Pearls
Posted: October 27, 2015 Filed under: digital, Nature, photography, Still Life | Tags: digital, nature, Pearls, photography, shells 2 CommentsDecided to go high key as well as minimalist with these beautiful shells, then did a few variations in my PSP software. I had a lovely pearlised nautilus shell until I dropped it on the floor the last time I used it in a still life. I was heart-broken … so I’m on the look-out for a replacement. What a shame I don’t live at the seaside. I will have to buy on line I guess but it’s not the same as seeing it in real life is it? Anyway – I hope you like these pics.
Well – this is going to be another very short post, but maybe that’s a good thing!
Hope ya’ll have a good day, many blessings, Eileen
Lone Ranger
Posted: October 25, 2015 Filed under: Humour, photography, Still Life | Tags: bit of fun, close up, photography, sculptural quality, still life Leave a commentMy favourite subject when I used to paint was Still Life and that seems to be what I like to do best with my camera too. Sometimes I thrash around for ideas and sometimes a lone object just pops into my head and I begin to plan what the eventual picture will be. I was trying to think of something that would be more minimalistic and an Egg seemed ideal. The first image presents it in the context of food we eat for breakfast. To make it less boring, I thought I would try balancing a little white feather on top and this pic came after a couple of attempts. Because I’d taken it from the fridge the shell began to get a bit moist and so when I dropped the feather this time it got caught at an angle – oh goody!
This is a much more minimalistic picture and more true to the idea I started out with. Hope you like it …. it’s forcing me to experiment more with lighting my subjects and I’ve learnt the hard way how highlights can glare and look ‘burnt out’, and as my room is very, very bright I’m learning to adjust my camera’s exposure settings to compensate. I’m really hankering after getting a CSC – which I may have mentioned before – they come under various names – Compact System Cameras, four-thirds cameras, mirrorless cameras et al. The thing that appeals to me is that they are lighter to hold than DSLRs and have separate lenses. It’s a bit scary for me, but I get a bit frustrated with my present cameras’ limitations [good as they have been for me] and I would love to learn to use a proper Macro lens.
That’s all for this post folks, see you soon dv, Eileen
Digital Effects
Posted: October 11, 2015 Filed under: digital, effects, manipulations, photography, software programmes | Tags: artistic, digital, effects, painterly Leave a commentSometimes we can get so familiar with the things around us – including nature – that they begin to look ordinary and even boring when you’ve seen hundreds of ‘samey’ looking pics. So it’s always a challenge to try to present images in a different way and even taking pics from different points of view can become clichés in the photography world. eg looking up at your subject from a very low pov. [ At my age I couldn’t get down there anyway and even if I did it would need a crane to lift me upright again!]
So, for me, this is where ‘post processing’ comes into its own … in todays digital world companies seem to be falling over themselves to give us more and more instant ‘effects’ to transform our images. So I thought I would post some that I’ve done in ON1 Perfect effects and Topaz Adjust/Impressions.
These ‘effects’ are not to everyone’s taste of course because they transform a photograph into something else entirely – a painting! As someone who used to paint in oils nearly every day, I was curious to see what my pics would look like after the ‘treatment’.
Actually – there are so many different painting styles and other effects available in these programmes that it can become time consuming to try to find the right one. Your own artistic judgements are necessary as every photo image will need your own decisions. Not every effect will suit every image …. but it all comes down to personal choice in the end. It’s always a good feeling though when someone likes the same thing you do!
I especially liked this one because it reminded me of the old glossy photo, post-card type Birthday cards with deckled edges that were around in the 30s-40s [yes – I remember receiving them as a little girl].
This one has just a hint of a painterly effect applied and is less extreme than the previous images. These effects can easily become addictive and I’ve seen so many that seem to follow the latest fad – eg – a more gritty look, especially in ‘Urban/Street photography, or there’s one that really smooths out choppy water in the sea, waterfalls and around rocks. I must confess, I don’t like to see water like that as their choppiness, to me, is their attraction. When it comes to water in lakes and rivers you can get away with it because it can add to the glass-like quality.
Oh dear – I’m beginning to sound like a bit of an expert, when I’m nothing of the kind – it’s just my personal choices! Anyway – the professional wisdom is that you should always do as much as you can to get a good shot ‘in camera’ and not use and rely on post processing to correct flaws etc. BUT – there are times when you use simple adjustments to remove unsightly/unavoidable telephone wires etc that spoil and detract from an otherwise good image, or use the crop tool for a better composition. The software programmes for all this is extremely clever …..Another thing that can be slightly overdone is the use of a vignette – I think I’ve struck just the right note her [ forgive the pun!]
This last one is an example of a light instead of dark vignette – also softened image. I recently read a comment somewhere [not here] that light vignettes were very popular in the ’70’s’ and old hat to use today – which only goes to prove what I said previously about photographers having ‘fads’. Personally I think all things are allowed – if it suits the subject – use it!
I rest my case,
Hope ya’ll have a great day, and many thanks for visiting … blessings, Eileen
Ablutions
Posted: October 3, 2015 Filed under: Nature, photography, wildlife | Tags: birds, close up, lake, nature, swans, water Leave a commentTook another stroll around the Ifield Pond the other day and was so pleased to see all the water birds were back.
This lovely Swan came from far across the lake – could he really see me from there? well he must have done cos he made a beeline straight for me … He must have thought I had bread for him I guess, but alas I didn’t. I was standing on a little bank where the water was quite shallow and he came right up to the edge. I thought he would soon leave again but to my delighted surprise he stayed and decided to do his ablutions.
Hope you enjoy looking at the pics as much as I enjoyed taking them, [everyone seems to say that] …. I’m hoping the weather will stay nice for longer so that I can get more pics. I may be posting some ‘scenery’ tomorrow as I took loads of the trees and woody areas around the lake too.
Have a lovely day everyone, see you soon, Eileen
Chappie
Posted: October 1, 2015 Filed under: photography, Portraits | Tags: animals, horses, pals 4 CommentsLet me introduce Chappie – my lovely daughter in law’s new horse. Although he’s still a young horse, he was ‘rescued’ from the knacker’s yard and originally came from impressive ‘racing’ stock. He boasts the famous Mill Reef among quite a few Derby and other big race winners in his pedigree.
My son took me to see Chappie the other day and I must say he was very patient and accommodating while I took loads of pics of him – I hope you like the results …..
See you all again soon I hope! Eileen