NF Trees and Bushes

 Nature's Water color ...

This is a trick of sorts.  I flipped the original so that the reflection in the water looks like the intended picture.  It does look like a beautiful water color painting to me ... what do you think?  Could a reflection like this have  been the inspiration for impressionistic painting?   :)

original

Andrea

Mandarin Orange Monday

Link to Mandarin Orange Monday

This started out as a water piece.  I did add orange then ran it through a filter and this is what came out ... not much to my liking, but interesting none the less.

By adding another water source and decreasing the opacity, I came out with this ... a little more to my liking.

A little lighting effect  and I get this ... for the better?  I'm not sure, but I think it's time to move on ...

to an orangified window :)

Once through the Poster edges filter ...

and again through the Smudge Stick filter.

I feel like this is a weak offering, maybe because it took only minimal effort.  Though I have to admit the more I look at them, the more I like them.  Hopefully, next week will be an improvement.  I excuse myself because I had a minor surgery on Friday and minor as it was, it has zapped my energy.  So hope you were able to find something to enjoy ...

 

Happy MOM!

Photo Art Friday

 

 Water is many things to different beings, in different forms, at different times, but in the end ... Water is Life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of these have been tempered and/or enhanced by Bonnie's beautiful Textures ... I love this challenge and once a month is good because I can explore more ideass and find different ways to achieve satisfaction ... Thank you again, Bonnie!

 

 

Smile It's Friday

I makes Tongue Rings :)

Mandarin Orange Monday

 

Mandarin Orange #39

A swan swimming in front of a beautiful stand of reeds in the channel by our lake ... (original)

These are patterns in a thin layer of ice on a puddle ... I added  color to get the design.

I attended a funeral last week that was so spiritual and gratifying in the way it  addressed the beliefs of the widow (Christian) and of the deceased (Judaism).  It reminded me of the Baha'i beliefs that we all travel different roads to the one God which, in the end, brings us together as one.  If only we could live our lives with that oneness ... the acceptance and respect of each man for who he is and what he believes.  Instead I see so much division and bitterness.  I wish we could look inside of ourselves and find it in our hearts to love one another ... Peace, Love ... Respect.  God wants nothing less from us ...

Inspiration Avenue

Show & Tell I have all kinds of Photo Art that I have dabbled with over the years.  Some for a specific purpose, others just for the fun of it.  I thought of this picture right away when I saw your challenge this week.  I did this as part of a group of pictures that were to be used illustrating a book  ... it didn't make the cut.  But, I still really liked it, so here's my chance to put it out there.  

 

Photo Art Friday

This weeks Photo Art Friday prompt is water.   Again, the hard part was deciding what not to do.  I live on and around all kinds of water, so I had a few choices. 

 

There is nothing more relaxing than the sound of water lapping up on a beach.  In this picture I used Bonnie's pdpa Blue Chiffon overlay, tweaked it a little in PSE and then went to FotoFlexor.  Here I used cross process, added the text and the frame.

There is nothing more scary than to be on turbulent water.  I brightened the picture up with PSE, used the Dry Brush filter, added pdpa Never Seen Before Texture @ 66%.  Then with a mask and the brush tool, brushed out the Seagull.  To FotoFlexor, cross process, text and frame.

 Another wonderful quality of water is reflection.  I added pdpa Never Seen Before @70%.  Using a mask and the brush tool, I brushed out the water lily reflection then brought through the Water Lily with the same brush tool only at 75%.

Can you imagine waking up to this site in the morning.  Fall is a wonderful time for mist.  I have so many wonderful soft misty pictures, but this has to be a favorite especially with the little lonely swan swimming through.  I didn't use an overlay on this one because it has so much texture on it's own.  I went to Pic Monkey and used the HDR filter which lifted some of the detail.  Then the frame.  I went back to FotoFlexor for the Text (Got hooked on that font for some reason :) 

Everyone at some point in their life has dealt with "the drip"  This drip forced me to get a new kitchen faucet, but not before I immortalized it with my camera.   I took the picture to PSE and ran it through filter effects until I got the ones I wanted.  I outlined each picture with a complementary color using Edit/Stroke. Next was the background which I created with a blank file, added a neutral color then used pdpa Antique Desk Pad Texture.  Placed the photos on the background then, yes, you guessed it ... went to FotoFlexor for the text.

Boy these weeks fly by fast.  Another fun prompt from Bonnie.  She sure gets the creative juices flowing ... Thanks Bonnie, see you next week:)

Photo Art Friday

 

This was a good prompt for me.  I have been doing abstracts with my photo's for years, so I just headed back into my files and pulled up a few. 

Unfortunately, I did these so long ago that I can't be sure what I used to accomplish my effects.  I can tell you that it was in Photoshop Elements. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this point, I decided it would be more fun to make some current abstracts and it would maybe show how my technique has grown (or at least changed).

 

This started with a photo of a deer in the woods.  I tweaked the pictures with levels, brightness/contrast and hue/saturation. I then covered it with pdpa Dusty Rose Bokeh at 60%.  I erased out the deer and recovered it with pdpa Dusty Rose Bokeh at 40% and added a border.

 

 

I started this with a photo of an unusual cloud formation, tweaking it with levels, brightness/contrast and hue/saturation. I placed the picture of the Sand hill Crane's in flight over the clouds at 68% and blended it in using the eraser and clone stamp.  Added pdpa Vintage Craquelure texture at around 66% then used levels to accentuate it. 

 

This was fun, as always.  I am looking forward to everyone's version of abstractions in nature ...

Macro Monday

 

 

It is supposed to rain here today ... hope it rains slow and steady so the environment can absorb the nourishing water ... Have a great week everyone!

The Bird D'Pot

At the Botanical Gardens last week we came across a little group of juvenile Mallards swimming in a pool near a little waterfall.  They were not friendly, but they were not bothered by our close proximity ... nice arrangement for taking pictures. 

"The End " :)