Before and After - Thirteen

I only noticed this shot by chance as I turned around, reversing my course, as I walked through the town of Woodstock, Vermont. For a split second I noticed the church steeple perfectly framed underneath a maple tree branch and quickly snapped a shot.  

Once I saw this photo on my computer I decided to play around with it using a few textures.  It had been a while since I have done that, so I went ahead and dug out my old texture folder that I have and laid out a couple different ones over the photo.  With some tweaking here and there I wanted to give the photo a subtle older look, like so...

I like it with the textures.  It adds more character and drama.  The only thing I wish I thought about was erasing some of the texture over the church steeple, but in a way leaving it there adds to the wholeness of the aged feeling. 

Man, it feels good to spend some time being creative with my photo editing!  Its been a while...

The Life of This Photographer

Well, it seems that this blog centered around my photography and photography tutorials has taken a slide as of late!  Of course I have a good reason...  motherhood is no easy task and certainly takes away from photo taking, editing, and publishing.  While I long for the hours of free time I once had to peruse back roads and tweak photos on my computer I find that what I really get is a few precious minutes a week to devote to my favorite hobby. 

Despite all the time that becoming a parent demands I have been getting better at doing a little bit here and there with my camera.  So far, though, this blog and my tutorials have fallen to the wayside. One thing at a time.  Slowly, but surely, I will get back in the saddle.  For now, to see what I am up to check out the NEK Photography Facebook Page! 

And here is one of my favorite recent photos...

A simple covered bridge, iconic to Vermont, on a narrow dirt road.  I am still out finding places like these!

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!