Topaz Detail~my review

I decided to try the Topaz Detail Trial version which is a free 30 day trail. It is a plug-in that works with my Adobe Elements 5 version of photo software.

I've found it pretty handy when editing some photos that I'd like a bit 'more' detail in than what the camera 'shot'.
You can adjust the amount of detail a lot or just a little. You can adjust color, exposure...hue and saturation. You can go wild or just use it a little.
It works well with some photos, and doesn't work well with other types. So you have to choose wisely.


It can be used creatively also, but I like to use it just enough to tweak a photo like the following Marsh Marigold.
This was an extremely difficult flower to shoot at the yellow petals reflect so brightly that it actually blows the sensors away in the camera. I had difficulty shooting these with film also, so it isn't just digital.

Here is the original:

Here is the tweaked version:


Then for fun, I took the following fungi shot and got a little creative with it.

Original:

Fun:

For my photo book that I am working on, I will admit to using Elements, Picasa, and Topaz to bring out the best in my photos.

Most of the photos however, I am leaving alone.
After all, I hear my father leaning over me as I look through the lens, or peer at a photo that I have taken.
"Take your time, get the exposure right, frame it properly..."
He was a true believer in taking it 'properly' the first time. I grew up watching him labor over one shot at a time.
He still influences me every day.

Working on a photobook

Now that the weather has turned cold and a bit ugly [rain, high winds, cold, mud, yuck], I've started to compile a project that I've been working on since the beginning of the year.

A photo journey of the surrounding forest and how it changes from early spring through late fall.
I'm using Blurb the 'create your own book' company.
I've used it 3 times so far with some fairly good luck.
Preview the books here~~ My Books. Mind you, I'm not trying to sell you something here, just giving you an idea of the fun I am having with photography.

I did a wedding photo book for a young couple whose wedding I did last year. It turned out quite beautifully. I might add that using the premium paper is worth the cost.
I've done two 'kid' story books for my grandchildren featuring my dog's toys as the main quirky characters.
Morris is going to become a 'main' player in book number 3.

As the days grow short, and the weather for riding mules gets more limited, I turn my attentions towards my creative and fun side.

Which reminds me, I have to work on the family calendars!

One last note, I received my 2010 Mules and Jacks Calendar from Cravens & Associates. I was extremely pleased and surprised to see my photo of Thor as the cover.
Take a peek! It is on their website!
Let me know what you think of it!


Sweet!

The Forest Floor

The Forest is my sanctuary. It is the place I go to 'get away' and relax.
Now,
notice that I did not
say~~
That I go away and 'think' about things.

Not at all.

When I enter the woods, time and the outside world magically slip away. It is like having my own 'Secret Garden' that is hidden in plain view.

Others enter the Forest and never leave their worries and anxieties at the threshold.

Is it a bewitching spell? Or something else?

That first step through the fence, down the path, or across the meadow brings a sigh and a weight off my shoulders.

I spent my hike mostly observing the Forest Floor. The leaves have come down now, and beautiful patterns are there to admire.

This is the same photo as the one above, but I removed the colors from it and added some detail.
Patterns emerge that I wasn't seeing in color [but imagined that I might while looking through the lens].
I think this was a fun experiment.

A bit of Fun with Fungi!

This month has seen our area hit with incredible amounts of daily rain. Last week we had 4" of rain in 2 or 3 days.

Today we've had at least 1/2" or better of rain.
It makes for miserable weather for the farm animals. It makes bringing in the corn and soybeans impossible.

It makes yucky boot sucking mud everywhere else.

BUT
In the woods, it makes for beautiful creations and designs from Mother Nature as the fungi take advantage of the moisture.

Everywhere I went yesterday, I found fungi and mushrooms growing.
It was rather a delight.

I thought I knew the names of the fungi or mushrooms I saw and photographed, but as I've learned over the years, they are not easy to identify.

I'm pretty sure the middle one is commonly called the Turkey Fan Fungus, as it looks like a turkey tail.

A really fantastic site to visit and browse through fungi and mushrooms photos for identification is American Mushrooms.com.
It is laid out so that even a novice can guess at which category to look into.

It is about patterns and textures

After the color has been driven away by hard frosts along with winds and rain, nature leaves us with a part of the year that is mostly colored in browns or variations of browns.

Those are the days it is hard to get excited over photography.

The brilliant skies are overcast...
There are no brightly colored wildflowers to make you pause in your step...

That is when I turn my attention to the details.

Like the forest floor, full of fallen leaves that have lost their colors.
Yet they are fascinating as they hold beautiful patterns~if you look closely.

The Field Corn stalks are yellowish brown, and not the pretty vibrant greens of summer.
Yet the corn leaf's veins have a pleasant pattern too~~if you really look for it.

Then there is the corn itself. As it dries, the kernels 'dent'.
The corn is a bright yellow contrasting against the worn out looking husk around it.

This part of 'fall' can be beautiful if you use a different 'eye'.

[Tomorrow~~the Fungi Hike!]

Today's Lesson

DO NOT

I repeat, DO NOT~~

EVER

hit the alarm after an '8' hour lay over on a shift [meaning get off at midnight and needing to be back at work at 8am, for example] and even think~~

that

*Oh I'll just grab a wink or two.*

Because guess what.
I overslept and was late to *Weapons Training* yesterday.

Which means I got 'dinged' for what is called 1/2 a point.
It has ruined my perfect attendance.

Oh

~~and question for the day.

What is up with buying size small for sweatpants and having them be WAY too big?
Is the new size 10 the new size 5???

This Award Thingy...

Accepting this award comes with the following challenge~~~~

The challenge is to answer the below questions using one word only.

Here are the questions, and here are my answers.....

1. Where is your cell phone? Car
2. Your hair? Flat
3. Your mother? Missing
4. Your father? Gone
5. Your favorite food? Brownies
6. Your dream last night? None
7. Your favorite drink? Chardonnay
8. Your dream/goal? Ride
9. What room are you in? Living
10. Your hobby? Photography
11. Your fear? Blindness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Riding
13. Where were you last night? Work
14. Something that you aren't? Tall
15. Muffins? Yuck
16. Wish list item? Arena
17. Where did you grow up? Mixed
18. Last thing you did? Hiked
19. What are you wearing? Sweats
20. Your TV? None
21. Your pets? Loved
22. Friends? Different
23. Your life? Unorganized
24. Your mood? Happy
25. Missing someone? Yes
26. Vehicle? Cavalier
27. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
28. Your favorite store? Tack
29. Your favorite color? Red
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Tuesday
32. Your best friend? Animal
33. One place that I go to over and over? Woods
34. One person who emails me regularly? Son
35. Favorite place to eat? Kitchen

I am supposed to ask 6 people to also do this [cough cough]. I may have to wait a bit until I can have an actual day off from work to do this.
;-)

My time is limited right now between work and the 'farm'.

Thank you Mancos Mule MJ for asking me to do this!
I hope you are able to learn something from it.