Three Roses

Speaking of Instagram, here are three versions of the same rose being posted on Instagram today.  Usually I only do one pic a day, but I upped my game a little today.

Instagram

Many of my photos are in the square format and that's because many of my photos are posted on Instagram.  I posted the Autumn scenic, shown here, today on Instagram. It's a great way to get your art and photos out there with just a little effort. And that works out perfect for me.  I've put up over 700 pics and art on Instagram. At this time, I only post a pic a day. Again, that works out just perfect for me and it's a lot of fun. You can find me on Instagram by typing in "Fauxhead".

Topaz Labs

I bought up a couple editing programs from Topaz Labs. These programs work with Photoshop and offer an unlimited combination of effects that can be applied to photographs.

The flowers, shown here, had simplifying and softening effects applied to the background.  The main flower was left alone.  So, this one is similar to a color splash, except the background is not all the way to black and white.  I really like this effect.

Monster's Bride

Elsa Lancaster portrayed the Bride of Frankenstein way back in 1935. I used a still from that classic movie to create this portrait using vector art.

Vector art is one of many artistic avenues I have been pursuing over the years. I would like to find my path and stay on that path. But my interests are are all over the map. I have ideas for creating characters to use in a comic strip. I also want to try more photo manipulations. There are also plans to build articulated characters out of brass, metal findings and exotic wood. 

Back to Elsa, this project was a lot of fun and there may be more vectors in my future.

Mushrooms part 2

After getting my mushroom pictures and running the errands, I headed home, going back the same way I came.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw more shrooms on the opposite side of the road.  The lighting looked to be better; soft lighting in shadow.  I'm not a big fan of direct sunlight.  Diffused, soft light, makes for more saturated colors.  This mushroom, along with the one shown on my last post, we're both taken on my way back home.  I didn't know these shrooms were on the other side of the road.  It was a happy accident!

Mushrooms part 1

While running some errands a few days ago, I spotted several large mushrooms off the road under a line of pine trees.  It was raining steadily, so I made a mental note to take some pictures the next morning.

Early the next morning, the sun was rising, so I grabbed my camera and off I went. When I got to the spot, I pulled off the road and what I thought was maybe half a dozen large mushrooms was actually more like 100 mushrooms.

Whisperly Rose

I took this shot a couple years ago, but it's just been sitting on my hard drive waiting to be rediscovered.  One of the reasons it was never used was that I was unable to nail the colors right. This was originally a red rose, but after a softening filter and 80 percent of a desaturation filter, this is the finished product. There are still some subtle adjustments that would make this one perfect.  I'm really looking forward to applying these effects to future projects.

Try, Try Again

My post "Disappointment" was all about the original color version of this bee wrapped in a withering leaf.

In an attempt to make the most out of the shot, I tried a color splash, hoping that would make the bee emerge from the scene.  Despite my best efforts, this photo was not the awesome shot I was hoping for.

Early Bird

I get up every morning at the ungodly time of 3:15 am for a 5 am start at work in Philadelphia. I work in the ground tower at the PHL Airport.

We've started an unofficial photo club in the tower, taking pics of sunrises and sunsets from a vantage point 13 (or is it 17?) stories above ground level. I leave most of these photo ops alone, but occasionally I'll snap a few frames. This was the view from the tower this morning.

HDR Colorsplash

While this is not a drop dead awesome pic, it's not too bad for a first try at an HDR colorsplash. One of the shortcomings is that this one is a rush job. I snipped off a few buds from our neighbors' rosebush and put together a quick little arrangement. It also might look a little better if the black and white bud were positioned a little more to the left.

This is the idea I alluded to a couple days ago.  Now I'll try a couple more shots and see what possibilities might be accomplished.

New Photo Twists

I have a few ideas of some new twists to add to my photography and to my artwork.

My photo of Old Drawyers Church was shot in HDR and is just a part of what I want to do with my future photo projects.  I don't want to give away too much information just yet.  I will say this; macro, nature, color manipulation and HDR are all a part of it.

As for the new artwork twists and turns, that's a blog post for another day.

Fixer Upper

I frequently find something to photograph only to see that the subject is surrounded by distracting elements.  This plant was in an office where I work and the office supplies detracted from the beauty of it.  I took the shot anyway and used one of my stock backgrounds to clean it up.  Layers in Photoshop were used to create this image.  The new background was knocked out of focus on the bottom layer.  While the flower layer was enlarged to 300%, all the distracting elements were carefully erased revealing the new background underneath.

That Fish Place

One of the best places to take photos is at a pet store.  There can be a great variety of subjects and photo opportunities.  I wouldn't lug in a big camera and tripod, but a compact or a good phone camera can make for great results.

There is an awesome pet store north of Lancaster, PA called "That Fish Place."  They have tons of fish, reptiles, amphibians and more.  The crazy looking fish pictured here is called a Scorpionfish and this photo was taken at That Fish Place with my Samsung G3.

Press your phone up to the fish tank when taking a picture and it acts as a built-in tripod, keeping your phone camera perfectly still.  Also, do not use a flash; it produces glare in your photos.

Second Option

I have three tools from which to take pictures.  My main piece of equipment is a newly aquired Canon 6D.  A tripod almost always accompanies the Canon.  When I go out with the Canon/tripod combo, it's time for serious picture taking.

My second option is a Nikon Coolpix.  It is a compact camera, featuring a 14x optical zoom, macro function and 21 megapixels.  When I go out on walks or visit a museum, this is my camera of choice.  It's easy to carry and takes great pics.  This tiny leaf hopper was sitting on an exposed tree root.  After almost accidentally stepping on it, I got a good photo of it with my Nikon.

I also have a Samsung Galaxy 3 with me at all times.  It also takes nice pictures and has a macro setting that I have used many, many times.

Disappointment

When I happened upon this wasp neatly wrapped in a crumpled leaf, I thought I hit the jackpot. Maybe this would be one of my best shots ever! I took about a dozen frames (wish I had taken more) and tried some post production stuff to try and get that special shot I thought I had. And while this photo is pretty good, it's not the knockout shot I thought it was going to be.

PHL Sunrise #2

I wish I could say that my art supports me and my family, but that is most definitely not the case.  I work in the tower at the airport in Philadelphia.  My shift starts well before the sun rises and many times there are opportunities to get nice photos, especially sunrises and sunsets.  Here is a pretty nice one with aircraft on the move on the ground and in the air.  Look in the upper left hand corner to see one coming in for a landing.

Consolation Prize

I had a project I was working on where I needed a nice pic of an owl. I had gotten a decent one from a small local zoo last year and was hoping for a better photo with the addition of a better camera. But the day was overcast and the owl's home was in a shady enclosure so that photo didn't happen the way I was hoping.

There was also a planted area at the zoo that attracted bees, beetles, butterflies and other insects. I was really gonna attack that area with my camera, but all those flowers and plants had been removed. Maybe someone got stung.

On the whole, this day was a little disappointing, but as with most outdoor experiences, there is usually a consolation prize. My consolation prize on this outing was the little frog sitting here on my son's hand.  
It was not in a cage and was a cute little thing.

Spiders and Beetles

I mentioned in my "Garden Bee" post that I took decent pics of a huge spider and a colorful beetle. Well, that's just a tease. So here are the aforementioned insects.

I'm guessing that the spider is a wolf spider, although I thought that kind of spider spent most of its time on the ground. This creepy crawly was so big it would have almost filled the palm of my hand.

I knew the second bug was not a beetle, but I didn't have the time to look it up at the time. This insect is a shield bug nymph, the last stage before adulthood. So you could say it's a teenage shield bug. And, as with us humans, the teen is more attractive than the crusty adults.

Hibiscus Insider

About a month ago I got a hibiscus plant from Home Depot. I took lots of photos of the hibiscus and tried several different creative approaches. One of the most unique things was to insert a weight into the bottom of a large bud that was about to open and let it sink into a glass of Seltzer water.  That causes lots of bubbles to form on the flower and can make for an interesting photo.

In addition,  photos were taken of buds, underneath the blooms, backlit shots, and macros. Here is one of the macros. The original is in the 35mm ratio, which is also nice. But I really like the square format and I'll be posting this tomorrow on Instagram. 

Water Gems

When I took my bee pictures, I lugged my camera, tripod, and a jar full of little water gems with me.  Water gems, if you're unfamiliar, are sold in craft stores and used to hydrate plants and flowers.  Here is one positioned on an autumn leaf.  There may be some creative things I can do with these things in the future, but they are not as transparent as I had hoped. 

Rise and Shine

I got going early yesterday and went to Garden Valley Park in Wilmington, DE armed with my camera and tripod. (Some of my photo friends don't like using a tripod, but I can't live without one.)

Most of the insects must have slept in, because it was after 9:00 AM and they were just starting to move around. This bee was very cooperative as were many of his pals.  I also got decent pics of a very colorful beetle and the biggest spider I have ever seen (other than a tarantula in a cage).

Hey, this is my 400th post!  That's a little bit of a milestone.

The Pursuit

When I first started my blog, I had no idea how big "the pursuit" of art would play into all this. Art is on my mind every minute of every day.  And the thoughts that weigh heaviest on my mind is what, exactly, do I want to do. What avenue do I want to take. Photography? Paper sculpture? Polymer clay? Digital art? Vectors? Photo manipulations, like "Fisheye" shown here? And then there are many combinations of all the above.
At this moment, I'm all over the place and I don't think that's a good thing. My pursuit has been to find my niche. I really, really wish I knew what I want to be when I grow up. 

Mother-in-Law

We have all heard so many horror stories about nightmare mother-in-laws.  But I lucked out and got a real sweet one.  My mom-in-law, Sue, put up the money for me to get a Canon 6D camera. The Canon 6D has a full-sized sensor and takes a great photo.  This fuzzy leaf is the first photo I took with my new camera.  It's nothing special, but it's an okay start.

Color Splash

I think there are different names for a black and white photo that shows elements of color.  I always referred to them as color splash photos.
The original color photo is opened in Photoshop.  Two layers of the same photo is made; one in color, one in black and white. With the B&W layer on top, selected areas of that layer are erased to reveal the color underneath.
That is a very simplified explanation of what was accomplished here with a zebra aloe plant.

Little Paper Bears

When I say these are "little bears" that is no exaggeration.  They are 45mm wide and 34mm tall.  For those of us more comfortable with inches, that's about 1 3/4 inches wide.  The paper pieces are so small, it took me a couple days just to cut them out.  The pads on their feet was a real challenge!  The eyes are silver plated pins dipped it paint.

This is the first paper sculpture I've done in quite a while.  The small scale is very cool and I think there will be more of them in my future.

A Difference of Opinion

I've been listing my photos and art on deviantart.com for more than three years now.  It's fun to get your stuff out there and it's a good barometer to see what people like and don't like. On the other hand, there's no accounting for good taste.  Some things I post with high hopes of it being wildly popular, only to discover that the peeps are not all that thrilled.
Take the old leaf shown here.  I ran the original photo through a couple filter programs to get the "paint by numbers" look.  Then I painstakingly cleaned up around the edges and added a black and white, out of focus background.  Now the crumpled leaf really pops.

Deviantart.com got the name because it wants to see artists deviate from the norm.  Deviant, in this instance, does not mean weirdo.  They're looking for something different,  creative.

I thought this leaf would find an audience on deviantart.com, but it was a dud.  It was all the things the DA community usually goes for.  Grunge. Manipulation.  Color splash.  Composition.  It even had a cool title: "Crumpled and Twisted."

I've posted other things I thought were just so-so, only to discover they were very popular.  Maybe I'm the one with bad taste.  Either way, it all comes down to a difference of opinion. 

Leaf Chameleon

This is one of my all-time favorite projects.  I love everything about it!  For one, there are several skills used to create it; photography, vectors, drawing and manipulation.
Creativity was big in that the chameleon is made of maple leaves.  The wood is made from exotic wood veneers that are more than 70 years old.
Visually, I love the composition. ..maybe more than anything I've ever done.  The empty space is filled with wonderful colors and light.
I really don't know what he's reaching for, but if he wants it bad enough, there's that long tongue to snatched it up.

Blackstone Beetle

I'm working on a really cool paper sculpture and needed to make a trip to A.C.Moore in order to find the last few items to finish the project.  While there, I picked up a few more items I plan to use in future projects.
One of the things I wanted to do was to have a large beetle emerge from a pile of black pebbles. The photo shown here is one of the final results. I have to admit that it looked better in my head.  I may explore this idea more in the coming weeks.

Just a side note; I love water drops and it seems like everything is getting sprayed.  Maybe I need to dial back on the water.  Just a little.

El Galeon

My intentions are to post something every day.  I am trying to do that, but, as you can see, I'm coming up a little short.
Here's one more shot of El Galeon, Maryland's tall ship, on display in Ocean City.  I don't want to over do the posts of this ship, but felt a look at the entire ship was a good idea after showing a couple closeups. My next post will have nothing to do with old wooden sailing vessels. 

Mast Rigging

As promised,  here is another shot of the tall ship, El Galeon.  It is mast rigging and perch rendered in black and white.  A sepia filter was added to give it an aged look.
I'm drawn more to bright colors and bold designs, but occasionally, black and white or muted colors can be a nice diversion.

Captain's Wheel

Maryland's tall ship, El Galeon, is on display in Ocean City, MD.  I paid my  fifteen bucks (plus an extra dollar because I had to use a credit card) to get almost full access to the ship.  Here is the captain's wheel.  I also took shots of the masts, rigging, canons, captain's quarters and the entire ship.  As I touch up those pics, they will be posted here.

Sandfest

Last weekend, my family and I spent the weekend in Ocean City, MD.  There were several artists on the beach creating sand sculptures for the annual Sandfest event.  There were many amazing sand sculptures all along the boardwalk.  The first sculpture, shown above, set the tone for the competition.  The second one featured lots of sea creatures and was one of my favorites.  We didn't stay to see who the winners were, but they all looked awesome to me.

Rose Bubbles

Here's another flower taking a dunk in sparkling water.  This time a rose is the lucky victim. While the background is a simple gradient, the graduations of gray makes the red rose really pop.  I think this one and the wildflower I posted a few days ago are my favorites.  I plan to do many more using other objects in addition to florals.

Reedy Sunset

The reeds are vectors that I used for another project involving a couple mice.  Adding the reed silhouettes to this sunset I shot a few years ago make for an interesting composition.  I know the sunset colors are a bit extreme, but that's okay.  Once I've committed to manipulating a photo, not even the sky is a limit.

100 Poison Frogs

A couple years ago, I did "Frog Week" here on my blog.  It was a takeoff of Shark Week, but with less teeth.

One of the posts that week featured 100 poison frog sketches.  The plan was to make digital artwork of 100 Poison Frogs.  I did four of them and then moved onto something else.  The frog sketches sat in a folder until I got the idea to create a big frog out of all those little sketches.  This is the final result.

Grizzly Style

While going through some of my older digital photos, I ran across this grizzly I shot at Cabelas in Baltimore, MD.  The pose and position of the bear is really good, but the photo quality was not real good.  So I used one of my old sunsets and played around with a couple Topaz filters.  This turned out better than I thought it would, so now I want to try it again.  Next time putting a little more effort in cleaning around the edges.  See the bottom of the right paw?  Sloppy.

Mums the Word...again

The original photo of the mums was a macro photo in color.  Before adjusting it to black and white, a color orb was made in Photoshop.  I have highlight areas, made as a vector in Inkscape, that I add to the orbs to add a bit of realism.  The Web is also vectors and the orbs are copied, resized, and placed on the Web lines.

I don't really know if I like this or not.  I've done a dozen or so of these web drops.  Some I like and some are just, eh, okay.  A couple were actually horrible.   This one is okay, I guess.  It looked awesome in my mind, but you never know for sure until you're finished with it and sizing it up.

Tiny Bubbles

Do you remember the old song "Tiny Bubbles" by Dean Martin? That's what goes through my mind when I do these bubble photos.
The flower or object is weighted down in a glass filled with seltzer water. It helps to have a square styled glass and straw or artists paint brush to keep the bubbles off the inside of the glass. I used a lead fishing sinker to keep this little wildflower from floating away. Bubbles formed and reformed on the flower. I took around 25-30 shots and this was the one I liked the best.

Steampunk Hatchetfish II

I recently got a nice camera with a full sized sensor.  One of the first things I wanted to do was retake photos of some of my polymer clay pieces.  When I reshot this Steampunk Hatchetfish, it was taken in HDR.
While this version of my hatchetfish is okay, there is still room for improvement with the background.  Don't be surprised to see a third version of this one in the not-to-distant future.

Hip to be Square 2013

Here are some of the best Instagram pics I put together for 2013.

Jenn's Orchid

I got an orchid for my wife on Mother's Day and took a few photos of it.  This one has a new background added in Photoshop.   I'm also using a new camera and trying to learn as I go.