Kate's 2nd Print Comp 30 Nov 2010, Judge Mike Fuller

Top picture is the amended image to make me look less like a monster. Next picture is not at all contraversial. I havn't printed it yet but hope it comes out OK. It was a wonderful dewy spidery morning. Webs everywhere. I felt a bit peeved that I had to go down to Kelvedon as I do 3 days a week to mind Hannah before she goes to school as Ali works those days but it ended up an amazing morning which Hannah shared with me. We were spotting spiders everywhere. I have another shot of a spider actually building it's web. Neither of us had ever seen that happening before. Next down is Sammy's Farrier with his stepson who has downs syndrome. He was really enjoying having his picture taken and this was the one I liked because of how he has his dad's leathers slung over his shoulder and the look on his face even though he is not looking at the camera. Not sure what the judge will think about taking pictures of people with downs syndrom. Of course the last one of |Jesus I guess could be contraversial. It is a barbed wire sculpture (maybe I already put shots up of this - I know I did on BP but quickly took it down again when nobody commented on it). Have spent a lot of time working on it. Giving it a sky as there were buildings in the background. It has a slight fractalious filter on it. I also did a lot of cloning on bits of it I was not happy with. I want to call it "For Our Sins". But am open to suggestions.

little fellow

butterfly

signes of spring

baby colt revised

signes of spring

signs of spring

water drops

YEAR END FAVOURITES

I have been determined to get a result with these Scilly Lilies. The original was off centre. I have to confess that this idea came from the selection committee at our camera club. They asked me to centre it and put the border just as it is. So I re-entered it as a print last week and finally it got 10 out of 10. I did try it again like this on BP but have nothing but an EP.

Last sailboat of the season

The boats are all out of the slips now. This may be the last we see, and if not, close to it.

I dorked around with this on photshop because it had sensor spots and I didn't know when to quit. I'll be back to re place it. Don't know whether to put it under skies or water, decided water.

I will be gone to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada for 5 days. Thinking of you Val--We love Hamilton!

With all the boat pix you take, Kate, we should have a boat catregory next year. Yours will probably be better, but the rest of us can have fun trying.

Water

Still Water :-?

Last Crossing; Uncertain Sky

Last Crossing; Uncertain Sky, by Mary Stebbins Taitt, smudge painting,
For Donna Scott.

I apologize for posting the same picture yet again, but every time I
think I'm done, I decide to work on it some more.

Skies: Storm over Greenfield Village

Skies: Storm over Greenfield Village, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Hip
shot taken out of car window coming back from Henry Ford Museum in
rain, with point and shoot (canon G7). Adjusted in Photoshop. Forgive me for putting this so far ahead so we have to keep looking at it. I considered putting it under winter trees, but thought skies was more appropriate.

SKIES, WEATHER WATCH

SCILLY SUNSET

This is a short walk from the cottage we were renting. This shot was taken at ISO 1600 and I forgot to turn it back for 2 days after this.

SKIES, WEATHER WATCH

SCILLY ISLANDS - ST MARTINS

Day of the Force 7 gale. I added the birds later.

It was raining and there were plenty of rain spots on my lens which I had to clone out. We had a nice walk in the rain around the island.

SKIES, WEATHER WATCH

SCILLY ISLES

Bryher looking towards Tresco

This was the day before there was a Force 7 gale blowing. Already the white horses were picking up.

Same day different beach. Wouldn't it be good if you could get the words coming next to the pic they belong to!

Working the Subject: Lenten Roses

Lenten Roses, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Bryan with a Y Peterson defines working the subject as experimenting and trying different POVs, filters and effects and not being satisfied with the first "easy" shot. Lenten Roses (at least mine) are not easy to photograph well, as the flowers tend to be low to the ground and point downward. I took "zillion" shots of these and then I ortonized this one digitally on Picasa and then I made a sepia version and sandwiched it back with the original to get this. Oh, I prolly should include the original so you can see what I have done, and even a shot of the Lenten Roses to show how they face downward. OK, I will add those later. Here they are.

WORKING THE SUBJECT - WEEPING CHERRY

The final tree is still weeping

This weeping cherry tree looks sad I think because he has had a bad haircut. This is the tree Val that I was going to sit atop your snow hills but I changed my mind. The tree is almost opposite our house.

Fall Color: Shards of Sun and Sky

Leaves on a reflected tree.

Fall Color: Nashua Creek

This is slightly Ortonized.

FALL COLOUR

CLARE PRIORY

The remains of the walls of the old Augustinian friary covered in vines. We visited there earlier in the month when my sister (a nun) came to stay with us for a holiday.

FALL COLOUR

Hylands Park,

Chelmsford

We were here a

few weeks back

to watch Andrew

run a 10k race.

He ran a good time along with his two friends. Afterwards Mia and her friend enjoyed running around near this old boarded up cottage in the park.

I digitally ortoned it but historied back in the kids and cottage.

LINES ABOVE AND BELOW

The colour version shows the mist more. I don't like the willow tree cut in half on the r/h side. I guess it would be better cloned out but not sure if it is worth the effort.

The power lines over the fishing lake the other side of Pods Wood. Have been saving these up since January!

LINES FROM ABOVE

This could have been posted under POV too. This was taken from the plane over Cornwall flying back from Scilly.

SCILLY LINES

This is how boats are moored in the Scillies. Much easier than tying up to a buoy as you can haul it in or out according to the tide. You row in to shore jump out and then use the pully to get the boat back out in the water.
This is the other end of the lines. Here on Town Beach in Hugh Town (which is the main beach on the main island of St Marys) the top end is attached to the stone wall at the back of the beach.

THE MOORINGS, BRYHER - WIDE AND NORMAL

Sorry I have had to put this under Wide, Normal and Close. I imagine the idea was to shoot something from the same position more or less but I meant for this to go on FFT and this was my way of not having to redo it. But as you see we had a wonderful position overlooking the beach. It is a little self catering cottage. The window at the front is the lounge. The extension at the side is the kitch - open plan. The lady at the house at the back made meals that she kept in her freezer and you could order them and heat them up with added veggies if you wanted to stay in. We had lasagna one night. Other nights we went to the Vine Cafe but you have to book one day ahead. No choice of menu everyone has the same. You sit down at 8pm and bring your own wine or beer. Everyone is served at the same time. One night she had a charity curry night to support the place where the secondary school children have to stay on the main island, St Mary's, during the week. For puddings we had a choice of 3. It was marvellous home made food. Other days we would eat out during the day on other islands and come home and fix beans on toast or something like that.

This is the view from the top of Gweal Hill looking back towards the Hell Bay hotel on the left and our little cottage is off to the left at what looks like the end of the track.

Here is a view looking back towards the little cottage we stayed in it is the one in the top half close to the left and which is the first one the little track leads to

Orton Effect: Rose on Pink

I don't think I like this one, but I am posting it anyway, after our discussion. I actually went out and laid a quilt behind the flowers (which unfortunately are starting to fade now), but you can see the wrinkles in the quilt, try as I might to smooth it both physically and in PS. I may try again. I Need to use a different lens. The one I used tends to be a bit wide angle and have too much depth of field. I was in a hurry because are losing our light for the day.

OK, I darkened the upper petals a little, but dunno if enough, and lightened and brightened the center of the rose a little. And slightly re-ortonized it.

Orton Effect, Roses from our backyard

Orton Effect, Roses from our backyard, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Whoops, I didn't mean to post both of these, only the second. The first one was already Ortonized once, but I reortonized it to get the second one. It didn't look Ortony enough at first. I used Picasa to do this as it is so quick and easy in Picasa. (Sorry some of you can't use it). Click on these images to get the full effect (of both focus and blur).

DIGITAL ORTON ON ROSE

I didn't use the drooping rose pic as I didn't like it. This rose was also in the same garden and although heavy was upright. I guess it was simply newer. I used photoshop to give the orton effect and here is a link to my favourite web page which tells you how to do it

http://pcin.net/update/2006/11/01/the-orton-effect-digital-photography-tip-of-the-week/

although all you really need is this:

Open your image (Image 1)
Duplicate the background layer (Right click on the background layer and choose duplicate) and name that layer Sharp
Create another duplicate of the background layer.
Change the Blending mode of the Sharp Copy to screen
With the Sharp Copy layer selected, right click and choose Merge Down (Image 2)
Right click on the Sharp layer, choose Duplicate and name this layer Out of Focus
On the Filter Menu, choose Blur - Gaussian Blur (Image 3)Depending on the resolution of the image you are using, the amount of blue needed will change. Use enough that the shapes are still visible, but detail is not. For this 6.1 Megapixel image, a value of 15.9 was sufficient.
Change the blending mode of the Out Of Focus layer to Multiply. (Image 4)

I guess your way is simpler Mary? Is there a filter within Picasa?

historical houses

Historic House, Greenfield Village

Greenfield Village is a Historic Re-enactment site started by Henry
Ford in association with the Henry Ford Museum. He moved Historic
buildings here from all over the country. We're members and love to
visit.

Historical Houses: Robert Frost House

Robert Frost House, Greenfield Village. I had to take this through
Glass and I do not have time to "clean it up." But I like it anyway.

Historical Castles

KING CHARLES CASTLE
ISLES OF SCILLY
From the outside looking in and even through to the other side. King Charles' Castle on the top of the hill. The one that was abandoned and rebuilt as Cromwell's Castle closer to the shore.

Historical Castles

Finally got around to adding a b&w of the castles. Would appreciate any thoughts on it. I have cropped it from the original and hope it is a better comp. Strictly I should redo it all from the RAW file as I have since been told about the benefits of saving in 16 bits rather than 8 especially when you need to change levels etc. These were all saved only at 8bits. 16bits

doubles the size of the file though but once you have changed the levels you can then resave as 8bits. If anyone is interested I shall endeavour to explain.

In the first picture Cromwell's Castle is seen from the Tresco side on the day we walked around the north end of Tresco.

In the second picture Cromwell's Castle on Tesco near the water as seen from Bryher. King Charles Castle is seen on top of the hill. Now for the lesson: The strategic importance of the Scillies can be seen from the forts built for its protection. King Charles Castle and the Blockhouse were constructed around 1550 to defend the islands against Spanish and French attack. In 1648, after the end of the English Civil War, Scilly briefly joined the uprising against Cromwell's Parliament. Pirates and privateers preying on trading ships in the English Channel became regular visitors, to such an extent that the Dutch declared war on the islands and sent an invasion fleet. Alarmed at the potential loss of Scilly, the English Parliament sent its own forces to defeat the Dutch. A few years later Cromwell's Castle was built, replacing King Charles' in a better position, closer to the water as the cannonballs from the castle at the top did not reach the ships in the water!