RISING STAR

"Rising Star" (3-10-10 10034v5) troubles me even as I like it a lot. But at least only one aspect is a bother: that separating into almost equal halves of light and dark. What's strange, though, is it doesn't bother me at all when I view it in MS Picture Manager and Photoshop, but jumps out at me only when viewed here in blogger. Not only scale but what surrounds a pic really do make a big difference in how I perceive some pix. An issue I've noted here before and for which I doubt there's any solution. Except not to share those pix for which I find the difference troubling, as with "Rising Star." But clearly I still like this pic enough to post it anyway. Also, I'm tired. I've been at this computer for hours and still have more work I want to get done. So, "Rising Star" gets posted, trailing doubt behind it.

NOTE: In most browsers you can click on a photo to view a larger version. There are many more photos posted here than show at any given time in this left-hand column. See the Archives listing (below Previous Posts) in the right hand column. And here’s the link if you wish to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog.

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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,

[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”) ****

SOLSTICE CELEBRATION

Not mad about "Solstice Celebration" (2-19-10 19951ev5c), nor any of its close relations crowding the folder that I morphed this morning from the same very old photo. But since I'm so compulsive about posting something every day and the time I've allotted for computer work today is almost over, I had to make a choice. And this pic it is. It won out over other versions because of the variety of bright colors. They cheer me just to look at them. Other versions are more subtle, less "in your face," and I may be more drawn to them some other day.

NOTE: In most browsers you can click on a photo to view a larger version. There are many more photos posted here than show at any given time in this left-hand column. See the Archives listing (below Previous Posts) in the right hand column. And here’s the link if you wish to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog.

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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,





[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”) ****

CHRISTMAS TREE

"Christmas Tree" (12-23-14 012v5) is a new pic, just fudged with this morning. In addition to it being of fern leaves, I like that sort of wood cut print effect.  That's the result of layering and reversing and re-layering many different filters. Took lots of work to get the colors the way I wanted them to, also.  Once I'd even settled on the basic colors, that is.  There are many other versions (both in style and color) of this one on my computer. Ferns, more than almost anything else I like to photograph, tend to inspire numerous renditions of a pic.

NOTE: In most browsers you can click on a photo to view a larger version. There are many more photos posted here than show at any given time in this left-hand column. See the Archives listing (below Previous Posts) in the right hand column. And here’s the link if you wish to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog.

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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,

[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”) ****

DIPPING A TOE IN

"Dipping A Toe In" (12-23-14 001v3) is another brand new photo. I've taken and posted similar shots. I so enjoy watching the various changes that stag horn plant goes through. I'm pretty sure, too, that the next time I go by there it will be tied so that its branches don't brush the ground (that's happened before). That's fine, also. (It has even disappeared from that doorway for a time, and that's not fine by me. :-D) And I delight in the various sorts of shadows cast in this area by the staircase and the way the light changes on that wall. This may be only the second shot of this area in which I've managed to successfully include the staircase, the wall, and the plant. Guess I caught the daylight at just the right time. And maybe taking it standing in a different place than I have before also helped. BTW, I "cooled" the colors a wee bit, as until I did it could have been a summer photo. Not that that's a bad thing. It's just that here we are on top of Christmas.

And that leads me to: HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS! A BLESSED YULE! A JOYFUL KWANZA!

NOTE: In most browsers you can click on a photo to view a larger version. There are many more photos posted here than show at any given time in this left-hand column. See the Archives listing (below Previous Posts) in the right hand column. And here’s the link if you wish to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog.

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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,

[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”) ****

ALL ROADS LEAD TO OMPHALOS

Omigosh! I'm still surprised and tickled at this one ("All Roads Lead to Omphalos" 12-23-14 008). First, because it was a total throw away shot. I was sitting out on this balcony this morning that overlooks the pool. The sun was so bright I could barely keep my eyes open, especially with it glaring off the pool surface. When I stood to leave (the sun was getting too hot for my pale skin) I noticed those interesting shadows on the cement. Of course, in such bright light I wasn't going to attempt a pic. Then I remembered all the photographers I've seen shading their lenses with their cupped hands. Hm, what the heck. I've tried shading the object I'm photographing in too bright light, but not my camera lens. At least I'd see if lens shading can work with a compact digital. I couldn't even see my view screen in that light to compose the shot so had to make my best guess, while carefully cupping my hand around the side of the lens hit by the sun. I also had the camera already set on "backlight" which I've found works sometimes in bright day light. Well, it seems the combination of setting and hand shading worked! I'd expected a totally burned out shot and got a better shot than I often get in decent light. And the second surprise? I hadn't noticed that central "belly button" on the cement wall when taking the pic. It sent me into gales of laughter when I saw in on my screen, resulting in the title. This result in bright light may be a fluke, unreplicable. But it was a delightful surprise when it showed on my computer screen today given all the difficulties and disatisfactions I've been running into recently with taking pix.

NOTE: In most browsers you can click on a photo to view a larger version. There are many more photos posted here than show at any given time in this left-hand column. See the Archives listing (below Previous Posts) in the right hand column. And here’s the link if you wish to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog.

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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,





[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”) ****

A LITTLE SLICE OF PARADISE

"A Little Slice of Paradise" (12-20-14 004v2) is a very new pic, just cropped a wee bit this morning. I've taken many shots standing in the same place (waiting for the elevator). But each comes out different, of course, depending on weather, time of day, season, etc. Others I've taken here I would consider to be better pix. That left hand wall stands out a bit much in this one. But without the walls that globe lamp takes over visually. However, I was pleased that the warmth of the light that day shows in this crop of the photo, distracting left hand wall or not. BTW, the Santa Barbara area is sometimes referred to as paradise. And the day I took this pic and others I most certainly agreed.

NOTE: In most browsers you can click on a photo to view a larger version. There are many more photos posted here than show at any given time in this left-hand column. See the Archives listing (below Previous Posts) in the right hand column. And here’s the link if you wish to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog.

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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,

[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”) ****

WINTER SUNSET

"Winter Sunset" (1-19-11 10437v3a) is from a very old photo, but just morphed today. I was thinking about today being winter solstice and feeling rather grateful. As that means that daylight time will be slowly increasing from now on. What a relief for this S.A.D. sufferer to know that in a matter of weeks I'll begin to feel the difference. As to this pic, I've begun using the photo filter function in Photoshop quite a bit. In a range from subtle to dramatic it colors a photo whichever shade you choose. The results can vary greatly given the original colors of the pic and their intensities. I had to try many different ranges and shades to get the ones seen here, with adjustment of color curves interspersed. I wanted a vague hint of the coral that sunsets here have, but for it to be mostly wintery in tone.

NOTE: In most browsers you can click on a photo to view a larger version. There are many more photos posted here than show at any given time in this left-hand column. See the Archives listing (below Previous Posts) in the right hand column. And here’s the link if you wish to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog.

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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,

[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”) ****