Credit Where It Is Due

Credit Where It is Due

I like to make photographs, and I enjoy being praised for what I have done. But God teaches a different attitude, one of thankfulness and humility. He pointed that out to me recently. I DO NOT MAKE THESE PHOTOGRAPHS ALONE. I didn't create the light, or the technology which makes photography possible. I didn't buy my camera, it was a gift from my husband. I didn't give myself the ability to see through the camera in order to make an image which others find pleasing. It is right to use what I have been given to the best of my ability, but it is wrong to take credit for what I have not done. God made the light, the elements which are used to manufacture the camera, and the world from which these images come. He has given me gifts: people to teach me, eyes to see with, and a brain to process information. I am thankful for these gifts. He deserves all the praise, not I.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Picasa Meets a Stump

These are not all the same shot, 
but they are all the same stump.
All have been cropped to one degree or another.
Posterized. I like this one a lot.

Pixelated. My least favorite of these examples.

Black & white with the levels for fill, shadow, and brightness adjusted.

"Lomo-ish"

Light levels adjusted. Maybe some other adjustments, also, but I don't remember.
I like this one a lot, too.



Friday, April 20, 2012

Snow Drops

These flowers have faded, but they were beautiful.
I applied Picasa's "Pencil Sketch" to my black and white image;
this is the result.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Variations on a Theme: Alder Catkins

I have been playing with Picasa recently, and I thought I would share some of the results.

I like alder catkins, or flowers, and I am thankful that we have alder trees growing around our property. One day last week I took this picture:
I like it...
but I decided to focus in on a smaller portion, so I cropped it down:
This is nicer, the catkins droop gracefully, the cones from last year give spikey contrast, the branches hold it together, and the sky makes a good background.

Next, I reversed the colors, so it looks like a color negative:
Cool!

Returning to the original colors, and posterizing:   
                                 
I played with the slider to increase the number of colors until I liked the result.

Next (and last), the posterized edit with Duo-Tone:
There are a lot of color options for foreground and background in this tool. I don't remember which ones I used, but I think the result is really pretty.

I had a lot of fun playing around, I may show you more in later posts!


Friday, April 6, 2012

Reflected Sky

I have been experimenting with different processing options in Picasa.
This shot was cropped and tinted.
The reflective surface is made of recycled windows which we used to enclose our front porch.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Cups

I am glad the weather is a little warmer and drier.
I am also glad for these little cups, which grow among the moss on rocks and stumps.