Blog 10 - Photo Contest

Looking for Work - 2/11/12 – 3:29 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/5.6 - 1/800 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I took my Macro Abstract entry from the Bannack shots, and removed the texture. I sized it down so the longest side was 2000px, uploaded it to ViewBug and then entered it in the "Things on Wheels" Photo Contest.

I chose this contest because of the theme. The whole contest is devoted to, as it says, "Things On Wheels." I really loved my wheelbarrow shot from our trip to Bannack, and it fit the parameters. Plus, it was a free contest, and seeing as I'm broke, it seemed like a good choice.

http://www.viewbug.com/contests/things-on-wheels-photo-contest

Entry submitted on March 23rd, 2012

"Kinetic Ooze" - 1/23/12 – 3:13 PM - Rexburg, ID - f/4.5 - 1/25 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I used my lava lamp image from the Adjustment Layers assignment. I sized it down so the longest side was 2000px, uploaded it to ViewBug and then entered it in the "All That Is Interesting" Photo Contest.

I chose this contest because of the theme. It was a bit of an "anything goes" sort of photo contest, and I was curious to see how far I might get doing it. Plus, it was a free contest, and seeing as I'm broke, it seemed like a good choice.

http://www.viewbug.com/contests/all-that-is-interesting

Entry submitted on March 23rd, 2012

Lay of the Land - 2/11/12 – 1:36 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/5.6 - 1/1000 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I had this image from my Bannack shots, and I really liked it, but I wasn't sure I could use it for anything. I figured it wouldn't hurt to mess with it a bit and see. So I copied the image and sharpened it, and added two identical Levels Adjustment layers, masking out the tower and the bird. This still wasn't enough, so I added two identical Vibrace layers, masking out the sky and set the second Vibrance layer at 50% opacity to bring down the intensity. Then I topped it off with a Brightness/Contrast layer. I sized it down so the longest side was 2000px, uploaded it to ViewBug and then entered it in the "Abstract" Photo Contest.

I chose this contest because of the theme. It is a conceptual photo contest, which intrigued me because the focus was not on the literal image, but the "image behind the image," as it were. Plus, it was a free contest, and seeing as I'm broke, it seemed like a good choice.

http://www.viewbug.com/contests/abstract-photo-contest

Entry submitted on March 24th, 2012

Blog 9 - Extra! Extra!

Aurora Express - 1/28/12 – 3:05 PM - Rexburg, ID - f/7.1 - 1/4000 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

Believe it or not, this is a vertical panoramic shot. I used photomerge in Photoshop and then Content Aware Fill to spruce up the gaps. Then I added a Levels layer. I put a Brightness Contrast layer on top of that, but I masked out some of the effect on the tracks and the ground area. Then I added Hue/Saturation and Vibrance layers.

A Little Bit off the Top - 2/11/12 – 12:37 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/4.0 - 1/40 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

This was one of my single shot HDRs. This was another victim of the Photomatix watermark, so I pulled it into the Nic software and messed around with it. I really liked how it turned out with the HDR program, and so all I did afterwards was add a Levels layer.

I Put a Spell on You - Spring 2010 - Rexburg, ID - Black and White Film camera

I originally took this picture as part of my self-portrait assignment for my Intro to Photography class. It wasn't one of my best pictures, so I didn't end up picking it. But, I was messing around on my computer one day and ended up with this. I cropped the image, color dodged some blue into my eyes, and painted pink onto my lips. I added some purple accents to the black fur and a Levels layer. Voila! Instant "I can turn you into a newt" exotic witch look.

Let Me Out! - 1/23/12 – 3:13 PM - Rexburg, ID - f/4.5 - 1/25 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I love this shot of the Romney lava lamp. It looks like a hand. But I wanted to make it different, so I added two Levels layers and a Hue/Saturation layer to make it purple. I like my purple hand-lava.

Lady Greensleeves - 1/17/12 – 8:05 AM - Ricks Gardens, Rexburg, ID - f/4.0 - 1/20 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I coerced my friend into doing a photoshoot with me. We took all sorts of pictures all over the Gardens, but this one was one of my favorites. It was her idea, really. She pulled the bench over and laid across it, propping her foot on the siding of the little house thing we were at. I really liked the expression, and the whole pose. I took it into photoshop, and the first thing I did was lower the exposure a bit to bring back some of the details in the blanket. Then I sharpened her eyes and color dodged some green into them. Then I added a Hue/Saturation layer, masking out my friend, so it only affected the background. I wanted the background to have a little more green in it. Then I added Levels, Brightness/Contrast and Vibrance.

Welcome Home - 1/28/12 – 3:34 PM - Rexburg, ID - f/11 - 1/500 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

This was one of many pictures I took during my lengthy amble around Rexburg. I really liked how it turned out, so I figured I'd spruce it up. I added a Levels layer with Soft Light, and then a Normal Brightness/Contrast layer. On top of that, I added an 85 Warming Photo Filter. The first one was set to Multiply at 50% opacity, and then I copied it and set it at Normal 50% opacity.

Old School Wheels - 2/11/12 – 11:39 AM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/9.0 - 1/80 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I took some close-up bracketed shots of the wagon wheel and merged them together in Photomatix. Then I took it into Photoshop and added Levels and Vibrance adjustment layers. I duplicated the image and masked a sharpened image, only revealing the added sharpness on the hub of the wheel. Then I duplicated the image again and blurred out the background a bit, to further emphasize the sharpened hub.

Every Kind of Shine - 2/11/12 – 3:17 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/4.0 - Varies - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

This was an HDR merge of three different shots of these bottles. I really liked how the HDR turned out in Photomatix, but I kept getting the watermark plastered all over it. So I downloaded the Nic HDR trial. After twiddling around with that, I found an effect that I liked and started editing it in Photoshop. I copied the image and added some sharpening, and then topped it off with Levels and Vibrance layers.

Blog 8 - Poster

Romance is Dead - 24x36 - 2/24/12 - 11:38 PM - Rexburg, ID - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT - Shutter priority - f/11 - 1 sec

Edits: Camera raw: Exposure, Fill Light, Blacks, Contrast, Clarity, upped Red, Purple and Magenta Sats. Then into Photoshop. First, I did a layer copy and sharpened the image. I put a black mask on that layer and then brought the sharpness through around the eye sockets and across the cheek bones of the skull. Then I pulled the sharpness back in the flowers too. Then I added a texture layer from the striped granite block I took earlier in the semester. I used the green channel from the image. I copied that layer, and set both at Normal, 60% opacity. Next I added a Levels layer, Color Burn, 80% opacity. On top of that was Color Balance, Luminosity, 80% opacity. And finally, Brightness/Contrast, Soft Light, 80% opacity. The text on top consists of synonyms for romance that I found on a Thesaurus website, one set in white Adobe Caslon Pro 72 pt size, 150 pt leading, and the other set in red Adobe Caslon Pro 60 pt size, 150 pt leading. Both have layer masks. The word "Romance" is in orange the King & Queen font 170 pt size, 60 pt kerning, and "is DEAD" is in orange Adobe Caslon Pro 100pt size, 10 pt kerning. I copied the original skull image once more and placed that underneath the sharpened layer. This one I burned the edges on, to take out some of the carpet texture behind the skull.

I chose this image because I felt the concept behind the original shot and the design of the piece were strong. And because there is a small part of me that agrees with the message the image conveys. It is something that has a narrative force behind it and is true to the photographer behind the lens.

Blog 7 - Edit: Borders

Flexible Brushed-On Effect

Uncertainty - 2/5/12 – 4:15 PM - Rexburg, ID - f/4.5 - 1/1600 sec - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I used one of my Portrait photos as my victim for this first border effect. I tried a lot of different brushes before I settled on this one. I went through the listed steps and then began playing with things on my own. I tried different colors, different brush opacities, and eventually I came up with this. The border makes it feel a little morbid, but I still like the colors.

Double Fade Border

Movie Magic - 1/14/12 – 12:53 PM - Rexburg, ID - f/5.6 - 1/800 sec - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I used one of my Shallow Focus shots for this border effect. I didn't want to use just a square for this one, so I used one of the custom shapes. I really liked the idea of the filmstrip, mainly because of the relation between the Harry Potter books and the movies. I followed the instructions just as they were listed, I just used a slightly different shape and a different color.

Flexible Vignette

Target Practice - 2/11/12 – 2:56 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/4.5 - 1/50 sec - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I used a feathered marquee in black to achieve the Flexible Vignette border. The feathering was set to 20 pixels.

Fine Art Template

Fancy Fish - 1/28/12 – 4:34 PM - Rexburg, ID - f/5.0 - 1/125 sec - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I used my Fish Pano for this edit. I decided that since it was a pano, I needed more than 5 boxes. Eight felt more appropriate, and ended out working nicely for what I had in mind. I used the photo tag that I created for my Bannack Shootout shots and added a border stroke of the same color. It took a little bit of fenagling to get the fish pano the right size to work with, but I am really pleased with the result.

Blog 7 - Night & Light

Blurred Lights

Aurora Vehicularis - 2/21/12 - 8:25 PM - Rexburg, ID - f/11 - 30 sec - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

All I did was go outside with my tripod and stand on the corner with my camera and watch the cars brave the snowy streets. This photo was originally overexposed, so I yanked the exposure down in Camera Raw and tweaked some of the color saturations.

Camera Motion

Peep Show - 2/21/12 - 8:20 PM - Rexburg, ID - f/4.0 - 30 sec - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I have a little Peep toy that blinks blue and red. I had my roommate hold it up and I focused the shot in the light. I set my camera for the 10 second timer and flipped off the lights. Then I moved my camera around a bunch to get this effect. No edits.

Light Painting

Confessions of a Bibliophile - 2/21/12 - 8:44 PM - Rexburg, ID - f/25 - 20 sec - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I LOVE books, if you can't tell.. I set this up on my kitchen table with a bunch of my books and decided that I wanted my glasses to be the focal point. In order to get this shot, I had to prop my tripod up on three chairs and use my roommates' step ladder to look through my camera to set up the shot. I focused in the light, turned on my timer and flicked off the lights. Then I used a little LED flashlight I bought to light everything from the side. It took a lot of tries to get this image, and at first it wasn't one of my favorites because it was too bright. So I took it into Camera Raw and played around with it. I got it to look the way it does by complete accident, and I'm pretty pleased with my first attempts at light painting.

Blog 6 - Bannack Best

Bannack Best

You Don't Wanna Meet Pa? - 2/11/12 – 2:57 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/4.0 - 1/60 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I pulled this shot into Camera Raw for some adjustments and then opened it in Photoshop. I erased part of the side of her face and replaced it with more hair because the angle of her head made it a little unflattering. I cleaned up any blemishes and smoothed out her skin. I added a little pink to her cheeks and Color Dodged her eyes. Then I Dodged in some of the background to bring more of a focus to the model. Finally, I added a Levels layer for some final adjustments.


Beautiful Music - 2/11/12 – 2:19 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/5.6 - 1/15 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I bracketed this photo in Photomatix and used the Enhancer - Painterly Filter with Medium Light. I adjusted the sliders to my liking and brought it into Photoshop. I added Levels and Vibrance Adjustment layers and masked out the piano keys in the Vibrance layer. I also used the Smart Sharpen Filter.



Bottles of Light - 2/11/12 – 3:17 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/4.0 - 1/250 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I bracketed it in Photomatix using the Compressor - Default Filter. Then I took it into Photoshop and used the Smart Sharpen filter.



That's MY Chocolate! - 2/11/12 – 2:56 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/4.5 - 1/50 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I took this shot during the Bannack Shootout and adjusted it in Camera Raw. Then I took it into Photoshop, smoothed out her face, Color Dodged her open eye and added a Levels Adjustment layer. Then I used a Vibrance Adjustment Layer to make it a Black and White image.



Turn the Wheel - 2/11/12 – 2:32 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/5.0 - 1/15 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I adjusted this image in Camera Raw and then took it into Photoshop. I added Levels, Vibrance and Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layers to tweak the colors and then used a Sepia Photo Filter layer to give it that old time feel.

Blog 6 - Edit: HDR

HDR 3-shot

Dark Rust - 2/11/12 – 4:09 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/5.0 - 1/200 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

Normal Rust - 2/11/12 – 4:09 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/5.0 - 1/100 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

Light Rust - 2/11/12 – 4:09 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/5.0 - 1/25 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I took this shot right outside of the Mill. I pulled my three images into Photomatix, and merged them together. I used the Compressor - Deep Filter and messed around with the settings until I liked it.

HDR 1-shot

A Little Bit off the Top - 2/11/12 – 12:37 PM - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - f/4.0 - 1/40 - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT

I took this shot in the Saloon. I pulled my image into Photomatix, and used the Enhancer - Black and White Filter. I then pulled just the slightest bit of color back into the image.