ON1 and Legos Imagination

Photography can be

the art of

what you 

envision...

ON1 is a photo editing program that I started to use a few years ago. I ended my relationship with Photoshop once they requested a monthly ransom for the use of their product. I purchased Corel PaintShopPro which allowed me to do some of the fun things I could do in PS.

ON1 kept developing their software. And truthfully the cost was much easier to take than the PS costs. The program has great tutorials on line and it is always adding new features.

One of the best things is not having to learn all about layers. ON1 makes layers for adjustments for you. You can use layers too.

The program seems geared towards Landscape and Portrait photography. They have cool things like textures presets, color presets, and something newer called Sky Swap. Oh the horror of Sky Swap! If you don't like your scene as you took it, add an aurora borealis or perhaps a magnificent sunset?  Okay. I am not into that at all.

However, I do like mixing things up and see exactly what I can MAKE the program do that it wasn't developed for. Pushing the edit envelope is a fun brain exercise for me.

Here is a shot of some of my Lego people. I set the figures on a black plastic board used generally for photographing items like jewelry. I set the works on my laptop and used the flat black of the laptop screen as a back drop.

Not very impressive, but with a bit of a touch up of the blacks and the highlights along with a crop and straighten, it is better. I totally love the reflections in the black plastic. Wicked...cool.

This was rather boring. White plastic for the back and black plastic for the figures to stand on.

But wait. 
What if?

I could change all of that?

How about cutting the backround out and replacing it with something else? With the old photoshop program this was doable but it took a lot of time.

I chose to color the figures green for keeping and the other areas red to get rid of them. This is done in a simple masking mode.

Once I had the figures isolated, I added a layer of clouds and then used a fun little thing called Sky Swap and added an Aurora Borealis to the clouds. I mixed up the opacity and went from there.

There was a bit of brightening to do and then I was done.

Why not make things easier on myself and set the figures up with an image in back on the computer screen?
Oh duh, who forgot to move their cursor???

Easily fixed!

ON1 edits of cropping, resizing, and some adjustments to bring out the figurines. Add in some cracked brushes to the edges to cover up mistakes and....

Note:

Experimenting with photography and graphic programs is my hobby. Think of it as a huge empty canvas that I can paint on or make my own strange art.

PS~ Did you know that there are actually Adult Lego Groups out there? 

LUGNET ~ Lego Users Group Network

AFOL ~ Adult Fan of Lego

I had Legos as a kid but they were the hard stiff bricks that only came in red I think. We made buildings for our toy soldiers out of them. And the Kitty Hotel, a home for eraser animals. 

I doubt I will become a Lego collector, but it is fun combining them with photography while stuck inside!

Artsie Fartsy

The tree above is a real mess, but in some ways I sort of like it. I enjoyed the process so much I decided to try it again on the tree below.
I added the birds with a brush.

I used to love drawing with pen and ink. I wasn't very good at it. I was more of a Picasso artist and drew a 'interpretation' of what I saw. It tried being accurate and real, and always failed miserably.

Maybe this is why this sort of photo-draw-art-interpretation thing works for me. 

The funny thing is, this 'art' had some rave reviews with a certain subset of folks in
an art group on social media. 

However ~ can a person really trust social media these days? Rhetorical question, obviously.

This yearling deer was photographed through the back door window with my long lens. The original is here:

My 'vision' of what I imagined is here:

And then a wild interpretation that included textures and colors are here:
 

I hike or snowshoe daily with camera in hand and wonder what I can do artistically with the same ol' scenes over and over. How can I see the same tree yet interpret it differently? 

[Hey now, that would make an interesting comparison wouldn't it? This tree and scene over the years? Hmmmm....]

Below is a photo of an apple tree that I've photographed hundreds of times in all sorts of circumstances. This is the version I came up with.

This is the original:

The black and white version is more like a drawing. I like that. It really says a lot about winter. Though winter is not that dull and unexciting.

I enjoy finding out who has been lurking around by their tracks. Mr. or Mrs. Bobcat have been making a trail from one neighbor's property across our place and towards the neighbors west of us.

These shots were taken before the last snowfall. 

We haven't been going anywhere lately. Hubby stays at home and I hike out to the ridge or into the valley to get fresh air and see what is going on in our forest. 

Charlie has not been too excited over the latest cold temperatures and snowfalls. I have to make some trails so he won't have to snow swim.

So it is 22

Change the Page

The Holidays are over [Thank goodness!] I've taken down most of the decorations and am turning my attentions on my next project.

The photos above were used with some new editing techniques I've been trying to figure out.  For those interested I will show the before shots below.

I just went out in the fog with my Olympus DSLR and a 12mm lens. That means if I want to be closer, I have to walk closer.  

Of course I wanted a deep mystical mythical looking forest. The one that would have Hobbits running about and perhaps a few elves too. Sorry, no elves or trolls, just the trees and the clutter of the forest floor.

I picked out the cool oak tree I love so much and tried to find a good angle of it. This tree, I call the Hugging Tree. I mean it looks like it is ready to give you a hug! 
It's odd shape makes it a favorite of mine to take shots of all year long.

This boxelder tree is not well loved by most people. But I adore it. 
I think it is the absolute, best-est ever climbing tree in the universe. 

Okay, just the best one on our back road.

My neighbor lady found out that her kids were making a fort there once and was aghast. The tree resides on the edge of our absent neighbor's land. 

I told her that it was the place I would pick for a fort if I were their age.

She wouldn't let them keep their ropes and little chairs there. 

The photo below is just a random shot through the fog towards our house from deep in the woods.  I just thought that the leaves that still hung on the trees were unique. I don't know what kind of trees these leaves belong to, but I suspect some kind of cherry tree.

I won't repeat the snowy scene. Nature provided the absolute perfect backdrop for that. 

It is 22.

Just that.

It is just another date change. 

I'll get excited about the next snow storm or ice storm perhaps.

Today it was all about staying comfy while doing outdoor work.

Onward.

For Art's Sake

I'll just jump right in on this. I had a lot of tangents I went on first ... then I hit the delete button and started over.

Edits for Art's Sake:

Original

Edit

This is a 'double exposure'. I didn't do it in the camera but used a plugin from DxO labs. 

Here is the entrance to the summer pasture with the brilliant red oak leaves glistening in the  late fall sun:

Original

It is pretty. But ...this is how it felt. I use a paint program to 'paint' portions of the photo. Topaz Studio, an old program from a few years ago. 

Edited

Fall offered so many opportunities. I walked once a week past a Sumac Tree as it changed. On this foggy morning I struggled to find the proper way to present this scene. 

Original

Edit

Update In 

December

I like to dabble in things. I like to 'create' sometimes. I enjoy trying new things and challenging myself.

I can't draw even though I used to draw cartoon critters as a teenager. 

Me as a Naturalist 

looking for creatures in the

creek

When I used to write for a magazine,

I also tried my hand 

at cartoons again

Once in a while I get creatively stuck. 

After the snow had melted last week, I took my Infrared camera and went for a walk along the creek. Infrared shots work best with the reflection of light off from leaves with chlorophyll in them.

Most of what I shot turned out to be trash.

I used a 550nm filter which horrifies me each time I try to do anything with it. I felt since I disliked it so much, I should try and make it work. Do something out of my comfort zone.

Original

Edit

This shot turned out so 'otherworldly' that I like it. Note to self. This filter still is very hard to work with. 

My next shot is another IR shot. No fancy camera, a point and shoot.

I rather like the challenges that October and November bring with IR.  The sky and the pond ice reflected blue when I 'channel swapped' the colors.

The pines on the other side of the pond did appear slightly different shades of white and grey.

The birds were added.

 October hike in KVR in a washout above Weister Creek.

Original

Edit

I'm not even sure why I like this one, but I do and it was fun to work with. I painted in brush strokes and then erased them from the zig zag of the wash. I guess this is really how this particular spot 'felt' to me.

The only thing more fun would have been to see a unicorn, a dinosaur, or woodland creature hanging out in the back!

The fog on Christmas Eve was fantastic. Charlie and I couldn't get enough of it. Okay, Charlie really only went out with me for the first time.

I wanted to do something different and try some High Key work.

I dig fog, I really do!

Original

Edited

The photo above was used as the base for Charlie in the double exposure in that first edit!

Going going gone ...

 ...to the nuthouse I go.

I made this sign and placed it in the mailbox so the mail person cannot put a 'no one was home' notice inside it without pulling this dayglow sign off. I signed and dated it once more. I am expecting a package I have to sign for and if he/she refuse as usual to deliver it... I will have to wait until Tuesday to get said package. Post Office is closed on Monday.

We will see the results. I'm betting that he/she will leave a note and not come to the house. 

Anyone want to bet???

So....

I thought I'd amuse myself by trying some old editing exercises. Like turning a photo into a drawing.

Original:

Topaz Impressions:

Adobe CS2: Photo to Draw method.

I sort of like them all for different reasons. Great exercise for my brain.

Original. Tea Time:

Edited for High Key Look with a texture:

I like this version. 

I moved around the tea towel that is hanging from the clothes rack...and moved in a bit. I settled on a subtle film color adjustment after trying several. Yep, I cut the poor rabbit's ear off too. 

Well this was for experimenting and brain work.

And then since nothing I was doing excited me very much. I did this.

It sums up exactly how I felt about trying my 'still life' experiments on Saturday.