Photo of the Day - Seventy Three

This photo is a spot that I have always wanted to stop and photograph.  It just screams to be explored.  However, I have no idea who owns it and whether or not that person would appreciate a photographer traipsing around their barns.  So, this photo I snapped roadside.

I'd love to get closer, to hold a photo shoot here, and just experiment with my camera.  Perhaps one day I'll figure out who owns these, because I don't want to risk boldly wandering around and making someone angry by trespassing.  Until then, a roadside photo will have to do! 

Christmas Cards

Last year, shortly after Christmas, I took a photo with the distinct purpose of it becoming the subject of my Christmas cards the following holiday season.  Well, almost an entire year later I didn't forget about that photo and finally have been able to create the Christmas card I envisioned.

I edited this photo and added a couple of textures and, of course, the text.  It is a village home in the town of North Stratford, Vermont.  Many power lines had to be gingerly cropped out, but now you can't even tell.  I am beyond excited to see the end result when they arrive!

In fact, these cards are going to be the first thing I have ever ordered through my Smugmug gallery.  I was amazed at how I could customize the card and even type in a personal message inside! Creating the card was simple and the best part is that if you like it you can purchase it, too!  It can be found in the Greeting Cards gallery.  Disregard the other images for Christmas cards, because they say 2010.  At some point I will get around to removing them! 

Before and After - Twelve

This photo I edited isn't my photo.  It was actually entered in last month's Autumn photo assignment on my other blog.  When I saw it I immediately liked the photo and wished that the location wasn't halfway across the country.  I also recognized it as a photo with a lot of editing potential.

Here is the original, found on FLICKR by RuralTN...

With a little time in Photoshop I was able to play around and tweak the photo all in good fun.  A little texture was applied, some contrast added, and the curves adjusted all with a layer mask dab here and there.  The result is a pretty darned nice photo, too.

Sometimes it amazes me how drastically a photo can be changed, tweaked, and transformed in any digital darkroom software!  Also, thanks to RuralTN for allowing photo sharing in FLICKR so I could have some fun with this!

Things Don't Always Have to be Level

Sometimes inadvertently the photos we take end up a little off kilter.  We squat down or lean over in weird positions to get 'the perfect shot', but with our own vision at a weird angle, sometimes almost sideways, its difficult to ensure that the photo you are taking is level.  While leveling it out may be your goal and produce a great photo leaving it a little off kilter can sometimes be more dramatic and just as nice.  

Here is an example:

These are both good photos.  Actually, its the same photo.  I took the unlevel one with my camera and then cropped it so it was level.  But, you can see from the unlevel photo that it looks a little more dramatic rather than just a static old fire truck sitting there.  This technique works best when you are focusing on a particular subject rather than a large landscape.  Also, usually the closer you are to a subject the more this technique is successful.  Being far away, as in if I were 100 yards farther from this firetruck, would allow more visual cues into the photo that indicate a proper horizon and perspective. 

While off-kilter photos don't always work it can be a break from dead level scenes and subjects.  Try it out the next time you are out taking photos or doing a photo  shoot!

Photo of the Day-Seventy Two

This is my absolute FAVORITE time of year to be out with my camera.  Not only are the leaves vibrant and beautiful, but being outside as the season wanes from summer to fall has a certain feeling to it.  The crunching of the leaves in the woods and crispiness of the browning grass in the fields is a sound that soothes my soul.  I live to capture those feelings with my camera.  While sometimes I don't succeed there are others where I come close, like this photo:

I was walking through the woods near our hunting camp.  The baby was in a carrier on my chest.  When I saw this tree I knew that I had to photograph it.  To get this shot I actually had to almost lay down on the ground at a slightly sideways angle.  Before the baby such a move would be easy, but with an infant in a carrier on one's chest it is almost impossible.  Somehow I succeeded in successfully taking a photo and capturing the 'tallness' of this magnificent tree.