Gene Leahy Mall

Dan and I made a day of it in Omaha, there was a photo exhibit at the Durham museum and then we braved the cold and did some night photography at the Gene Leahy mall.   It was so beautiful, peaceful and still!

 

 

Merry Christmas

Wildgame to Devour

 We had gotten these cookie cutters last year from IKEA and had forgotten about them, when I got them out this year I thought it strange that they had a moose, fox, bear, squirrel, porcupine and snail, yep, a snail.  One of these things is not like the others...  Anyway a quick simple, tone curve adjustment, split tone adjustment and then a vignette in LR was all I did, no textures this time.  Since I couldn't get a model release, I ate them!

Southern Cascades

  I decided to go through some older photos to see what I could or would do different since starting my photo journey.  Came across these images from 2010, they were jpegs and taken when I was shooting Nikon!  I did my basic edit in LR and then stylized it in On1.  I am ready to go back to Washington and spend an extended time there, one of the most beautiful places we have been.

 

Jaxson is Growing Up

  Wow, it has been awhile since I have gotten to take any photos of Jaxson since I don't babysit any more. I can't believe how much he is growing up, he doesn't look like a baby anymore when comparing this to some of the older photos but he sure is looking like his daddy.  Two haircuts and he still has all these curls, I hope they never go away!



Braydon & Papa Choo Choo

These two have such a special connection and I love seeing them together.  I think because Brooke and Braydon came to live in Lincoln when Bud deployed the first time and Braydon was so young (6months maybe) and that Papa was there all the time they really bonded.  Not sure which I prefer, color or black and white.

Topaz Impression

  I need another program to learn like I need a hole in the head but I have been seeing so many beautiful images worked in Topaz Impression that decided to download the 30 day trial and see what I thought.  I did my basic edit in LR and then took it into Topaz and did a very simple, basic edit.  The possibilities are endless and the interface is very easy to understand and navigate.

 

 

 



Weighing In

One of the treasures Dan was able to inherit from his Mom after he and his siblings were there one weekend to help go through some things in storage was this old vintage scale.  I have been wanting one of these for such a long time and to have come from the family makes it all the more special.  I have lots of ideas for this piece that is for sure.  While I like the  straight out of camera image I couldn't help but play with it using some textures, two different versions which gives it a complete different feel.

 



 



   

Under Exposed

Our photo forum technique was over/under expose and the color burnt orange.  I have had this old muffin tin I have wanted to use for some time and while looking at the filling in my centerpiece on the coffee table my idea came to me, so I started separating my potpourri and filled in the rest with some bay leaves.  I underexposed by a stop and a third and added one 2LO texture.

 



Howling at the Moon

Sometimes I myself don't know how the squirrels take over my thought process, I was looking for flowers, ended up coming across a Christmas picture of Thor, thought the light shade looked like a moon, then I remembered I had a texture with a moon and down the rabbit hole I went.  I am happy with the results but not sure what a therapist would have to say.

original

Kerstin Frank textures plus I loss count number of
other textures and layers 

Purple Glow

  I revisited some photos from this summer to work on for a presentation I was doing for photo forum on textures.  So not my comfort level but I survived the presentation and enjoyed working the images.

original

2LO textures

Paths of Color

  It seems I was drawn to paths leading me into the color, whether it was the gold's and greens, or the bright oranges, yellows with a touch of red.  There is a mystery about them I think, never knowing for sure where they go or what you might find around the bend.

  

A Little Artsy Fartsy

  You either love it or hate it, it seems.  Dan is not on board with this technique at all but I am enjoying some of the effects, it reminds me of a painting. 

Maybe She Won't See Me...

  This stag was so calm and tired, he even would drink from the creek laying on his side.  I think because the creek was between us, he wasn't too concerned that we were fairly close.

 

 

Just a Pretty Little Place

  On one of the side roads this morning in RMNP we came upon this little stream running along the mountain base.  It was so peaceful for a while but then the traffic started to pick up and we moved on.

 

 

 



Love Is In the Air

  This big boy was making sure none of the other bucks were going to get his ladies.  As loud as they are with all their bugling during the rut it is nothing compared to the cranes.

 

God is so Amazing!

God is so amazing, it is beyond words to comprehend  sometimes the artistry we try to capture with our cameras.  He must just laugh at us for even trying but I hope He knows the immense pleasure he has given us by allowing us just a glimpse of his glorious creation.

Vanishing Point

  Our photo forum technique was composition and vanishing point was the inspiration but I took a little different approach to it.  I was also inspired by this months devotion and kind of wrapped the three together. Can you tell what this is?  There was a paragraph from the devotion that really spoke to me which I have included below the image.  I used the extension tubes with my macro and was able to get what I envisioned.  In case you weren't able to tell what this is, it is the end of a pen.

 

However, the one with an eye on the sparrow has His heart on you. His care is beyond your comprehension. He is relentless and reassuring in His compassion. Let Him into the details of your life—He already knows and He has your best interest in mind. Your heavenly Father knows what’s best for you. No need to fear—God is near. He is as near as a prayer. His attention to detail invites you to trust and lean into His great love.

Pair of Pears

  I picked up some more faux food to use for my still life images and am quite happy with how these photographed. 

Push not Safe

  Photo forum met at the Rail Yard this week, it is always a dilemma to decide which lens or lenses to bring.  I usually go safe and take my 70-200 but I really want to push myself and not always do what I know and am comfortable with this year and to be more intentional when taking a photo.  So I took only my 10-22, I knew it was going to limit me and that I was going to mess a lot of shots up but it is the only way I am going to learn.  I love the look you get with the wide angle and will definitely be working with it a lot more and yes there were a bunch of rejects but live and learn.

 

Bud to Bloom

  I have no idea what this flower is but I had fun taking photos of it in all it's stages of development.   The texture was like velvet on the buds and the petals like paper when it was in full bloom with a curly kate scrubby for a center.  I used the print module in LR for the first time to make my colleges,

lots of great futures projects if I can figure out how to use it to it's maximum potential.  Update:  I found out it is a Japanese anemone.

Details and Isolation

It's amazing all the details and the isolation I am able to get with the extension tubes and macro.  The first one is with my LR import preset only, the second has my import preset plus a filter, the last has a couple 2LO textures added.

Sunken Gardens Photo Forum

  Monday night the forum met at the Sunken Gardens, it was a beautiful evening with little humidity for a change!  I didn't take a lot of images but worked with the extension tubes on my 70-200, I think I am really going to like having these as an additional tool but again a lot more practice needed.  I really feel it helped me to understand my lens much better since I was having to learn it's capabilities with and without, something I hadn't spent enough time on before.

New Accessory

I am trying out extension tubes, I understood the concept but not really what the results would be.  This set of images was using it on my 100 macro and my focusing distance was about 2 inches.  I love the isolation and fall off but need lots more practice.