Texture

Today, I decided to try something I had never done before:  Adding texture to a photo.  I'm living on the edge!  Haha.  I have seen some beautiful photos with very unique textures, and wanted to try the technique.  However, this is not something I would want to use all the time because I do love photos with limited editing (cropping and contrast, for example). 

First, I found a simple texture on TextureKing to download for free and save on my computer as a JPEG file.

Then, I chose a photo already saved on my computer to try this new technique.

I used Photoshop Elements to decrease the texture saturation and increase contrast.  I clicked and dragged the texture over the dogwood bloom photo and decreased the opacity.  Drum roll, please... 

I enjoyed learning about this new technique and will continue practicing.  I would appreciate any tips and tricks you can give on adding textures to photos.

Safari in the City

Sunday, my husband and I visited the Louisville Zoo.  It was a fun way to spend the afternoon, and it was a great opportunity to photograph animals I don't see in everyday life.  We saw animals from Africa, South America, and North America, including lions, tigers, and bears...Oh My!  I was pleased with the photos I took, especially considering some were taken through dirty glass walls or cages.


f/5.6; 1/250 sec.; ISO-1000; 200mm

f/5; 1/3200 sec.; ISO-3200; 100 mm

 f/5.6; 1/200 sec.; ISO-100; 116 mm

f/5.6;  1/250 sec.; ISO-6400; 250 mm

After we walked through the zoo, we stopped by a small butterfly garden beside the parking lots.  I spotted one butterfly.

I hope you enjoyed the brief online safari. 

Patience is a Virtue

Sometimes, it takes time and patience to get a good shot.  I stood outside for at least thirty minutes to capture a few good shots of hummingbirds.  The photo above is my favorite.  My camera was on the Auto setting, and there was still enough sunlight outside to prevent the flash to pop up.  During the editing process, I cropped the photo, increased contrast and midtones, and added a vignette.  You can also view this photo on my Flickr photostream.

Next Project

I came across this fun way to capture interesting photographs on Beyond the Campfire blog.  It's very simple.  Sit in one spot for a while and take pictures of the small things you normally would not take a picture of.  I can't wait to try this and blog about my experience. 

Rebel on the Road

When you are bored on a road trip, get your camera out!

I used different special effect settings in the camera that I applied after I snapped a photo.

Birthday Rebel

July is full of important dates for me.  First, there is the anniversary for when my husband and I started dating, my sister's birthday, my birthday, and my wedding anniversary.  It sure makes remembering dates easy.  My husband, Scott, decided to get me one, big gift for my birthday and one year wedding anniversary.  He let me pick it out.  This is what I chose:

I decided on the Canon EOS Rebel T3i, which has only been out a few months.  My parents have a couple of Canon DSLR cameras that I had used before, one being a T1i, which has very similar features.  Some upgrades from older models include more megapixels (18.0) and a wider ISO range (6400).  So far, I love this camera, and I have been very busy filling up my 8GB memory card.

The photos above were taken with my Canon Powershot G9 camera using the macro setting.  This is also a great camera and an excellent companion to my new DSLR camera.

This photo was shot with the T3i using the AV setting and 6400 ISO.

New Blogger

I never thought I could get into blogging, but my mom recently created her own blog JanMade and it seemed fun.  I love photography, so that will be the main theme of my blog.  I created the collage found in the header of my blog in Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 using some of my favorite travel, pet, and floral photographs.  I am self-taught and hope to not only share my photos with others, but also learn new things about this great hobby.

The first photo I'd like to share is one of my sister's birthday cake.  She turned 20 yesterday.  I turn 23 today!  We celebrated our birthdays this past weekend.  The cake, made by my mom, looks great and it tastes even better!  Hungry yet?