Effects – Daffodil Hill Photography

Dragonfly In B&W

Cool Old Bike As Digital Art

A few days back I posted a very cool old bike. As I worked on my taxes the last couple days I escaped to art as a way to decompress. This rendering of that bike is the result. Not sure if this is a result of my civil duty or simple artistic expression but any of you who are psych majors feel free to weigh in.

Two Of The Same…Kind Of

I am trying my hand at digital art again. The first photo is the original, as if I need to tell you my discerning reader, and the second is the master piece, via digital manipulation. Enjoy!

Messing With Effects

Late fall I took several macros of a wasp feeding on a Common Wood Aster. I found the process very eye-opening and a new-found appreciation for wasps.So when I found this one today I thought it would be cool to play with a few effects.Now don’t ask me how I got here: I am that person who noodles around till it sings to me then forget how I got there. I am going to attempt to turn this one into digital art. Not sure what medium but oil paint will be my starting point.

A Thank You and An Old Log Home As Digital Art

I have being blogging for several years now and I’m humbled by you here in the blog-sphere. You are gracious with your comments and patient with my attempts at this thing that I do, whatever it is. To you all I’m honored to say “Thank You” and “You all Rock”. I simple want you all to know that and you inspire me to go out see the world through many lenses because of your work and I am better for it.

Now it is confession time: I really enjoy the process of turning my photos into digital art almost as much as I do taking the original picture. The journey has opened my eye to something most know but as usually I am late to the party: A good photo does not translate into a good digital art piece. Now with that bit of obvious out-of-the-way, the truth is it is fun, and challenging, to show your photos in a way that there are two interpretations of the same composition. Well maybe there are three or four….you get the picture. So in that vein here is one of an old log home as digital art.

DragonFly as Fine Art

I do not know if others agree but I think this one is a keeper. I have played around with photo effects and find I am very picky as what I call good, well least ways with my stuff. This one I like and would love to have a metal print made of it and to hang it on my wall. DragonFly as fine art, I like it!

Playing With Effects

I got a free download of Topaz Simple 4 with my purchase of PaintShop Pro X6. I did this a few months back but ran across it this evening and thought it would be cool to share. The bottom photo is the original pic.

Edited using Topaz Simple 4 — Edited using Topaz Simple.

Trying Something New

As I mentioned in my last post I am trying to stretch myself creative wise, not height wise to justify my present weight. As I was finishing the first book I have read since Spring I looked around and decided to shoot something within our study. I cleared The Brides desk off and grabbed a couple of things from my random collection of junk. Here are two of those attempts a trying something new.

I took this one with my Lumix DMC-ZS1. I used a scene mode that replicates a pin-hole camera. I unfortunatley did not get the flash right but I find it cool still.

I took this with my new Sony A3000. I am going to use this for my daily shooter in place of my Sony A300.I will be using that as my portrait camera until I am able to upgrade.

My Downsized Recent Photo Project

The last several days have found me hastily finishing up a project for my work. I work in the fundraising arm of a Joint Commission-accredited nonprofit hospice organization. I volunteered to give some of my pictures/ photo-art as part of an auction at an upcoming fundraiser. I started out wanting to have the pieces made into metal photos and canvas photos but with The Bride getting laid off and her starting nursing school full-time, well I had to downsize my goals. I talked to the lady in charge of the event, my manager’s boss, and told her what I was up to: I would use frames, ink and photo-paper from our thrift shop, with my stuff, as a part of the auction. She was very supportive, and as always very positive, in my change of plans due to the changes in our life. Some times you just have to downsize your plans yet still give none the less. So here are the photos I used in this project.

Free Vs. Paid

Last month, in response to a suggestion from Nelson @ A few images, frozen in time , I wrote about the software I use to do my post photo-editing. Corel PaintShop Pro X6 is my main editing tool but I have been messing around with Perfect Effects 8 Free edition as well. As is my preference at this time I set my camera to the standard or natural setting in the camera’s onboard color mode. Since I usually do not limit my self to one subject when I am walking about this has several advantages. One is it allows me to shot an old building, like the following two, or brighter subjects with greens, reds or yellows without fear of the color blowing out the detail. Secondly I am freed up to enjoy the journey and live within the moment without sweating the small stuff. Since PaintShop Pro X6 has nice smart-fix menu tweaking the captures takes no time at all. I do not like spending time behind the computer so I keep it real simple. With Perfect Effects 8 Free edition tweaking my shots took a while but once I developed a sense of what I like I do not use more the four or five settings or effects as it is called with Effects 8. Below are two photos, one is I used PaintShop Pro the other Perfect Effects 8. I would be interested if anyone could see tell which was done with paid-for software or by freeware. Let me know I and I will respond to your comment.