The Simplicity Edition

I hoped to join Ashley and Branson's "Tutorial Tuesday" challenge last week, but I wasn't the handyman type that time so I wasn't able to join the Lightbox Tutorial. This week, since they featured a tutorial that can be done in Photoshop, I decided to join - it would great to use my PS-CS5 since I don't really get to use it as I am very much into GIMP.


This is my SOOC image - taken just this morning during my morning walk.


Following the steps to the tutorial gave me this result.


This image I'll link up to Kim's "Texture Tuesday," using two layers of the Simplicity texture - one set to normal at 50%, the other set to multiply at 60%. I also used the Ancient Warmth action, before adding my watermark.

Side by side images:


SOOC | Watercolor Edit | With Texture
I didn't have much choices of images to use for this post - colors of the images were washed out because the sun was shining so bright. If I get to see some colorful subjects (like the one used at the original tutorial), I will sure try this again.



ps - Big thanks to Emily of Scattered Horizons Photoblog for choosing my image from last week as one of the top 3 images for "Tones on Tuesday."

Be Like the Bird

It's been quite a while since I last joined Quotography... please welcome me back. :) This week, it's all about the wildlife, and while I first thought of sharing a picture I took at a zoo, I decided to use this instead:


A picture I took one morning sometime this month while walking around Colinas Verdes. As much as I can, I wake up early in the morning and prepare myself for my morning walk. I have shared so many awesome pictures from Colinas Verdes here on my blog, and even if there were days that I couldn't find a good subject to take pictures of (because I have photographed it before, or they cut the grasses), there were days that I will be surprised at how Mother Nature gifted us with so many blessings.

This was a proposed site for a housing project, and in the future (don't know how soon, though) this place will be a home for many people. At the moment, there were around six houses in the area plus a huge Clubhouse. With such a big place filled with grasses and trees, no wonder I always see interesting wonders of nature to take pictures of.

I took this on my way out. I heard some birds chirping and a few minutes after, I saw a bird flew in front of me. Following it with my eyes, I saw it take a rest on this small tree, and because I brought my camera with me, I was able to take a picture of it - though I had to use up all my camera's optical zoom (12x) and some more of the digital zoom, just to magnify the bird.

Up in the Air

Another multiple-meme posts, but this one will center on Foto Friday's prompt, "In the Air". Here are my choice of images to share:


This was a picture I took during my last flight - from Tagbilaran to Manila - August of 2011. Whenever I travel by air, I always try to get the window seat, but of course, there were times I won't get what I want. The times I did, I really try to take as much pictures because my travels were just domestic - I only had an hour or so to take pictures looking down on earth.

Since I am linking to some memes that should feature images taken from the past week, let me now share images from a few days ago, still keeping up with the theme:


Sister using the jump rope last Tuesday (24 January 2012). We only have one rope, so we took turns in using it, and since I took my camera, I busied myself taking her pictures. Using the rope can be a quick thing to do - so to take this image, I set my camera to multiple shots; once my sister started jumping, I clicked the shutter and didn't let go of it until I was sure I got my shot. Four succeeding images with my sister's feet up in the air, this was the highest jump of all the images I took.

The day before that (23 January 2012), the family went to Quezon Memorial Circle to enjoy some family time, and because we love doing jump shots, we surely didn't let the day pass without doing some...


That's me and my sister. Personally, I didn't like the surface - it didn't seem to show how high the jump was (maybe because of the floor's decoration), but I am glad I can now jump higher and I can do a different pose. Before, I could only do what my sister (right image) do - now, I can experiment more. Just yesterday, I scoured Flickr for jump shots and took note of the poses I hope to do in the future. I sure can't fly, but I can certainly be up in the air. :)

Linking these images to Misty's "Shoot. Edit. Submit" - all these images weren't the SOOC shot. Editing each images:

• First Image - Cropped out the plane's window; gave it a pass of the burn tool to deepen the colors of the water.
• Second Image - Ran the "Summer Heat" action, giving the image a slightly orange tone.
• Third and Fourth Images - Gave it a pass of the "National Geographic" script.
  

The Story Edition

Happy Tuesday, all! Today I realized there are so many wonderful photography challenges, and I am now listing all the memes/challenges I wanted to join, so I guess from here on out, I will be much active in posting here.

For this week's "Texture Tuesdays," the prompt revolves around "Story" and here's my choice of image to share:


I took this image this morning while doing my morning walk / jog. The grasses were quite far from where I was at, and zooming in, I was in awe at how my p&s camera was able to highlight grasses on the foreground while keeping anything else in soft focus. As I took more and more images, a jogger stopped and I thought his image somehow added drama to the overall image.

Walkers / joggers around Colinas Verdes have their own story to tell. Some would like to train for the marathon, others want to build resistance, others want to lose weight in preparation for something, some just go there to be with friends and stay away from home and chores. I don't know what's this man's story, but as long as all of us are doing something for our wellness, I guess that's what mattered the most.


I came up with a simple edit this week.

• Ran the Vintage script with 50% vignette,
• Added a layer of Kim Klassen's "Confidence" texture set to Soft Light at 100%,
• Ran the Unsharp Mask
  
• Added name stamp, flattened, and saved the image.