for Halloween . . .
Fall Color in Black and White
I went out with Lonnie for a walk in Watson Woods in order to take photos for an assignment for my photo group. The fall colors were beautiful- just what I was looking for in my image. I’ve been limiting my computer (and iPhone) time due to symptoms in my arm, elbow, and shoulder from overuse, so I decided to limit my editing time to 10-20 minute blocks, rather than my usual several hours to several days per image (that combined with genealogy is what caused this problem in the first place). I did a lot in Lightroom, including using my Camera Vivid preset (thank you, Carol!), so that it was already quite saturated when I went to Photoshop. The edits I did after that seemed to increase the saturation even more, so then I applied an inverted image layer at low opacity (thanks to what I’ve learned in my photo group and to Blake Rudis, who developed this color correction process) to take out some of the yellows and oranges. When I brought it brought it back into Lightroom, I wondered what it would look like in black and white- and I found I liked that version even better! I think I must have been inspired by my friend, Carol again, who also turned a fall color photo to black and white. Rule breakers!
I took the photo to begin with because the girl reminded me of Caitlin, my daughter. And now in black and white it seems to have a spooky feeling- which makes me think of Stranger Things, which we have been binge-watching on Netflix. Scary!
It’s that time of year. . .
We did our annual photo pilgrimage to Mount Vernon St. here in Prescott. I always love how this particular house is decorated- and this year’s decorations did not disappoint!
Back to the blur. . .
The last few months, I’ve found myself missing blur and soft focus. As a result, my Lensbaby Velvet 56 has been on my camera for the last week, and I’m going to put the Edge 80 (my fave!) on there next. Manual focus is always a challenge, but I find taking soft and dreamy photos is my comfort zone. I love the blur!
Postcard
When we were staying in Moab, we never really understood what the tepee set up was for and never took the time to find out. Turned into a monochrome, it reminds me of a vintage photo postcard (never mind the fence and the wagon and the lawn. . .).
Another Alaska Memory
Monkshood- discovered on a walk at the Eagle River Nature Center with the boys (including my nature guide, Justin)
OMG Another Bird!
Yes, another bird- and another artsy fartsy bird at that! This is a ptarmigan, perhaps a female or a juvenile (can’t remember), and it is the state bird of Alaska. This info is courtesy of my Park Service son-in-law, so I am breaking with my policy of not identifying birds, because I’m always wrong- or at least I believe everyone who identifies a bird incorrectly for me. Crossing my fingers here. . .
It was our youngest grandson, Henry who spotted it as we were walking a trail at the Nature Center. It was motionless in the grasses and probably scared out of its mind. I said, “Oh, look a grouse!” We all gathered on the trail watching it, as I snapped 4 or 5 shots. Then Justin gave the command to Penny, the golden retriever, who promptly flushed it out and away flew the grouse/ptarmigan/chicken(?) into the woods.
I gave it the clipping mask and stroke treatment, because it’s fun and I just can’t stop doing it. . .
Fall Finch
Some of the leaves are actually starting to turn, even though it still seems like summer here. I’ve got my Halloween decorations out and am drinking a pumpkin spice latte as I write this- so, according to the calendar and Starbucks, it IS fall! In the spirit of autumn, I took this photo of a goldfinch against the backdrop of fall leaves.
Just waves . . .
I never get tired of watching the waves as they rise, crash, and are pulled back out to sea.
Wave watching from the Huntington Beach pier. . .
Harvest Moon
Lonnie (my pointer-outer of moons, sunsets, and rainbows) just mentioned that there is a harvest moon tonight. Whaaat? It took me a few minutes to put on shoes and switch tripod heads and lenses- but I did my best to get out to the driveway quickly. I believe this is the first moon photo I’ve taken with my long lens. Fun!
I do wish there was an interesting foreground or that I had captured it on the rise, but it’s the moon just the same.
It looks a bit like a cantaloupe, doesn’t it?
Canyonlands
I had never heard of Canyonlands in Southern Utah until our daughter, Caitlin and soon to be fiance and husband, Justin traveled there in the late 1990’s. In fact, I had never heard of Arches National Park or even Moab back then. When we traveled through Utah in 2014, we skipped Canyonlands, but this time we wanted to check it out while we were staying in Moab.
What an incredible place- fantastic canyon views and without the crowds of the Grand Canyon!
The above shots were taken through Mesa Arch, reached by a relatively short hike up and down over uneven ground (a challenge for my unstable knees) to reach this stupendous view. This is one of the most visited spots, so getting a view of the arch itself was almost impossible, because of all the tourists. It was almost midday and incredibly hot, but the views were worth the effort to get there.
Mobile Art
Taking a break from editing and posting this summer’s vacation photos. . .
Last week my friend, Gail and I gave a little presentation to our AAUW photo group on Mobile Photography. Although I have a zillion apps and use my iPhone camera all the time, mobile photography really isn’t my thing (or Gail’s either, for that matter). But we both did some research (I strongly recommend the free videos through iPhone Photography School) and played with apps- and somehow managed to talk for 45 minutes!
So, just for fun- here is a sunflower taken with AvgCamPro, which snaps photos as you move your camera around, creating a rapid fire multiple exposure. I want to play with this one more! I edited it with TangledFX, which gave it a look similar to Topaz Glow.
And here is the same photo edited with BrushStroke for a painterly look:
And now with some textures added with the Mextures app:
I think that at some point, I will be embracing mobile photography more- but I still feel tied to (and love) my Nikon. One of my classmates in my photo group uses her older iPhone most of the time and edits her photos in Photoshop. Her images are displayed regularly in galleries- and they sell!
Cloud Week 3
Here is my current favorite cloud photo. I captured this one through the car window as we were driving to Moab; I think we were already in Utah by this point. It reminds me of a giant flying saucer hovering over the road. Can you tell I was a child in the 1950’s?
Cloud Week 2
This cloud photo was taken while we were getting gas right before we got to Moab. I looked up- and wow!
Cloud Week 1
I must admit I haven’t used my camera since I came back from my last trip to Alaska. I first had a major (for me) attack of allergies, which kept me down and out for a couple weeks- and then last week I had an unexpected oral surgery (an infection in an old root canal). I am really looking forward to getting out again with my camera soon-ish!
In the meantime, I have declared it Cloud Week on my blog! I had never traveled much in the Southwest until we moved here- so I am still constantly amazed by the dramatic cloudscapes. Today’s shot from Moab is fairly tame-but I love the simplicity and colors in this early morning sky.
melinda anderson photography 