Violin and Music

I love music, I love listening to music and I love to create music.

I don't always like performing for others. Because there's that self imposed stress that accompanies the desire for perfection. I know it holds be back from trying things that are hard, things I don't like. But I take lessons, I practice and I force myself in front of an audience. And when the performance is over, I feel satisfied that I've done a good job.

Last Saturday I performed the first movement of Mendelssohn's violin concerto, Opus 64. It's a piece I wouldn't have chosen to play, but it challenged me and I'm glad I did.



Process using Pioneer Woman's Soft and Faded Action.

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SOOC Saturday - Underneath the Parasols - Wynn Las Vegas

Really, it's the bottom side of one of the many parasols at the Parasol Up - Parasol Down Lounge at the Wynn in Las Vegas.



The entire ceiling is decorated with beautiful upside down parasols that twirl. It's an amazing space to enjoy a drink.

I found it hard to get a decently composed shot of the parasols - there are so many of them and I didn't have much time to spend finding the perfect spot to shoot them without being bumped by someone with a drink.

While the above capture is SOOC, these next ones are not - I used the Pioneer Woman's Soft and Faded Action.

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A Little Boost and Clone

Can you guess where I was this weekend?

SOOC version:


The edited version:


I thought the SOOC was flat, so I ran The Pioneer Woman's Boost Action. I'm finding it does wonders for most photos.
Then I removed the two power lines across the bottom right corner by creating a duplicate layer and cloning out the power lines.
All modifications performed in PhotoShop Elements 6. Maybe one of these days I'll upgrade to a newer version of PSE, but for now, it serves all my purposes.

I'm linking to Paper Heart Camera and their Touch Up Tuesday. We'll just forget it is Wednesday. I'm running several days behind due to the weekend trip and all....

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Don't Look Now - Inside My Window

Puna at Life Signatures has started a fun photo challenge - Don't Look Now - What's Outside Your Window.

And since I'm really bad about following instructions, I took a picture of what's Inside my Window.

OK,in reality, the first picture I took from my office window was awful - the dirty window looks out to a brick wall and the entrance to my workplace - a chemical plant. Not pretty at all.

I thought this was a little nicer:


I used PW Woman's Soft and Faded Action for PSE, added on a linen texture and removed the texture from the orchid blooms.

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Next Stop - Manarola, The Cinque Terre

The Lover's Lane drops you off in Manarola, the sister village to Riomaggiore. I can't get enough of the colorful Italian buildings, built into the rocky shoreline.



Interesting doors in the village, including this one, complete with a bottle of wine hanging from the downspout!

I used the Pioneer Woman's Soft and Faded Action

The next leg of the hike is purported to be the easiest section of the lower trail, leading to the middle village of Corniglia.

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The View When Stopped in Traffic

Summertime, and the inevitable road construction.
What? No orange cones or road work signs? That's because they are off to the right, and I chose to look out to my left to take some pictures. Because I was completely stopped.





I might have to take the local highway instead of the Interstate Highway tomorrow. Then again, I might get caught behind a big combine then....

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The Front Porch

My neighbor's porch. They deck it out for each holiday, all year round, so it's not a surprise they have the flags out.



Processed using PW's Soft and Faded action with a texture.

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Vintage

Too tired for words today. I hope you enjoy.





Processed with The Pioneer Woman's Actions for PSE, Soft and Faded.
Added a Viewfinder Texture, from ShadowHouse Creations.

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Early Hydrangeas

I think they are early this year, but maybe they were late last year. I remember taking pictures of the first hydrangea blooms in July with my newly acquired D300. Here they are this year, a month early.


Processed using Pioneer Woman's Faded Action

One SOOC:

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Out of the Sea of Purple

A couple more from last night.



A faded treatment (PW's Soft and Faded Action) -

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Flare Two Ways

Beautiful spring days means plentiful sunshine in the afternoon, perfect for some lens flare.

Most of the flowering trees have faded, but my hawthorne tree has just started.

I boosted the color here using The Pioneer Woman's Boost and Lovely and Ethereal actions.

Another variation - using the Faded Action


I couldn't decide which one I like more, so you get both of them today!

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Post Rain Sky and PW Actions for PSE

First, today's capture - the sky after a long day of cold, rain and wind. I knew it would be fantastic when I saw the sky clearing through a wall of clouds. Right at sunset, too.



Finally, The Pioneer Woman, with the help of Rita from CoffeShop and Erin from Texas Chicks, released the PSE compatible versions of The Pioneer Woman Actions. I downloaded and installed both sets of actions this afternoon and played around with a couple of the conversions.

Original:

Vintage Action applied:


Original:

70s Action applied:


I really liked the two effects above, along with the "Heartland" action.

If you are a PSE User and always felt "left out", now is your chance to download these fun actions and have some fun playing around with your photos.

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