Blogging From the Mountain

I created a specialized Halloween self-portrait this year. With no make-up and an unflattering style for my hair, I asked my hubby to take my photograph. I almost ran screaming from the computer screen the first time I saw it! And that was before I used Photoshop to make it look even worse.

Using tools in Photoshop, I pulled the corners of my mouth down and arched my eye brows upward in a menacing way. I added lots of wrinkles - gasp! - or should I say, added more wrinkles. I widened my nose. Then started playing around in Photoshop to add "effects".

Was that tiny gust of wind that went over my arms? Are there shadows moving over there? When I saw the final result, I shivered and darted a quick look over my shoulder!

After I printed the image, I gathered the supplies.

1 framed mirror - (only $1 from the Dollar Tree)
2 sets of Halloween stickers ($1 each on sale at Michael's craft store)
1 can of oven cleaner spray
1 pair of disposable plastic gloves

I took the cardboard backing off the mirror and placed the printed image face down on the back of the mirror. Then traced with a thin-line sharpie around the photo so that I would know the exact spot to spray the oven cleaner.

I sprayed the oven cleaner on the back of the mirror and used my gloved finger to spread it around, staying within the traced lines.

Then I went off and did something else and came back about 20 minutes later. I put my gloves back on and wiped the oven cleaner off. Well, nothing happened! It didn't take the silvering off. Drat! (That's my favorite four-letter word.)

Next I used a butter knife to scrape back and forth on the back side of the mirror, but staying within the marked image lines. I was careful not to scrape too hard and actually make scratches on the glass. Then I sprayed oven cleaner again.

After 20 more minutes, I put back on the gloves and again wiped the oven cleaner off the back of the mirror. Waa-laa! The mirror silvering came away, leaving the knife scraped edges. I loved the way it looked!

Using blue painter's tape, I taped the photo into the clear opening and then replaced the cardboard backing. Now it was time to embellish the front side of the mirror with the Halloween stickers.

Portrait complete! I put it on the table in our foyer and for more Halloween effect, added a bowl of candy and some of my granddaughter's Halloween goodies.

Here's my Halloween Fright portrait!

It's okay. You can gasp and scream!

Double-click on the images to see a larger view.

Click here to see an even more frightening close-up of the final result.

Please comment below. I would love to hear from you. It's alright, I know I look a fright!

Free Texture Downloads - Website Links

2010-06-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

There are a number of excellent websites where you can find free texture dowloads for use in your photographs, artwork, designs, for your desktop, etc. The links below will take you to a few of my favorite textures sites.

You can download and use any of these free textures, but please keep in mind that you are NOT allowed to sell, redistribute, or modify these textures to claim them as your own. Doing that would be uncool.

www.urbandirty.com
Note: Post credit to http://www.urbandirty.com/

DesignShard Stained Paper Textures
http://www.designshard.com/freebies/10-free-original-hi-res-fully-stained-paper-textures/

Texture Lovers
http://www.texturelovers.com/

Free Stock Textures
www.FreeStockTextures.com

Love Textures
http://www.lovetextures.com/

Seamless Textures
http://www.seamlesstextures.net/
Note: Cannot be used in scrapbooking.

Gracey’s Free 3-D Textures
http://free-3d-textures.com/textures.html

DesignShard Concrete Textures
http://www.designshard.com/freebies/15-free-original-hi-res-concrete-textures/

CGTextures
www.cgtextures.com

Mayang's Free Textures
http://www.mayang.com/textures/
NOTE: Limit of 20 free downloads per day

Texture King
http://www.textureking.com/

Dreamstime Textures
http://www.imageafter.com/textures.php

Buy any onOne Software Plug-in for $99.95

2010-06-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

THIS DEAL EXPIRED ON JUNE 30, 2010.

I just found a great deal at the OnOne Software web site. Their individual plug-ins for Photoshop are selling at the upgrade price! The prices are slashed for one week only, with up to $200 off regular prices. But you have to act fast - it expires on June 30, 2010.

Click here for onOne Software Photoshop Plug-Ins for $99.95 each!

From the site: For one week only, you can buy any individual onOne plug-in for Photoshop at the upgrade price of only $99.95—even if you don't own any onOne product. That's our lowest price ever and a savings of up to $200 off regular prices! All onOne plug-ins now work with Photoshop CS5, CS4, CS3 and CS2.

Hurry, Offer Expires June 30, 2010.

Genuine Fractals 6 (for enlarging images) Now $99.95 Was $299.95
PhotoTools 2.5 (photographic effects) Now $99.95 Was $259.95

PhotoFrame 4.5 (edge and framing effects) Now $99.95 Was $259.95
FocalPoint 2 (Selective Focus) Now $99.95 Was $159.95

PhotoTune 3 (color correction) Now $99.95 Was $159.95
MaskPro 4 (background removal) Now $99.95 Was $159.95

Click here for onOne software sale web page

Win A Florabella Collection Set of Actions

2010-05-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

I Heart Faces has a giveaway by Florabella. Shana Rae is a talented photographer and the creator of the Florabella Collection, which includes florals, textures, and actions.

To enter, visit the I Heart Face website, follow the entry instructions, and you will be eligible to win a set of beautiful Florabella actions.

The grand prize winner will win two sets of textures and ALL 5 sets of the Florabella Spring Actions (Set I and Set II) including Vintage, Color & Haze, and B/W ($267 value) These are compatible with all versions of Photoshop, PS Elements, PSP, etc.

Three more winners will win two sets (Set I and Set II) of Florabella Spring Actions ($98 value)

Giveaway on Saturday, May 22, 2010 - four winners in all!

PS Dichanos: A shortcut to get there!

2010-05-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

Didchano? There are countless shortcuts in Photoshop! Well, maybe not countless. I'm sure someone at Adobe has counted them. Not me, though. I haven't even tried.

I use many keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop, but one of my top favorites is the shortcut to make your brushes smaller or larger. Yes, you can change the size numerically in the brush menu at the top of your PS screen. But the keyboard shortcut is fast and accurate!

Look on your keyboard to the right of "P". Use the left bracket key " [ " to make your brush smaller. Just keep pressing it until it is small enough to suit your needs.

Larger brush sizes can be obtained by pressing the right bracket key " ] " repeatedly until it is large enough.

In a hurry? Hold down the bracket keys and they will resize super fast!

You can use the bracket keys to resize when you are using any of your brush-style tools: Dodge, Smudge, Eraser, Clone, Brush, Spot Healing, Zoom, or Quick Selection.

Don't take the long way around unless you have all day. Use the shortcut and get there faster!

[Southern Slang Translation: "Didchano?" is actually "Did you know?" The "you" sounds like "ya". The "Did" and "ya" are slurred together in that slow southern twang that comes out sounding like "Did-cha". Add the sound of "no" and you have "Did-cha-no?"]

PS Didchanos: Copy That Style!

2010-05-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

A "Photoshop Didchano" for those inquiring minds. You just spent more time than you care to think about working on one layer to perfect your blend modes, layer styles, and opacity. Now you want to do the same thing to another layer. Do you have to reinvent the wheel? NOT!

Click on the layer where you just applied all those cool styles, blend modes, and/or opacities.
Now that the layer is highlighted, right click on it.
In the pop-up choose “Copy Layer Style”.
Now select the new layer(s) where you want to share the same styles, blend modes, and/or opacity settings.
Right click on the highlighted layers.
In the pop-up choose “Paste Layer Styles”.

Waa-laa! Done!

[Southern Slang Translation: "Didchano?" is actually "Did you know?" The "you" sounds like "ya". The "Did" and "ya" are slurred together in that slow southern twang that comes out sounding like "Did-cha". Add the sound of "no" and you have "Did-cha-no?" ]

Visitors Since May 12, 2010:

Photography Seminars

2010-04-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

Most of the seminars are reasonably priced at $99. If you are a NAPP member, then the prices goes down to $79. I've already attended three Kelby seminars and have registered for the next one in late May. You get your money's worth and more from these seminars!

Check out this link to find a photography workshop near you!

Match Strike Effect

2010-04-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

Just watched a video tutorial on the Planet Photoshop website on how to create a match strike effect in Photoshop.

Link to the video tutorial for the match strike effect

Make a Clever Lens Cap Keeper

2010-04-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, you could just go out and buy a $2 lens cap keeper but it wouldn't be nearly as cool as this one that you can make in a matter of minutes.

I wouldn't recommend using your brand name (i.e. Canon, Nikon) lens cap cover since there is drilling involved. I'm using an inexpensive non-brand cap cover for my first attempt.

I found this on photojo.com where you can sign up for email updates for cool ideas like this one.

Photographing Rocks

2009-05-31T15:23:00.000-07:00

"The world is going to pieces and people like Adams and Weston are photographing rocks!" -Henri Cartier-Bresson (during the 1930's)

At the height of the great economic depression, photographers Ansel Adams and Edward Weston were taking photographs of the west and southwest United States. Both were criticized by French photograher Cartier-Bresson and others for not including humans and their sufferings in their images. Both ignored the criticisms of the day and produced phenomenal images that will be admired for generations to come.

Weston and Adams did indeed photograph rocks, producing legendary landscape scenes, even when others deemed it an unworthy subject. With a life of commitment to their medium, these two men stayed true to their own photograhic passions.

Even if your photographic style is not the most popular of the day, don't give up on what you love and believe in...

Patricia’s Ponderings

Fifty Free Grunge Brushes

2009-03-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

While looking for some brushes for a project I'm working on, I came across a site called brusheezy.com where KeReNR has fifty (50) free grunge brushes for download. So if you are using Photoshop or Elements, this is a nice set of free brushes for your grunge work.

Download Page for 50 Free Grunge Brushes

While testing to see if the brush set was working, in less than a minute I made this simple grunge background.

Turn Your Handwriting into a Personal Font

2009-03-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

There is a website that will convert your own handwriting into a font. So instead of choosing Arial or Helvetica for that next document, use your own handwriting!

The site will take a scanned sample of your handwriting and change it into a handwriting font that you can use with your word processor or graphics program.

Some other uses for the font advertised on the site are:

Add a personal touch to your letters and documents
Use your handwriting for scrapbooking or journaling.
Keep a permanent record of your children's handwriting.

In my photography work, this would be useful to add a signature to images for a personal touch or as a watermark or copyright stamp.

If you think this is something that might be useful, you can buy your own handwriting font for $9.00 on Fontifier. com.

Patricia

Copyright Stamp Custom Brush

2009-03-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

After a recent photo shoot, I needed to add my copyright stamp to each image. There were approximately 45 images so I needed a quick way to add the stamp to each one. I created a custom brush and then one simple click added the copyright stamp to each image.
I always recommend printing these instructions so that you can have them next to the keyboard. It makes it easier to follow along.
Instructions Using Photoshop

Open a new blank screen with a transparent background.
Click "D" to set the foreground color to black
Click on the Type Tool (or press "T")
Choose an appropriate Font with a large sizeI made mine fairly large, almost covering the background horizontally.
Click on the Brush Tool (or press "B")
In the top menu, click on "Edit" and choose "Define Brush"
In the dialog box, name your brush, and click "OK".
Now the brush is saved in your Brush Presents and available at any point in the future

That's it. You have just created a custom brush for your custom copyright stamp. Now let's put it to use!

How to Use the Brush

Open an image.
Click on the Brush Tool (B)
Scroll to the bottom and find the custom brush you just created.
Place your cursor on the image where you want the copyright stamp to appear.
Click once. You should see your stamp on the image.
If you don't like the placement, press Ctrl-Z (Undo) and start over.
If you need to place the stamp on a dark background, then press "D" to change the foreground color to white. Click once in the dark area and your custom stamp should appear in white.

Free Image Collage Software

2009-03-01T10:41:00.000-08:00

Shape Collage 2.1 is a great little image collage program that is fun to use.

The program is free for personal use. However, if you are planning to sell an image collage using the program, you must make a donation. That's what I did.

Download it now!

The computer saavy will have no trouble using this program but if you aren't used to working in collage programs, here are some simple instructions that you can print out to follow when using the program:

- In top menu bar, select File, then Add Photos
- Using the pop-out dialog box, browse to a location on your computer to select multiple images

- In the far left column of the program screen, use the + Plus or – Minus signs at the bottom to add or delete more images

- In the far right column, choose preset shapes or select a letter from the alphabet. You can also draw your own shape.
-You can also adjust collage/photo size, number of photos and photo spacing.

- When you are finished making adjustment, go to the center column and press the Preview button to make sure you are happy with the arrangement.
- When you are ready, press the Create button and save the collage to a location on your computer.

Shape Collage 2.1

-Patricia Montgomery
Bucks Mountain Galleries

Journey into the World of Digital Infrared

2009-02-26T10:56:00.000-08:00

When I first started out shooting infrared, I did not do the research and there were blunders along the way. Perhaps reading about my journey will keep you from making the same mistakes.

In early 2008 I impulsively bought an infrared R72 filter for my Canon 30D digital camera, screwed the filter on the lens, and started shooting. Each and every one of the resulting images were black. Solid black! When the infrared R72 filter did not work, I was shocked and couldn’t figure out what was going on.

It was now time to research the art of infrared photography, something I should have done before I made the filter purchase! Browsing online sites and reading books on the subject, I found that the newer digital cameras, like mine, have a built-in infrared blocking filter that would not let in the infrared light!

However, these internal filters are not entirely foolproof and a bit of infrared light does leak through. So with the R72 filter over the lens, one can capture these escaping wavelengths. But the long, long exposure time does require a tripod and shutter release cable using the bulb feature. This took all the fun out of shooting infrared.

Soon I was on a mission to find an older digital camera, made before internal infrared blocking filters became standard in digital cameras. The Minolta Dimage7 came out in 2001 and at 5 megapixels, it was touted to have numerous advanced features that up until that time had only been found on professional cameras. But fast forward seven years to 2008 and it was no longer the highest megapixel camera on the market. However, in my situation it was the most economical option for use of the infrared R72 filter.

I waited in anticipation for the Minolta Dimage to arrive and soon realized that one stumbling block was still firmly in place. With the R72 filter attached, the scene in the viewfinder was still very dark. So dark that often the Minolta could not find an automatic focusing point. And with my aging eyesight, I could not manually focus either. A major drawback was that I had to remove the filter to compose the shot and then replace the filter very carefully to take the shot.

More often than not, in replacing the filter on the lens, I would accidentally move the lens and lose the focus point. This was such an issue that I stopped removing the filter to compose the shot.

Lost in a viewfinder that was too dark, it became a hit-or-a-miss situation where I did not know what I had just shot until the images were downloaded to my computer. It probably would not have been a problem for the young photographer's eyes, but it was definitely an issue for mine.

Totally addicted to infrared despite the halting starts and stops, I knew my journey into infrared had only begun. More research revealed that there are companies, such as LifePixel, that will convert a newer digital camera to infrared. An expensive procedure, it also results in a camera that is solely an infrared camera and no longer shoots normal digital images. Consequently, this is not something one would get done to to their main digital camera. An infrared-converted camera should be a second camera unless, of course, the photographer only shoots in infrared.

Since I did not have a spare camera for the conversion, I began to search online. The cost of a good used digital camera combined with the cost of the infrared conversion was outside my budget. With persistent searching over the course of several months, I finally found one for a reasonable price that had already been converted. Gripping a used Canon 20D camera that already had the infrared conversion, I gazed through the viewfinder. It was awesome! The scene was in sharp, bright living color! Composing the shot was now easy. Focusing the shot was a no-brainer for the auto-focus mechanism and very easy for me in the manual mode. See the scene, shoot in infrared!

The resulting images in the LCD monitor, however, are not color. They have a strong red hue and look nothing like those surreal black and white photos one usually sees. Infrared usually will also need post processing work using an image editing program, such as Photoshop, to achieve optimum results.

First image as seen in the viewfinder.

Second image after processing in Photoshop CS2.

There is the option of setting a custom white balance in the camera menu by taking a shot of green grass or leaves and then using this setting as the custom white balance. This will result in less red and more mid-tones and whites. My own editing choice is to skip setting a custom white balance and open the dark red image in Photoshop. It challenges my creativity to work on the image and watch it slowly morph into something otherwordly. My favorite subject is a landscape that is transformed from blue skies to deep black skies and the green landscape has exploded into bright white foliage.

Shooting infrared has opened up limitless possibilities in my own creative love affair with photography. I carry both cameras on all shoots and often take the same shot with both of them. Excitement always builds at the end of the day as the computer screen reveals the results.

Infrared shots are always a surprise since infrared rays are invisible to the naked eye. The amount of infrared in the atmosphere changes from hour-to-hour and day-to-day. Some days will produce only mediocre images. And then on another day, when least expected, there are ethereal results. A scene or object that one might pass up with their regular digital camera might just generate the perfect infrared shot. The mundane scenes often will create the best infrared shots.

My journey though the world of infrared migrates from living color to red to the otherwordly. I have only just begun and there is exciting anticipation of what can be brought to light in the surreal world of red!

-Patricia Montgomery

Bucks Mountain Galleries

Infrared Gallery One

Infrared Gallery Two

Friends are...

2009-02-13T15:25:00.000-08:00

Our relatives are a part of the package called family. From birth to death, family members fill our lives and our hearts with a special love.

Edna Buchanan said, Friends are the family you choose for yourself.

Some friends are with us from the moment we meet them until the end. Yet others pass through for only a season. Whether short or long, the time we spend with friends is a bonus in life!

Hang on!

2009-02-13T15:21:00.000-08:00

Whether you are adrift in a sea of discontent or storm-tossed by the turbulent winds of life, simply hang on tight. One certainty in life is that there will be change. There is always calm after the storm.

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.

If we remain childlike, that rope with the knot can become a thing of joy. While you are hanging on, Swing!

The artist is...

2009-02-13T14:33:00.000-08:00

Emile Zola once said, The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without the work.

Compose the shot. Press the shutter!

The lazy artist produces nothing and their talent soon becomes a barren wasteland.