I’m joining Kim Klassen’s Texture Tuesday again to share a photo I took in January with a new edit using textures she sent out just last night. I am also using Kim’s words as my blog post title.
So everyone, let just be the light!
Nature Heals
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,
places to play in and pray in,
where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
~John Muir
Kim Klassen, my very first photography mentor and whose video tutorials taught me Photoshop nine years ago, has brought back her Texture Tuesday linkup! When I saw the announcement last night, I leapt at the opportunity to download her free textures and participate! I have gotten away from still life and have ventured into other areas of photography, but am so, so grateful to come back to Kim’s special world, especially NOW! Thank, you Kim!
https://kimklassen.com/texture-tuesday-2-o-is-here/
Chocolate Peonies
I found peonies for sale at Trader Joe’s last week!
Edited with Kim Klassen’s chocolate preset in Lightroom for Texture Tuesday.
Unique Vessel
When my friend, Debbie, texted me a photo of the old boots she had just bought, I knew I had to photograph them before they became part of one of her art pieces. I had so much fun playing around with them for some still life and macro shots. As I mentioned last week, one of our challenges for BeStill 52 was to use a unique vessel in a still life; I think the boots were up to the challenge!
The first and third photos were edited using Kim Klassen’s darklight preset; the middle is almost straight out of camera.
Linking up with Texture Tuesday today.
One Thing Again . . .
I think I might be finished with the One Thing challenge for BeStill52 and The Studio, but no promises. . .
A couple Lensbaby shots:
Top down with my 35mm 1.8:
Also with my 35mm 1.8, softened with a couple of Kim Klassen textures (linking up with Texture Tuesday today):
Raspberry Macros
I’ve been keeping to my word about practicing with my Lensbaby every day. I thought a major part of my practice would involve getting the Edge 80 off the Composer (so tight for these weak hands!), but so far, so good! Maybe it’s loosening up- or I’m getting stronger! I hadn’t done much with macro using the Edge 80 until recently, and I’m having fun with it. Raspberries were on my breakfast menu on Easter, so I took a few moments to take some macro shots. I’m finding the Edge 80 to be nice and sharp- similar to my 85mm macro.
Edits:
1- edited in onOne Perfect Effects (tonal contrast)- and then Photoshop, adding kk_chill to soften what I did in Perfect Effects!
2- kk_lettherebelight preset
3- kk_eve preset
Edits:
1- onOne’s Perfect Effects
2- my basic edit
3- kk_lightairypastel preset
Getting back in the groove and linking up with Texture Tuesday today!
By the Sea
Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean.
– Christopher Reeve
Edited with Kim Klassen’s kk_gentlewhisper for Texture Tuesday.
Star Bunting
These photos were for the latest BeStill 52 assignment, where the “spark” was a bunting. I used stars, which I clipped to twine and hung on a beadboard background. All photos were taken with my iPhone and edited in Stackables. This app is a lot like Mextures (which has been a favorite of mine), and I’m beginning to like it a lot. Because it is Tuesday, I brought all images into Photoshop and added some of Kim Klassen’s textures: hughes, simple, and chill (last photo only).
Linking up with Texture Tuesday today.
Just for a day. . .
The daffodils bloomed, but just for a day. I don’t remember this being the case when I’ve bought them before, but at least I took photos. This one was shot with my Lensbaby with the Sweet 35 and was textured with kk_simple for Texture Tuesday.
Tuesday Flowers
I must admit that flowers are still my favorite photography subject. I wish I had a green thumb and could grow them as well!
The roses below were textured with Kim Klassen’s kk_anna texture.
And here almost the same shot converted to black and white (no texture applied).
This is a closer view of the flowers edited using Kim’s kk_likeadream preset in Lightroom.
All photos were taken using the Lensbaby.
Linking up with Texture Tuesday today.
It’s the Berries!
Another photo for The Studio (for the fruit prompt):
Textured with sybil for Texture Tuesday.
Citrus
I’m attempting to do a bit of catch-up on my lessons from BeStill and The Studio. The first image is for Lesson 33 in BeStill52 (and for Texture Tuesday). The assignment was to create a still life using lemons or other citrus fruit, create a bit of a story, and include varying heights. Well, my story is that lemons were being sliced (you can invent the rest. . .).
The image below is for Texture Tuesday (no real props, no varying heights, and no story).
Both photos were edited with textures from Kim Klassen’s Cloth and Paper collection.
Weed Wandering
From our weekend wandering at Willow Lake
Lensbaby Edge 80
Textured with Kim Klassen’s bamboo for Texture Tuesday
Sunny and Cold
The sun came out for awhile last weekend, but it was still cold as I ventured out to my studio (AKA garage) for a photo session. I opened the garage door for natural light, set what was left of my latest Trader Joe’s bouquet on some bead board, and had fun with my Edge 80 for as long as I could stand the cold. I tilted the lens down and to the left, focusing on the scissors for this shot. I liked the result and added texture to the image for Texture Tuesday.
And here is the same photo with a black and white conversion.
Happy Tuesday!
Adventures in Lensbaby
This may look like a very simple, ordinary still life to you- but to me it represents a breakthrough!
Mastering the combination of appropriate aperture, manual focus, and correct tilt of the Lensbaby has been a challenge to say the least. To create this still life, I had some seemingly simple goals. I wanted window light, soft focus on the window and edges of the photo, and, most importantly, the face of the little girl figurine/vase to be in focus. It was the last goal that was, of course, the most difficult. Out of the 31 photos I snapped, two had good focus on the face. This actually represents improvement to me!
I wasn’t thinking I would use the Lensbaby on still life, but now I see that I like the effect- and that, with lots of patience, I can create the correct focus and the amount of blur I want. Yay! In fact, still life is probably what I SHOULD be practicing on, because it is, well, STILL!
This was taken with the Sweet 35 optic at f/4. Textured with painterly and chill by Kim Klassen.
For Be Still- 52. Week 30 (a fresh start for 2015) and Texture Tuesday
melinda anderson photography 