Right out side my door

Bonus photo

For better if worse (and I'm leaning towards worse) the go to camera for me and probably many people is the phone. I almost always have mine with me and pull it out more to take pictures than to make phone calls.

I say worse because even though camera phones have come a long way they are still a long way away from the quality of a decent DSLR. When I take a picture like this and think that might be nice to have a print of the quality just isn't there. It will look food on this blog, instagram, FB or tumblr. I will be posting this pix to all those sites but I still wish I had taken it with my "real camera". Even though the DSLRs are getting smaller they are still big compared to the ever shrinking cell/smart phone and digital point-and-shoot.

Some of this might be my laziness or insecurities after all this plant is right out front of my house. I could have done back out with my Nikon and taken a picture in the time it has taken me to write this. But whenever people see a big camera with detachable lens they think you are a professional or in the press... so I don't like the stares.

Alright I'm going to get my camera and take that picture... oh wait, no... Uh I'm burning dinner gotta go cook.

Ridges

New and Dead

 

This lavender growing in the front door finally bloomed.

The jaw bone is connected to.... nothing. This turtle body is sitting in a grassy area in the middle of our parking lot. I am assuming one of my neighbors pulled it out of the lake and is hoping the sun bakes of the last remaining bits and pieces of the turtle. And what the sun doesn't get maybe the ravens will. We do have a hawk that does some fishing in the lake but I doubt it dropped it here. Strange sight in the middle of the parking lot.

Deceased

Spring Rain

These plants and rain drops create such great textures. 

 

We have recently hung a swing on the back porch for our son. So I am spending more time out there.

Just lightening what is needed

More on the birthday photos I took of my wife and son. I posted on May 11th two versions of a print I was working on. I found a couple tutorials on how to make a photo look lkie a painting. I found that the image was getting too dark and I was having to go back and try to lighten the image.

For this one I duplicate the background layer, as stated in the tutorial (and my May 11th post), then I made a levels adjustment layer and lightened the image considerably. Then I merged the duplicated background layer and the levels adjustment layer and changed its mode to soft light. Doing it this way I was only lightening the targeted layer instead of everything.
While I was waiting for Laura to get to come out I took this shot.

I like all the flowing lines.