Cuter Than the Gerber Baby!!!

Photo shoot with my youngest grandchild - Number 12.  He just turned One!  Isn't he the cutest toddler!!!!

Lake Powell

Beginning of a Beautiful Day and Waiting Patiently for Riders

Lake Powell Sunrise

Lake Powell Sunrise

At least one morning every trip, I get up early and find the best vantage point for a sunrise photo.  It was a beautiful morning on this day with just enough cloud cover to create a lovely and interesting sky as a backdrop for my picture.  I found my spot, set up my tripod and camera and then waited for the magic to happen.  It was a peaceful time to listen to the soft sounds of the water rippling to shore, the two chattering crows overhead with their birdseye view of the coming event, and the unsettling sounds of coyotes howling in the distance.  It was a time to reflect on the beauty of this earth in its many forms.  While in the South Pacific I marveled at the lush, tropical flora and fauna and thought this was indeed heaven on earth.  And yet on this morning, surrounded by barren red rock formations and rugged desert vistas, I also saw the beauty of God's handiwork.

  

Ghost Story Tutorial

In this post I'll show you how I made 'GHOST' STORY, which was my last post.  (Incidentally, there are many creative ways to make ghosted images and you can find tutorials on YouTube and other photo websites.)

The process I used was easy and quick, but will seem complicated if you are unfamiliar with PS and layers.  Here we go:

First I set the scene by dragging a chair and candles in front of the fireplace in my living room.  I turned on several lamps nearby for low lights.  I put my camera on a tripod, (very important), and put the settings to Aperture Priority at f/11, but many different settings would have worked as well.  I experimented by taking several images and dialing the exposure up and down until I got a dark but not too dark image.  The above shot is the one I ended up with.  As you can see, I wasn't very particular about the composition because I knew I would crop way in and straighten in post processing.

I then asked Jeff to sit down carefully, without disturbing or moving the spider.  I kept my camera position and settings the same, except that I turned the timer on, and ran to take my place in the composition for the next image.  It is very important that the settings stay the same and your camera does not move during both shots.  (Side note:  You might wonder why I didn't center us in the frame.  Because I was sitting closer to the camera, I would appear bigger than Jeff, and I didn't want that(!), so I knew in the final image the viewer would only get a glimpse of me and not the full butt/thigh view!)  Now I have two identical shots except that one is with us included and one is without.

After uploading to the computer, I opened both photos in Photoshop.
Working on the photo with the people, I clicked Select, then All. 

Then I clicked Edit, then Copy, after which I switched to the image without Jeff and I and made it active.

Now I clicked Edit, and Paste.  You will notice that my two images are now shown in the right panel with the people image on top.  Working on that top image, I lowered the Opacity slider, which is on the right side of panel just above the image thumbnails.  

I experimented with varied degrees of opacity until I got just the right amount of ghosting for my taste.  Remember I am only reducing the opacity of the top layer/image with the people. The bottom layer/image without the people stays at 100% opacity or transparency and does not change, so only the people will appear 'ghosted'.  When I was pleased with the effect, I flattened or combined both images, straightened and cropped.  Now comes the fun part.

I experimented with a variety of special effects, presets, editing programs, etc., and finally settled on a stylized B&W preset in Silver Efex Pro 2.  I finished it off with a dark vignette around the edge of the frame.

After uploading my two photos to the computer, the editing/post processing time was quick and easy, just a few minutes.  The hardest part was getting Jeff to pose for me!  HaHa  If anyone experiments with this effect, I'd love to see the magic you create!

Happy Halloween!

GHOST Story

I'll show you how I made this image in my next post!  In the meantime, have a fun Halloween.

Lake Powell FUN!

Is Lake Powell FUN or what!!!!!!

Lake Powell, Utah Sunset

Lake Powell Sunset

We returned about a week ago from our annual Lake Powell vacation.  We had a fabulous time, and a bonus for me were the beautiful sunsets we enjoyed most evenings.

Salt Lake Temple

Salt Lake Temple - Beautiful Fall Afternoon

This photo was taken the same time as the last post.  It was a beautiful autumn day and I wanted to take some photos on Temple Square during the fall season, which I rarely do.  Almost every year I am eager to photograph the riot of beautiful flowers during spring, and at Christmas time I enjoy photographing the gazillion twinkling lights that adorn the trees and frame the temple. 

 This fall day, the weather was delightful and the mood seemed mellow, calm, and peaceful.   People strolled slowly by, enjoying the beauty of the moment.  A bridal party and their photographer were creating memories.  Families were admiring the still beautiful flowers that will soon be gone.  It seemed to be a transition time between the busy, hot summer months of vacation and tourists, and the preparation and anticipation for the upcoming holiday season filled with Temple Square concerts, lights and decorations, and our focus on the birth of our Savior.  Taking pictures here was a great way to spend a beautiful fall afternoon!

Temple Reflection

Salt Lake Temple and Reflection Pond

The Before.......

..... Boring!

Mersad wanted to see the before shot from the last post, so here it is!

Crater Lake, Oregon

Crater Lake, Oregon

On our Oregon adventure, we went to Crater Lake.  I wanted to get some late afternoon and sunset shots but we misjudged the time it would take to get there and we arrived well after the sun was down.  I was determined to get something, even though it was very dark, with just a hint of pink left in the sky.  I knew that major post processing would be the only thing that would make an image I would want to keep.  First, I used a 16mm wide angle lens in order to fit the entire lake in one frame.  Using a wide angle lens, of course, made the moon the size of a pin head.  So I used a 300 mm telephoto lens to take a shot of the moon and placed it directly over the original moon in Photoshop.  Then in Lightroom I bumped up the color in the sky and increased the moon glow on the lake.  Finally I used Perfect Effects to give the entire image a soft, dreamy look.  Creating something out of nothing is challenging and fun!!

White Horse Falls, Oregon

White Horse Falls, Oregon

This was taken within several minutes after the photo on the previous post.  I really like the sunburst that adds an interesting element to the image, but not sure I like the sunflare that continues through the waterfall.

Clearwater Falls, Oregon

CLEARWATER FALLS, OREGON

Jeff and I packed up a RZR and headed to Oregon for a little 44th anniversary get-away.  We spent a few days staying and riding in the beautiful forests around Crater Lake before heading to the coast to ride on the beach.  This was one of several waterfalls we saw along the way.  As you can tell, this was taken early in the morning on what turned out to be a glorious day.

Floating in Bubbles

FLOATING IN BUBBLES

This morning I took an early morning walk at Thanksgiving Point.  (Part of which includes many acres of beautiful gardens.)  I decided I was just going to soak in all the beautiful summer flowers in full bloom as a result of a very unusually rainy and cool August and not worry about taking photos. So I forced myself to leave my camera at home.  

I was doing great until the end of my walk which usually brings me to an enclosed garden aptly called 'The Secret Garden'.  It is my favorite place to sit on a bench, smell the flowers and enjoy a beautiful little fountain in the middle of the garden.  But I noticed that since my last visit they had changed how the fountain sprays.  And then I noticed it was now creating these beautiful bubbles that I knew would be perfect as a backdrop for a flower photo.  In the little class I taught on flower photography I challenged the group to find different and unique ways of presenting flowers, which I try to do as well, and I knew the bubbles and interesting water patterns would do just that.  

Of course at this point I'm irritated that I didn't bring my camera with me, but I did have my iphone, so that's what I used to take the photos that went into creating this image.  Guess the moral of the story is, not having a big fancy camera is no excuse for not taking photos or creating art!  I hope you like it!

Chalk Art - Street Photography

Street Photography is both challenging and interesting.  I'm not talking about the type of street photography where one is hidden behind a tree and sneaks candids with a telephoto lens.  And, I'm not saying that one can't get some interesting photos and capture great moments when the subjects are unaware that they are being photographed.  But I'm talking about a different kind of street photography that can be very intimidating and uncomfortable for the photographer, especially a beginning photographer.  It can also be intimidating for the subject who has just had a stranger walk up to her/him and wants to start taking photos.  There is a skill involved in not only convincing a stranger that you are not a stalker, but within only a few minutes making that person feel comfortable enough to allow you to photograph them.  Not only that, but to come away with an interesting, natural pose and expression to boot!

I remember my first experience with this kind of street photography was during a fabulous experience my sister-in-law and I had of attending a week long photography workshop taught by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore some years ago.  One of our assignments I called "Stranger at 20 feet".  He set the group loose in old town Santa Fe, New Mexico with the assignment to engage in conversations with strangers, obtain their permission to photograph them, and then come back and show our best shots to the group.  We only had one evening to work up our courage, figure out an approach, not forget how to use our camera in our nervousness, and return with something worth showing the group for critique.  This was one of the hardest things I had to do at that workshop, but also one of the assignments where I grew the most in my confidence and abilities.  (I'll post my 'keepers' from that assignment in a day or two.)  I still have a few butterflies walking up to total strangers with a camera, but I can tell you that some of my favorite 'people' pictures over the past years are ones of interesting strangers I've met during my travels.

All of the artists and other interesting people at this show knew I was taking their photo. Even the ones who are not looking at the camera or appear to be candid, I previously spoke with them for a few minutes, asked permission, then told them to go back to what they were doing.

Mirror Lake, Utah

MIRROR LAKE, UTAH

Yesterday in the late afternoon, Jeff and I took a drive to Mirror Lake which is about an hour away from our home.  It was a beautiful drive, and the lake was peaceful and lovely.  We took a leisurely stroll along the shore and watched a few people fishing and paddling canoes.  We then headed home by way of Park City for a late dinner.  It was a nice evening! 

Elegant!

My how time goes by so fast!  Just not enough time to fit everything in, and that includes blogging!  Hope I can do better soon!  Here is one I recently took at Thanksgiving Point in preparation for a second flower photography class I'm teaching.

Morning Shower

Jeff was sprinkling the garden while I was taking pictures this morning, so I told him to give the flowers a shower.

LadyBug in My Garden

I love ladybugs, but haven't seen many in my garden this year.

Aging Gracefully.......

..... And Beautifully

(follow up to last post)

In My Garden Today

"We Can Work It Out"

 "We Can Work It Out"

Try to see it my way
Do I have to keep on talking till I can't go on?
While you see it your way
Run the risk of knowing that our love may soon be gone.

Pond Queen

POND QUEEN

The Watchman - Zion National Park

The Watchman

By the time I arrived at this very popular location for landscape photography in Zion National Park, it was dark.  Usually the bridge where this view is seen is packed with photographers and their tripods, as well as a second group waiting for their turn to photograph this iconic scene.  When I arrived, the last photographer was packing up his gear.  It had been a beautiful sunset, and I had missed it.  I sat in my car wondering if I could make it back here while the trees were still adorned with the beautiful, bright green leaves of spring. I didn't know when that would be, so I got out of my car, and decided to shoot a couple of images anyway.  The good news was that I had my pick of anywhere on the bridge to stand as I was the only one there.  The bad news was that it was dark and I couldn't see where I was going or what I was doing.  I knew that to capture any of the remaining light I would have to keep the shutter open a fairly long time, but even so, didn't think I'd get anything worth keeping. I took several shots exposing for different parts of the scene.  I was surprised when I downloaded the images, that by combining parts of each exposure, I was able to bring out much of the detail in the shadows.  I was surprised at how many warm colors were still present even though the sun had set long before.  I often talk about how a camera can't record as much as the human  eye can see.  In this case, the camera saw a lot more than I did!

The Fire Within

The Fire Within

Here is the LINK to the photos I used in the FLOWER POWER class I taught last night.

Here's How I Did it!

Here's the story behind the previous post.  We were with our grandchildren at a butterfly park and I took the first photo.  I was mainly concerned with getting the butterfly in focus and didn't have time to worry about composition.  Later, as we made our way around the park, I noticed this flower with a little water puddle captured in the center.  I loved the texture, the reflections, the swirls and the dots of light so I snapped a shot with the sole purpose of using that photo to create an interesting background for another image.  I enlarged just the center and then cloned parts of it into the first image, overlapping, and making multiple adjustments along the way.  Then I flattened all the layers and cropped out all the distracting stuff I didn't like.  Easy peezy!! 

In a Butterfly's Dream

In a Butterfly's Dream

I'm preparing for a class I'm teaching next week on creating unique flower photos.  Check back tomorrow to see how I combined two images and ended up with this.

Misty Watercolor Memories

Misty Watercolor Memories

(This is what Karen Saw)

(This is what the camera saw)

Splish Splash!

Isn't Spring Wonderful!!!!!

In a Soft Light

In a Soft Light

He Loves Me...........

 'He Loves Me............'

(Do you get it?  I mean the title?)

Sometimes an image is more interesting when the subject is not perfect or it is different than what you'd expect to see,  like a repetitive pattern that is broken.  Imagine a row of blue beach umbrellas, perfectly spaced and lined up along a beautiful beach.  That would be lovely, but it would be more interesting if just one umbrella, maybe a bright yellow one, broke the pattern and stood out in the middle of the blue ones.

 I think that most photographers would be more inclined to take a picture of a 'perfect' flower rather than one that was damaged or had some of the petals missing.   In the above image, I think the flower in focus, the main subject, is more interesting with just one petal missing.  (No I didn't pull it off before taking this shot, but I might have if I'd thought of it!!)  Does it bother you that the flower, as the main subject, is not perfect?

Wild Flowers and Red Rock

Layers of Interest

Lovely wild flowers, craggy red rock cliffs, and a beautiful sky.......doesn't get much better that this for a landscape photographer!

A Peek at Zion

Zion National Park

Actually I don't know if I was in the park or not.  This was taken from a road outside of the park heading to Kolob Reservoir.  It was a beautiful drive and starts at the main road that goes through the tiny town of Rockville, just a few miles from the main entrance into the park.  There were signs along the way that said I was in the park, then out of the park, then in again so I don't know if I was in or out where I was standing to take this photo.  I am positive, however, that the rock formations in the background are in the park.