Serious Play

Hot Pink Hoopla Challenge

So, here is another LO inspired by Shimelle's Challenge Weekend!

 

This time, we were challenged to use hot pink in the LO. Shimelle had used the pink as her background and, although I do not typically scrap with such a bold colour as the main colour, I liked it. 

In my LO, I used mainly the Green at Heart line from Basic Grey. I also focused on layering several embellishments, as Shimelle did. Because the colours were so vibrant, my photo was looking a bit off, so I edited it using the Coffee Shop 2020 action from thecoffeeshopblog.com .

This was a fun challenge...I may have to bring more bold backgrounds into my LOs!

 

 

Summer Yoga

So, summer means doing yoga outside.

 

I smell the fresh-cut grass underfoot.

I taste the blueberries that will go on my granola after stretching.

I hear the buzz of insects who have already started their day.

I feel invigorated with each deep breath taken in.

I see the bird on a wire who is watching me.

 

...I can only imagine what he is thinking!

 

Self-portrait & bird photos run through the downloadable Poladroid machine.

 

 

Holiday Highlights

So, I finally had a chance to download all my photos from our trip and pick out a few of my favorites.

This is the view that we had from the cabin...

Sean and the girls just had to put money on the tracks and watch it being squished...

Both of the girls tried kayaking for the first time...

Sean and I finally had a decent photo taken of us...

More to come in the next few days!

All of the photo blocks used for these pics are by Katie Pertiet @ Designer Digitals and can be found here. If you hurry, you may still get them on sale like I did!

O Canada!

So, it's a little late, but here is the editing lesson for today...

As you can see, it was about making the photo sepia toned and then restoring the color in the area that you want to highlight. Here is Jess on Canada Day. We were geocaching in Cochrane and the info station had this huge flag fluttering in the breeze. We took the photo op!

Going out of town for a few days! See you when I get back.

Enjoy the summer!

Photo Editing Fun

So, today's lesson in my Jessica Sprague photo editing course was about adding textures to your photos. I spent most of the day playing with different textures and blending modes in PS3. I even went on a walk today with Jessica for the sole purpose of taking pictures of different textures to blend with my photos. Why would someone spend all that time? Well, textures can heighten the mood of a photo as it adds a layer of depth. It gives a photo a worn feeling by adding shadow, light, tints, scuffs or speckles.

This one of my little man is layered with burlap to give it that grid look. I just erased on his body and bike so that he did not look like an alligator! But don't you agree that it really makes him pop out of the photo?

And then there is this one. I learned a completely new concept here! This is what is called TTV or Through The Viewfinder. This is where photographers will take a photo right through the actual viewfinder of some of the old style cameras. This technique gives the worn, faded look with blackened edges, distortion, scuffs, scratches and marks. Fortunately there are people who have done this and posted fake TTV textures, since I don't have an old camera to try this with.

So, as you can see, I had fun today, and learned a lot! But my vacuuming did not get done!

Growing Skills

So, I've been playing! I am taking an awesome photo editing course from Jessica Sprague. Today's lesson was about creating a vintage, hand-tinted look on a photo. I did not go extreme, but what do you think for my first try? Here is the original to compare...

I just really love learning new things that I can play around with! 

Back in January of this year I took an online digital SLR photography class through Karen Russell called The Photographer's Workshop. I can tell you, it was worth every penny! I had owned my dSLR camera for about a year and had no idea what all the buttons and dials were for. Now, after taking Karen's class and practicing for a few months, I feel that the shots that I take have greatly improved. The above shot is proof! I visit Karen's blog every day to see the shots that she has posted of her family. I am constantly inspired and continue to learn from her. Karen is opening registration for her next two courses starting on Monday. Check it out if you are at all interested in improving your skills on your SLR camera. She really has a way of explaining things so that they make sense and she gives feedback on the assignments that you do! So helpful and educational! It is like she is just in the next room!

Here are a few more shots of Jess from that same day - thanks to Karen!

And my favorite...

I still have a lot to learn and practice, but I have more knowledge and confidence after taking Karen's course. I really, really recommend it!

There is also a gal on Jessica Sprague's website (mentioned above) that offers a photography course online. Her name is Candice Stringham and her class is called Oh Shoot! Beginning Photography. Her registration is currently full, but you can be on a wait list and she will notify you when the next class comes available. I am considering taking this one too, as repetition is a good thing, and I am sure that Candice will offer a little different perspective than Karen.

I am thankful for all opportunities to grow my skills! How 'bout you?

Spring Wonders

So, the other day I was tired of sitting on the couch with my leg up, so I decided to go out on the front step and watch my husband mow the lawn. I had my camera with me because I was reading a great book on photo exposure and wanted to test a few things out. This is what I ended up with! The stuff that looks like snow is actually that fuzz that falls from the trees! We are so fortunate in our family to not have any allergies.

After looking at the photo, I decided it could use a fun digital element. This is a combination of products from Ali Edwards. 

It makes a nice improvement, doesn't it? If you are of the adventurous type, you can download a trial version of Adobe Photoshop CS4 to play around with. It has quite a steep learning curve though. If you would like a simpler version, there has been one created just for digital scrapbookers called Photoshop Elements 7.0. I started on the PSElements 4.0 and it was great. All of the main tools that you will use to do fun stuff like I did on this photo are in the Elements program. Really, unless you are going to get a degree in Graphic Design, you probably don't need CS4.

I was inspired of late (all that laying around was getting to me) and started making a little mini book. I hope to post on the weekend the finished product as well as the steps to making it. The only supplies I used were cardstock, a ruler, pencil, glue stick, hole punch, paper cutter (scissors will do if you don't have a paper cutter), my photos and a few little embellishments (stickers). If you think you could be inspired to follow along with me, gather your supplies and join me on the weekend!