Edit trials

I haven't taken any photos today as of yet. 
But I will.
I have been spending time on a new editing tool that I stumbled upon.
It is interesting, though I don't know if it is good enough for professionally printed images.
It may just be my post on the internet editor. 
Hmmm we shall see, I suppose I need to order some prints before I judge it totally! 

So, my time investment for photography today has been in the editing area, it is pretty important too!!

Here is what I was messing around with.
I am having serious facebook profile picture indecision.  I don't want my image to be the same as the one I use here, and I haven't had much luck doing self portraiture as of late!  Ugghhh! 

I took this image and threw it into the editor today to see if I could push it just a bit, without over doing it.
 






























Mainly doing some adjusting to rid myself of imperfections in my skin clarity!  ( I am 41 already, when does this all end??) hee hee 
I think I am pretty happy with the result...what are your thoughts on that???
I truly, truly want to keep my pictures looking as real and natural as possible while enhancing in smidgens to benefit the viewer.  I mean, come on...I have eye crinkles I sure don't want to smooth over those, it is where I am in my life.  (besides the fact that I did do that in this program last night just for kicks and found myself seeing my past life...back when I was 20 ha haha ha heeehahahahaha!!!  It was a little much.)  OH wait, I should show you that too.  Hold on I will be right back!!

Yeah, that is a little too heavy handed on the old edit stick for me!! 
Well this is all fun to play with, and neat to learn.
Have a great weekend!!

Woe is me!

I went to Hubble and Hudson again today....specifically to shoot some pictures of pumpkins.

Of course you know I got distracted by so many other things while there. 

 Delightful things in many colors and varieties.

 Wonderful smelling things, crying out for attention.

 Did you know the workers at this fine establishment frown upon such efforts! 
They are quite suspicious of camera carrying young ladies.  I suppose maybe I should not have been wearing a nice skirted ensemble, but some slouchy clothes.  Then I would have been perceived as just an artist possibly?  and not some idea thief or brand stealer or concept creeper!!! 
Hey, you wanna take pictures of root vegetables in a grocery store???  Well then by golly, you had better get permission first.
I do understand the theory behind the request...I just know my absolute innocence in the matter!!!

Oh, and that dreadful "fall" picture from Monday that never should have been posted but was anyway out of desperation and I just wish I hadn't....it is relegated to Polaroid status!!!


Don't get me wrong, there have been some good Polaroids, but not many!

Please go look at the real work on edits that has happened this week, there are so many worth seeing over at Ramblings and Photos.
And as for me....I am gonna go hide under a rock!!!  ;)

Cats on the prowl

This pink cat back rubber do hickey thing has been catching my attention for days now. I think my daughter picked it out. It doesn't really have a home, but has been standing stoically at the ready here for some weeks now.
It really catches the light and called out to me today in my desperation to find something to quickly photograph.

Then I noticed her fellow cat... that is really supposed to be on this window ledge and had to laugh at the strong contrast they hold.

Off running to do kiddo delivery and pick up! 
Make it a good day!!

For F's for fun!

Today's blog post will be brought to you by the letter F!! 

I hauled my camera around today to be intentional in using it.
I had big plans and even bigger expectations.

My first stop...to see the progress our little fishes have made.
1. Fish
























You can access the previous fishy pictures here and here. 
I probably should have taken a few more shots today, but this was the best of the lot.

2. Fix Flats
 Ahhhhhhh hah aha haha!!! 

3. Fire Damage from the fires earlier in the month in the town just a few miles from mine.

 It was interesting to me that the fire was on both sides of this line of wires but not up the middle of it, I suppose not much to burn in the center, huh?
There was road work today on my route, so I ended up with more time on the road driving that planned and very very few minutes of picture taking.  About 5 I would hazard to guess.
Traffic and the impending bus arrival had me racing home despite the lack of photo opps acquired. bummer.



This is one of the many fences melted from the heat and flames.

Just across the street from here was a whole trailer park that was a heap of ashes and blackened trash.
These fellows were a sad witness to it all.

 And our final F for the day...
4.Flamingos.
A whole flock of 'em in the yard down the street.

 


I guess that is it friends!  An eventful, yet uneventful day.

Week 38 sooc

 Hey there friends!!!  I have spent all day today accomplishing what was left of the laundry that I started yesterday. 
Yes, I am pleased as peaches to report that not only is it washed, dried and folded...but also put away!!! 
Well, I have put mine away. 
The children still have their piles of laundry love on the stairs to haul up and consign to drawers!

I was sitting on the floor contemplating what to photograph; just to clarify I hadn't fallen, I was just sitting there. Something caught my eye and I got down low to get a better view of it.
Uhhhh, it wasn't this.

But I do like the simplicity of that picture.  Not every day can be stellar, some are just ordinary wash the laundry days.
That is a good thing I think.

I haven't taken part in my camera challenges much lately and figured I would have a go at it today.
All the regular ladies are gonna think I have lost it with my picture, but hopefully it will give them a little chuckle.

The SOOC challenge for today is Fall.
The intention I am sure is for lovely foliage or pumpkins galore.
It is tough to think along those lines when it is still 100+ degrees here and the only fall colors we have are the dead or dying trees due to the drought.
So, as I was sitting there on the floor, not haven fallen, swinging my camera about I came upon this.

































I haven't ever tumbled all the way down this set of stairs but I have fallen down a few.  It was a really bad day, I don't want to talk about it.

Maybe you should head over to the Week 38 sign in page and see what the real deal is from others this week.
And maybe I will seek to try to find something truly "fall-ish" to photograph! 
But for now, homework and snack time calls...and not in that order mind you! 

Gimping along still

So, apparently the tea party picture from yesterday was a hit.  It isn't really my "cup of tea" if you will.  All that fluff and stuff is just not where it is at for me, but I can appreciate it for what it is.

This image is one that I really like, but as you can see the exposure is too dark on her face.

I TRIED to work in my gimp program today to only lighten her face...which I did, but it didn't hide where my lines were for working.  Ahhh progress is slow on that front, but it is progress. I do like how the overall effect of the edit looks despite the user error issues.



After about an hour and a half and much groaning and frustration, I quit and just gave it a whirl on my go to edit program.  


Maybe you can't even see a difference, but I can and that is what matters.

 I will keep working and learning..when I have time that is.
Rushing off again!!!

Party all day!

 Whoa what a crazy fun day!!!
First on the agenda was our snocone party, which went wonderfully.

I couldn't help but take a shot of half of the menu board! 

 
I asked about the stuffed Snow Ball....uhhhhh YUM!! 
They put a scoop of vanilla icecream inside the snocone and it makes it creamy and dreamy! 
I had peaches and cream, Delish!!!

Next up for my daughter and I was a tea room party. Dad got to do soccer with one boy and "ground fighting" at the taekwondo school with the other.  It was a divide and conquer day.


The girls got sooooo fancy; it was fun! 
Well, I must cut this short and go and attempt to load my dishwasher...I must! 
Trust me, I would rather sit here and toodle through pictures but duty calls.