Category: Photography
Inspired
I was going through the way-back files and found a picture I took last year with my point & shot Olympus SP-350. As I looked at it I was inspired to try a plugin by Topaz called Simplify 4 on it. Simplify 4 is a plugin that turns my pictures into art and I have tried it on two pictures and rather like it. The top one it the original unedited photo and the bottom one of a simple one click preset called Image Crispedge. There are adjustments you can use once the preset is applied but I like it well right out of the box. 
Two Flavors Of The Same
I love old barns. Just do and always have. I really do not know why but I do know barns, though they may look the same, have a different mental feel to me that differentiates one from another. Now maybe you can track with the title of this post. So here are two barns or two flavors of the same.
Beauty May Fade……
……but it does not mean something is no longer useful. An example I gleaned from nature is when a flower,bush or plants blooms fade they still provide something to the environment. Here is a Chicory bloom that has faded ,and is about join earth’s very successful recycle program, still proving fuel to a pollinator. So do not worry when beauty fades ones usefulness does not.
Bumblebee On Tiny Bloom
After observing Bumblebees the last few years I have made a couple of discoveries: One Bumblebees DO have tongues. I knew this in theory but till you take a picture of a Bumblebee with its tongue out you really do doubt it is so. Secondly is they feed off flower with blooms smaller than they are and they get the job done some how. Amazing pollinators and cool to watch as well.
Moon Haiku
This is from my place called Pondering Things and Taking Pictures. I haven’t spent much time there since my Dad died this past December. Turns out he was about the only one who visited anyway. Over the last several months I have been getting hits and this is one that has been getting the most visits. As I ponder what to do with Ponder Things and Taking Pictures I will share some of my poems and such with you all ~ Peace.
‡ Author’s Note: I first published this January 26,2013 ‡
I took this picture of the moon tonight we my new-to-me Canon PowerShot SX10 is. Because of the longer focal length needed in the capture I used a mono-pod, and used the timer setting, so I would not undo the camera’s Image Stabilization when snapping the shot. After several tries, and waiting on passing vehicles, mission accomplished. I headed back into the embracing warmth of our home to see the results.
Though I am happy with the results, as I was looking at this photo, it just cried for something “else” to be complete. What to add I wonder and then I had an idea for a Haiku. I have not written many Haiku’s, to the lover of the art form it obvious why, so I decide try again. Here is my photo of the moon complete with Haiku.
The picture of the moon was taken with my…
View original post 4 more words
Checking Me Out
Yesterday I had a big project I needed to do before the rains hit our area. I was able to get it done and had time before it started rain to get a few clicks in. I decided to try to get a shot of the Hummingbirds feeding on the Jewelweed out back of our house. I found a little spot along the fence line where I could be partially hidden and stood there and waited. And waited. And waited some more.I could hear the Hummingbirds chattering away behind me so I knew they would eventually make around but I was getting attacked by several types of flying insects and was not sure how long I could hold out. After the second fly-by of a very large wasp I decided it was time to go but really wanted to get something for my efforts. I knew if I moved quickly the Hummingbirds behind me would scatters so to minimize that possibility I pivoted around without moving my feet. I could hear the buzz of wings of the Hummingbirds as they moved about and one of the birds turned and came towards me. It landed on a branch not far from me, checking me out as it also keep an eye out for the other Hummingbirds. As it was looking up I carefully lifted my camera and snapped away. This shot, and two in the arm by a thorn-bush I did not know was there, is what I got for my effort.
Dew Kissed
A Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
This is a drive-by capture I took a few years back, in December of 2012, with my Canon Powershot SX10is of a cat 0n a hot tin roof.
Another One Using PerfectEffects 8
Sometime back I posted two photos I took and post-processed by using freeware by onOne Software called PerfectEffects 8. At that time I was having computers issues and needed something to post since the issues were cutting into my picture-taking time. Not so this time, it is a new routine The Bride and I have begun as we pursue stress reducing activities and one is regular exercise. Stress will always be with us so we are using exercise, more working together on meal planing and a push to downsize our stuff as a way combat stress. Not that we have any more stress than the next person but it is a constant force in this life and one must find a way to deal with it. Since she is now unemployed and is attending college, now seemed like a good time as any to jump out of the frying pan into the fire. So until I can get out in this weekend and get some new stuff I will post a few of photos I have taken and fiddled more than usual in the post-processing side and some from the way-back-files.
I did the effects on the top photo several weeks back and it is one of the first pictures I used layers on in post-processing. Do not ask me to explain layers: I was just clicking icons and seeing if what I did looked cool. I did convert this to B&W using PerfectEffects 8 and layered on some HDR effects to bring a little flavor to its coolness. The bottom photo is the unedited capture I took with my canon SX10is. I hope you enjoy both (Click on each to enlarge).
Daffodil Hill Photography 