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Spotted this moose back in the summer of ‘11 on a hike in the Grand Tetons. Before the trip I would have never imagined to see so much wildlife; perhaps that is why some call the land the serengeti of North America. While much further away from the mammal, my zoom lens acted as a sort of binocular. I cropped the photo even further after having zoomed in and then went creative with the photo in Pixlr Express by adding a variety of filters and overlays.
**Note that you can adjust the opacity of filters and overlay in Pixlr Express, making it even more fun!
One reason I love to travel is because it allows for new photography subject matter. While vacationing in Santa Fe I knew ahead of time that I wanted the classic colorful window against adobe shot. This before & after photo I am showing was edited in Photoshop CS5, where I straightened and cropped the photo. I also adjusted the levels, curves and color to increase its overall visual appeal. I then added an extra pre-set filter that I downloaded as a Photoshop Action for free from deviantART, in which I then deleted the actions I did not want. Voila—an instantaneously more dramatic photo than what was before.
For free Photoshop Actions, check here:
More to come as I find them :)
Out of the many paintings I have in progress, this one I have concluded as finished! One of the most important bits of knowledge I acquired while taking college art courses was to always paint in layers.
This piece is layered into three sections—the background is melted wax, followed by an oil painting of a rose and then an oil herringbone pattern. I was actually inspired by Pinterest to do the herringbone pattern, might I add it is not as easy as it looks, however I embrace its flaws!
I am still unsure to whether this painting should be horizontal or vertical, I guess time will tell!
I love Adobe Photoshop, don’t get me wrong, but I often find myself at loss when it comes to creating a ‘vintage’ effect with my photos. There are plenty of actions out there that can achieve this desired look, but sometimes I want a quick fix from a different editing program. I could use Instagram, but let’s be honest, square photos sometimes just don’t cut it for me and the apps’ filters could be improved.
Speaking of, now that Twitter and Instagram have divorced, it would be smart for Twitter to include some sort of photo editing app within its system; I’ve been waiting for Facebook to do this for years, but I’m not sure it would be the most spectacular thing to have, as photos would start to lack creativity in their similar editing process and it would take away from Instagram (a company they purchased in 2012).
Which brings me to the point behind these pictures, which were all edited with Pixlr. Now the phone version (Pixlromatic) is so-so; I use it every now and then, but Pixlr Express (on the computer) is the best as it allows for creativity with its many included options. It’s not right for every photo, but if you want to achieve a retro effect or make simple edits, I would check it out!
Paintings I created in 2012
The other day I went to the Cedar Park Farmers’ market for lunch at the Peached Tortilla (mmm mmm!). I could not resist taking a shot of these multi-colored carrots. I look forward to adding food photography to my portfolio in the future, especially because it is the perfect subject matter for my new macro lens!
It has been over a year since I snapped photos for EIS Modeling, and I am still editing them! I can say with confidence that my eye for visual editing and composition has certainly improved over the past year. You can be a great photographer, but choosing the right shots out of the hundreds of pictures you’ve taken can be a difficult process. Sometimes it is good to take a step away, completely forget about what you have done, and then go back to it months later with a new eye. This strategy can be applied to many aspects of life whether it be the arts, design or writing.
More photos to come as I edit!
2012: Some shots from the past year
Christmas Lights, Josh Davis Swim Clinic, Santa Fe, Grouplove, Florence & the Machine, Jester King Brewery, ACL, San Antonio Sunset
I scanned this original design (drawn on a cardboard menu) and edited it in Adobe Photoshop for fun :D
Sample Coursework: Beginning Digital Photography, Spring 2011
All photos taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T1i and edited in Adobe Creative Suite.
Sample Coursework: Beginning Photography, Fall 2010
All photos taken with a Minolta 35mm and developed in the dark room.
