Filters and Burn/Dodge

I got a box of ponys I was waiting 2 weeks for this week so I'm all happy-had my bday presant to myself in it ^^

So onto the pictures!

Burn

• 400 fuzzy
• midtones
• 50% exposure

Dodge

• 150 fuzzy
• highlights
• 50% exposure
  
  

Pointalize=>18
Film Grain

• grain 8
• highlight area 11
• intensity 3

Diffuse=> darken only

Grain

• intensity 87
• contrast 20
• grain type: horizontal

I rather like the eagle after the filters were applied; i had fun with that one ^^

~Kat

Lighting and Color Balance

Nothing all that exciting to report this week, so just onto the photos!

Image=> Adjustments=> Color Balance

• Preserve Luminosity
• Midtones
  -38
  +42
  -43
• Shadows
  -12
  +5
  -17
• Highlights
  +19
  -21
  +25

Image=> Adjustments=> Levels

• Channel=RGB
• Input Levels:
  0
  0.85
  142
• Output Levels
  0
  229

Image=> Brightness/Contrast

• Brightness= -10
• Contrast= +40

Tadur! That's all folks!

~Kat

Photoshopping

Hey guess what I'm not dead! Sorry I was sick yesterday-not really pretty. But I'm better today and well enough to not skip class work so yippies!

Not that big of an alteration I know, but it looks good. I used the quick mask to select specific flowers then I used Image=>Adjustments=>Replace Color to change the purple to orange.

For this one I actually used two images of similar thingys (one's a computer the other's a TV). Used the “pin light” blending mode on the second image that was put over the first, then I made a third layer and used a rainbow fill gradient in a circular pattern and used the “color” blending mode on that.

So that's about it. Enjoy ^^

Kat

Landscapes

In Proctor there aren't many places to go to get nice landscape shots (and considering i hurt my foot the other day and it still hurts I can't walk to many of the places I know of) I got my mom to drive me up to our farm in Chester for a few shots, and that reminded me of the older shots I have from previous years there and of a few from last year in DC. So I hope you like these...

This is a shot of the field at the old farm house. We've quite a few aceres (used to have horses) though most of it is woods.

This is the bend of route 4 one late fall/ early winter morning when I was waitibng for the bus 2 years ago...

...and here it is again the morning after that freak blizzard we had in early 2006. Interesting how different the same place can be, non?

Again, the field at the farm (the first image) after that freak blizzard. It looks so gentle and peacful. I love Vermont for the way the snow looks, but I hate it for the fact that you have to shovel the snow.

The Roosevelt Memorial Bridge at rush hour. I just thought a little bit of urban landscape would provide a nice contrast to our natrual ones.

Lake Barcroft Virginia at about trhis time last year. Taken on the 13th floor of the appartet building accross from it. I love the dulled stormy tones in the sky, and how this was about the most "natrual" scene I had when living in the city.

So I hope my landscapes are contrasting enough in setting, yet still just as masterfully taken.

Framing

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in photography and other visual arts such as painting and design.[1] The rule states that an image can be divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines. The four points formed by the intersections of these lines can be used to align features in the photograph. Proponents of this technique claim that aligning a photograph with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the photo than simply centering the feature would. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds

Well hey to all my classmates. I gotta say that this week has been alot better than last. So now that we know there's no more angst going on, lets get on to the pictures! I actually did two sets; one to explore horizontal orientation and one for vertical orientation.

These two images were focusing on the little sapling wit the yellow leaves. First image has it dead center, the second has it off to the left. Why to the left? Because in western culture our eyes first go to the left upper corner like when we read text. In this case I have to say that the first one is better because of the van tire you get in the second. Perhaps if the car wasn't there...

With these two, the focus was the "free stuff" on my lawn. First one it's set dead center, second in the lower third. I think the second one is much more pleaseing because i find the different colors of the foliage across the street more interesting than than monochromatic green of the lawn from the first one. That and the sujbect matter seems much more grounded rather than floating.

Composition and Aesthetics

...composition refers to the structure, organization, and visual characteristics of the elements in your photograph. - http://photoinf.com/General/Gloria_Hopkins/Composition_in_Nature_Photography_and_the_Elements_of_a_Photograph.htm

Most photographers are so swept away by their emotions that they forget to identify their intentions. It pays to take a few moments to define what caught your eye and why you want to take a particular photograph. Focusing your attention on what is most important to you will help you make smart decisions about composition, exposure, film, and other technical choices. - http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1306/is_7_67/ai_76697816

...built-in perceptual principle that the upper portion of a composition draws our interest first, even in a perfectly symmetrical composition divided by a horizontal line. On the contrary, in the case of vertically symmetrical composition, there is no built-in cognitive rule telling us whether the right or the left is more important...It is true only in Western culture where readers read...from left to right. In Chinese-speaking regions...people read sentences in the opposite direction...Therefore, the concept that "the left is more important or more interesting than the right" is not universal - http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1306/is_8_69/ai_106559912

Creating photographs is all about seeing and in this sense it is no different from other two dimensional arts such as painting and drawing. Creating photographs is really about studying and practicing "the art of seeing". - http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/aesthetics-1.shtml