If it keeps rainin’, I be goin’ to need a boat. I figure if i be needin’ a boat, I be a scurvy pirate. No more long distance parrots calls fer me! No more endless days ‘o set the sails ‘n sittin’ at th’ abacus. Oh yarr, ’tis true! I be a scurvy pirate at heart.
Ok, so I had a wee help postin’ like a scurvy pirate. Check out ’tis Arrr scurvy pirate translator! If ye live in th’ burg whar it be goin’ to rain fer th’ next 5 days, ye might want to speak like a scurvy pirate too!
Rain rolled in the burg early on this Sunday morning. How do I know? Because Gracie is scared of thunder. Even little thunder rumblings. She doesn’t hunker down — she runs, pants and whines.
Good thing we tackled the yard work yesterday. Even though I missed a couple phone calls while attacking the ditch with a weedeater, it’s still a pretty good thing it’s done — rain is in the forecast for the next 4 or 5 days last I looked. I’m not sure what this day will bring for me, but the pesky neighbors are going camping. Peeking out the back door, I’m thinking they’ll need a flashlight to set the camper up even at noon today.
I’ve been packing my days with work (day shift – regular job : 2nd shift – remodeling project), but last night I did nothing but plant my butt on the couch and watch the tube. It probably had something to do with my arms feeling like jello after vibrating to the tune of a heavy weedeater in a deep ditch for too long — so long I wondered if I could get that grilled cheese sandwich from the plate to my mouth.
But here’s what I learned!
I don’t want to relocate to Panama. At first, I thought it was an awesome idea. Fabulous homes on the beach for $250k? And, the cost of living is reported to be what it was in the US in the 50’s. Then, I found that pets are required to be quarantined for months. Libby would be so pissed! She doesn’t like to even get her feet wet to pee if it’s rained — she could care less about the beach.
I’ve been asked if the formulas used on the up close and personal photo of Perry can also be applied to outdoor photos as well. The answer is yes!
Straight out of the camera —
With the same formulas applied as before —
Please keep in mind that the same processes don’t work for every photo, and that sometimes photos simply look better without effects, no matter how cool they are.
The burg’s school is one building — K through 12. One yearbook serves students from age 5 to 17 or 18 (and sometimes 19 and 20!). Why am I mentioning the yearbook you might wonder? It’s the buzz of the burg, that’s why! Don’t believe me? Check it out!
A few years back, there was an uproar over photos of students with tattoos that appeared in the yearbook. It had many parents pretty upset and even inspired one board member to suggest uniforms for all students if I remember correctly. The hits just keep on coming with this year’s publication. It contains a spread of photos taken during an organized “Day of Silence”.
Student supporters on the crothersville.net forum are saying the day was observed to stand for all students that are victims of discrimination; however, the official site for “Day of Silence” states the following:
“The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Each year the event has grown, now with hundreds of thousands of students coming together to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBT behavior. “ Notice the reference to name-calling, harassment and bullying are only referenced in the context of what is experienced insofar as anti-LGBT. (LGBT for those of you playing along at home is initialism referring collectively to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.)
I have friends that are gay. I have relatives that are gay. I don’t think more of them or less of them because of their personal sexual preferences any more than they think more or less of me because of mine. I certainly don’t want them to be called names, bullied or harassed in school or anywhere else. But that’s not the issue — at least not to me anyway.
In this yearbook, could you find a spread of photos based on a group of Bible-toting kids preaching their views against religious name-calling? No, that’s not allowed in school. How about non-white awareness day to bring attention to anti-Mexican bullying, harassment and name-calling? Nuh uh. Not in there because it didn’t happen — and wouldn’t be allowed to happen.
I just think that fair is fair. If school administrators allowed an organized “Day of Silence” to bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools, they should also allow the same opportunity (and yearbook coverage) to those discriminated against for anything and everything else — including, but not limited to religion. (This issue also causes me question the judgement of school officials. And, why did the photos that knowingly would raise the most controversy also get so much coverage in the yearbook that serves not only students that are Seniors in High School, but also those in Kindergarden?) Why didn’t they just choose a different day, call it something else, and unify all groups that are discriminated against, called names, bullied and harassed in schools? Go figure.
What do you think?
Fairly frequently I have others ask me what I do to after I take a photo and before I share it. So maybe it’s time I throw in a post or two about lighting, composition, etc., as well as share a few photo editing techniques. Although I absolutely cherish Photoshop — you simply can’t use it as a substitute for not getting to know your equipment. Bad photos edited in Photoshop are still bad photos.
The photo example I chose for this installment was shot on a sunny afternoon, and the exposure and composition are decent. I thought this would be a fairly good example to begin, considering most people care more about photos of people and landscapes than they do about dog pics. Here’s the original photo before any editing…
Even though this model has lost 50% of his hair, (sorry Perry), the object of photo polishing isn’t about changing your subject. We won’t be cloning in hair, or removing wrinkles or even getting rid of a tattoo. I did use the clone and healing brush to remove the leaves above his head that look like antennae, and I removed background garbage, as well as filled in the dead grass spots. I then brightened the image by using a Totally Rad action called ‘Oh Snap’ at 80%.
Next, I applied a slight vignette/blur to the edges, used a warming filter to add a tad more richness to the image, and once again pulled out the healing brush to tame those sparse locks of hair blowing in the breeze.
The process took approximately 3 minutes (not nearly as much time as I spent writing this post), and greatly improved the photo’s appeal.
Ok, FINE! You want hair? You got hair!
