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

This month's PSA group pic

Over Baked

It started with a fire on the moors:



The scanned foil mask was added next:


Add the eyes and blend to the fire:

'Half Baked'

Give it some glow:

'Over Baked'

Still here and doing a bit

Doesn't time fly? Things have moved on a bit since the last post. I've shown the AV at the camera club, but really it was a waste of time - I didn't have enough images of the locals or club members, so it really wasn't a starter. Still I enjoyed making it and others seem to think it was amusing. Here's the last frame:


Anyway, we've moved on from there and now I'm concentrating on the PSA, where the photography course is helping me, along with a couple of discussion groups. There seems to be more of a willingness to explore and share things creative with them, which has disappeared at the camera club. I think I've taken the camera club as far as I can, so life moves on. And I'm enjoying the change.

Back again

It's been a while since I added anything, so here's something to be going on with:



This has been played with a bit, but the seagulls were already there. I put the lights on and added the clouds.


Shooting into the sun is a bit challenging, but worth it. I used bracketing with HDR to bring out the highlights and details in the darker areas. Whitby's a good place to be.

Back to printing

Not much done with photography for a couple of days. Blame it on the weather. At least we're getting odds and ends done outside - today's been sealing of the picnic table, ready for a new coat of paint (maybe tomorrow.

Yesterday and today are for creating print profiles before I get into my next playing session. I've still got quite a few papers to profile, from the Focus on Imaging exhibition, then I'm going to try painting / drawing on the printed images - just to see what can be done and how it looks.
Watch this space.

Monochrome Group Project

The camera club project was to produce 10 prints on a single theme, displayed together in any format, so I made a book, using the laminator and different types of paper, to provide me with a reference document. They were bound together using a Zutter binder.

Obviously you won't be able to feel the texture or see the different print effects of the papares, but the images may entertain.

Conte Cook

Conte Crayon and Sandstone texture seemed to be a good idea. I took this while waiting for the moonrise (I was an hour too early, or the moon was an hour late!!)

Late Booking

Still waiting for the moonrise, but the sunset was good too. I liked the lines of lights.

West Pier Sunset

Another sunset on another day, using a very wide lens and texturiser to bring out the sky and water textures

Wy Knot

Just a straight shot, taken for the reflections - it likes a high gloss paper.

Mary's Moon

This is what I'd been waiting for - believe it or not, it's a straight shot, using HDR

Easter Foam

Taken last year on a typical bank holiday, when you could hardly stand in the Northerly wind, never mind take a photograph. The sea had been whipped into foam - it was a good day when we got back home!!

Tate Hill Pier

Days when the clouds are like this have to be grabbed. I used HDR to bring out the textures and detail.

Chieftain Reflections

Traced and threshold were used. I really like this one.

East Side Warped
OK, so I played with this quite a lot - the abbey was added (from a different perpective) and so was the seagull. They've all been traced and blended and then warped ever so slightly. It had to have a tint, but it's still monochrome.

West Side Panorama

This panorama was made by stitching five images. The original was in colour and I used a tracing technique with a threshold layer. I think it works well in monochrome too.

Reflections In Wet Sand

This won the KCC creative trophy in 2007

High Tide at Sandsend

A bit of jiggery pokery to raise the sea level
(sorry it washed out Whitby!!)

Dandelion Clock

Macro HDR and selective colour were used to produce this