my impatience, my anger. The difficulty in loving my neighbor, or listening to the problems of another. There is much that I must die to. But unless these things are conquered, He cannot live in me.

 Mother Angelica

***

Linking up with

Friday Finds

i'm never really ready for this...

...but after an unusually warm October

(I was just on my bike the other day - in shorts!)

near-zero temperatures

and blizzard-like conditions

are indeed a

shock to the system.

***

Yesterday I watched

out the window

as it began

to snow.

I felt compelled

to draw.

Soon the white stuff

began to collect

on the few remaining leaves

still clinging to

the aspen trees

in our back yard.

As my eyes saw

my hand drew...

and

in my heart

I sensed

their plight.

I felt

their fear.

I knew

how it would end.

***

Early this morning

I felt compelled

to capture

this unfolding drama

with my camera.

It was so cold

I didn't want to risk

damaging condensation

in my 'big' camera,

so I made a few quick captures

with my iPhone 5.

Version 1

Editing done on my iPad

with the following apps:

LEONARDO - adjust exposure, contrast, brightness

PHOTOGRID- create layout

STACKABLES - add textures:

Winter Frost (Multiply 20%)

Glacial Ice (Color 25%)

Bleached (Soft Light 75%)

Worn Canvas (Hard Light 25%)

Version 2

Editing done on my iMac with

LIGHTROOM (preset: kk_truecolor)

and

PHOTOSHOP

The 'platinum' Gradient Map adjustment layer

(Lighten Blend Mode 32%)

toned down the bright

yellows and greens

just a bit.

***

For everything there is a season

and a time for every matter

under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

***

Linking up with

Friday Finds

Texture Tuesday

Thank you Roxi and Julie
for getting me hooked

with your

30 Day Scrap with Apps Challenge.

This is seriously

too much fun!

comic relief

Lately I've been exploring

iPhoneography

thanks to my friends

Roxie, Sarah, and Viv

who have been tempting me

for months

with its

myriad of

creative possibilities.

So much to learn!

I have only just

scratched the surface.

Spontaneity

was not exactly at the top

of my list;

however, one day last week

as I was sitting down to

draw this little dried rose petal

- in a quiet, contemplative, Zen-like state of mind -

who should happen along

and plant herself

right in the middle

of things?

Lillian
couldn't resist
this set-up.
Immediately,

my plans were

up-ended.

Literally.

I am always fascinated

by the dexterity of her

comma-shaped paw

as she daintily
sweeps small objects

hither and yon.

And then she glanced back at me,

as if to say,

'Well, what did you expect?'

God bless

Lillian

for her

gift of

comic relief!

Good thing I had

my iPhone

handy.

***

Notes:

CAMERA

iPhone 5

APPS

ProCamera

initial capture

(rapid fire mode)

Snapseed

Details: Sharpening ~25-30%

Drama: Bright 2 - default filter strength

which nicely lightened

Lillian's 'darker side'

and oh-so-subtly

brought out just enough

detail in

the sketchbook.

Image Blender

Second layer: kk_tuesday texture

Blend Mode: Soft Light 20%

I wasn't really after any

'dramatic' texturizing,

but rather to see how

subtle texturizing could enhance

an image.

***

Linking up with

30 Day Scrap With Apps Challenge (Day 6)

Texture Tuesday

Friday Finds

weekend walk: just up the street

Most of us lead far more meaningful lives than we know.

Often finding meaning is not about doing things differently;

it is about seeing familiar things in new ways.

~Rachel Naomi Remen

There is an irrigation ditch at the top of our street,

and the path alongside it

is a popular destination for folks

in our little neighborhood

to go for a stroll.

Recently I took

my iPhone camera there

for a little spin

(funny how I think of my iPhone

primarily as a camera -

probably because that's the main reason

I got an iPhone in the first place)

No definite intentions

or real plans

for what I might

capture...

...just delighting

in the

serenity

and

simple beauty

of the place.

The dirt path is shaded by

many big old trees.

A couple of these

big trees

had been recently

cut down.

I mean

b i g.

Someone had

gathered some apples

...

and then left them

to rot.

I was of course

drawn to this rusty old

piece of machinery;

I think it controls

the water flow

somehow.

The entire ditch property is bordered by

several fenced-in back yards

with gated access

to the trail.

Lucky for me

the gates are weathered

and rather rickety.

One property

has this little old cottage

on the banks

of the ditch.

I like to imagine it

as an artist's studio.

October is a beautiful time of year,

with its contrasting colors

of early fall.

This was my favorite

wabi-sabi

fence/gate shot;

I am fascinated by the

tenacity of nature

as it overtakes

man's efforts.

Notes:

CAMERA

iPhone 5

ProCamera app

I love how I can control

focus and exposure

independently,

especially useful

on a hazy-bright day

with plenty of

dappled sun and shadows.

LIGHTROOM

I haven't yet figured out

how to efficiently

edit a batch of iphotos

(I'm sure there's an app for that)

so I just imported everything

into Lightroom.

Minimal editing:

just a bit of the basics

and minor cropping.

Then I auditioned several presets

and finally chose Kim's

kk_earthy.

PHOTOSHOP

No texture work needed;

I tried a few but found

that it interfered with

the clarity,

and literally

muddied the waters.

Linking up with

A Weekend Walk

Friday Finds

Be Still 52 (Week 22)

unstaged

An 'unstaged' still life

for

Be Still 52

Week 12

 Not what I had

originally planned,

but

more in keeping

with the theme

I think.

So...

I came home Sunday

after an enjoyable photoshoot

at the antique mall,

where I figured

I'd find plenty of

subject matter

suitable for an

'unstaged' still life

(a term

which I thought to be

delightfully

contradictory!)

I did manage to

gather several

possibilities.

Then,

as I sat at the kitchen table

and chatted

with my daughter Erin

about this and that,

Lillian stepped in

and

changed my plans

altogether.

She patiently

obliged

as we

gleefully snapped

one photo after another

with our cellphone cameras. 

So much for my plans

to upload, choose

and edit

the antique mall shots.

***

Monday morning

I woke up

with a new

idea

and

a simple plan.

original photo SOOC

Notes:

CAMERA

A chance to play with

my new lens

and

flash,

striving for

optimum light,

fast shutter speed,

lower ISO,

without a tripod.

And 'tack sharp' detail

of course.

LIGHTROOM

lens correction

straighten and crop

basic edits:

Then I auditioned several of Kim's presets

before settling on

kk_walnut preset

+

my own split tone adjustment

PHOTOSHOP

I auditioned a few different textures

and several blend modes

before deciding on

Kim's new

kk_quiet

 ***

Linking up with

Be Still 52

Texture Tuesday