I love trying to create impressionist effects with my Lensbaby.
I took the photo above a bit farther by editing it in Photoshop and Topaz Impression.
Round and Prickly
Here’s one of the many pathways at the arboretum- this one guarded by barrel cactus.
On the Garden Path
at the Bryce Thompson Arboretum
Out of Town!
On Saturday, Lonnie and I got OUT OF TOWN! After a couple weeks of illness- and then a water leak which will eventually lead to our floors being replaced- we were more than ready for an outing. We didn’t go far- just southeast to the town of Superior to visit the Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, where we walked and walked and walked admiring all the different cacti and wildflowers. It is a beautiful spot! I took dozens and dozens of photos; it felt so good to get out and use my camera again.
These rocks form the backdrop of the state park, which is right by the highway. Octotillo was in bloom everywhere!
I brought my Lensbaby Edge 80 along too, which I used on these flowers (along with a bit of enhancement from Topaz Impression).
Painted Butterfly
I had fun yesterday giving this butterfly a painted look with three textures and two different Topaz Impression filters. It somehow satisfies my childhood desire to be a painter.
Upcycled Cardinal
I’m back among the land of the living again! I haven’t quite returned to photography as yet, so today’s photo is a reworking of one I took last summer in Tucson. I played with it in Photoshop and added some textures to create a painterly look.
Pink Impressions
Another flower- this time an orchid.
Edited with Topaz Impression- with added texture.
Orange Impressions 2
Happy Tuesday! Just a couple more flower abstracts. . .
Orange Impressions
I never get tired of flower abstracts!
Perfection
Perfect orchids!
Not mine, fortunately (orchids shrivel up and die when I get too close)- they were at Sunnylands. 🙂
Points of View
My little AAUW photo group had the assignment last week of photographing a subject in different ways, from different angles, and/or edited different ways. I had a busy week so allowed about a half hour for shooting and a half hour for editing- I almost made it. I used my 35 mm for 3 shots and switched to my 85mm macro for the other 2. I quickly edited all in Lightroom and then added textures to two in Photoshop- all on schedule. But I was in such a hurry and so out of patience that I kept messing up the collage in the Lightroom Print Module. I threw up my hands and sent them all to my phone where I made a quick layout in Pic Collage, which added only about 5 minutes to my allotted time. When I picked up my print at Costco, I realized that I had sent the wrong photo to my phone for the middle one on the left- it was unedited! And so it was. . .
I added a bit of contrast, clarity, and sharpening to that unedited part of the collage before uploading to my blog- so it looks a little better (no, I did not re-make the whole collage!).
Spring is Here!
Here’s another blossom image for today- with a little Topaz Impression for a painterly look:
Where’s Waldo?
Here’s yet another view of Sunnylands- I just can’t get enough of the palo verde trees! During the editing process of this photo, I discovered something that I didn’t realize I had captured when I snapped the shutter. Can you find it?
No, it’s not the people in the background- it’s in the foreground, and may be pretty pixelated in this online version. It’s in the orange flowers, and it starts with H!
In Bloom
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I looked through my recent photos and decided to break with tradition and go with pink instead of green for today. I took these shots of the blossoms on our plum tree before we left for Palm Springs. I guess this was a smart move, because, now that we are back, the blossoms are all gone.
More from Sunnylands
This was the view that awaited us as we walked onto the grounds from the parking lot! I kept trying to capture shots of the little hummingbirds flitting in among the orange flowers, but, alas, they were too quick.
melinda anderson photography 