Friday, April 29, 2011

Doorway Cat

This black and white cat seemed destined to become part of a black and white photograph.

Cat cropped His habit is to sit in the doorway of one of our farm buildings.  Perhaps he feels he is standing guard over the three litters of baby kittens currently being tended there by their mothers.  Ah, the joys of springtime…..

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Lowly Violet

Dependable, predictable, common as can be…..

Violet ……rather undesired and certainly uninvited,

the lowly violet returns to the lawn each spring. 

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Fragility

I like the delicate character of these daffodil petals.

daffodil dry brush

However, and sometimes sadly, one reality of life is that the usual companion trait of delicate is, naturally, fragile.  Not very long after this daffodil was photographed in relatively pristine condition, wind and rain transformed its appearance to grimy and limp. 

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Lilac Buds

A hint of future blossoms…..

Lilac buds …..though at present barely resembling what they will become.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Crocus Screen

Am still in want of new flower blossoms to photograph.

crocus cropped stained glass

Thus, I’m reusing this crocus which was surgically separated from its twin via the modern wonder of photo cropping.  Following that procedure, I felt compelled to distort the lone bloom with a PS effect entitled “stained glass”, which comes suspiciously close to resembling something called a window screen.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Orange Milkweed

Stolen from one of my earlier blogposts…..

orange milkweed facet

…..this photo of a butterfly milkweed. 

This plant does not grow wild around here; I purchased it a few years ago to add some bright orange color to my perennial garden.  “Facet” effect was applied to the photo.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Daffy Dilly

“Daffy down dilly has come up to town

In a yellow petticoat and a white gown”

daffodil paint daubs

If you are familiar with that Mother Goose rhyme, you will realize it should read, “green gown”.  

I’m blogging this nicely opened bloom from a couple years ago because this spring’s weather has left my daffodils in a sadly bedraggled state. “Paint daubs” added to the photo.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Droopy Daffodils

daffodil cropped sandstone texture 

This photo was taken last evening after a day that included intermittent showers of rain, ice, and snow.  Can’t say that I blame these daffodils for their droopy demeanor.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Phlox

Here’s a bouquet of prairie phlox…..

phlox water paper …..with the “water paper” effect applied.

Yesterday, while composing this blogpost, I sat next to a window which framed an outdoor scene influenced by the “drab, cloudy sky” effect, compliments of an apparently unimaginative Mother Nature.  It looked as though some raindrops might soon be added, though an application of sunshine would have been preferable.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Milkweed Buds

milkweed paint daubs burlap 3D

First, “paint daubs” were flung at this photo, then a burlap texture applied.  Also, a 3D effect on the buds in the center, though I’m not sure if that is noticeable. 

Friday, April 15, 2011

Milkweed Variation

milkweed offset Just for fun I clicked the “pinch” and “offset” effects for this milkweed photo.  There was nothing else to do yesterday, anyway---a very strong, chilly wind kept me from venturing outdoors except for calf chores.  The day before that had been so nice and warm, providing a chance to do some needed raking and other yardwork.  Ah, well, contrasting weather moods in early spring are to be expected.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Detour

Taking a detour from the flower photos…..

 railroad inkoutline

……down a lonely railroad track.

A couple years ago, on a day in late autumn, I happened to be driving around right after a brief snow shower occurred.  I spied this scene and just had to take a picture of it.  “Ink outline” effect applied. 

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Darker Crocus

dark crocus cropped ocean ripple A few crocus in this darker shade of lavender are blooming right now.  These two managed to remain upright despite the recent blustery weather.  I used “ocean ripple” effect in an attempt to hide the flaws, so you could see the pretty color.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Crocus Encore

Back not by popular demand but simply because I have no other photos to work with at this time:

crocus paint daubs with wide dark brushThe “paint daubs with a wide dark brush” effect was used.  I had hoped to take more crocus photos, but gusty winds the past couple of days have wreaked havoc with the delicate blossoms.  They are damaged beyond even the healing abilities of Photoshop.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Lilies

lilies cropped multiple effects

This photo was given a multitude of effects---too many for me to remember. 

Friday, April 8, 2011

Phlox Edges

Here’s a couple more PS glances at the phlox photo from earlier this week:

Phlox find edges The above effect is called “find edges” and obviously that’s what it does.  Below is the “glowing edge” effect:

phlox glowing edges

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Crocus

At last…..

DSC_0009

……a fresh and untouched-up spring photo from the outdoors. 

These crocus blooms kindly decided to survive the wind and pets long enough to be captured on camera.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Gray Kitty

gray fluff kitty smudge stick

The effect is called “smudge stick” and it took me awhile to find a photo it looked okay on.  Actually, I don’t even know what a smudge stick is.  Guess I should google it and find out.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Differing Phlox

A PS effect called “difference clouds”, applied to a photo of wild phlox:

Phlox difference clouds Was about to hit the delete button, but then changed my mind.  The blades of grass look like mauve ribbons woven in and out amongst the phlox blossoms.  The original photo looks like this:

IMG_5065

Monday, April 4, 2011

Off Set

Remember long ago in the old days when TV screens did this:

profile photo offsetYeah, how well I remember that.  As the picture flickered and rolled, we’d impatiently fiddle with the vertical hold button until stability returned.  The photo has PS “offset” effect applied.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Zinnia

A zinnia, accented and ink outlined…..

marigold accented ink outline

…..flaws and all.  The flowers in my garden tend to quickly become beat up and tattered by wind, bugs, cats and dogs.