I Learned: Faces of the Clickin Walk 10.08.11

As I mentioned in my posts for the past few days, on Saturday during the Clickin Walk I spent a fabulous day walking around the Freemont area learning from some amazing photographers. It was a bit of a challenge for me as I don't really take photos of people other than the occasional family shot or self portrait for Facebook. I didn't really know where to start, but after watching the other photographers and getting some tips from Melissa I took a few photos of the fantastic models who came along with us. I learned that photographing people can be fun and challenging myself can be rewarding.

I was drawn to photographing the children who came along as I really felt like I could capture their personalities and because I had such a fun time talking to them. As I was taking the pictures I really didn't have time to think about all the things I think about when I take a landscape or nature shot because these little people move quickly and a lot! So when I opened the photos up when I got home I noticed all the things that could have been better. I know I have a long way to go and I know I will most likely focus mainly on landscapes and nature, but I do think learning about people photography can only make me a better photographer overall. And that is what my journey is about!

I would love feedback on these images and any tips and tricks for shooting people. I would love to learn more!

Settings: ISO 800, 55mm, ss1/160, f/5.6 (full manual)
Edited with Lightroom - adjustment to white balance, minor adjustment to basic settings

Settings: ISO 800, 55mm, ss1/1000, f/5.6 (full manual)

Edited with Lightroom and Photoshop - minor adjustment to basic settings and healing brush

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

Edited with Lightroom - adjustment to white balance, minor adjustment to basic settings

"There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child.  There are seven million." - Walt Streightiff

Linking up with Click it Up a Notch for I Learned and What's Up Wednesday. Be sure to check out what others have learned this week and the other photography blogs!


 

Tones on Tuesday #4 10.11.11

Last week Liz from The Greatest of These is LOVE linked up this photo:

I LOVE the selective coloring and how draws you into the photo. The bee and the flower pop. Wonderful job and thank you for sharing Liz!

Now it's your turn. 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 photo or a sepia toned 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)!
• I will pick a few photos that catch my eye to share on next week's post.
• 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.

Here is my photo this week. This was taken during the Clickin Walk this weekend. My goal was to capture the beautiful color of the flowers. With the edit, I was inspired by Liz to try some more selective coloring. I used the adjustment brush in Lightroom. My tip this week is a tutorial I shared last month about how I learned to use the adjustment brush to selective color. You can find it here. I also had help from a video Melissa made for me :o). What do you think?

SOOC with minor white balance adjustment

Settings: ISO 800, 55mm, ss1/50, f/5.6 (full manual)

EDIT

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them." - Henri Matisse

Linking up with Jaymi's new Photo Tip Tuesday. I am excited to learn from everyone! Also linking up with Capturing Beauty and The Creative Exchange. Be sure to check out the other beautiful shots. 

 

Good to Wow SOOC: Foggy Morning 10.08.11

Saturday morning I was up early in anticipation for the Clickin Walk. I was thinking about how great it was the rain was not expected until later in the day and I took a peak out of my window just to check on the weather. What I was greeted with was the morning sun lighting up an area that we in the neighborhood call the park. The rain drops from the previous night were evaporating and creating a beautiful dance between the sunlight and the mist. I just had to go out and photograph. I threw on a coat and shoes and trekked out in my pajamas. My goal was to capture the fabulous light and the mist. When I opened them up I also noticed that the light highlighted the leaves and thus I found my shots for the Good to Wow Challenge - Leaves.

I very rarely post more than one photo at a time as I am still learning and can get overwhelmed when I try to make more than one photo great at time. In this case, however, I could not choose just one photo. I did narrow it down to 3 though :o). I would love to know which one is your favorite. Thank you for taking a look and a moment to leave a comment.

Settings: ISO 200, 42mm, ss1/100, f/22 (full manual)

Settings: ISO 200, 55mm, ss1/100, f/13 (full manual)

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/80, f/20 (full manual)

"And now, this is the sweetest and most glorious day that ever my eyes did see." - Donald Cargill 

Linking up with Good to Wow! Head over and check out the other SOOC shots.

Project 64: Brick Red Trough 10.08.11

The color of the week for Project 64 was brick red, which turned out to be a bit more pink that I imagined. It was a little difficult to find. I am not sure I found the perfect match, but while on the Clickin Mom's Clickin Walk yesterday I found this trough near the Freemont Library. My goal was to capture the red tones, but also the contrast between the foliage and the trough (not sure if that is what it is called, but oh well :o). In post processing I adjusted the basic setting in Lightroom and then ran Pioneer Woman's Lovely and Ethereal Action in Photoshop.

What do you think? Thank you for stopping by!

Settings: ISO 800, 55mm, ss1/160, f/5.6 (full manual)

"Charm is a product of the unexpected." - Jose Marti

Linking up with Project 64 and Sunday Snapshot. Check out where others spied Periwinkle and the moments others want to remember this Sunday!

 

Clickin Walk: Freemont Peace Sign 10.08.11

Today was the day of the Clickin Mom's Clickin Walk in the Freemont neighborhood of Seattle. It was a fabulous day of photography, learning and meeting others who share the same passion. I was out of my comfort zone as much of the time was focused on portrait photography, but with a little help I was able to even get some shots of the fabulous models that I will share later in the week. Along the way I also was able to take the scenic shots that I love. The first shot I took was of a sign hanging above a storefront. I loved how it was hidden among the leaves and how the leaves contrasted with the yellow wall.

In post processing I wanted to warm it up a bit and somehow remove the awning that was in the left side of the frame. I also wanted to make the sunlight pop more. The warming up and sunlight pop were achieved by altering the basic settings in Lightroom and then using Pioneer Woman's Sunshine action in Photoshop. The awning removal however was a bit tougher. Luckily some of the other Clickin Walk participants were talking about Content Aware feature in Photoshop. I found a tutorial and after two fills and a tiny bit of work with the healing brush. I am proud of the results and amazed by the power of the Content Aware Fill. Thank you Clickin Ladies :o)!

SOOC

Settings: ISO 400, 55mm, ss1/50, f/5.6 (full manual)

EDIT

Edited with Lightroom and Photoshop

"Nobody can bring you peace but yourself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson 


Linking up with SOOC Saturday and the edit with Better than the Best. Check out the other photos!

Favorite Photo of the Week: Clark Lake Sunset 09.30.11

This is the first week where my favorite photo of the week is one that I did not post during the week, but it is from the same shoot as the others I posted. I had a ton of pictures from my Clark Lake Park photo shoot and this one has been sitting waiting to be editing. I had a hard time editing it as there was something off. At first I thought it was the amount of black on the lower left corner, but when I removed it the natural frame was lost. After staring at the photo for a while and taking a break and coming back I realized that the line of the far shore of the lake was not straight. I found a quick tutorial about straightening a photo with Photoshop and applied what I had learned. It did exactly what I wanted it to and was so simple! Thank you Adobe TV!

My goal with this photo was to use the natural frame of the trees and the shore and to capture the beautiful colors of the sunset sky. If you follow along you know I have an addiction to sunsets :o). The color, the light and the mood are just so powerful. I have been learning more and more about capturing sunsets in manual mode and have found it to be more complex than I ever understood. At the same time, it is truly capturing a moment in time that can never be repeated in the same way again. I always feel a great sense of accomplishment when I get the shot I am after. This photo was exactly the shot I was after, with some editing help from Lightroom and Photoshop of course :o). 

Thank you for stopping by, I would love to know what you think!

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/100, f/14 (full manual)

"A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety." - Ansel Adams


Linking up with these fabulous Friday link ups! Please spend a moment or two visiting the amazing photos of those who also participate!

    

Good to Wow Edit: Orange Plant 09.30.11

For my edit for the Good to Wow Challenge - Orange my goal was to bring out the orange of this still yet to be identified plant. I wanted to go with a clean edit or an HDR edit after reading Ashley's post. I downloaded a Lightroom preset she recommended, but I didn't really like the look. So I went with a clean edit and adjusted most of the basic settings. Then I shifted the orange and green hues to bring them out more. I like how it warmed up the photo and made the orange pop. I would love to hear your thoughts and critiques!

SOOC

Settings: ISO 200, 55mm, ss0.4sec, f/7.1 (full manual on tripod)

EDIT

Edited with Adobe Lightroom

“Plant kindness and gather love.” - Unknown


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

I Learned: Clark Lake Sunset 09.30.11

This week I learned that Lightroom Presets are fun and addicting, just like Photoshop Actions. I have been downloading and trying out free presets this week. It has been a fun process and I am in awe of the creativity of those who make presets and actions. At the same time, though, I have struggled to find the balance between presets and developing my editing skills by "manually" editing. Tonight as I was editing the photo for this post I realized that one way to do it is use the presets as a jumping off point or an inspiration. I was looking at the different presets on this photo and found one that did what I wanted to do with the editing...sort of. So I worked with the settings in an attempt to add what the preset did while getting rid of what I didn't like. My goal was to maintain the sky color but lighten up the foreground. I have not gotten the hang of backlighting yet so I had to make it work post processing. I hope to achieve this look SOOC next time :o).

Thank you for stopping by and leaving your thoughts and critiques!

Settings: ISO 200, 28mm, ss1/6, f/10 (full manual on tripod)

"One of the most satisfying experiences I know is fully to appreciate an individual in the same way I appreciate a sunset. When I look at a sunset...I don't find myself saying, 'Soften the orange a little more on the right hand corner, and put a bit more purple along the base, and use a little more pink in the cloud color...' I don't try to control a sunset. I watch it with awe as it unfolds." - Carl R. Rogers 

Linking up with Click it Up a Notch for I Learned and What's Up Wednesday. Be sure to check out what others have learned this week and the other photography blogs!

Tones on Tuesday #3 10.04.11

Last week there were 2 beautiful entries for Tones on Tuesday. I am excited to have a linky that is growing and hope to see more people linking up each time. I love looking at the photos and seeing how each person alters the tones to set the mood of the photo. Here are the two photos from last week:

From Charlotte at Butterbean Row...

The tones in this photo are just lovely, not the typical black and white ones, but that is what I love. The framing is also wonderful. Thank you for linking up once again Charlotte with another amazing photo.

And from Margaret at A Heart for Simple...

What a sweet moment captured and the tones really set that mood of contentment. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photo Margaret!

Here are the how to's for Tones on Tuesday:

• The basic idea is to share one photo where you have altered the tones. Such as a black and white photo or a sepia toned 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)!
• I will pick a few photos that catch my eye to share on next week's post.
• Have fun!

I made a new button for this week that I like so much better. I hope you do too :o).

<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.

Here is my photo for this week's Tones on Tuesday:

Taken at Clark Lake Park

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/50, f/10

Edited with Adobe Lightroom

"If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk." - Raymond Inmon

Good to Wow SOOC: Orange Plant 09.30.11

I wish I knew how to put into words how blessed I feel this week. One of my photos is up for two different recognitions. The edit of the photo is up for I Clicked It Up a Notch - September and the SOOC is up for Best of September at Jill Samter Photography for the Good to Wow Challenge. The photo is of the Seattle Skyline and I was so proud of how it turned out. To have it recognized is amazing! And to have it recognized by two photographers that I admire and respect makes it even more amazing! When I started this journey, I did not set out to win anything. I set out to become a better photographer. To know that others see something in my work makes me feel like I am on the right track to become the photographer I would like to be. If you have a moment and would like to vote for me or your favorite you can click on the links above or in the announcements section to the right. Thank you!

For today's post, I am posting my SOOC shot for the Good to Wow Challenge - Orange. Last week I took pictures of leaves that were very orange so I wanted to go a different direction this time. I saw this interesting plant on my walk in the woods on Friday and liked how some of it was orange and some of it was red. I am not sure what kind of plant it is, it almost looks like a tomato (if you know I would love it if you shared :o). I like to depth of field, but with the edit I hope to bring out the orange a bit more. This was in very low light, but I think I like the lighting. The imperfections on the plant I think adds something to the feel of the shot. What do you think?

Thank you for stopping by!

Settings: ISO 200, 55mm, ss0.4sec, f/7.1 (full manual on tripod)

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered." - Ralph Waldo Emerson


Linking up with Good to Wow! Head over and check out the other SOOC shots.

Project 64: Periwinkle Sky at Clark Lake 09.30.11

Just a note - I am beyond honored that my photo of the Seattle skyline was chosen top 5 for I Clicked It Up a Notch - September. If you have been following along you know that I love Click it Up a Notch and highly respect Courtney for her skills and her willingness to share knowledge and advice. It really is an honor to be chosen. I would also love it if you would check out the other photos and vote for me if you feel so inclined. I always feel weird asking for votes so while I would love your vote, please choose your favorite. You can vote here. Now on to today's post...

I cannot believe it is October! It is a month into the school year and I am really getting to know and love my class. However, I have yet to figure out the elusive balance between giving my all to my work and giving my all to my life. One little thing I do is continue to take, edit and share pictures. It really is one of the things that do for me and it gives me such a sense of peace. As I mentioned, on Friday I left work and went to take pictures at Clark Lake Park. One of the things I was looking for was the color Periwinkle, which happens to be the color for Project 64. I found it in the sky after the sun at set over the lake. I had planned to edit it but I really like it SOOC so I think I am going to leave it that way except for a conversion from RAW to JPG. My goal for the rest of this school year is to continue to take pictures like this and enjoy moments where I don't stress about the 10 things I didn't get done or those students I want to do more for. I am hoping that in the end that will make me a better teacher and a better photographer. 

Thank you for reading!

Settings: ISO 200, 46mm, ss1/60, f/10 (full manual on tripod)

There are no signposts in the sky to show a man has passed that way before. There are no channels marked. The flier breaks each second into new uncharted seas. - Anne Morrow Lindbergh


Linking up with Project 64 and Sunday Snapshot. Check out where others spied Periwinkle and the moments others want to remember this Sunday!

Clark Lake Trail 9.30.11

Yesterday I decided to leave work a little early (for me that was 5pm instead of 8pm) so I could take some pictures before the rain that was supposed to descend this weekend. I went back to Clark Lake Park, which is a lake that is nestled in the middle of busy roads and houses. It was a pleasant surprise to find such a beautiful setting in such an unexpected place. The light was amazing and even after the sun went down I was able to capture some lovely moments. Today's photo is of the trail back from the lake to the parking lot. The sun had just went down so I had to use my tripod with a slow shutter speed in order to get the shot. It turned out a bit too warm, but I love the leading lines and the framing. So I went searching for free Lightroom Presets and found Preset Heaven which had a post called "28 Free Presets from Chris." After some help from the Digital Photography School I was able to use the Cold Steel Preset to achieve the effect I wanted.

I would love to know what you think. Thank you for stopping by!

SOOC (with RAW to JPG conversion)

Settings: ISO 200, 29mm, ss5.0sec, f/10

EDIT

Edited with Adobe Lightroom and Cold Steel Preset

"I could never resist the call of the trail." - Buffalo Bill


Linking up with SOOC Saturday. Check out the other photos!