Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
-Hans Christian Anderson
Snow Delay
The El Nino storms have been hitting Prescott this week. Here’s a very early morning shot of a snowplow clearing the street yesterday, making it safe for the kids to get to school on a “snow delay” day.
Edited with Topaz Impression and Topaz Texture Effects
Mammoth Morning
When I’m staying with my daughter’s family at Yellowstone in the winter, I never get tired of going out on the porch in the early morning to check the view- the snow, the sky, and any wildlife that might be there.
Painterly effects added in Topaz Impression, textures in Photoshop
Hello, Sheep!
I had fun with some creative edits on the above two shots using Topaz Simplify and textures.
The one below is probably my favorite edit. I used both Topaz Simplify and Impression, as well as textures. I desaturated the bright blue sky to create a monochromatic look, which is more pleasing to my eye.
And here is an edit of my sheep image from last Thursday’s post with a similar edit.
Fence Fantasy
Here’s a glimpse of part of the fence on the board walk at the Upper Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs at Yellowstone National Park. I was fascinated by the frozen steam and fog (rime ice) that clung to the railings, as well as to the trees in this magical place.
I had fun in Texture Effects adding a bit of color and texture (Flat Neon preset- majorly edited) to the background.
After I took the image back into Lightroom, I couldn’t leave well-enough alone- so I played with color to emphasize how icy and cold it was.
My idea of fun on a Friday!
Just the petals. . .
Nothing makes me more content than exploring flowers with a macro lens. Here’s a gerbera daisy from my latest grocery store fall bouquet.
Water’s Edge
When we were walking at the lake a week ago, I was captivated by the green of this tree, which contrasted with the darker trees bordering the lake. It was hard to photograph because I could only see it through branches- so I didn’t. But I saw it again on our way back- with a little girl under it- and knew I had to try. I was already envisioning it as a painterly image. I took the resulting photo into Lightroom and then Photoshop for some cloning work. Then, I used Topaz Simplify to remove details and give it a bit of a watercolor look. I blended it with the original image, bringing back some detail- and finished it off with some textures. Playing with images is part of what keeps stress out of my life- and it’s so much fun!
Lily Abstracts
I took some time a few days ago to take some abstract macro shots of lilies. I added a couple textures for that painterly look I love- and the first one I also took into Topaz Simplify. Truthfully, because of the shallow depth of field, it looked pretty painterly already, but I love to fiddle around with my images. It is my form of a mindfulness meditation and satisfies my childhood ambition to be an artist when I grew up. 🙂
melinda anderson photography 