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.