Black and White Weekend - 10/31/14: "Lofty Arches"

The Weekend in Black and White  

asks us to post a black and white photo. No spot colors. No sepia. Black and white, only.

Another image from the interior of the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh. I keep going back to the photos I have of this building. It is beautiful and the photos are better in B&W than they are in color.

"Lofty Arches"
(click on image for larger view)
This image gives a good idea of how much the interior of
this building resembles a cathedral.  Those arches must be 50-60 feet high.
What a beautiful place to learn.

There are many tables with chairs, long tables with pew-like benches
(which can be seen in the background) and lots of nooks and crannies
for students to study here. I noticed that many outlets have been installed
in the last few years for students to charge their electronic devices.

Abstract Photo - 10/29/14: "Sunset from the West Promenade"

Natures Footstep memes I participate in: 
Abstract Photo and Digital Art on alternate Wednesdays.

Click on the links above to view the posts by other artists/photographers or to participate yourself.

 

"Sunset from the West Promenade"
In mid-September, when I was gone for two weeks, we were in Portland, Maine.
The West Promenade was about 5 blocks from our vacation rental
so we walked there several evenings to watch the sun set.

For this image, I copied the silhouetted trees, repeated them over and over in varied sizes.
I pulled my colors from various parts of the sky in the original photo.

I've been creating or cropping a lot of my images in a square format lately.
It doesn't work for everything, but I especially like it for some abstracts.

"Sunset from the West Promenade"
Portland, Maine
September 2014

Good Fences - 10/23/14 "Autumn Fence"

Good Fences Thursday asks us to post a photo of a fence or gate each week.

Although I am posting this today, I'm not linking up with Good Fences.
I'm working on a huge project and will not have time to view other posts or comment.  If you happen this way and comment, I'll try to get back to your blog and comment, too.

"Autumn Fence"

See hundreds of my photos and art images on my Flickr pages.

Digital Art - 10/22/14: "Lighthouse in the Lacy Clouds"

NF Photography alternates an Abstract Art prompt with a Digital Art prompt.
Click on the link in the line above to see others or post your own.

11/3/14 addendum:  I chose this image to link to Photo-Heart Connection, as my choice for the image that I worked on (or posted) during October that is closest to my heart.

I was in the Peace Corps in Brazil 1967-1969, but never had the chance to return until 2011. 

I come from stoic German stock ---I'm not demonstrative with emotions.  But somehow, the minute I stepped off the plane in Aracajú and was met by about 30 of my friends and former students, hugs and kisses were not only what I expected, but what I wanted.  Brazilians are so warm and welcoming, even to strangers, but in 2011, I was treated like a long-lost relative. 

It was great to see that nearly all of my former students who lived in a small town in the middle of nowhere and had few prospects for employment, worked hard to pay tuition and room/board to attend a colégio in another city and eventually most went on to university. They became lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers, professors, meteorologists, ministers of agriculture, bankers, business owners, engineers, social workers, agronomists, and more.  I felt like a proud parent.

When I lived there without electricity, running water, or a sewage system, my neighbors helped me to adapt to the lack of conveniences and treated me like a daughter. Since then, anything Brazilian has always been close to my heart, especially Brazilians.

I started with a photo of a unique lighthouse in Aracajú in Brazil. There was not a cloud in the sky. However, for a photo of an object that is so tall and thin, a large blank sky isn't very interesting.  So I used some photos of sea gulls and lace to create this digital composition. I chose lace for the clouds because in the small town where I lived in Brazil, many older women sat in front of their homes tatting & gossiping.  I still have a few scraps of hand-made lace I purchased from them.

"Lighthouse in the Lacy Clouds"

Original photo,
Aracajú, Sergipe
Brazil
August 2011

Aracajú is one of Brazil's best-kept secrets. Its name was created from a combination of two words: Ara (a genus of macaws) and Cajú (the Portuguese word for the tree that bears cajú fruit and cashew nuts.) In its beautiful park near Atalaia Beach, the sides of benches are painted to resemble macaws, while trash cans are shaped like cajú fruit.

Aracajú is the capital of the small state of Sergipe. Sergipe's innovative health-care system became the blueprint for the national system which covers everyone, even tourists, in Brazil.

Situated on the Atlantic coast 10º south of the equator, Aracajú provides tourists with miles and miles of unspoiled beaches. It has the healthiest lifestyle of all major Brazilian cities and is also one of its safest and has a lower cost of living than other large cities in the country. It doesn't have the spectacular beauty of Rio de Janeiro or Iguaçu Falls, but for a relaxing beach vacation, it cannot be beat. The city has an oceanic aquarium, some interesting old government buildings with ornate architecture, and one can take side trips to several historic cities or to a gorgeous canyon along the São Francisco River.

Aracajú's temperatures hover around 82º (plus or minus a couple of degrees) during the day almost all year long, although it is slightly warmer in the summer months (Dec-Feb south of the equator) and cooler June-Aug. (However, occasionally, such as 2002, the cooler and hotter seasons reverse themselves because it is so close to the equator.) Mar-Aug are the rainiest months while Sept-Feb are drier.

Besides the area's other attributes, Sergipanos are some of the warmest, most-welcoming, helpful, and friendly people in the world. However, you won't find as many Brazilians speaking English at hotels or restaurants as you might find in larger cities, so it's best to take a phrase book with you and perhaps listen to a few Portuguese lessons from your local library so you can at least ask for directions, where to find a restroom, or request your bill at a restaurant.

I lived in a small town in Sergipe's interior during my Peace Corps Days (1967-1969) and visited Aracajú often. At that time it was a rather small city.  Now the metropolitan area has between 800,000 and 900,000 residents.  Because of it's relatively recent expansion, it has many new, modern buildings and conveniences. I spent a week there in 2011 and enjoyed every minute.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

See hundreds of my photos and artistic creations on my Flickr page. 

Some of my photos are straight-forward photos. Some have been manipulated into something else. Some are digital creations, which were rendered entirely with Photoshop or other enhancement software. And some are scans of hand-made works of art. A few are a combination of two or more of those.

 If you are interested in a particular type of image or subject matter (such as "art from my photos" or "abstract impressions" or "Brazil") click on "Albums" to the right of my profile image. Then choose the album you want to see.

Otherwise, you will be on my photostream and be able to see everything I've posted, with the most recent first.

Click on any image for a larger view. Below each image is more info about it.  Then click on the arrows to the left & right of a photo to go forward or backward.

My photostream is very eclectic. I love all kinds of art and I like "playing with possibilities" so I am constantly trying something new. I might make 2 or 3 images using a particular technique or style, then move on to something else. Or I might create dozens in a similar style and keep going back to it.

I add photos nearly every day.

Weekend in Black and White- 10/17/14: "Rubble"

The Weekend in Black and White  

asks us to post a black and white photo. No spot colors. No sepia. Black and white, only.

On our recent trip to Portland, Maine, we drove on a self-directed lighthouse tour.  The weather was beautiful. We stopped to eat at The Saltwater Grille in South Portland where we could see the city of Portland and the Old Port across Casco Bay.  The Sunset Marina was next to the restaurant, with many expensive-looking boats.

But on the other side of the restaurant, there was a different world. There, dilapidated buildings and piers had transformed into piles of rubble. I'm drawn to those images more than the bright and shiny yachts. And some of them made great black and white shots.

"Rubble"
(click on image for larger view)

Good Fences - 10/16/14: "Morning MOO"

Good Fences Thursday asks us to post a photo of a fence or gate each week.

"Morning MOO"
*not much of a fence, but I liked the cow*
Holstein on a foggy October morning at a farm about a mile from my home.
Notice she has a pink tinge from the rising sun.

See hundreds of my photos and artistic creations on my Flickr page. 

Some of my photos are straight-forward photos. Some have been manipulated into something else. Some are digital creations, which were rendered entirely with Photoshop or other enhancement software. And some are scans of hand-made works of art. A few are a combination of two or more of those.

 If you are interested in a particular type of image or subject matter (such as fences) click on "Albums" to the right of my profile image. Then choose the album you want to see.

Otherwise, you will be on my photostream and be able to see everything I've posted, with the most recent first.

Click on any image for a larger view. Below each image is more info about it.  Then click on the arrows to the left & right of a photo to go forward or backward.

My photostream is very eclectic. I love all kinds of art and I like "playing with possibilities" so I am constantly trying something new. I might make 2 or 3 images using a particular technique or style, then move on to something else. Or I might create dozens in a similar style and keep going back to it.

Abstract Photo - 10/15/14 - "Ruined"

NF Photography prompt: Abstract Photo

"Ruined"
this image was decayed so much that it was
almost an abstract by itself. I only
enhanced it to bring out textures
and add some color.

I like taking photos of old, run-down, or even decaying things. Unlike items that are shiny and new, these items have "character," even when crumbling to ruin.

One morning I set out to take photos in some car wrecking yards.  I didn't want to call ahead because I thought they'd refuse to let me take photos if I asked, but figured that once they saw I was a harmless older woman, they wouldn't refuse me.  I didn't realize that most auto junk yards in this area have very limited hours. I stopped at five and they were all closed, behind locked gates.  I was able to take only a few photos through the spaces in their chain-linked fences.

Why the owners even kept some of the decaying vehicles is beyond me.  Before they became piles of rust, they may have been able to sell them for recyclable scrap metal. Now, many are worthless.

Original photo of front end
of rusted-out car.

Black and White Weekend - 10/10/14: "Arches"

The Weekend in Black and White  

asks us to post a black and white photo. No spot colors. No sepia. Black and white, only.

APOLOGY: Sorry I didn't get back to add comments on many of last week's posts.  I had an emergency medical situation, was in the hospital for a few days and now I'm catching up.   I had already set up automatic posts for several memes up through the next couple of weeks, so I didn't have to create those, but it will take me a few more days to catch up with this week and last week, too.  I'm fine now, just tired.

Another photo from the first floor of the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh.

"Arches"

Good Fences - 10/9/14: "Along the Walking Trail"

Good Fences Thursday asks us to post a photo of a fence or gate each week.

APOLOGY: Sorry I didn't get back to add comments on many of last week's posts.  I had an emergency medical situation, was in the hospital for a few days and now I'm catching up.   I had already set up automatic posts for several memes up through the next couple of weeks, so I didn't have to create those, but it will take me a few more days to catch up with this week and last week, too.  I'm fine now, just tired.

Fence beside one end of the mile-long walking loop at
North Boundary Park
Cranberry Township, PA

I love the warm colors on the ground created from the
combination of yellow leaves and pine needles.

Digital Art - 10/8/14 "Blue Skies"

NF Photography prompt: Digital Art

I created this abstract quite a while ago so cannot remember every filter I used to make it. But it was actually a very simple idea and if you would want to make something similar, you would probably want to choose your own filters anyway. I recently pulled it up and reworked it slightly.

APOLOGY: Sorry I didn't get back to add comments on many of last week's posts.  I had an emergency medical situation, was in the hospital for a few days and now I'm catching up.   I had already set up automatic posts for several memes up through the next couple of weeks, so I didn't have to create those, but it will take me a few more days to catch up with this week and last week, too.  I'm fine now, just tired.

"BLUE SKIES"

I started by viewing lots of my photos that had large patches of sky
in them. I took horizontal blocks of many photos, finally choosing 12
of them. I made sure some were lighter or darker than others. some
grayer, some bluer, and that some had light or dark areas for variety.
I scaled each to stretch across my new canvas and scrunched or
expanded the height so that the design would be interesting. Although
I can't remember everything I did, I probably used levels to up the
contrast, saturated the colors, and added bas relief in an overlay layer
to create the appearance of texture.  I wanted the result to be rather
minimalistic and monochromatic, yet have enough variety
to make the final image somewhat engaging to look at. 

Composition created from pieces of sky
before enhancing them.
I take lots of sky photos so that, if I end up with
a photo with a washed-out sky, I can replace
it with a better one.  This was the image
after I chose all the individual sections of
sky, scaled and arranged them into my
basic composition, before enhancement.

The idea for my abstract was inspired by minimalist
artists such as Donald Judd who created many
versions of this style of wall sculpture in a variety
of colors.  His is, of course, made of evenly-spaced
geometric pieces, all the same size, all the same color.
I wanted mine to create more interest by changing the
sizes, dimensions, colors, and textures.

Imagine Sol DeWitt's minimalistic creation turned sideways.

PHOTOSHOP TIPS: 
• To make your image fill the available space while working on it, you can hit the control key and the number 0. (On a Mac use the command key and the number 0.)
• To make your image larger, hit control and the + key (command and + on a Mac.) Each time you do that it will increase in size. (See alternate method below.)
• To make your image smaller, hit control and the - (minus) key (command and - on a Mac.) Each time you do that it will decrease in size.

WHEN A SMALLER IMAGE IS USEFUL/NECESSARY:
Let's say that you are working on an image and decide to overlay it with another image that is larger. You go to the Transform>Scale tool, but the edges of the larger image are outside of your work space. By using the instructions above to decrease the size of your image as many times as necessary, you will be able to see the outlines of the larger image and grab the sides or corners to scale it down to the size you want.

I also make my image smaller when I have to straighten it by using the Transform>Rotate tool. 

Sometimes, I like to make my image smaller so I can, in a sense, stand back from it, to get an overall impression of what I've created.

Once you've completed your task, you can use the instructions above to fill the workspace or make your image larger again.

WHEN A LARGER IMAGE IS USEFUL/NECESSARY:
I usually enlarge my image to check for flaws or to see if things I've superimposed are in exactly the right place.  I check one section at a time, then move a little to the right or left, up or down to see the next section. I'm often sure everything is perfect until it has been enlarged several times.

If you are doing things just for fun, it might not be necessary, but when you are creating something for a client, exhibit, shop, or juried show, you don't want it to be filled with flaws.

Alternate enlargement method: use the zoom tool (magnifying glass) from your tool bar. Click on the image with it as many times as necessary.

Black and White Weekend - 10/3/14: "The T"

The Weekend in Black and White  

asks us to post a black and white photo. No spot colors. No sepia. Black and white, only.

See Photoshop tip for black and white photos, below.

"The T'
entrance to The T (Pittsburgh's subway system)
near Gateway Center in the downtown area

Photoshop Tip for changing colored photos to black and white:

This is a trick I learned recently and it has been working well for me.

If you want to change a colored photo to B&W, instead of changing it to gray scale or using the black and white option (under Image> Adjustments in Photoshop) try using Camera Raw.

First, make whatever enhancements you think are necessary to your colored photo. Duplicate that layer.

If you have Photoshop CC, choose Camera Raw from the filter tab.
Near the top-right under the R: G: B:, choose the 4th icon (it looks like 3 horizontal stripes with gradients in them.)
Look at your photo there and make a mental note of where various colors are in the image. You may also have to determine if, for example, a brown or tan color is more reddish, yellowish, or blueish.

Check the box in front of "Convert to Grayscale."
Look at your photo.

Let's just say that you have a green object surrounded by yellow on the colored version, but on the B&W, the value of the grays is so similar that there is not enough contrast between them. You can lighten what was yellow on the colored photo by moving the yellow slider to the right and darken the green by moving the green slider to the left, or vice-versa.

Play around with the sliders until your B&W image looks best to you.
Hit OK.

If you think the overall image still needs more contrast, you can use the contrast slider in Camera Raw, or use Levels (under Image>Adjustments) to increase both the lights and darks. Another option is to use Shadows/Highlights (also under Image>Adjustments) to increase the contrast of mid-tones.

For a comparison of this method to the normal method:
Hide the B&W layer your just created. Go back to your colored layer and duplicate it again. Then go to Image> Adjustment> Black and white to change it to B&W. (I leave the scales on the default settings.)
Now turn on the layer you created in Camera Raw. Then hide it to compare to the other method. For some images, the second method might be better, but I find I have more control using Camera Raw, especially when I need to show varied shades of gray when areas that are side-by-side look too similar.

NOTE: On a colored photo, you can lighten, darken or saturate an individual color in Camera Raw using the same tab without converting it to gray scale.

Good Fences - 10/2/14: Public Art Project

Good Fences Thursday asks us to post a photo of a fence or gate each week.

In the spring, when I was walking at a local park, I saw a notice about a public art project asking people to volunteer to knit or crochet sleeves for trees at the park. I immediately started to memorize the information (since I didn't have anything to write with or on) ---and then I asked myself, "What are you thinking?" I had started a scarf for my husband last Fall and it still wasn't finished.  How could I possibly complete a sleeve to cover an entire tree trunk? So I put it out of my mind.

One day during the summer,  I arrived at the park to walk and saw the results from more industrious people than I. The first three photos are of designs on fences. Scroll down to see some of the trees, too.

I'm not exactly sure what the concept of this is/was. I didn't think it was more attractive than the railings, fence and trees were without the knitted sleeves, but I guess it was a project meant to bring the community together and was probably not harmful to the trees.

Footbridge railings.

Another view of footbridge.

Tennis Court Fence
decorated by Girl Scouts.

A variety of tree designs.

I'm glad I didn't decide to knit flags.
I'd still be working on those until, say, 2034.

The one on the left was
made with strips of cloth.

Abstract Photo - 10/1/14: "Dried Flowers"

NF Photo: Abstract Photo alternates with Digital Art.

Find a Photoshop Tip under my photos.

I snapped my original photo a couple of years ago along a walking trail at a state park. The image is of wildflowers that have lost their petals while the seed pods in the middle of each flower has dried to a pale tan color. I wanted the image to have more of an autumn ambiance and look more like art than photo, so I added yellow, orange, peach, and brown, overlaid a texture and added a little bas relief to the foreground flowers.

"Dried Flowers"

Original photo, 10/13/12,
Moraine State Park, PA

Photoshop Tip: One of the problems with digital (vs. film) photography, is that images often have a little bit of a hazy quality. If you have Photoshop CC, you can now go into Camera Raw filters from the filter tab. For most photographs, I find that by moving to the right on the Clarity scale and also on the Vibrance scale, I can improve almost any photo. Sometimes that's all I need to do to bring out the details, up the contrast, and up the color a bit.

I've been enhancing old Kodachrome slides that are 45 years old. Many have spots, are scratched or dirty ---and those need a lot of work  But a lot of them are just badly faded.  By upping the  Clarity and Vibrance, I can make most of them look pretty good and some even look great.