Then comes the snow...and ice!

I have really has cabin fever lately, so I shot some of the nasty weather that we have been having over the past few days.  I found a little tutorial on How to Make Snow in Photoshop, so I decide to try it.  This is what I came up with. Pretty nifty if I say so myself.  I would prefer to do something like this rather than to stand out in the freezing cold to try and get this effect. I actually tinkered with this so many times that I think that I have it down now. Of course, there are several different ways to achieve this look, but I decided to go with the more subtle look. If you wanted you can spend a little more time and go for a full blown blizzard. Or you can always use the  simple brush  from Brusheezy. Either way, It kept me busy during this crazy weather!

Christmas lights are up on the Square! 2013

We, and by we I mean my girlfriend and I, made it to the Fayetteville Arkansas square this year to see the lights.  This first picture below was from last year.  We were sitting in the car while it was pouring down rain and only managed to run under the awning once when it stopped for a brief moment.  The second time we made it down it was so bitter cold that one could barely move. Yes, the first picture was from my camera phone with a neat little app called Instagram, but I seemed to enjoy the outcome.  The rest of them are from this year when it was actually rather enjoyable.  So, If you are ever in the NWA or Fayetteville Arkansas area, it is really a site to see. I would really recommend just driving through and having a look.  

http://thelightsoftheozarks.com/

Fall is coming to and end...

Having lived in this area for about 3 years now, and have had some pretty brutal winters, we seemed to have skipped fall for the last few years.  This year we actually got to make the transition from summer in fall, and somehow managed to keep winter on the back burner for awhile! This is probably the last nice weekend that we will have this year so I decided to take full advantage of it. 

The picture above is rather out the ordinary for me...I does look rather off but I used a pretty cool bokeh brush I got from Brusheezy. I just needed to try something different.  Sometimes I feel the need to step away from the ordinary light, the perfect settings, and the ordinary feel. 

  



Why I became so attached to photos!

 

I would suppose that most would say that the time that they knew they wanted to be involved in the photographic process, was from the time that they first laid they eyes on their dad's Minolta.  Well, my story is a bit different.  Yes, my father had a Minolta, but it happen to be the most awkward pieces of equipment that I had ever used. It made its home in a worn brown leather bag that had an array of pockets, and several zippers that could barely hold it together. Oh, and you really can't forget  that old shoulder strap that would squeak when you walked, and almost non existent hooks that held on to the bag for dear life. 

 

Maybe it was some time in the transition from film to digital, or when the strap on the bag finally broke, or the frustration from carrying those endless amount of little black canisters that held the new rolls.  I'm sure those are good for something.

 

I can't really pinpoint an exact day, all that I can say is that it happened over a period of time.  I can distinctly remember my mother making several comments about her father never wanting to be photographed.  To this day, I only have several photos to remember what he looked like.  Oh, and might as well forget about trying to find a frame for them to go in, because I don't think it's possible.  I think that for my junior or senior birthday present my parents got my first film Pentax camera, and I'm pretty sure if I looked long enough I would find it.  I would just run just run around taking little snapshots of random things that I thought was interesting, just before I made my way to people.  I stared taking pictures of family events, birthday parties, and moments where I thought I would be able to catch the most awkward situation.  Then some time later I upgraded to a digital camera, and that might just be when this passion took hold. Of course, at that time I had no idea of the concept of photography, or what was better light,  or how to pose.  All that I knew way that I could get a really great picture, and all that I had to do was to keep erasing it until I liked it.

 

I remember sitting in my college counselor's office, being rather erratic because the only Photography 101 course only accepted about 20 people and it was full. BOOOO! So she directed me to a nearby technical school that offered a full blow degree.  After thinking about this for a period of time, I decided that I would give it a try, and then at least. I might a good a use for this old brown camera bag.  HA!

 

To make a long story short we got into the digital world, Photoshop, editing, and really began to learn how to "paint with light".  I think that the rest is history, and that it has brought me where I am today.  I suppose that it was the fascination of being able to stop a perfect moment in time, or the kind of emotion that you feel when  you look at a 10 year old photograph of yourself, and think "why would anyone wear their hair like that!" 

 

Just remember that each and everyone of us has a creative outlet.  For some it is reading, and others it might be building something, or simply spending time with friends and family, but it is that creative outlet that eventually helps us ROAR!       

 And if you are curious, I took the above 2 photos with a point-and -shoot!



 

 

 

Photo 101

I have been toying with the idea of a photo project, but I haven't decided on what this should entail.  I have read about dozens of photo projects that people try, but for the most part most of them seem out of my reach. 

There is the ever popular 365 project:  In all honesty this is a great idea, but I don not have the luxury of being able to carry a camera with me the entire day.

Then there is the 100 strangers project:  The one where you approach 100 random strangers and ask if you can take a picture with them. Not really my idea of a good time, because most of them might be co-workers, and well that's usually all I see during the day.

Then you have the A-Z project: The only problem with this is that you either cram it all in at the beginning of your day, or you scramble to get it done by the end.  (Oh, and please do share when you run into a zebra during your work day, usually when he is leaning up against the Xerox machine).

Rounding out is usually the photo that expresses some sort of emotion. (Catch me on a Monday, and I should find many sad faces)

After looking at each and every one of these I think that I will just try my own.  Something that do not tend to interrupt the flow of my day!  I will be sure to let you know how it turns out.

There did happen to be one called 52 walks, that I found very interesting.  The only thing that this consisted of was taking a small walk once a week, and photographing interesting things that you see.  This I can probably handle. 

I think that I will just conclude to find some photo project that might be rather interesting, but does not seem to be such and interruption.  Keep your eyes peeled, I post it here soon!

  

This is just a random pictures that I took several years ago during and snow storm that we had.  It was just one of those moments where I thought that it might be something different, and out of the ordinary.

What do you listen to?

 

 

Please forgive me if I seem hooked on the Golden Oldies. There really is some modern country coming down the pipeline! In high school I could never work and listen to music at the same time, but now....I can't seem to work without it! So me question is what kind of music to you listen to?

 

 

BBBQ 2014 | Fayetteville, AR

This is rather late, but I did make it to the 2013 Bikes, Blues, and BBQ this year.  This was only my second year going, but I had an absolute blast!  Here is the info for next year:

BBBQ on Facebook 

BBBQ