The most exciting part of the fair for both of us was the mounted shooting competition. I had never seen anything like it and instantly loved it (once I figured out the guns shot blanks. . .). The riders compete in riding around the ring shooting at balloons. They have two guns in their holster- 5 shots each. They are timed and scored on how many balloons were popped in the shortest amount of time. The riders and horses were magnificent!
The highlight of last weekend was going to the Yavapai County Fair! As usual, we headed first to the livestock.
This big guy was oblivious to all the noise and confusion and was sound asleep!
Below is another image edited with LAB Color. This was a more complicated edit involving the same steps as before with the addition of an equalize adjustment. Then the image was taken into Topaz Studio where some painterly adjustments were added to part of the image (mostly the petals). Definitely a fun project!
A week ago at our camera club we watched a Harold Davis video on flower photography, and editing with LAB color in Photoshop was mentioned. I had watched many of his videos several years ago and had been inspired to buy a lightbox, which I use often when I shoot flowers. But I had not played with LAB color since that time. So I was inspired to try this editing technique once more with photos I had already taken. Basically, I used color channels to invert colors and blend modes to apply to the regular image. This is definitely not my usual style, but it was fun to do.
I checked off another item from my Jerome bucket list- we finally stopped on the side of the road so I could get the iconic view of Jerome on the hill!
I love echinacea!. I keep the flowers in a jar long after their petals are faded and withered- they still hold their appeal for me. Maybe because I’m a little faded and wilted myself! There is a beauty in aging. . . right?
Another view of Jerome’s Flatiron:
Below is another photo art/ multiple exposure piece taken at the hospital in California.
Usually I take shots out the car window of wind turbines as we drive to and from California- they fascinate me. This time, we actually drove over near the turbines so I could take photos to my heart’s content. This one is a bit of a fantasy- a multiple exposure edited with textures and NO RULES for sure! 🙂
They grow lavender too!
Just a little editing fun in Topaz Impression with an Alaska petunia. . .
One of the pleasures of visiting our Alaska family is seeing their amazing garden! There is a greenhouse full of seedlings, and next to it is a huge terraced vegetable garden. A deck surrounds the house, and the railings are decorated with flower boxes. In front there are more flower beds as well as rhubarb, strawberries and raspberries. And TREES of course!
This photo shows some of the petunias growing in a flower box on a front railing.
This week I checked off a small photography bucket list item- shooting the Flatiron in Jerome, Arizona!
Although Jerome is only about an hour from home and I’ve been there many, many, MANY times, I had never managed to walk down to this corner to take this photo. This time, we approached Jerome from the Sedona side, so I made a point of telling Lonnie ahead of time that I wanted this shot and to be ready to pull over at the first available parking space. Mission accomplished!
I spotted the shadows on these steps at the Tehachapi train station and loved the lines and patterns they made. I decided to emphasize the graphic design qualities of this shot by doing a little . . . ummm . . .creative editing.
Last week’s road trip back home managed to yield a few photos despite our disappointment about not getting to Monterey.. We spent the night in Tehachapi and went over to the train station so I could have the opportunity to find something (ANYTHING!) to photograph. We had been there a couple times before and knew there were some old railroad items on display. Below is a view of the wheels on an old box car.
Edited with some grunge textures and filters.
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melinda anderson photography 