Transformed

Playing around with a photo I took tonight.

The original:

Wowza, that's quite magenta.... In reality, the flower is a deep purple, which is probably the most difficult color for a digital camera to render well. I just liked the spikey center.

So, playing around in Lightroom, I applied the Bleach Bypass preset:

I prefer the pink and shades of brown to the bright magenta.

Finally, for Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday, I added her simplicity texture, multiply blending mode at 75% opacity:



Which version do you like the best?

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Bits and Pieces of Me

It's the end of January which means it's time for the {in the picture} link up with Christy, aka Urban Muser.

I've taken at least one selfie each week in January:






It's not too late to join in - just go here on Urban Muser's blog for the details.

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Something Old, Something New to Scavenge

Just when I thought I didn't have the photos for this week's photo scavenger hunt, I got a little creative and I dug into my archive.

Here's a doughy smile:

I made Chinese Dumplings today and arranged a rope of wrapper dough into a smile.

Stand Alone:

Caesar, our horse, standing in the cross ties at the stable.

Rusty or Something Old:

The scroll of my violin - it is an antique French violin, made by Amati Mangenot around 1930.

Artificial:

I went into my archives for this one - some silk flowers I have in my office at work.

Repeating Pattern:

A belated good luck symbol for Chinese New Year. Taken with the Fisheye attachment of the Olloclip on my iPhone. Chinese New Year was about a week ago, but we're still celebrating a little here with traditional Chinese food.

I had a fun time finding this week's items - next week's items: Strike a Pose, Footwear, Hobby, Shiny and Color Me Green.

I hope you have a fabulous Sunday evening!

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P365+1 Week 4 - Cats, Horses and Camera Toys

With my knee injury, using my iPhone for my daily photo has been a blessing. I can no longer carry my purse with the DSLR in it - the purse is too heavy and I am worried I would drop it.

I spent last weekend confined to the house, but I still found interesting things to take pictures of [mainly because I was bored out of my mind!].

Saturday morning was super cold and windy, but the sun was shining and the cats basked in its warmth.


I stayed home from church on Sunday and Hannah woke early to peer out the dining room window.


Monday - I had the MRI on my knee and Erica got her braces off, but she wouldn't let me take her picture. Teenagers! Instead, Sam hung out with me, trying to vie for my attention.


Tuesday - I went back to work at the office and got the official word from the doctor's office that I have a torn ACL in my left knee. I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon in late February - a long three weeks away - that was the earliest appointment they had! After work, I took the kids to have passport photos taken. I waited until Erica had her braces off because I thought she would appreciate having a non metallic smile for these photos. So much for that plan.....


Wednesday - Look what came in the mail! This is what happens when I'm laid up with a bum knee - I start shopping....

A vintage Kodak Brownie camera. It's in great condition and I plan to buy 120mm film and try it out.

Thursday - A visit to the stable to see Caesar. Because of my knee, I am unable to go into the stable area - the ground is too uneven and today it was super muddy due to heavy rains that passed through the area. I'm relegated to the car and I got some reading done. I'm reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.


Friday - yet more camera toys (I told you I spent too much time online shopping)

The Olloclip attaches to the iPhone and comes with three lenses - macro, wide angle and fisheye.

Here is the first macro shot I took:

The stitching details on Caesar's bridle. We were again at the stable, I was again stuck in the car.

In the stable, Erica took this picture of Caesar with his winter blanket:

Since Caesar's winter coat doesn't come in as thick around his upper body, we bought a blanket for him to wear when the temps dip below 20 degF. We think he looks quite formal with his wrap.

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The Brownie Hawkeye

I blame my knee injury for this, but truthfully, I've had my eye on a film camera for at least a year, ever since my workplace auctioned off a vintage Canon AE1 SLR camera they found in a back room closet. I placed a bid on that camera, but didn't win.

After that, I've gone to eBay, scrolling through the endless collection of vintage SLRs and box cameras, bid on several, seemed to lose every auction. I thought I wanted a 35mm film camera, but started reading up on medium format cameras and decided it would be something different for me to play around with. After all, isn't that what this thing called photography is all about - trying new things.

I did some research and found a great site that outlines the ins and outs of the Kodak Brownie Hawkeye and decided that would the camera to buy. Because what good is a camera if you don't know how to use it?

OK, they are super cute to photograph:


It came with the original box and user manual.


The camera is in mint condition - I don't think it has ever been used. It is an earlier model, as evidenced by the metal winding knob. It doesn't support an external flash, so it was made between 1949 and 1951. It's probably the oldest thing we own now!

Now to buy some 120mm film. Not that I think it will produce Hasselblad like images, but it will be fun to experiment with.

Linked to This or That Thursday:

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Through the Looking Glass

This is what happens when I'm out of commission and not able to go outside with my camera.

I'm finding different ways to shoot things outside from the inside:



My neighbor's backyard, taken through a drinking glass. I was drinking a big glass of water when I noticed how the bottom of the glass distorted the window in front of me, like a fisheye lens.


See the bent lines? Those are part of the windows, normally straight. Hey, I'm always on the lookout for weird things like this!

Changing subjects - my knee injury - first of all, thank you for all the well wishes. I found out today that I have a torn ACL (the Anterior Cruciate Ligament). Truthfully, this is the diagnosis that I expected and while it's certainly not something I wished for, I know it is treatable through surgery and I am confident I'll recover. So no marathon for me this year, but I won't let this stop me from trying in 2013.

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Lessons Learned

Since injuring my knee on Wednesday, I've learned several things:

• Crutches look easy to use, but in reality there is nothing "natural" about sticking these contraptions under your arms, planting them and swinging your feet forward.
• Crutches do get easier to use with time. The problem is thinking you have mastered them. That's when you could wipe out. Fortunately, no first hand experience here!
• Stairs are quite frightful when you have a bum knee and are using crutches. I understand why ranch houses are popular for folks with knee issues.
• There are a myriad of ways to maneuver up the stairs when you are on crutches. My son has determined at least 5 different variations and has demonstrated them all to me. I've stuck with his first one - if it works, there's no reason to risk falling down the stairs trying something else.
• Crutches can serve as pretend guns. Just ask my son.
• You can't carry anything when on crutches. I am thankful for pockets.
• Heavy doors are impossible to open when on crutches. I am thankful for those automatic doors and people who hold open the manual doors.

I have a new appreciation for folks who have permanent mobility challenges - you really take those basic things for granted.

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