The Result Of The Trumpy Lumpy Winter Day Doldrums

"From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens: the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house, and the garden of the mind's eye."

~Katherine S. White

Last February, I decided to fight off the screaming Trumps, by venturing out with the camera. The world, after all, wouldn't end in the short amount of time it would take to drive around, and look for something, anything, that wasn't all about Trump! Or would it? Who knew, but I did know I needed a little while away from the crazy! As I sat behind the wheel of my car, I tried to think of one thing... just one thing... that he hadn't become completely, and irritatingly associated with! It has felt like he has insinuated himself into all aspects of day to day life, perverting most of them, but there had to be at least one thing that he hadn't managed to ruin! It took a moment, but then it occurred to me... flowers, yes, flowers... were the one thing he hadn't ruined for me!

But it was February! Where was I supposed to find flowers in February? I had a few roses by the garden fence, but they had a bit of winter chill burn on them. There were some silk flowers in my craft cabinet, but fake flowers, was a little too much like FAKE NEWS, to inspire any flight of fancy away from the topic I most wanted to ignore! What to do, what to do! Then I saw it, my neighbor's Magnolia tree was beginning to bloom, and the flowers were lovely! Eureka... there is my subject!

Did I mention while I sat in my car, contemplating which direction to go in, the sky opened up, and began to pour rain! The sky cried! Great, big, wet, tears of rain! Bigly! But not to fear, I simply picked up my Nikon, rolled the window down, and snapped away! I was photographing the Magnolias from a good distance, as it rained, and it was a bit foggy too, so the pictures didn't come out as nicely as I would have hoped for. The day I took them, I deemed them not worthy for posting, but upon a second look, I decided to work a little Photoshop magic, and enjoy them, and the memory of my day out of the Trumpy Lumpy winter day doldrums.

Thinking that my photos aren't good enough to post happens a lot. I put a ton of pressure on myself to get a preconceived end result with my photography, and when it isn't fully achieved, I let it sit in the file, until the end of the year when I have one last look with newly opened eyes. I like doing the occasional photo-shopped masterpiece, from photos gone astray. This year, I created a pretty nice Thanksgiving card, from a photograph that was less than perfect, and I got a couple complements on the artsy end result! And I also took a very blurry rural autumn country road scene, and turned it into an Impressionist painting! Again, with a few compliments.

The Magnolia in this post will probably be the last of the artistic disaster masters, for 2018. Well, at least I think it will be the last one, but who knows? There is always time for me to take my camera and veer off the rails again, but with a little luck, we will close out the "Oops Folder" with that pretty pink splash of late winter color! Imagine, beautiful shades of pink, against a deep blue cloudy sky! The only thing missing in the moment was New Age music, an aromatherapy machine, and a few well placed Omms.

Omm. Omm. OMM.

2018 Photo Editing Album

~Mood: Happy

~Me

October Dust Jackets In February

"Two guys, a goat and a ghost: A love story based on true events that may or may not be false.

 Who doesn't love a good goat story?"

~Jarod Kintz

This Book Is Not FOR SALE

I went out the other night to do an errand, and happened upon this scene. It's the wall of a store I frequent, that also happens to be covered in a vine, which is bright colored with autumn leaves, when it is autumn, but when it's winter, takes on a dull, deep brown/green deathly color. The tree to the right is a Liquid Amber, but under the street lamp, it appears to have a rather ghostly look and presence. It's so pale that one would expect to see a ghost sitting in it, if your imagination is anything like mine. But really, I ask you, how many ghosts sit in trees? That's not very likely is it? No, probably not. But when I finished editing this photo, I thought maybe I would see what it would look like if a ghost were to sit on one of the pale branches. I mean, maybe that is a whole untapped area of ghost fiction. Tree sitting ghosts! Just imagine. You move into a dream home, which you purchase off the Internet, of course, and everything is fine, except for the fact that the Liquid Amber tree in the front yard is HAUNTED!

Here is how the dust jacket might look...

Now, if I could just figure out why the ghost is sitting in the tree!

1. Does the ghost have a better view of something?

2. Does the ghost long for October as much as I do?

3. Does the ghost miss the color of autumn leaves, 

when all the trees look so pale?

4. Is the ghost an actual haunting, or is she a residual haunting?

5. Is it really a ghost? Or is it just a bit of wispy fog that got stuck between some branches?

6. Does the tree sitting specter scream or moan?

7. Does the ghost ever venture forth into the house?

8. Does the ghost ever stare, with it's spooky dead eyes, into the windows of the Internet house?

 

 Am I really the ghost, because of my haunting

 of my favorite trees?

As with most ghost stories, there are more questions than answers. 

 

 One more, just for fun, for the sequel.

Care to share? If you were to write a ghost story,

 based on these two dust jackets, what would the story be?

 Why is there a ghost in the trees?

 Please feel free to share your thoughts on this.

Mood: Happy But Curious

~Me :)

 

A Look Back At December 2014

"If sex were shoes I would wear you out. But I wouldn't wear you out in public."

~Jarod Kintz

December was a strange month. Both for myself, and the world at large. I did a good bit of photography, but I was mostly concentrating on the last leaves of autumn. Missing this December are all the holiday happenings, such as public decorations, and the baking of the cookies, cupcakes, and other assorted goodies. I also tend to throw in the occasional savory treats as well, but somehow the whole "Reason For The Season" was lost on me. Maybe it was all the demonstrations, and protests together with the fact that the Christmas Fantasy in Tilden Park is under new management, meant I just wasn't that into it. 

I don't know. It seemed to me, that I wasn't the only one who felt less than festive. Grouchy people were a commanding presence. But away from me the holiday season it got. Although I did manage to get all the shopping done I wanted to do, I am now looking forward to taking down the Christmas tree, and moving on to January 2015. I will try again next year, because realistically, I love the holiday season, and besides, how many more do I have coming to me? Uggg.... Enough of the whining. On to the point of this post.

Here is the usual monthly round-up of pictures taken, posted a day early, so that tomorrow, New Year's Eve, I can bring you the yearly retrospective of photos posted to Ellipsis, Flickr, and Twitter!

Enjoy!

December 2014 Gallery

It was quite a month!

Next!

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

Ginger Ale...

"It's not what you have on the outside that glitters in light, it's what you have on the inside that shines in the dark."

~Anthony Liccione

Okay, so in a mad fit of photography boredom, I decided to return to a project I began in the spring of 2013... photographing food and beverage in an exaggerated and filtered light! I began that project because I somehow managed to contract a nagging cough. According to my doctor it was one of the harshest coughs the medical world had encountered, and it would just have to run it's course. And it did... eventually... 6 1/2 weeks of hacking later it was gone! But during the time I was ill, I saw very little of the outside world, so what could I do? I picked up the camera and did some experimenting with the lighting available to me indoors. I came up with a few photos that came out to my liking, then I added in some special effects that really made the photos POP. 

I had fun with that project, and while I was thinking about it the other day, I decided revisit that project, and I began to experiment with a glass of ginger ale. I liked the dark amber color, and was surprised at how lovely the tiny beads of effervescence looked in the glass! The bubbles didn't last as long as I hoped they would, so I may do this one over at some point. We'll see. I am waiting on the delivery of a new camera, so I might redo it with new one. It has a slightly higher megapixel number, so I am counting on that to bring my photos to the next level. Photography takes a lot of concentration, some planning, but mostly luck. Sometimes I think I use up every bit of my allotted luck in life, being in the right place, at the right time, with a ready camera in my hand. That's what I get for taking my cameras everywhere I go!

                                                                                     :)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

One Photo, Two Versions...

 

"Weeds are plants too, once you get to know them."

~A.A. Milne

A little over 10 years ago, I spotted this in a yard in Berkeley. I was just out doing errands, and looking for a parking place. The parking sucks in Berkeley, but sometimes I am thankful for that irritation because you can happen upon the most interesting things on your travels around town, and your quests for a parking place.

I don't know why, but I LOVE this planter/yard ornament! The first time around the block I saw it, and it just struck a cord. The second time around the block, I got a better look, and kinda felt a weird draw to it! The third time around, I gave up, parked the car, and got my camera out. I tried to be discreet, and not make the homeowner nervous, but I knew I couldn't go home that day, without photographing it! 

I am still not sure why I find it so intriguing, but I do!

I just do!

Version #2

 What do you think?

In color or Sepia?

Mood: Creative

~Me :)

From The Drab And Dirty World...

"Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world."

~Virgil Kraft

It's been a busy month. Hopefully May will be a little less hectic, but in the meantime I am having to revisit the archives to show off pics from springtime past! But that's okay, I am finding photos that got very little attention the first time around. That's the nice thing about tip-toeing through the archives, to get a chance to reconsider your first impressions of your photos, and that always leads to learning something new about yourself and your photography process.

And Now For A Little Photoshop Fun...



I seem to be attached to the Zoom Blur filter! Well, at least when it comes to the flowers.

Shrug.

:)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Note: The next Round Robin Challenge, to be held on May 3rd, is May Flowers. Grab your cameras and join us, I know Karen would love to have your participation!

Reflection Of The Twilight Time Of Day

"Sunset is the opening music of the night."

~Mehmet Murat ildan

This will have to be another brief blog post, as I am tired and I still have a ton of things to do. This post is another view of the amazing sunset of last Thursday. Honestly, the colors in the sky that early evening just mesmerized me! I simply couldn't look away! This is a slightly earlier version of the sunset, as apparent by the muted tones. I decided this would be a nice one to do a little editing magic with. I am pretty happy with the end result!

Muted Twilight Reflection...




Both versions bring about very different feelings for me. Very different memories. I like when I pull some distant memory from a newly taken photo. I am constantly learning from my photography. It is what keeps my mind free of cobwebs, and useless chatter. Photography allows me to really experience my life, and the world I would have missed otherwise.

A Little Night Music...



Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Never Leave Home Without Your Camera!

"Life is a blank canvas, and you need to throw all the paint on it you can."

~Danny Kaye

Is a blurry photograph an artistic misstep? Is the moment you had just been trying to capture, forever lost in some unfocused haze? 10 years ago I would have said YES! It is gone, and there is no use crying over spilled flash bulbs! Tee Hee! Remember flash bulbs? Anyway, what I have learned during that decade is that while there are most certainly rules about 3rds and making sure you put some thought into the conditions you will be shooting in, but probably the most important rule is to always... always... always have your camera with you! My goodness, I have learned a lot about that! I have missed some amazing opportunities, and I have my memories to remind me about those missed opportunities, and how much it hurts to know I let all those moments get away! I am older, and wiser now, so needless to say,  I have at least one camera on me every time I leave the house!

The camera I have with me most often is my small red Kodak, which is a 16 megapixel, with a 5x optical zoom. I just upgraded my cellphone, but I still carry my little HTC Aria with me, as it had a decent camera on it, and I can't bring myself to pack it away! As good as that cell phone camera is, my new HTC VIVID is magnificent! But those are just the little pocket cameras, I also have a Konica Minolta, and a Fuji Finepix which has 14 megapixals and an 18x optical zoom. They are all excellent cameras, but the Fuji does give me trouble from time to time with the focus. It has a great zoom, but it's not always as clear as I would like. It produces a lot of noise, but under the right lighting conditions, it can't be beat!

Last week, I had my trusty Kodak with me, because there was a storm coming through the Bay Area, and I knew that if I got the chance to capture some of the light play going on with the gorgeous colors in the clouds in the late afternoon, I could count on my Kodak! Well, the light began to fade fast, but I just had to try and get just a glimpse of the sky. As hard as I tried, I couldn't quite accomplish a photo that was crystal clear. But I liked the pictures anyway, so I decided to put my photo editing tools to work, and applied different textures to the photo, finally deciding to go with the "flower" texture option. I liked the end result. Take a look at the side by side, and tell me what you think!





So tell me, which one do you think is more pleasing to the eye? Original, or textured? Or maybe you hate both! How do you feel about less than perfect photos, do you always delete blurry images, or do you try to save the photo through editing? Tell me everything!

Mood: Content

~Me :)

EMPS #100: Fun With Editing

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

-Walt Disney

Now does that look like a face you would see on a "Wanted" poster?

How about this one...



Nah... they are way to sweet! That's my boys! See, isn't it fun to enhance a photo once in a while?

If you haven't played along yet with the current assignment, you have until 9:00 PM tonight to submit your assignment. If you can't join us for assignment #100, no worries, there will be a new assignment posted tomorrow. You can get all the info here. Hope to see you!


-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #100: Fun With Editing!

"Photography is truth."

-Jean-luc Godard











EMPS #100: FUN WITH EDITING! NOW CLOSED!
It doesn't get more simple then this. Showcase one of your favorite photos, using a photo editing program. Add frames, or thought bubbles. Anything goes! Just have FUN WITH EDITING!

Extra Credit: Add a caption to your photo!

**PLEASE READ**
This Monday Photo Shoot assignment closes next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET. Please submit your entries by that time by uploading your photo to your blog, journal or website, and then comeback here with the link that goes back to your entry. The link you leave must be to an entry which is specific to this week's assignment. A general link to your site will not work, and HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Also, please include a link in your entry to this photos shoot assignment so that other folks can find us and participate with us. The more the merrier... right? ;)

Linking List for EMPS #99: Cemeteries 07/19/2010

NOW CLOSED!

1. Jama

2. Freda

3. Greg

4. Hip Chick

5. Duane

6. Carly, Hey... that's me! :)

7. Sandy

8. Karen (Submitted Via Email) Entry One and Entry Two

Note: I did my fun edited photo through a website called Photofunia.

See you next week with an all new EMPS assignment!

-Carly