Day 18 - Beautiful B & W

Many tips and techniques shown to us in this lesson at Beyond Layers with Kim Klassen

on creating Black & White images.

I embarked on capturing a few photos of our 16yr old daughter who

does not particularly want her picture taken.

It also happen to be St Patrick's Day, so I thought it appropriate to leave her

 eyes green with a little enhancement.

One would never know that she lay slouched

on the couch watching her favourite show as I clicked away.... barely

irritating her.............tee hee

85mm    f 1.8    1/60   ISO 200

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For this image taken a day later, she stood in the hallway

leaned up against the wall.....whilst I stood on a ladder,

as she is an inch or two taller than I.

 I wanted to reveal a bit of her personality

so she held her fiddle.

Her face is brightened by the sunlight reflecting off of the tile floor.

Also a gaussian blur filter and vignette were applied.

85mm     f1.8     1/125     ISO 200

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Day 15 & 16 -- Whispers

This week's prompt from Kim 'whisper'. I used the better part of her recipe in the video to work on my photo to make it soft and dreamy. I learned a few more Photoshop techniques. I LOVE the transformation of the image from 'before' to 'after'.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

                                                                                                                                                                          

A whisper can be so gentle and soft,

yet it's content can scream volumes.

WHISPER:

a gentle gesture

just between friends.

                                                                                 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

This is my image straight out of the camera.

f5.6 ISO200 1/100sec





And a snapshot of my workings in Photoshop.

Day 14 - Brushes Deeper & Black & White with a Touch of Color

Black & White with a touch of colour.

That is our van in the background with a flat tire, so I thought

I would take advantage of the time that we had to

wait for CAA to arrive.
 (We also had a fresh coffee that we just picked up from Timmies)

A little extra - Texture Tuesday 'White'

I have decided to participate in Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday challenge this week themed around 'white'.

 Using the same old barn as my last post, just from a different angle,

 I worked with my image in Photoshop using Kim's texture 'happy heart' twice at different opacities....

used RadLab, which is new to me, and used the font 'sweetly broken' for my text.

Day 13 - Ten Truths

Today's challenge in Beyond Layers with Kim Klassen......list 10 Truths about ourselves

and post on all our blog for all to see....lol

I took a photo while on a drive in the countryside today

then added two textures, one Distressed Jewell at a reduced opacity, and Kim Klassen's

'awaken' at 86% opacity. I used 'Pea Tinapay' font.

My 10 Truths

1. I would love to live by the ocean, with palm trees and soft breezes.

2. I treasure indepth conversations with loved ones.

3. I am a loner, I love alone time BUT I also value my very close friendships.

4. I would love to play the piano, but also know the hard work and dedication it requires.

5. I have a tough exterior, but am very sensitive.

6. I would one day like to learn ballroom dancing.

7. I sing and dance when I am alone.

8. I have a very sweet tooth.

9. I am brutally honest.

10. I believe in the power of LOVE

Brush Lovin' - Day 12

I now know what brushes are in Photoshop.

Before this tutorial I really had no idea what

brushes were, never mind how to use them.

Kim's tutorial for this day was

to use brushes on your images

and even make your own.

My image f 5.6  1/200sec  ISO 200

I used Kim's texture 'shine' at 65% opacity

added my own newly made brush

'Home is where the heart is...'

using 'sweetly broken' font.

A Painterly Effect - Day 10

Straight out of the camera

f5.6  1/125sec  ISO 200

I took my own images and applied

Kim's 'recipe' to achieve the 'painterly effect'.

I had so much fun I did it more than once. :)

  This image I followed the recipe EXACTLY.

                                                        

These two images
I used the blend mode 'exclusion'

instead of 'difference' on the colour fill layer.

Another new lesson for me this day

has been arranging the layout of my blog.

Selecting a template, font type,

font size, font colour, where to best position my images.

Everything is so new!!!

A work in progess......  :)

Vintage - Photographically Speaking - Day 8

f/4, ISO 400, 1/125 Nikkor 85mm in Manual, spot metering mode


Day 8: To get creative setting up my own mini studio. Kim's 'just enough' is proving difficult for me. I find I get back to the computer with my images and wonder why I have so much 'stuff' in my image.
I set my mini studio up pretty much the same as Kim's....a table by the window, blinds drawn to soften the light, white foam board on two sides of my set up.
I used my Grandparents wedding photo, his bible, and her locket to help with the vintageness, and I stuffed the tulips into a blue Mason jar.
Doing as Kim's video suggested with revolution texture, font vt portable remington, and a custom gradient. Had a really hard time to get some colour out of the leaves/stems, they kept going blue.....so I'll leave that baby step for another time.

Here is a photo of my otherwise dark setting for my mini studio.

Happiness --- What makes you happy

When you start to ponder what makes you happy....many thoughts enter your mind. I am not sure that there is one thing that can make you happy....but 'attitude' does play a HUGE role in how you perceive the situation.

I found today, that being 'creative' gave me a great sense of satisfaction which lead to happiness. Of course surrounding myself with positive, supportive people also leads to happiness.....found here at Beyond Layers.....

Day 6 : 'Let's Make a Storyboard'

One of my days this week

was driving around the

surrounding countryside

looking for old homesteads.

I love old buildings, their

character, AND oh if

only their walls could talk.

I used a template from Kim Klassen's

Beyond Layers, and a couple of textures.

I also thought I would try using just

one photo to see what it would do, it

feels like I am looking out an old window.

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Day 4 Vision & Blur

Asked to create a photo around a theme of our own choice.

one single word : 'friendship'

to create my photo: I put one yellow rose,

 which symbolizes friendship in a vase,

 placed the vase in the bathtub,

with running water (which created the bokeh while I took the photo with a flash)

I used Kim's texture 'plaster squared'

 a few times on 'soft light' and on multiply at 50% opacity.

Six word Memoire

Assignment: Personal Memoire in 6 words, yes 6 words!

I wanted one that reflected a HUGE lesson I learned so far in my lifetime.

 So here it is:

Searching for Love, Found It, WITHIN!

 I used my own image added text (my 6word memoire)

 and Kim's 'awaken' texture.

Last week, let's attempt to say more... with less...

I found this assignment very challenging. As you can see I did not go light, I did the opposite, went dark with your eye drawn to the light. I did a few layers of Kim's textures on 'multiply', then erased the texture on the daisy.  The daisy is of great significance to me, as it symbolizes a Dear Aunt of mine that has passed on. We used to have conversations about how she would let me know she was watching from the 'other side' :)

Creative Me

Asked to write 'My Creative Story', I draw a blank. I pause to think that there MUST be more to me than a blank.  :)  Then I realize in order to share 'My Creative Story', I have to figure out what it is, articulate it, THEN in order to share it with you I need to build a blog page (new territory)......WHEW....a daunting task.

So Welcome and Thank You for reading.

I would say that my 'creative' side usually got pushed to the back burner to make sure the daily chores were always done. Married, kids, household and a job took up most of my time and energy, and by days end, I crashed.

Now I am looking at 50, the kids are grown for the most part, and my 'Creative Me' is knocking on the door to be let out.

I have always dabbled in some sort of craft, whether it be picture taking, scrapbooking, stained glass, pottery, painting, or needle work of some sort (needle point, cross stitch, knitting). It was to just relax at the end of the day for an hour before bed to get some 'me' time in, to feed my soul. I guess knitting was my latest creative outlet, as I would sit on the couch, relax, be soothed by the texture of the soft wool that ravelled its way through my fingers into my next creation.

BUT.....

I prefer to be out and about in nature. I always enjoyed taking photos/snapshots....and now I want to take photos as I see the subjects, through my eyes. I am beginning to see the subject in a different light, and I want to try to capture in a photo what I am seeing and feeling, to draw the viewer in and explore the contents of the photo and escape their world for just for a minute....just like I do when a photo takes me in.

In the last year I have felt my creativeness grow, I want to nourish it in any way that I can. I have been taking way too many photos to ever go through....but it has been FUN!! And I have taken a few mini classes in Photography, and played in Photoshop.

Just recently a friend referred me to Kim Klassen's Cafe to take the Skinny Mini ecourse....then Beyond Layers. So here I am, ready to see where this journey is going to take me next. I look forward to every day of it!