the cows come home
My buddies are back. It's the little things in life that really make my day. : )
today was a fairy tale
Senior prom on a Rhine River cruise. I think that qualifies as a fairy tale.
Scenes from the hours beforehand…
Best friends and beloved sisters, pouring over hair and makeup options.
twirl, curl, primp, set, brush
pin, tie, hug, cry
pose, laugh, dance
My beautiful girl, with her beautiful friends, on a beautiful day.
(the rest of the images here)
over, under, and through
They were well equipped this foggy day for a perfect adventure. The Rheinfels Castle, with its extensive mine tunnels were beckoning. The castle sits high above the Rhine, strategically placed just before the river turns wild. This location encouraged many travelers to pull off and regroup before hitting rougher waters at which point tolls could be collected. It was also a target for invaders. Clever castle guardians devised an intricate system of tunnels which allowed them to plant land mines many yards away from the compound. The mole like burrows are just about boy size, unlit, damp, and irrestible. You know we had to try this.
fill in the colors yourself
"Actually, all education is self-education. A teacher is only a guide, to point out the way, and no school, no matter how excellent, can give you education…
What you receive is like the outlines in a child's coloring book. You must fill in the colors yourself."
~Louis L'Amour
Simple Pleasures: pears in the kitchen
What We Did
Some random domestic updates from the past few weeks….
What We Ate:
Leftover lunches. In an attempt to bring more produce to the lunch table – and less grains for me once again – we have had veggies pureed into soup with milk and a bit of butter, veggie frittatas, and veggies and cheese wrapped in tortillas.
I think my favorite request this month however was from Abbie who asked us to make her Girl Cheese sandwiches. Who'd say no to that? ; )
What We Did Around the House:
Sorted. Lots. I have been gathering like things together and lumping them into small, medium or large bags. Sometimes putting the bags into boxes like my sewing box or my knitting box. (this is the desk drawer) This way I can use them easily now and I know all those things will end up together when we move.
What We Read:
Lots of picture books histories. Two favorites were…
A new Grace Livingston Hill for me.
Surfing some parenting articles from this site with which I find myself nodding quite often.
What the Weather Was Like:
Let's put it this way. These two outfits happened in the same week.
What's Happening at School:
The big kids are working to finish their quarter tests and reports. There is regular journaling happening again, from all of us, hence this update.
Jewish Quarter – Prague
Are you tired of Prague yet? Probably. You have no idea how many pictures I took. I used to think I would pursue portraiture once I had a clue how to use my camera, but I have become captivated by street photography both taking it and viewing others' work.
This is a walk through the Jewish Quarter one afternoon. If you make it to the end there are some of my favorite images (and a short video) of an old gentleman who was performing in the square. These old European cities have awesome street performers.
drink in the sunshine
"Whenever you go out of doors, draw the chin in, carry the crown of the head high, and fill the lungs to the utmost; drink in the sunshine…" – Elbert Hubbard
Yes, do.
After dreary spring weather I was so afraid there would be no brilliant blue skies this rapeseed season but the clouds have parted and soon as they did we brought the little girls to the fields, where they gathered armfuls of bright yellow blossoms.
Drink it all in.
It doesn't last forever.
Weekend photography tips: processing pitfalls
All the major online and private purchase photo editing programs (and smart phones) come with options for special effects such as selective colorization, cross processing, color filter layers, and borders. There is great debate about whether these effects add to or detract from images. Generally speaking, it seems that hobbyists love them and pro's can't stand them. There are exceptions to that generalization of course.
If you are working on a retro-themed blog then a polaroid or 70's effect can really come off well. As a rule, it is ill-advised to edit the majority of your personal pictures with heavy hand though, that locks them permanently into a particular style. (remember: always edit copies!) Thick vignettes (that dark shadow frame) and orange or green color filters can lend an artsy feel but also leave your skin tones funky and tend to scream "Picnik!" to the rest of the world.
If your project does benefit from a special effect or filter, then try to edit all the images for that project in a similar vein for consistency. For instance, if you are making a photo book of your iphonography then using the same finish and filter for all the images will make the final album cohesive. A good example of a photographer who rarely uses special effects but chose one style for a particular wall art project here.
We have all played with special effects and I tend to be draw to interpretive photography vs literal myself. Just passing along that if you google 'over-processed photography' you get an earful of opinions that may make you pause before you process. As Levar Burton used to say, don't take my word for it.
iStock is a leading stock photography company. You can check out their thoughts about filters and special effects here and here and here. Selective color example here. Common processing errors here. Comparisons here.
The standard processing 'error' list:
oversaturation (or under)
excessive color filtering
oversharpening (especially of eyes)
selective color
heavy grit
fake lens flare
extreme angles/tilt of camera
As always, the best remedy is starting with good exposure. The best exposure is usually nailed by manual settings. Highly recommended that you work on that first if you have a dslr. Then edit with a light hand.
Recommended reading:
Starry Sky Journal 