A bit more entertainment

Yesterday was a good day to be out with the camera and today is good for staying indoors to play with the images. This seat at the top of Rosedale Chimney bank is one of my favourite places. The views and the peace of the place are just wonderful.

Chimney Seat

Same day out but a bit further towards the sea. This is taken above Glaisdale dale. Some excellent weather for it. We're so lucky to be surrounded by all this.

Upper Glaisdale

And of course there are sheep up here too - luckily they don't all look this fierce:

Ewe Turned

And this one is a bit of a play around with the kitchen at Lacock Abbey and a goth or two with some interesting effects.

The Sisterhood

Wiltshire and around

We had an excellent break based in Devizes. I had a few days to myself while Viv was at summer school, so be prepared for some strange images over the next few months. Here's the first:

Fishers of Men

Bits of Stonehenge with a dummy from the Bath Museum of Fashion and a salmon netter from Sandsend. And then there's this one:

Moonlighting

Well, not really but it's fun - stairs at Old Wardour Castle, with a bit of jiggerypokery and an added goth.

This one was caused by a mistake:

Unhenged

I used an unplanned blending mode during the processing of the stitched images which resulted in this strange colour balance, but one I'm quite happy with.

Summer's here

It took a while, but it seems that summer's arrived. We're melting and complaining about the heat - isn't that just typical?
The evening primroses are giving a wonderful display and now that the eucalyptus is recovering from its trauma the garden is looking pretty good. The cystus is quite spectacular and the peonies are coming on beautifully. All in all it's been a pretty good year for the garden.

There's been a bit of playing with Photoshop and plug ins to get this image - macro on an alstromera with an added marble bust with flood filter and ripples.

I've just completed the PSA advanced course, which was really good - it's made me work through a history of photography book which I should have done years ago and I've learned a bit along the way. Now I can get back to photography for the sake of the art again.

Life's pretty good just now!!

Spring's arrived

It's been a while coming, but it looks as though it's here at last!!. Here are a few shots I've taken to celebrate:



I've played with these croci just a little, but it's good to see them


These Catkins are a straight shot using a macro lens. Taken in Sneaton forest.


And so are these snowdrops.

We're getting busy in the garden now, so not enough time for playing with cameras - there never is!!, but there's been some fun with old images and new treatments. What do you think of these?:


Redfield Fractalius filtering in Black and White mode, with Eye Candy torn paper edges.

And so's this. We saw him in Kenya in 2002, but he's a good subject.


This has had different blending modes. It's all good fun don't you think? See some more soon!!

Back Again

It's about time I put something more on here. So here are a couple I've been playing with.

Whitby West Pier at Sunset

This one has had some melting and latticework on the gulls. All with some masking and blending to suit. Quite like this effect.

Whitby War of the Worlds

This leaves Dracula standing!! I've played about with all sorts of effects on here - can you tell? The fire was from the heather burning (and some from Eye Candy). The lightning was from Xenofex 2 and the sky had a gradient map applied. The Esk Belle hasn't really sunk (I don't think). Just a bit of fun.

A bit of catch up

It's time for a bit of catchup. It's been yonks (at least one and a half) since I posted anything, so here goes:

I've now collected my bus pass and prescriptions come free, so maybe at last I'm just a Happy Old Fart!!
I completed the PSA Photography course and I'm looking forward to doing the advanced course later this year.
In the meantime, here are some of the images I've used in the PSA Creative Discussion Groups. Hope you find them entertaining:

Rainbow Pier

Playing with grids, selective colour balance, exposure compensation, gradients and variable brightness. An attempt at area definition. Just for the enjoyment.

War of the Wolds

Moors below Goathland with some of my old cameras on the Gorillapod and added moon.
Also a bit of playing with selective colour balance and gradients.

It all happened in Yorkshire - never mind London or Boston!!

Midnight Express

Lots of playing with steam at Grosmont.
Filters and colour balance have changed the image considerably

Musicroom in Lightroom

Obviously a composite of Whitby, plus one of my guitars and silhouettes of me on the bass and another guitar. Lots of filters and warping - All good fun