Good to Wow Edit: Frosty Morning 11.06.11

I want to thank Michelle and Kimberly for the information on macro filters and extension tubes. While a macro lens is certainly still in my future, I think I know what I am asking for for Christmas :o). Now, for the edits of my macro shots. To see the SOOC shots and learn more about where and when they were taken, head here. For the edits I decided to go with clean edits in Lightroom. I debated on warming up the white balance, but decided that I liked the coolness as it was what I saw in person and it went well with the cold feel of the frost. Mainly I upped the Vibrance and Saturation to the same level, a trick I learned from Ashley, and then played around with the basic settings until I found that it was what I wanted. What do you think? My favorite is still the curving piece of grass. 

Settings: ISO 400, 55mm, ss1/125, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Settings: ISO 400, 55mm, ss1/200, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Settings: ISO 400, 43mm, ss1/200, f/5.0 (full manual, cloudy wb)

"Frost is the greatest artist in our clime - He paints in nature and describes in rime." - Thomas Hood

Linking up with Good to Wow: Edit. Check out the amazing macro shot edits!

Tones on Tuesday #8 11.08.11

Thank you so much for linking up last week! I am in awe of the amazing photos that were linked up. The photography talent inspires me and I learn so much each week. You make it very difficult to just choose 3 to showcase. I wish I could showcase all of the photos without making a post that is way to long to read and load. I can't wait to see what you have in store for this week!

Here are the photos I want to showcase this week, be sure to grab your showcase button:
Mimi at The Most Precious Moments of My Life

The light and mood of this photo are stunning. I love how it conveys a sense of passion and focus that are only amplified by the black and white. Thank you for sharing Mimi!

Kimberly at A Fresh Perspective

The original of this shot is lovely. The tones being altered, though, adds a great softness and stillness to the photo that makes me wish I could just stand in this spot and soak up the peace. Thank you for linking up Kimberly!

Nancy at A Rural Journal

The detail in this photo is beautiful and the tones really highlight the perspective of the shot. Thank you Nancy for sharing and linking up!

Be sure to grab your this button if you were showcased! (button for linking up can be found after the guidelines)

<br /> <a href="http://scatteredhorizons.blogspot.com" target="_self"><img border="0" alt="Scattered Horizons" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nb2adXWvuDU/Tp0bdkcJBlI/AAAAAAAAAM8/34ueiklmgZc/s1600/showcasedtt.jpg"></a> <br />

Now it's your turn to share your photo with altered tones. Here is the guidelines for Tones on Tuesday:

• The basic idea is to share one photo where you have altered the tones. Such as a black and white, sepia toned, selective coloring or colored photo. Feel free to share the original and edit, or just the edit.
• Please share a photo that you have taken and edited yourself.
• If you have more than one photo in your post please indicate which one if for Tones on Tuesday.
• Please link up with your permalink and not your blog address.
• Attach the Tones on Tuesday button to your post
• Leave comments for the other participants, share the love :o)!
• Have fun!

<br /> <a href="http://scatteredhorizons.blogspot.com" target="_self"><img border="0" alt="Scattered Horizons" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oheKkR_BFoQ/ToqWTprynwI/AAAAAAAAAJE/eQ5mj0lgqx4/s1600/tonesontuesday2.jpg"></a> <br />

Disclaimer - By participating you give Scattered Horizons permission to share your photo on this blog. Photographers will be given credit for their work.

During my sunrise shoot, I captured this shot of Mount Rainier. I love the SOOC shot. The soft colors are such a great match to what I saw in person. So for the editing I just decided to have fun, which just so happens to be my tip for this week. There are so many directions you can go with editing that it sometimes feels overwhelming. I try to remind myself that sometimes I don't have to do a clean edit. I can go creative and enjoy the process! I played around with a black and white edit on my own and then used a preset I download (not sure from where, I will have to get back to you on that). There is something I like about both of them. Which one is your favorite? 

SOOC Shot

Settings: ISO 400, 55mm, ss1/400, f/10 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Edited Shots - Black and White and Antique with LR Preset

Joining the link ups below. Be sure to check out the beautiful shots!

   

Good to Wow Edit: Fallen Leaves 10.22.11

Despite the exhaustion of this week that feels like it should have ended days ago, I was excited to check out the guest tutorial Michelle wrote for the Good to Wow Edit challenge. You can check out the amazing tutorial here. Basically she showed us how to have a photo displayed through words. I downloaded a trial of Photoshop Elements to try it out and I loved how simple Michelle's tutorial was. It produced such an amazing result. Thank you Michelle! I edited my other SOOC shots for the challenge using Lightroom Presets from Preset Heaven which had a post called "28 Free Presets from Chris." I wanted to make the photos look a bit aged. I also used the preset that comes with Lightroom for rounded corners. You can see the SOOC shots and read more about my memories here. 


Now on with the edits!

"A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves with each step I made. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air." - Eric Sloane

Linking up with Good to Wow: Edit. Check out the amazing before and afters!