To Edit or not to Edit a Photo?

[or should you sometimes go ahead and listen to other photographers advice?]

Say you took a really cool photo that you really like A LOT!

I decided not to edit this and post it in Press The Shutter A Digital Photography Forum [that I am a Moderator at].
I enjoy the forum quite a bit. I get helpful hints and constructive assistance and opinions on my photography.

So I posted the above photo. I was quite excited about it.
EXIF Data: Camera Olyumpus E-420
Exposure 1/30
Aperature f/7.1
Focal Length 15mm
ISO 200
NDX4 Filter
Tripod in the creek. Crouched in the the creek...you know the drill. I was trying for better, trying to improve.

It was the sort of shot I hadn't taken before. A clump of leaves was stuck on a rock in water, with the water flowing by.
Decisions to be made. Keep the rock in the backround or not?
I kept it.
I shot it several times from more than one angle and more than one focal length.

I posted it for discussion ... and this is where I was very happy.
Some liked it. Some liked others I'd posted more.
One person suggested I 'clone' out the grass on the rock in the backround.

I normally don't try things like that. The grass was there, it should stay there, right?
Well.
I thought I'd give it a go.


Wow.
Much cleaner looking image!

But should I take it one step further and lessen the blue glare from the water?

Okay.
I warmed it up a bit by adding a warming filter from Elements 5.


Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
It pays to listen.

This last image is something I'd be proud of to exhibit or hang on my wall.

It is good to listen to other photographers and accept there input.
So much can be learned from others!

A couple of notes here. Yes, I plugged Press The Shutter, it is a great group.
Plus I want to point out the fact that you don't need million dollar equipment to take a great shot, just a lot of thought and planning.
Sometimes just plain dumb luck.

And the last point.
You don't need a fancy Editing program to enhance your photos. Elements 5 cost me $99 brand new in 2008. I'm comfortable with it and seem to get along with it just fine.

Perfect Day

Today I took the long hike. I didn't take Morris because I wanted to move fast with the daylight hours so short.
[He tends to sometimes dawdle and not keep up, or get sidetracked.]

I also hiked hard. 2.7 miles in steep terrain, according to the GPS, I had an elevation change of 1,600 feet from start to finish on this hike. I've done it many times, but never thought much of it. Maybe I should leave the GPS at home?

I also wanted to take advantage of where the sun was in the sky, allowing for a timed exposure of some water and rocks.

I ended up with one shot I really loved of the water and the rocks.
I enjoyed seeing the ice cave. In fact I climbed down on top of it and had a snack.

But after looking at what I shot today, I was surprised as my favorite was the simplest shot.
A milkweed pod with seeds blowing...
Sometimes it is just the simple things, like being able to have a snack while sitting on top of an ice cave in January.

Or watching the wisps of seeds flutter in a light breeze on the ridge.

Death Defying Trail Ride

I saddled up Opal...the sun was shining. The driveway had turned into a muddy quagmire as it does with each thaw in the spring...
wait...
this was January 6th!
It was nearly 45 degrees!

I adjusted her crupper, checked the cinch, and the breastcollar. We were ready to go. We walked out of the sloppy driveway and headed towards a narrow path that twisted through the trees in the woods.

ICE.
The trail was icy. Slippery.
For a moment I hesitated thinking that this could be really really stupid.
Opal found footing. She plugged along as if this was just another day on the trail. She walked a bit more carefully making sure she had her footing while stepping over large logs...

Coming along the side of the hill was quite tricky.
A few times I felt her front feet slip as one would cross in front of the other.

I can tell you ... my butt puckered a few times.
Not Opal she shifted her weight and did some quick shuffling.
We remained upright and going forward.

I was happy when we got to the valley floor and were able to walk the meadow along the creek.
Yes there was still ice, but it was flat and not treacherous.

I considered going up the old logging trail road, perhaps the warm weather had melted the ice off from it.

The old crossing was absolutely not a choice.
And the hill road was iced over as well. The warm weather had melted the south facing hillsides but only glazed and refroze on the north hillsides.
I dismounted from Opal and let her graze a bit while I looked around and enjoyed the 'talking' of the creek.
For us, it was a short trip. Normally Opal and I would wander over to the other valley and see if we could find the ice cave. I thought it prudent not to. Bad enough we had to return over the icy trails to get to home anyway.

The sky had filled with clouds and it looked like it could rain or snow.

I decided to head back home.
A short video of what some of that ride was like...until the batteries died!



All in all we had a ride that was just over a mile long with elevation changes of almost 500 feet.
Some of the slopes we contended were 35% to 29%, averaging out to about 6 to 7% over the whole ride.
Yeah..I brought my GPS and thought for kicks I'd measure one of our 'easy' rides.

All in all, it was an amazing ride.
I felt like a million bucks when I got home.

I let Opal graze in the yard for a bit before I put her back in with Badger. She seemed totally un-rattled by the whole ride.
After all she'd been there...done that...as they say.

How I Tried to Kill the Fugly Pink Camera...and Failed

I bought this Fugly Pink Cheap Camera almost 2 years now. I bought bright pink so I wouldn't lose it in the grass.
I bought this ugly little camera because pocket cameras lead a harsh life with me.
They fall from mules at a gallop, get stepped on, dropped, left behind in the woods [to be found later], and handled so much they literally fall apart.

Not this camera.
I thought for sure I'd killed it yesterday. I'd done it in. In fact very near to this very same spot in the above photo.

On January 5th, 2010, I took the following photo with this Fugly Camera.
Suddenly I had a love-hate relationship with this pink pocket camera.
Damn! It could take some absolutely stunning photos!

So now the Fugly Pink Camera nearly goes with me everywhere. [Except when I lend it to my granddaughter when she visits...it can even withstand children!]


So I go to a new place along the creek which is a bit off my usual track.

An oak leave clump that hangs onto a rock for some darned reason...captures my eye.
I'm stunned by the beauty of this place.

I've never climbed down into this small section of the creek before. It is hidden by a downed tree and some tin wrapped around a tree from a flash flood in 2007.
As I walk back towards home, I take one last shot of the first set of mini falls.
So here I am, crouching in the water with my coveralls rolled up...screwing my head sideways and in ways it is not meant to be stretched to see through my Nikon's eyepiece.

I then lean over and jump up out of the creek. I stop to take another shot or two of the light reflected on the stream.

I stand up and reach for the Fugly Pink Camera in my left breast pocket.
Gone.
I turn around and cuss as I see it in the bottom of the creek.
I grab it out of the water.
I'm sure it is ruined.
After all it is not waterproof.
I wipe it off and stick it back in my pocket ...

As I climb the steep hill to the meadow I begin thinking that now I have an excuse to get a NEW pocket camera!

I see the scenario.
I show the poor damp pink thing to my husband with a look of sorrow on my face.
I sigh and explain that somehow it fell in the water and was ruined.

In fact I'm smiling at the fact that I'll finally get to replace that horrid pink thing.

I explain to hubby what happens and go through the motions of drying it out. I set the batteries aside. Pull out the memory card and set it to the side.

The next morning, I am able to pull shots off the memory card. Well that is nice. I'll buy something that uses that sort of card!

I pop the batteries in along with the card.

To my amazement, it comes to life!
But the first photo is well....
Oh goodie!
I make a long face and sadly explain that the water must have done a lot of damage to the delicate internal electronics workings of this poor little digital pocket camera.
BUT...
the next time I turn it on, it works perfectly.

Sigh.
The flash unit doesn't work, but I usually don't use that.
So back out into the woods I hike with the Fugly Camera.
I'm sort of impressed by its survival.

I take a photo of Morris and use the flash setting.
It works.
Well.
Hmmmm.

Back to the crime scene. I hold the camera next to the mini falls and set the shutter speed.
Well I'll be damned.
I didn't kill it.

It is proving to be quite a tough useful little camera.
Considering that I'd bought it thinking if it was ugly and bright pink, I wouldn't mind it when I did break it.

I'm sort of...
kind of...
growing fond of this Fugly Pink Cheap Camera.

The Night The Fractals Collided

Call me crazy.
But I thought I'd try something a bit crazy.

I used Mandebulb 3D to create the object in the top left of the above photo.

I used Apophysis 7X to create a 3D 'flame' backround which I faded and blurred in Photoshop 7.0.

I used Incendia EX to make the swirl of stars as a backdrop of sorts.

I finally did it, combined three '3D' fractal generation programs to make one image.

I don't know if it has been done before like this.
But it sure was a rush putting it together.

I love the creek in the Winter!

Cold.

Wind Chill -something.
Sunny. Icy.

Dang it must be a great day to hike down to the creek with Morris and explore!

Gun belt,
check
Scarf,
check
hat, hood, gloves, ammo, camera, coveralls, waterproof boots,
pocket camera,
tripod,
Olympus E-420 DSLR camera,
oreo cookies...[yes oreos! they taste great when you are hiking!]
water bottle...
Ugly insulated flannel, and a small rope...
Check!

Ready to go!

Any flat spot in the pasture or on the ridge road was glare ice. I walked along the edge of it while Morris flew up and down the hillside looking for what else...something disgusting to eat or roll in.
But he was happy.
I was happy.

This was the first time since the 12th of December that I have been able to walk without pain in my ribs! I was SO ready to get out of the house and hike.
Morris was too, he told me so with the look of pure joy on his face as he zoomed past.

Our December had been warm and a bit wet, so when this sudden ...

and I mean sudden ...

cold snap hit, I knew I'd better get down to the creek. Where I'd surely find some ice formations.

I was in seventh heaven.
There was even frost on the moss on the rocks in the creek.
Ice formations were beginning to form on the north facing hill above the creek. Creeping down the hillside like a slow moving glacier...
Morris found a spot where he was positive there were mice hiding.
A bit later when we got closer to the old coyote den [it is still sometimes used], Morris decided to 'glue' himself to me.

The coyotes would have walked the same trail we were on. That makes a 12 pound Jack Russell just a tad bit nervous.
He is not the brave one at all. Which is probably pretty good and helps to keep him out of trouble.

I found many ice formations that were created as the creek rushed past grass or weeds hanging over the creek.

Even to an adult like me, it brings a childish surprise to me when I find these formations.

I even exclaimed out loud: *Oh wow look! Is that ever cool!*
Then looked around.
No one was there, no one was listening.
Except, perhaps Morris.
My favorite place though was at a 2 foot drop in the creek. It created a small water fall.

I dropped all of my gear and rolled up my coverall pant legs. I placed the tripod in the creek and then squatted above the water to take some shots.

A small voice in the back of my head reminded me to be careful of my footing or I might end up sitting in the cold rushing water.
Even so, the shot would have been worth it.
The farrier is coming tomorrow.
After he is done...
Well, let's just say, I've gathered my gear together again.

I'm going to have to go to town soon for some more take along snacks!

Saving Annie

New Year's morning brought horrendously wicked winds.
Overnight flurries and sprinkles had added a layer of treacherous ice to all 'flat spots' around our yard...especially the driveway.
We looked out the North window and saw Annie, one of our Dexter cows starting labor.

How could she have picked a worse time?
The winds were howling, the temps were cold [no, don't ask, I never had time to look at the outdoor thermometer].
Who knows what the wind chill was? Cold.

Damned Cold.

We never had time for anything but a quick cup of coffee.
We'd thought Anne was still a few days off for 'freshening' but Mother Nature works in very strange ways.
...and usually not to everyone else's advantage.

The Master Plan had been to move her before she calved...or began to calf.

Now here she was in bearing the brunt of the wind, shivering and to my eyes...she was weak.
How long had she been in labor?
I wanted to kick myself for not being out there checking when I came home from work.
If I'd been a 'good' cattle person, I would have.

Well no excuses.
We had to deal with what we had in the present and now.

Letting her birth naturally was what we wanted to do. Hubby pulled the skid steer up close to where she was laying to block as much of the wind as we could.
I grabbed an old 'emergency' blanket out of my car and we draped that over her to keep her warmer.

Still she was shaking.

We waited. She had weak contractions.
Try to move her now?
It didn't seem to be a good idea.
Let mother nature take its course?
The calf was in the proper position and it was alive.

However, her contractions would cease, she would shake and then have a weak one where nothing productive happened.

We decided that Annie was getting weaker, from the cold, from the stress...well we weren't exactly sure.
We decided to help her with deliver and it was a good thing too. The bull calf was huge and she probably would not have delivered in her weakened condition.

[She was bred before we got her. The seller had allowed the Bull to run with the older and the young stock...Annie should not have been breed until at least 'this' coming season. I do lay blame on the person who sold her to us for poor herd management.]

My husband pulled the calf and it took all of his might to do so. He lay on the cold ground and pulled with Annie's contractions which did get stronger as the calf's head appeared. Then she appeared to give up.
At this point we were hopeful that Annie would attempt to take care of her calf.
She made a weak attempt at licking him off, but then quit.
She was shaking violently.

We took the calf and put him under a heat lamp in a stall we'd prepared.
Then it was time to move Annie.
Except she couldn't or wouldn't get up.
We could leave her... but ... she needed to get warm and out of the cold. She needed her strength back.

With a bit of creative wrestling [Annie, at this point was not helping at all], we got Annie into the skid steer bucket and drove her to the shed.
With much tugging and pulling we finally got her in the stall with her calf.
We coaxed endlessly, but Annie did not get up.
Her calf cried weakly, she cooed, but still did not have the strength to get up.

Now for a new experience.
I pushed and prodded and gently rolled Annie to her side, I braced her hind leg against my knee [I was kneeling next to her]...and grasped her teats.
I milked her into a plastic 2 ounce container and then syringed that warm colostrum into the calf's mouth.

He was weak. I was determined.
Back and forth I went with Annie.
First rolling her on one side then the other.

I placed warm water in front of her and some fresh hay. She drank and began to eat.

After 3 hours I went in the house rather discouraged. The calf was not sucking, most of the milk leaked onto my hands.

But Annie had finished the water and the handful of hay I'd given her.
I went to get more warm water and a fork full of hay.

To my surprise, she stood up when I re-entered the shed, Annie was up.
However she was ignoring her calf.

I milked her again with only a slight protest...she raised one back leg then quickly put it down and simply turned her head to watch me.

I again attempted to feed the calf.
It had been hours now since his delivery and he was unable to stand and he was not drinking.

He would not make it.
Annie however was clear eyed albeit a bit wobbly.
Had we not helped her deliver, she would have certainly died.
Had we not moved her out of the weather, she would have certainly died also.

We were able to save Annie who was in reality to young to have been bred 9 months ago. But we lost the calf.

I've learned that farming and raising animals has a constant up and down. You feel euphoric when you have success. You feel miserable when there is a failure.
At least Annie will live and that is some small measure of success.