Monday, April 30, 2012

#18 Bounds

Well here I am, and this is me trying to think "outside of the box".  The Theme is "Bounds" and in my opinion, this photo fits the category.  Once more, we find ourselves on the Port Burwell beach where there are designated Areas (apparently there's one for nudists but we didn't come across that one...).  This one was Area 5.

The sign was actually on the right-hand side of the shot but I moved it to the left (more pleasing to the eye, I've been told by judges, because we read from left to right), added a Flood effect from Flaming Pear and the sign's reflection.  (I wasn't actually standing in the lake to take the picture!)  In Topaz Adjust, I used a Sketch filter to get this result which I found very pleasing. 

Enjoy!

Monday, April 23, 2012

#17 - Rural

Sorry, I'm a day late but had week-end guests.

On our trip back from Florida earlier this month, we traveled through a part of Ontario that is particularly rural in its look and feel.  From the car window, I managed to shoot this typical farm scene that I thought would suit the theme just fine.  (Yes, I take my Theme list with me wherever I go - just in case - and also carry my little Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH1 with me at all times too!)  It didn't turn out to be too bad a shot, considering it was taken through the window of a moving car.  I did something to it in Topaz Adjust - think it was Sketch - Medium - to give it a bit of 'punch', and cropped it.



The sketch effect reminds me of a child's drawing and I love the way the bare trees - still early April - have been softened using it.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

#16 - Beginnings

Need I say that "Spring has sprung..."?  After having hardly any winter, the poor plants don't know what season it is and even those that aren't due to start sprouting have done it anway. 

The new shoots on our climbing rose looked so appropriate for the theme that I just had to post one of them as this week's image.  So many to choose from but I think these are my favourite - as are the flowers that will grow on the plant - you know, the peach ones!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

#15 X Factor

Well, this theme has had me stumped since I got the list but as luck would have it, a tutorial was just posted on a website that I follow showing how to make a photo with text.  Rather than inserting part of a story or other text, though, I simply used a screen full of xes (x's - ???) with a photo of our granddaughter, Gabrielle, when she was little.  I added the gradient to give it a more girly feel rather than leave it as a B&W but then found it was a bit washed out so drew the soft line around her for more definition.  Great fun!

Sunday, April 1, 2012

#14 Groups

Groups come in all shapes and sizes, all species and classifications.  For my "Groups" submission, I chose another favourite subject - flowers.  These were photographed in Port Burwell Provincial Park last June - just before I broke my right wrist! - and where the "Isolation" photo was taken too.  The park features not only a wonderful stretch of unspoilt beach but some beautiful woodland trails that unfortunately - that day, anyway - were home to hoardes of mosquitoes.  We didn't get too far into the woods before we had to turn back, but not before I stopped to snap these prolific wild roses.


I like the diagonal lines that had grown naturally.  Some work was done on the image with Topaz Adjust 5 and blending modes, plus I extracted one single bloom and inserted it bottom left - just because!