Texture Tuesdays | Cuppa Cuppa Love

I have started being interested in photography late 2007, using my cell phone (which I am still using in some moments 'til now) before the family acquired our first point and shoot camera mid 2008. My growth was very slow, because more than three years now, I still am using a point and shoot camera, and I still don't post-process most of my pictures, other than resizing them and adding my name stamp.

I was actually quite okay with that - with five blogs to update, deadlines to beat, and chores at home to do, I really have my hands full, but last weekend, I first used textures in my picture, thanks to the Photo Hunt Challenges. Actually, the "texture" item on the list didn't specifically say using a texture in post-processing, though it was an option. I decided to give it a try, and when I posted it, my friend Nathalie suggested I join this meme, and that instant, I joined the Kim Klassen mailing list, and here I am joining for the first time.

This week is about Cuppa Cuppa Love, and here is the SOOC Picture:

This wasn't my first picture, actually, when Kim posted her take on the prompt, it was also the time I learned what the prompt was (because I wasn't able to read last week's TT post). I quickly took a picture of a cup with the help of a lit candle to cast a shadow forming a heart on the cup's handle. However, the image was so dark, and adding textures either made it darker or the textures weren't showing at all anymore. I knew I had to change my image, so I turned off my netbook and took this picture.

"Texturizing" it, I came up with this:

Using GIMP (I do have the Adobe PS CS5, but PS is still an alien to me 'til now), I converted the image to black and white, and added the Warm Sun texture set to Multiply at 60% opacity. I erased some of the textures in the tea pot and cup, before adding the next texture - Sweettart, set to Overlay at 35% just to give that little pinkish tone. I added my name stamp and flattened the image before applying the Unsharp Mask and flattened the image again.

I don't know if this is good enough, but I guess this one came out good.

By the way, the book in the image was "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom.

*** Jenn ***