1.26.2011

Soothing repetition...

Week four!  MCP Project 52 on Flickr.  A 52 week photo challenge.  This weeks theme was "Soothing Repetition"...and what can be more soothing than raindrops.  Above are my before & after photos of raindrops clinging on to pine needles.  I really love taking photos of raindrops and it looks like I may get another chance today!  I'll gladly take the rain over snow any day!!
Click on the photo above to view it on a black background...much more dramatic.

Happy Wednesday!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." ~ Rabindranath Tagore

1.24.2011

Innocent Wonder - I heart faces photo challenge...

As soon as I saw the title of this week's challenge, I knew which photo I was going to enter.  This photo of Little Jack and Jerry is my entry in the "Innocent Wonder" Photo Challenge this week on "I Faces":
   Little Jack has grown up with music and absolutely loves it.  He will sit for hours and listen to a guitar.  Everyone says he's an "old soul".  And Jerry [singer/song writer/guitarist for the Moon Shine Babies] loves kids and loves entertaining.  You can tell from this photo that the whole world could have collapsed, Jack & Jerry were so focused.

This is one of my most favorite photos I've ever taken.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  Check out the "I ♥ faces" website for all the entries. They are awesome!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men. " ~ Martin Farquhar Tupper

1.22.2011

I ♥ these templates!!

These are awesome!!  The one on the left is what I'm using on my personal Facebook page and the one on the right is what I'm using on my Facebook fan page.  I just love them!  I got the "free templates" from "Paint the Moon Photography" on Facebook.  All you have to do is share their profile and you can download a set of these awesome templates.  Let me know if you need assistance and I'll create one for you!!  How awesome is that!

Hope you're having a great weekend!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?" ~ George Elliot

1.21.2011

Fix It Friday!!

It’s Fix-It Friday over at I Faces! That means we all get to edit the same photo as each other and learn new editing tips and tricks. This week’s AWESOME photo comes from Angie Arthur.  Below is the before and after photo.  The top image is the "before", which is Angie's original photograph and the bottom image is the one I edited with PhotoShop CS5:
 So what did I do?
1st, I created a new layer from the background image, which is what I always do.  By creating a new layer from the background image, you can use that copy for all of your editing.  So in case you mess up really bad, you can just delete that layer copy, make another copy and start over.

2nd, I used the "Center Fill Light Action" from Florabella's Luxe Action Set at 52% opacity to lighten up the boy jumping in the middle.

3rd, I used Topaz Software [which is an awesome plug-in filter for PhotoShop] to create a "painterly" effect.  The actual effect is called "Buz Sim" and is in the "Topaz Adjust" plug-in.

4th, I created a layer mask and used a soft-round brush at 60% opacity to "paint the boy back in".  Sometimes the "Buz Sim" effect will distort facial features, so using a layer mask to paint back in some of the original background really creates an awesome image.

5th, I added a texture from some of my thousands of background textures I've collected for the past 10 years, changed it to "multiply" and changed the opacity to 32%.

Finally, I added a cute little graphic, flattened the image and saved it as a jpeg.
 
Click on the I faces image above to check out some other editing of this same photo.  So fun!!

Happy Friday!!& peace always ~ Kathy

"Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are." ~ Marianne Williamson

1.17.2011

Winter Wonderland - I heart faces photo challenge...

I just had to enter this photo of Broc in the "Winter Wonderland" Photo Challenge this week on "I Faces".  He had so much fun in the snow!!
Of course, he's from Louisiana, so this is actually the first time he's ever been able to play in snow!  It snows in the deep south, on occasion, but it never lasts.  He loves the snow!!  Check out the "I faces" website for all the entries.  They are awesome!

So, I hope you are all staying warm & enjoying the Winter!! Personally, being from Louisiana myself, I'm ready for Springtime!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Winter came down to our home one night
quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again."
~ Bill Morgan, Jr.

1.14.2011

Day 14 Photo Maniuplation Challenge on "Flickr"...

Love this!!  I found so much "free" stuff on the internet last night!  I'm all giddy today!!  So, here's what I used for this photo:


And, for a limited time, if you "like" Florabella Collection on Facebook, you can download some awesome Valentine Card Templates for "Free"!!  Enjoy!!

Thanks for stopping by!  Until next time...

1.12.2011

Brand new photography blog....

...decided to keep it separate from my other blog, because of the contests, etc.  Hope you enjoy it!

Stay Warm!