Photoshop Art

I may have mentioned how I'm cyber stalking a fan of Ree over at the Pioneer Woman.  She just recently put up a photography/Photoshop challenge where she provided an image and asked that fans use Photoshop to give a different spin on the photo.  It's really got me thinking about Photoshop as an art medium.  Now, don't get me wrong, I still think it's important to figure out my camera.  And while I haven't been shooting much lately, I'm still aiming to learn more and more every time I do get it out.  I'm also a big believer that while Photoshop has a lot to offer any given photo, the best Photoshop can do to a bad photo, is nothing compared to a good photo to start with.  Having said that though, Photoshop is pretty amazing.

So, I decided to take up her challenge, but on my own picture to see what I could do with an average photo of mine.  In part because I didn't want her awesome photos to have an influence on what I could do with my shots.  After all, I won't be working with her photos, I'll be working with my own.

So here's Bunny from a few month's ago on our LA Arboretum trip Straight Out Of the Camera (SOOC)

SOOC

The SOOC shot has that grey overcast that most digital cameras have.  I haven't figured out how to eliminate that via the camera.  Does anyone know?

So, the very first thing I did was adjust the curves slightly to remove the grey, put a smart blur on her face to soften it up a bit, and used the clone tool to tame the wispy hair on the back of her head.  This became my new base photo that all the subsequent changes were based on.

New Base Image

In this next shot, I used the above photo as my base and just added Pioneer Woman's Define & Sharpen action.

Image 1

In this next shot, I went back to my curves base image and added saturation and a lens flare.

Image 2

In this next one, I went back to my base image, increased the exposure by +1, darkened the levels twice and made it black and white.

Image 3

Going back to my curves base image, I ran Pioneer Woman's Boost action twice and added her Lovely and Ethreal action on top of that.

Image 4

Back to my curves base image, I added TRA's Troy action.

Image 5

And finally, on top of my last image, I added Pioneer Woman's Boost action.

Image 6

Okay, I just have to add one more, where I combine image 6 with background of image 4 kicked down a bit via opacity.  I have to admit, I really love how she's still washed out, but the background color gives the whole thing a bit more depth.

Image 7

I really love how each of them came out, but I must admit I'm drawn to the more saturated and dramatic ones.  I particularly like image 7, 3 and 6 the best, with the lens flare on image 2 coming in a close fourth place.

Which images do you guys like best and why?  What sort of photography are you drawn to?

Tomorrow I'll use this same image and explore textures and overlays.

Seriously.. Thoughts?

Music

Isn't it interesting how music can transport you to a different time and place, or remind you of specific people?  How does it do that? I really want to know.  Anyone? Anyone?



I've had Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody" in my head for the last few days.  This always reminds me of a co-worker of mine named Don from my very first job out of college.  Not because I had a crush on him or anything like that, but because he hated the baby noises in the song.  It always makes me smile thinking of how much he disliked it.




There's more direct correlation songs though.  I listened to Brandy's "Tomorrow" a lot when I was struggling with weather to leave my first husband or not.  It's not that songs like that can talk you into or out of major life decisions, but it was very very relate-able to what I was experiencing at the time.  Me and Brandy were soul sister's for a while.  She was the only one who really "got" me.



And of course, there's love songs.  Jimmy Wayne's "You Are" is the song I walked down in the aisle to.  This song really speaks to me about The Hubs, about what we have.  I admit, I always get a little weepy when I listen to it, and feel the need to race to the wedding album and relive the whole day moment by moment.  I'm a little girly like that.



Then there's "Our Song" Donna Lewis's "I Love You Always Forever".  To be truthful, it wasn't the one I wanted to be our song, but it just worked out that way.  I think it was the "you've got the most unbelievable blue eyes" part that drew in The Hubs.  He's always telling me how much he loves my eyes.  Which of course, turns me into a giggling bowl of jell-o and makes my knees weak every time.

What are some of your most memorable songs and why?

Seriously.. Thoughts?

Comings and Goings

Well, we've had some good news, some fun times, and some sad days all over the last week or so.

My parents arrived on Thursday night.  I haven't seen them in over a year.  This was especially important for me for a few reasons.  My mom hasn't seen Bug since he was born.  He's turning three next month.  And while The Tweedles remember my dad from various business trips he had out our way, they don't really know my mom. I really want them to know both of their grandparents.  It's important.  It just is.  Also, my dad has been pretty sick this past year with a lung infection that has landed him in the hospital several times for extended stays.  So, for him to be well enough to travel out this way meant he was on the mend.

We went to our SCA event this weekend.  My parents dressed up in garb and looked fabulous.  And since I was dumb, and didn't take my camera out even once, I have no pictures of it. Not a single one.  I know!  I have no idea what I was thinking.  I am hoping one of the friends we camped with might have gotten a picture, but I doubt it.  I'm so sad! 

We did have fun though.  I competed in my first SCA archery tournament and my parents even got to watch me.  I know that I'm over thirty and an adult with my own kids and all that, but I can't help but get that thrill of showing off what I can do for my parents to see and knowing that they are proud of me.  It put me back in school all over again.

Anyway, it was a double elimination event, which means I had to lose to two people to get knocked out.  I lost both my first and second rounds.  But in all fairness, in my second round, they paired me up with an olympic level archer.  So unfair!  Everyone was so nice and made the whole experience so much fun, I didn't even mind.  It's hard to be a bad sport when you lose to someone who keeps you laughing the whole time!  Such good fun!

They also had an event called dog coursing.  They set up a wire track (usually in a big square shape) on the ground and tie plastic grocery bags to it.  The wire is on pulleys and is attached to a battery to run the wire and subsequently the grocery bag around the track.  The bag simulates a "rabbit" and the dogs chase it around the track.  At least, that's how it's suppose to go.  Morph (our big, sweet ball of fluff) was up first.  He had never done this, and I wasn't completely convinced he'd chase the "rabbit".  So the woman running the show, moved the "rabbit" about 100 feet away from Morph. 

He looked at me. 

I encouraged him to chase it. "Go get it Morph!  Go on!  Get it!  You can do it!  Go get it!". 

He looked at the rabbit and took a slow, lumbering trot over to the plastic bag.  All I could hear in my head while he moseyed over there was "Dum de dum.. dum de dum". 

Everyone there laughed.  He was a pretty funny sight. 

When he made it to the bag, the woman running the show moved it again.  Morph looked at the bag, then looked back at me.  Then proceeded to walk off the field.  Apparently, chasing a plastic grocery bag around a track is not his thing.  So we went back to camp and I gave him a big treat.  I love him.  Even if he won't chase the rabbit, and would make a terrible hunting dog.  Thank goodness we're not depending on him for our dinner!

We had a really good night Friday night listening to the drums, and letting them lulll us to sleep.  Saturday night we even went hunting for the drums and some belly dancers to watch with my parents.  But the parties started a little to late for my old people who pooped out early. 

And then came the bad news.  Saturday night was a rough night for my dad.  He had a big asthma attack and couldn't breath.  He ended up moving a camp chair into his tent and dozing in that chair all night because he couldn't lay down.  His lungs I guess, aren't as recovered as we all hoped.  Thankfully, we had already planned to go home Sunday.  More bad news came last night.  My old people decided that my dad was feeling bad enough that they had to cut their trip short.  They ended up leaving this morning and are now somewhere in Arizona.  They should be home in another two days and then he's going back into see his doctor - hopefully before the deep cough developed over the last few days turns into pneumonia. 

I'm super sad they had to go home early.  I was looking forward to spending time with them.  I was looking forward to them spending time with all of the kids.  They've never really been around much because they've always worked, so I really hoped this would be the start of some good bonding time.  However, I do realize it's more important for my dad to get better.  And since it's only 74 days (but who's counting?) until Christmas when we'll be out visiting them for two weeks, that gives him some time to recouperate and get ready for a full house of chaos when we come out.  And meanwhile, at least Will now knows who Grandma and Grandpa are, and we all feel a little more connected despite the difference between here and po-dunk no-where east Texas.

Seriously.. Thoughts?

Short & Sweet

Short:

I'm here! I'm here! But I'm busy with my old people.  I promise a full update tomorrow.  With all the comings and the goings.  Stay tuned!

Sweet:

Enjoy!

Seriously.. Thoughts?

They're Here!

My old people have finally arrived.

I spent the day cleaning and washing everything in our house.  Partly because it needed it, and partly to keep myself busy because I was very anxious for my parents to get here already.  They showed up around 6:30 this evening, we had dinner together, and now they're off to the hotel for some much needed rest. 

I hope this turns into a good trip for them, and for us.  I hope it's the first of many. 

I love my parents!

Seriously.. Thoughts?

Breath

Tonight I'll be succinct.

I'm totally and completely stressed out. 

I have DAR Essay contest packets to deliver to 10 schools tomorrow during my lunch hour.  Hopefully charm them enough to actually want their kids to participate. 

My parents will be here tomorrow evening, which means, sometime between now and say 6pm, I need to clean my entire house from top to bottom.  And hopefully keep it clean at least until they arrive before letting The Tweedles put it back into it's natural state of chaos.I'd like my parents to at least be able to witness first hand that my house does actually clean up nice.

I volunteered to do the data entry for Bunny's elementary school contact book.  It took me 10 minutes to do 11.  I have about a thousand more to go. 

I work.  Did I mention I have a day job?  Yeah, that silly little thing.  We're super busy right now as we move into SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for our site.  For those of you who have no idea what it is, don't worry about it.  For those of you who do, that's just over 2300 products that must be brought up to the new SEO standards we're implementing.  Not fun.

We're going on an SCA outting this weekend.  ALL.OF.US.  My parents included.  Since it's an SCA trip, that means garb (or renaissance / medieval dress up outfits) must be washed, dried and re-packed.  The trailer must be emptied and re-packed with hopefully only the essentials this time (we tend to bring a lot of "extra" stuff).  My parents don't have garb, so I've been scurrying around between our loaner stuff and begging from friends to make sure they're outfitted for the time we're there.  And, have I mentioned that I'm "playing kitchen" for our group.  That means I'm handing all the food for 20 people.  Food for all breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the time we're there.  I have 2 vegetarians to account for and two diabetics. 

Laundry.  I haven't done The Tweedles laundry in two weeks.  They are down to the dregs of their clothing.  You know, the stained, tattered and either too big or too small kind.  I'm a terrible mother letting Bunny go to school like that.  So tonight, I plan to do their laundry.  I hope to be finished some time before midnight.

Thankfully, I finished up my contract work earlier this week, so now all I have to do is all the rest of this stuff.

And in between this huge list of tasks I need to accomplish, I still remembered to go to Bunny's back to school night, read bed time stories and tuck two littles into bed.  I came up with a cheap plan to outfit GG for halloween (which I still have to run past her, but I hope it will work out and I can see her smile).  And, I even remembered to breath.  Yeah, gotta focus more on that breathing part.

Seriously.. Thoughts?

Binkie Down

Binkie, Nuk, Buba, Pacifier, whatever name you give, Bug and Bunny love them.  Admittedly, we've let Bunny keep hers way too long.  She's almost 5 now.  But having Bug and Bunny share everything including a room, made it hard to keep her from them, when her brother was still young enough to need them.  So instead of fighting a losing battle, we just let her continue to have her Binkie only at nap and bedtime. 

However,  this all came to an abrupt end this past Sunday.  The Hubs got up early on Saturday to wrangle The Tweedles, so I could sleep in.  I was abruptly woken up to two Tweedles screaming and fighting and The Hubs with his voiced raised.  Seems they were fighting over a binkie.  And The Hubs had had enough.  He gathered them all up and took them away announcing the end of binkies.  I don't think Bug and Bunny really believed him until nap time came around, and the both went to bed, without binkies.  Even after that first nap was over and done with (without much fighting) they still didn't really believe that binkies were over.  When bedtime rolled around Saturday night, the howling and screaming and crying that came from their room was overwhelming.  The reality having finally set in.

We're now on Monday night, day 3 of being binkie free.  Bug did have a bit of a pout this morning at 6am when he came into our room complaining that he couldn't find his binkie.  He was very upset when I pointed out there were no more binkies.  If looks could kill, people. If looks could kill.

All in all, the transition has gone way better than I thought, and I'm glad we did it.  Bunny was WAY too old, and Bug was old enough.  Next will be the battle over their blankies.  I'm not looking forward to that one.

Seriously.. Thoughts?