Fast Food Delivery

Taking a break from my "challenge" and thought I would post this image that I shot while sitting in the car at a red light. This really struck my funny bone as I watched the Fed Ex plane pass over the famous McDonalds arch! Anyone for some fast food???!!!

(iPhone...Snapseed, Blender)

Challenge #5...Lily Pulitzer (aka My Mom!!!)

If you've ever visited the Maine shores down through Cape Cod and all the way to Palm Beach, you've seen Lily Pulitzer clothing. Her brand was very well known among "the socialites" vacationing by the seashore. Soon, Lily Pulitzer dresses were worn by the "common" women and my Mom was one of those women who loved Lily's simple dresses. And this image reminds me of my Mom..a snippet of fabric taken from her collection! Blended the original image with some Nik solarization, then placed on top of the original blending to overlay and then cropped. To me this image has a summery aura that makes me feel "pretty and feminine"...just the way Lily liked it! And no, my Mom is NOT Lily!!! But she loved her clothes.

(Sony Nex 5...Nik, PSE)

Challenge #4...Hazy View

Some desaturation and a bit of haze to portray a dreamy , warm image.

(Sony Nex ...PSE, Topaz)

Challenge #3...Luminous Flora

I have been following Marc Garrison's photography and I really like his vision. He uses multiple images to converge on one another, thus, his "Convergent Media" portfolio. This is my first attempt at doing something similar to his work. I took the coneflower shot and after much processing and blending, I came up with this. I blended the original image several times using different blending modes, then added a texture, and then the tulip. I love to view other photographer's works as it gives me ideas and inspires me to continually "up my game" and knowledge. I think the image is "fair" and  it definitely needs work, which will be on my to do list in the next week!

(Sony Nex...Topaz, PSE10)

Challenge #2 - Surreal Coneflower

Same image...different processing. This one isn't so "out" there in terms of crazy processing and yet, it still has a "dreamy, surreal" aura IMO. I used Topaz for all of this...a bit of diffusion and then Adjust 5 with the setting of Surreal and changed it up a little. I definitely like this one!

(Sony Nex...Topaz)

Challenge 1... Child's Drawing

When I posted the Coneflower Octopi the other day, I had so much fun with the image that I decided to challenge myself. Take one image and process it differently for a week or so to see what I can come up with. After the usual processing, I went into the PSE filters Ocean Ripple and Glowing Edges. This is the end result. It reminds me of a child's drawing of coneflowers...a bit psychedelic :):):)

(Sony Nex ...PSE Ocean Ripples and Glowing Edges)

Coneflower Octopi

So...I started with the typical wide angle shot of the coneflowers blooming right now. I did the usual processing, added a little diffusion and said to myself, "That's pretty, Beth". BUT it's also boring. I've seen thousands of the same shot and while I still like the image, I was thinking to myself that I needed to "live it up" a little. So...did a bit of Liquefy and then went to the Blue Omni lighting effect and voila! I feel like I'm peering to in the deep blue sea watching the octopuses in their habitat!!! That's my vision for the day! Enjoy!

(Sony Nex...PSE 10 and Topaz Fx Lab)

Simply Red

Love the vibrant red against the beige background. And I really like the curves of the stems and the flowing red petals...I guess you can gather from my comments that I like this image! The original BG was harsh concrete so I used the Topaz Simplify to soften the BG. I also wanted to portray the flowers in a flowing manner and Simplify was just right for that.. A simplistic image IMO.

(Sony Nex...PSE 10, Topaz Simplify and Fx Lab)

National Trail

Part of Highway 40 in Iowa is a National Trail, as shown on this building. My thoughts...what was in this building at some point in time? The small town of Dunreith, Iowa...not much to it but I enjoyed it a lot. Friendly people, good food and some fun images to shoot. I'm a sucker for abandoned buildings... always a story behind the closed doors. I like to imagine what might have been.

(Sony Nex...Snapseed, Photo Toaster)

Ready

I had the privilege of photographing a firehouse in Dunreith, Indiana last weekend. My husband was on the RAIN ride and I was a SAG (support vehicle). I didn't have much time to spend at the firehouse but for a few brief moments, I was touched beyond words to see up close the firehouse and the firemen's belongings...ready for whatever the day may bring. What struck me was the orderly and neat premises and their belongings. Every thing had its place, including the boots and helmets. What I love about this image is obvious...the one red helmet among the black .I started to question the fireman about this but he got busy so alas, no answer. Guess I'll just have to go back there someday!

(Sony Nex...Snapseed, Photo Toaster)

Yellow and White Tulips

As I've stated before, tulips are one of my fav flowers. I love the creamy white and yellow of the tulips against the textured wall. I decided to use the Topaz Simplify app for this image. I wanted to portray the tulips in a soft mode.

(Sony Nex...PSE 10, Topaz Simplify)

Merry Christmas!!!

It's super hot right now so why not think about something cool!!! This image reminds me of Christmas with its bright reds and greens. I really like the colors together and the varied textures of the trees. I used Topaz Simplify to smooth out the edges a bit yet still retaining the different textures.

(Sony Nex...Snapseed, Topaz Simplify)

A Dappled Garden Still Life

My eye was intrigued by the contrasting greens, yellows and the pop of purple dappled through the image. I really like the varying textures also. I decided to use the Glaze app again. It just seemed to be the right app for what I wanted to portray. I can visualize a painter and his easel with his palette and brushes enjoying a day of fresh air among the beautiful garden. And this image is the end result of the painter's rendition.

(Sony Nex ...Snapseed, Glaze)

Have a Seat

Another image from the floral exhibits that I visited in London at the Chelsea Flower Show. The "half" tub with its Victorian legs and the flowers around the terrace invite one into have a seat and enjoy the garden! This was one of my favs for the exhibits...I used Snapseed and Glaze for this. I like the Glaze app for a painterly mood which I think this image needed.

(Sony Nex...Snapseed, Glaze)

Mixed Media

This was part of a floral exhibition which showed real flowers "sewn" in with fabric and then made into a "blanket" for a chair. It was pretty cool, I thought. I love how the orchids blend so seamlessly with the fabrics and the other flowers. I felt a vintage aura with this image, thus, the post processed vignette and framing.

(Sony Nex...Snapseed, Photo Toaster)

Bouquet

These flowers really caught my eye at a floral exhibition...bright, cheerful and a complimentary BG. A bit of Snapseed and a new app for me..Glaze. I am still learning all the ins and outs of the app. I find that Glaze seems to work well on floral images. I like the end product of this image but it could still use a bit more tweaking. I'll keep trying!

(Sony Nex 5...Snapseed, Glaze)

Mini Spruce

WOW...I didn't realize that I haven't posted for weeks! Family events and babysitting grandchildren have been on the front burner, thus, photo blog has been pushed to the back. I'm still involved with some family events so my blog will be sporadic for awhile! Anyway...there was this mini spruce in front of a "white mountain of polyurethane" at a floral exhibition. I immediately decided that I would convert to B&W and let the frame edges roll out naturally. Any thoughts? I think I might need to go back and try a different B&W conversion but I do like how the spruce kind of hangs in mid air.

(Sony Nex 5..Snapseed, TourchRetouch)