SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.....3-25-2012

Wow....it's Sunday again. It is so much fun hunting for photos for this challenge each week. I hope you will consider joining the group with Ashley. Check out some of the other entries... This week the prompts are Whimsy, Create, Dust, Seed or Sprout, and Swing or Drop.

1.  Whimsy - A very whimsical, 10 foot tall metal dragon I spotted for sale outside a nearby shop. Now, to some he may look scary, but I thought he was quite whimsical.

2.  Create - my favorite thing to do...whether it's photography, decorating, crafts, etc. This is a photo of a necklace pendant I created with beads and wire. It was an idea that I put together for a Craft Club that I belong to. We all come up with ideas and bring them to our spring banquet, where we vote for the ones we want to make for the upcoming year.

3.  Dust - The little horse was running around his pen kicking up dust... I can't get enough of these little guys!! I could photograph them all day.

4.  Seed or Sprout - The sprouts on an Argentine Giant cactus. Soon they will be flowering...I'll make sure I take a photo.

5.  Swing or Drop - We were driving into the mountains looking for photo opportunities and came across this man shoeing his horse.  I took this photo of him swinging his hammer.  By the look of the bandages on his fingers, it looks like maybe he dropped the hammer at some point??

Beyond Layers - {Color Week -Rainbow}

The last photo of the Beyond Layers course Color Week.....Today is rainbow colors.
"Machine Art"... This is a photo I took at the Scottsdale Art Festival, two weeks ago. The artist, Carl Zachmann from Fergus Falls, MN created very cool art using old metal and gears. Check him out at www.carlzachmann.com

Beyond Layers - {Color Week -Red}

Beyond Layers - {Color Week -Blue}

Day 4 of Color Week in the Beyond Layers course... My eye caught the color and pattern of the neon lights at the Blue Martini entrance... a fun place to visit. I added one of Kim Klassen's textures "inspiredmagic".

Beyond Layers - {Color Week - Pink}

Beyond Layers course... today is Wednesday and the color is pink. I took this photo of a pink vintage bicycle hanging above the entrance to the English Rose Tea Room in Carefree, AZ. I added two layers of Kim Klassen's "andThenSome" texture.

Beyond Layers - {Color Week - Yellow}

Day two of Beyond Layers Color Week...Tuesday we are taking photos of yellow things. In ACR I adjusted the exposure slightly and contrast. In Photoshop, the only other modification was a Levels Adjustment Layer.

Or a softer look, with Kim's "waterstained" texture...

Beyond Layers - {Day 19 ~ A Week Colour - Green}

In the Beyond Layers course, this week is Color Week.  We are looking for a particular color each day.  Monday is Green.  I was able to take this photo today while driving out into the mountains in Arizona, looking for photo opportunities. I added 2 texture layers, Kim Klassen's "Thursday" & "Ugglove".

Beyond Layers - {Day 18 - Beautiful B&W}

The lesson was about learning to see in Black & White and then converting a color image to B&W using one of the suggested techniques and adding some texture layers, wording, etc.  I converted this image in Adobe Camera Raw and then added a levels adjustment layer, 2 layers of Kim Klassen's Awaken texture, with another levels adjustment layer. 

I was drawn to this young gal I spotted at an art festival I attended..... laying in the sun, listening to a live concert, texting on her phone.

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.....3/18/12

Another fun week of photographing... This week's Scavenger Hunt Sunday items: Vintage, Word or Quote, Nature's Own, People and Photographer's Choice.  I'm back in Arizona for some sunshine shots...

1.  Vintage - We went to an art show and I came across this cute little gal. She looked adorable in her colorful little dress and handmade paper hat ...looking like she might belong in an old-time photograph. You are always told "Don't be afraid to ask someone to take their photograph". So I stepped out of my comfort zone and did... her mom said "sure". I got some cute shots.  I processed the photo using the vintage technique outlined on Ashley's Tutorial Tuesday and I also added an action: Once Upon a Time "Storybook Vintage".

2.  Word or Quote - I found this photo opportunity while out on a hike today.

 3.  Nature's Own - So many choices...Isn't Nature beautiful? Here is a spine on an agave...Nature's Own Defense for the plant.

4.  People - Another shot from the Art Festival we went to last weekend. I thought this lady was so interesting and looked so special all dressed up to go out to the festival.

5. Photographer's Choice - I had to use a photo that I took a few weeks ago, of my 1 year old grandson. He is ready for baseball season...mark my words, this kid is going to be a little athlete. Processed with Coffee House Macchiato action.

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.....3-11-2012

Another busy week...traveled to Las Vegas for 2 nights.  What a wild place...fun to visit, awesome spot for photographs.  I didn't even bet a quarter, just had fun exploring with my camera.  This week the Scavenger Hunt Sunday items are Water, Light, Chocolate, Animal and Crowded.

1.  Water - I had to photograph the water show in front of the Bellagio Casino.

2.  Light - Everywhere you look....in Vegas. The strip in lights seemed too ordinary, so the second shot is the lights while moving my camera.

3.  Chocolate - I wanted to take a photo of  something other than the expected...the chocolate desserts, or the chocolate covered strawberries, so I decided to photograph the "Chocolate Love Story" ceiling that caught my eye.  It was a chocolate shop that specialized in every kind of chocolate item you could imagine.

 4.  Animal - I took some photos of the animal statues in Las Vegas, but I had to go with the beautiful horse and baby, where I could have stayed for hours taking photographs.

5.  Crowded - The streets were crowded, the buses were crowded, the casinos were crowded....that's Las Vegas. But we had a great time amid the hustle bustle.  This photo was taken downtown on Fremont Street...everybody was watching the Light Show.

I added a texture layer (Canvasback) from Kim Klassen's Cafe.

Beyond Layers {Day 16 ~ 'Just a Whisper'}

In the Beyond Layers, a year of art full inspiration course, Day 16's theme is  ~ 'Just a Whisper'. This is a photo I took this week while we were visiting Las Vegas. Amidst the glitz and the lights, I concentrated on finding opportunities to photograph the little items of beauty, like this staircase. I love architecture and pattern, so this caught my eye...and seemed to whisper to me.

I added a 50% gray Smart Filter layer with a Lens Flare, added two levels adjustment layers, used 2 of Kim Klassen's textures - Flourish (screen blending mode, 41% opacity)  & the Veil (soft light blending mode, 24% opacity).

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.....3-4-2012

A busy week spending some time with my family, going to an Indiana University basketball game and traveling to Arizona.  I guess my photos reflect the events of the week.  Scavenger Hunt Sunday items this week: Routine, Music, Technology, Show Me Your Style and Mismatch

1.  Routine - I came across a ranch in Arizona where several foal were outside playing in the pen.  Their routine seemed to be hiding behind their mothers.  Here is one peeking out from behind mother's tail.

2.  Music - Technology changes in the music world, too...today vs. the past.

 The band at the Indiana University basketball game playing the fight song. IU beat 5th ranked Michigan State!!

3. Technology - I mentioned to my techy-guru son that I needed a photo using the theme "technology", so he pulled out his latest and greatest ultra thin (.65 in. thick) laptops. I decided to layer today's computers with an antique typewriter photo that I took last week, using layer blending mode "difference". Wow, technology sure has changed over the years!!!

4.  Show Me Your Style - my daughter always dresses in style!!

5.  Mismatch - One more shot from the Indiana/Michigan State game.  I love the shadow...  The final score of this mismatched game was IU 70 - Michigan State 55. Go Hoosiers!!