Photo Art Friday Abstract

I had a great time creating this!  I was browsing through some images I'd taken about a year ago on a trip to Longwood Gardens that I'd kind of forgotten about when I came across this pretty stargazer lily.  I thought the flower was so lovely, but the composition is surely lacking.



I cloned out those buds in the background and got to work!  I recently downloaded a trial version of Filter Forge which allowed me to create a layer from the original that was beautifully abstracted.




I blended that with the original layer, masking to bring out some of the detail of the flower.  Then, I added a couple of Bonnies PDPA textures to finalize the magic!



Aaron LOVES stargazer lilies.  We grow them in the yard but he also will regularly pick them up if he sees them in a flower stand.  He SAYS they're for me but I know he really bought them because he enjoys them so much.  I'm actually thinking that THIS image might need to go to the printer...

I hope you'll all visit Photo Art Friday for lots more digital art!

Before It's All Gone...

I've been meaning to get a few photos from the blizzard posted for TWO weeks now.  I thought I'd better get to it before the snow is completely gone. 

It was BEAUTIFUL!!!

Something Different

 My sister was just up for a few days, visiting from Florida.  Seems a little ass backwards considering we were just digging out from a MAJOR snow event.  Since when are blizzards named storms anyway?

We measured 33" consistently over the length of our driveway.  I love snow and was ready and willing to tackle the job of digging out.  Day one resulted in the expected muscle aches.  Day two, I flattened myself with extreme lower back spasms.  Fortunately, a neighbor came along and finished the job with a snowblower....we still had a long way to go!

Consequently, we had to take it kind of easy while my sister was here.  But one day we did take a little trip into NYC.  Her son (who's a tad older than Joel) was traveling with her so we decided that an exhibit of arms, armor and weapons at the Met would be of interest to the boys.

I think my sister Busy and I enjoyed it more than they did.  We became engrossed in the stunning minute detail of the pieces on display.  Camera in hand, it became my challenge to try and capture some of what I found so fascinating behind the glass.

Photo Art Friday - Minimalist

This week's theme led me back to an image I took one early morning at the beach about a year ago.  I love the look of water that is photographed at a slow shutter speed with a neutral density filter for a soft dreamy look.  Unfortunately, I do not have the technique mastered.  Far from it.  The original image was a flop, but I held onto it anyway.

I did a lot of manipulation with photoshop filters and adjustments before adding texture.  It was a lot of trial and error.  But I finally got a soft and artsy feel I was going for.



I hope you'll visit Photo Art Friday for links to the work of other digital artists.

Photo Art Friday - Hardware

Moving forward slowly and surely to get ready to finally launch into my photography business and at that point, I'll be opening another blog to feature the work I'm doing with clients.  But this will be my place to be creative and play and pursue my other photographic interests.  I need somewhere to put all those bird photos!  :)  I feel so ADD creatively....many things started, not much finished.

But Photo Art Friday is inspiration to get at least ONE thing done a week as long as it doesn't sneak up on me to quickly.  This week, I remembered just in time.





I took this photo of an old iron fence on a bleak winter day.  I've used the Pixel Dust Photo Dust textures Nitty Gritty and Vintage Craquelure.

Lots of great digital art for you to visit here.

Floral Abstract in Ice - Photo Art Friday

Anyone who has read on of my blogs for any period of time knows that I LOVE winter.  In actuality, summer is season I enjoy the least as I have almost zero heat tolerance.  But, the last couple of winters have been disappointing out here on Long Island.  We've had minimal snow and ice.  When we were in PA, I used to love to go to areas of moving water and find little abstracts in the frozen surface.  The possibilities are endless.

Recently, after a big rainstorm we were left with a giant puddle in our back yard.  Then we had an overnight freeze.  The water was moving just enough as it percolated through the soil to create some lovely patterns in the ice.  One in particular, looked so floral in nature that I played and played, creating this abstraction.



Linking up to Photo Art Friday. Please go enjoy the beautiful work of other photo artists there!

Hellooooooo.....

I'm still alive...
:)

Quickly, an update...

I am still feeling like myself.  Life is still chaos in NY but is perhaps on a recovery path.  We started looking for businesses to buy late last summer and after losing a couple of bids, we are in the process of diligence and hoping to close on something at the end of the month.  Risky??  Uh huh!!  But, we were on a road to nowhere. If this goes through it's going to be a real challenge but at least we have a vision of a future.  I'm not going to say much more because it's not done until it's done.  And, we've found some things that have to be negotiated before we can go through with the deal.  It's not 100% on solid ground yet.  So....we could use all the positive vibes and crossed fingers we can get.  More details when it's real.  The best part....it leads us back to PA!

I'm still hoping to get a small photography business of my own off the ground.  I may have to suck it up and work on this other thing for awhile though.  I have been going forward with my own plans and doing a lot of the background work.  But I worry about being stretched to thin.  If I have to work with Aaron AND try and sell and pack a house....well, I am only one person.  All remains to be seen what's in the cards for me.

But, never fear.  I am still taking pictures and I am working a lot with photoshop.  I will never ceased to be amazed and delighted at what is possible.  I find I learn a lot about the program by stretching reality.   I don't intend to drift into complete fantasy land on a regular basis but now and then it sure is fun.

Here's a little piece a put together today....and the original.

Before....



After....




Oh my....I just popped over to check out Photo Art Friday (it's been ages since I played) and I saw that the theme was entrances and exits.  I can't resist, I HAVE to link up!