What to do on a Rainy Day…

Partly because my computer is getting old and slow I haven’t been playing with textures on my photos recently.  Photoshop especially slows the whole thing down so I need plenty of time if I am going to bother with it.  This is when this persistently rainy weather comes in handy.   These dark and rainy days have not been inspiring for taking walks or taking photos or cleaning the house so I have had extra time to spend with PS and decided to enter Kim Klassen’s Cafe Texture Tuesday this week.  The photo used had to include at least one layer of her texture “Yesteryear” which was offered as a free download…she is very generous like that….and it will be fun to see all the many different uses it will inspire.  Mine are very simple with one layer of texture and the texture brushed away from the flowers. I am still very fearful of overdoing it.  I find that half the battle seems to be in finding the right photo to go with the texture. 
 


Next I will try to learn how to apply a “rollover” to show the original as well as the processed photo….That is for another rainy Monday.

Tuesday night addendum....The Rollover!!
Roll your mouse over the photo to see my goldfinch photo with and without an added texture.




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New Projects…

Even though I was thoroughly overwhelmed with keeping up with Picture the Holidays I have started the next workshop called Picture Winter. Now that the holidays are over I am much more comfortable spending time on a photography project and I still like a daily prompt.  Many of my Picture Winter photos will also be showing up in my other new project…

Inspired by the blogs 3191, A Year of Mornings and habit…A Collection of Days,  my daughters and I started a photo blog on January 1st where we will try to contribute a photo and a short statement daily. There the focus will be embracing our daily lives and celebrating everyday beauty. I’m sure it will become hard to keep up, especially for my very busy daughters, but we are off and running and I think they are enjoying it for now.  We are still working out the kinks but we can be visited at OXOXO. 

Besides this I will be starting another online Kim Klassen photoshop class this month…I think a lot of this class will be a refresher for me but at my age I need all the refreshing I can get in hopes that some of sticks.   So it may be cold and snowy outside but I have lots to keep me busy as I hibernate this winter.

May Day…

Needing a break from mowing the lawn and working in the yard, I took some time to play with Photoshop…I’ve been trying to teach myself how to curve those letters….as well as how to add a couple of layers…So instead of the traditional basket of flowers I have this one blossom to give to all…

First Try...

One reason that I haven't been posting much recently is because I have been spending so much time with new toys equipment...Not only have I been experimenting with my new iPhone but since December I have received Photoshop Elements 8 and a new camera.  I don't have any basic technical knowledge so it is a very long, slow learning curve...Slow enough that many of these cold, windy days have found me in my nice warm library experimenting at the computer rather than, say, cleaning the house...

One thing I wanted to try was to enhance a photo with a texture and this is my first attempt...

The original already had an amazing sky...

  ...I cropped the picture and layered  on two free textures, FallinApart by SkeletalMess and WornLove  from CoffeeShop...It may not look it but it took me hours to do this!  I'm thinking I may prefer the original but it was fun!