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Thursday, November 4, 2010

Old Photos Made New

I LOVE old photographs! I love the graininess and the muted colors. I especially love these old photos because these are some of my favorite people in my family. I simply scanned these images into my computer and then used some post-processing to make them really pop!

Grandma in 1961 (her picture hangs in my sewing/crafting room as a source of inspiration)

Grandpa in 1948 (when I tell him that he was handsome he says, "Well, I still am!" He's the cutest old man I know!)

Grandpa & Grandma's Wedding (we have the same anniversary: June 3! They were married 40 years before us, but it's so neat to share their day!)

Great-Grandpa--taken in 1918 (my favorite memory of him is his little butter mint candies he had in his room at the nursing home...oh, and his pipe...oh, and his giant magnifying glass so he could read!)

Grandpa with Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma (this was taken in 1946)

And here are a few that were just too grainy for me to edit or I just chose to not edit them. I'm sure more experienced people could edit the grainy ones, but I just left them!

My Grandpa

Great-Grandma

Other set of Great Grandparents (Wedding picture of 1931)



Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Whale Watching

Back in September, my sister took me on a Whale Watching excursion for my birthday! The irony is that we didn't see a single whale, but we saw a plethora of dolphins, seal, and Southern California smog (which we like to call "the marine layer"). It was so relaxing to be out on the boat just soaking up the beauty of the ocean. It's amazing how beautifully clear and blue the water is once you get a few miles away from shore! Here are some of my favorite shots...I took 614 so don't think this process was easy!



Wednesday, August 25, 2010

This Little Piggy...

Who knew a pet pig would be so cute?! When my friend, Summer, bought a miniature pot belly pig I'll admit I wasn't convinced that it was actually going to be cute. But, as soon as I saw this pig I was hooked! I mean, who doesn't love a pig named Bacon?! I knew I had to set up a photo shoot for him so I could capture his cutes features. I think this was a real success. We had three major locations, all of which were quaint and interesting downtown areas. And I kid you not when I say this pig was stopping traffic. You wouldn't believe the amount of people who pulled over only to ask, "Is that a pig?" and, "Can I take a picture of him?" It was hilarious! People who didn't pull over did a triple take to verify their eyes weren't fooling them, and when we were in a crowded area hoards of people were coming up to pet him! Bacon was a huge hit! It was a great day! Here are a few of my favorite shots. Check back soon to see a photo slideshow...as soon as I can get my husband to help! :)





Friday, August 13, 2010

Snakes!

I really hate snakes, but these were just too cool! I loved the bulky bulbs in the overhang and how the coloring of snakes matched the coloring of the bulbs. This is one of my favorite photos I've ever taken. Happy photo-ing!

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 55mm
-ISO: 1600
-Shutter speed: 1/10s
-Aperture: f/5.6
Thursday, August 12, 2010

Monkeys

These monkey/apes were too cute to pass up. I love the contrast between the brown/tan monkey up front and the black/gray monkey in the background coupled with the blurred ride on top. I think this shot is framed well and the black sky provides the perfect backdrop for the pops of color you see here.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 55mm
-ISO: 1600
-Shutter speed: 1/10s
-Aperture: f/5.6
Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Spinning Wheel of Death x2

Now, I don't know if i would have gotten on this as a kid. I like big and fast roller coasters, not freaky spinning circles that make me...well...you know...I did, however, really enjoy capturing the blurred lights thanks to the shutter speed! I also changed the coloring to include more cyan and red than what was originally in the photo.

Death Wheel One
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 55mm
-ISO: 1600
-Shutter speed: 1/3 s
-Aperture: f/5.6

For this shot, I amped up the blue and magenta colors to create a totally different visual effect. Also, I used the same slow shutter speed but captured the shot when the wheel had stopped spinning so as to create only minimal blur. Fun!
Death Wheel Two
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 55mm
-ISO: 1600
-Shutter speed: 1/3s
-Aperture: f/5.6
Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Ferris Wheel

This was definitely one of my favorite rides as a child, even though it doesn't go very fast! For this photo, I really wanted to make the colors bold and gritty; I wanted a lot of noise in the photo. I amped up the gamma settings to really draw out the blacks in the photo and I think I achieved the perfect balance of blaring light and deep darkness.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 42mm
-ISO: 1600
-Shutter speed: 1/200s
-Aperture: f/5.0
Monday, August 9, 2010

Merry-Go-Round

As a child, I never really got a thrill out of this ride. I preferred the bigger, faster rides. But, as an adult I appreciate the beauty in Merry-Go-Rounds. No, this isn't the most beautiful painted horse you'll ever see--I'd love to find a fair with pristine painted horses--but the colors were stunning. I amped up the contrast, vibrance, and saturation, cropped off the ugly metal fence, and called it a day. I think it came out pretty good!

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 55mm
-ISO: 1600
-Shutter speed: 1/200s
-Aperture: f/5.6


Sunday, August 8, 2010

An Interesting Effect

As I continue to play around with Photoshop, I'm finding out more and more that this program is endless. I decided to distort a picture and add some funky texture to it only to find the "Stained Glass Window" effect. I wouldn't use this on very many photos, but it sure does achieve an interesting effect on this one. Maybe it should have been part of "Random, yet Interesting"? As always, click on the photo to enlarge. Happy photo-ing!

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, Ca
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 18mm
-ISO: 1600
-Shutter speed: 1/200s
-Aperture: f/7.1

Carnival Fun

I think I said I would do Nature next, but I have so many of those photos (and they're my favorite to do) that I don't think the series would ever end! This series, though, does have a stopping point; just 7 pictures make up this series and I have to put them up before summer vacation is over! My husband and I went to a little street carnival one evening when I had just gotten my camera and I was able to start practicing. I don't think these shots are as good as some of the previous ones I've shared on this site, but you get the point! Night shots are tough--especially when there are moving images involved! It's something I'm still not great at, but practice makes perfect so practice I will!
Saturday, August 7, 2010

Music

Singing in a choir is another one of my passions. I got to be a part of the church choir this summer and am really looking forward to being in it come September. We put on a huge American musical for 4th of July and I found it to be a really great opportunity to reflect on both God's sovereignty in our nation and on the sacrifices men and women have made for our country. These three pieces of music feature words that really speak volumes about this country.

Music One
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Edited in Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 33mm
-ISO: 400
-Shutter speed: 1/60s
-Aperture: f/4.5

Music Two
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Edited in Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 47mm
-ISO: 400
-Shutter speed: 1/40s
-Aperture: f/5.6

Music Three (My Favorite)
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 47mm
-ISO: 400
-Shutter speed: 1/160s
-Aperture: f/5.6


Friday, August 6, 2010

Books

Again, this photo was entered in that Americana photo contest I told you about. I'm an English major so reading is something I actually do for fun...and I do lots of it! The Americana theme of the contest inspired me to find a collection of some great American literature I've read over the years. I loved the effect I created in which I made the entire photo black and white and the colored back in the red. Photoshop rocks!

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 36mm
-ISO: 400
-Shutter speed: 1/200s
-Aperture: f/4.5

I didn't enter this next photo in the Americana photo contest, but I had a blast capturing the shot. I wanted the photo to feel heavy and dark to stand out against the lightness of the shot above. I kept these books on the bookshelf and purposely took the photo in a dark room so as to let the flash do it's thang. I think I was pretty successful; I really enjoy this photo.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 30mm
-ISO: 400
-Shutter speed: 1/40 s
-Aperture: f/4.5
Thursday, August 5, 2010

White Picket Fence

Growing up I always heard that the American dream was enclosed by a white picket fence. I never really thought I'd live in a house that had a white picket fence, but it is kind of fun having one! I love the contrast in this photo--which I achieved in Photoshop--and the odd spots of focus. Normally, I would focus up close or far away, but I tried focusing in the middle this time and achieved a neat effect.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 49mm
-ISO: 400
-Shutter speed: 1/1000s
-Aperture: f/5.6
Wednesday, August 4, 2010

B&W

I love me some black and white! Yes, the flag is still in the shot, but you can see that the focus is really on the fence. I loved the shadowing and the muted white tone of the fence; sometimes black and whites have a huge contrast between the shades, but this one seems very fluid.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Edited in Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 41mm
-ISO: 200
-Shutter speed: 1/500s
-Aperture: f/5.0
Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Flag Four

Essentially the same shot as yesterday, but for this one I really muted the colors in Photoshop while the one yesterday featured intense saturation, vibrance, and contrast. I love the bokeh in the background (the blurred parts) and the dark shadowing up front. This shot was taken right after the shot from yesterday but it achieves a totally different effect on the viewer.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Edited in Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 29mm
-ISO: 200
-Shutter speed: 1/200s
-Aperture: f/4.5
Monday, August 2, 2010

Flag Three

When we moved into our new house that was built in 1910 we knew we wanted to preserve the character and really draw attention to its presence in the history of the town. An American flag was, for us, the first step to achieving this. I entered a contest for Americana photography and this was one of my entries. In fact, nearly all of the photos in this Americana series were entries in the contest.

Flag Three
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Edited in Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 29mm
-ISO: 200
-Shutter speed: 1/125 s
-Aperture: f/4.5
Sunday, August 1, 2010

The Flag...of course!

I can't begin Americana without first showing you some shots of the American flag. I love the crispness and the clarity of this first photo. I also really enjoy the criss-cross pattern that the stripes made in the front flag. Finding a perfect shot took--literally--forever! I must have taken 100 photos of flags flying in the wind. I wish both flags would have been unfurled and flying, but it just wasn't my lucky day!

Flag One
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Edited in Photoshop CS4
Location: Upland, CA
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 48mm
-ISO: 400
-Shutter speed: 1/320s
-Aperture: f/5.6

Flag Two
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Edited in Photoshop CS4
Location: Isn't it obvious? Upland! :)
Photo specs:
-Focal length: 33mm
-ISO: 200
-Shutter speed: 1/400s
-Aperture: f/5.6

About Me

Photography by {michelle|kay}
I'm new to photography and Photoshop, but I'm totally in love. Yeah, yeah, I love my husband and all, but my Canon and CS4--wow! Who knew that shooting photos could be so exciting. I love finding that perfect shot and find myself framing things in my mind wherever I go. My inspiration: Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."
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