. . . did this instead. There is so much to learn.
Still working on the fantasy composites. Don’t have the skills yet to show you even a basic attempt without extreme embarrassment.
Read Sheye’s blog about Mary in the US. 75 and just starting her Photoshop education. My kind of lady!
Cheers
I should start with, on the way out today. . . I had to take detours on side roads or park on the side of the highway (only 3 stops altogether) to collect some sky shots for my collection. Everyday, we have different cloud types and formations that I might be able to use in a pic somewhere down the track when the sky is boring. We had nice ‘Simpsons” clouds today. I call them that because they look like the opening credits for the animated show.
On the way home, I saw a spot to stop safely so that I could take a photo of these hay rolls from the road. I’ve always wanted some pics of them but never bothered to stop. Today though, I knew I needed some images that I could play with in my educational pursuits with photomanipulation so, I stopped 
A few curves, layers, blending modes and fly paper textures and, voila. I know, I’m a bit fixated on the old, grungy look. Nothing wrong with old things is there????
The SOOC is underneath.
I’m working on some fantasy type composites atm but, they are a lot more time consuming and I’m still shooting bits and pieces as I discover I need them. Eventually, I’ll get one finished.
Cheers
. . .in earnest anyway. My photoshop education that is.
I know a fair bit about the basics of Photoshop but it is an amazing program that has so much potential, creatively, that I’d like to explore.
I’ve been trawling through the internet tutorials today at how to add texture to skin because I want to do it in a project I’m working on. So many skills required for it so I figured I’d better start somewhere. I’m hoping that I can get through a tutorial a day and hone my skills before I start school again in the New Year.
Today’s results are below. The original image is not mine and was included in one of the tutorial.(Courtney would like me to find him though. She asked who it was and I said I didn’t know. She mumbled “my future husband” as she wandered off LOL. Clearly she thinks he’s cute, whoever he is). Unfortunately, the tutorial doesn’t have the author’s/photographer’s name/s or I’d give them full credit.
The good looking original.
After I finished with him
The tutorial was pretty good but written by someone who doesn’t have English as their first language because there are a few gaps that require some previous photoshop knowledge to overcome.
Got your text message.
Now, what did I think of the movie New Moon from the Twilight Saga?
First of all, what did I think of Crown Gold Class? Great new renovations in the reception area but the seats in the cinema were disgusting. Mine smelt of old man hair and had chewed up lolly stuck to the arm rest and other unknown substances rubbed into the fabric. Bit off-putting. However, they did mention they are refurbishing the cinemas as well so, let’s hope they use a fabric that can be regularly wiped clean next time.
The movie. . .
I’ll do good and bad to keep it balanced.
Liked that this was much closer to the book than Twilight but wondered how you would go if you hadn’t read the books and didn’t know all the things that were missing. It all made sense to me but not so sure it would have been cohesive to someone who didn’t know the books so well.
Absolutely LOVED the wolves special effects. Awesome stuff! In fact, all the special effects, including vampire movements were tons better. But pleassssse, get a better make up artist to do the vampy skin because it really looks shit and is very distracting. Dakota Fanning looked ridiculous. And, what is with those red eyes? Bit too over the top me thinks.
I really liked the addition of the fight between Edward and Felix but was concerned they cut the whole event so short that it hasn’t given us an understanding of all of the Volturi characters or the depth of Bella and Edward’s relationship. Although, I will admit to tears when Bella begged them to kill her instead of Edward. . . very sweet.
The actors did a much better job in this one, so hoping Eclipse will see even more improvement. Still reckon the best actor in the whole thing is Bella’s dad. I still love Emmett too.
I’m no fashion expert but I can not imagine Alice ever dressing like that. Was that a maternity outfit she was wearing at Volterra???? It was foul. Get a new wardrobe consultant guys.
Jacob’s chest – what can I say? Go Taylor. Although, I’m thinking some of the cougars in the audience could be a bit more discreet about their fantasies. Bit tacky (he is only a teenager after all).
Edward’s chest – what can I say? I don’t know – eat something maybe.
I actually liked the end where he gave Bella his condition to change her. You could almost see the scheming in his facial expressions and smirk right before he asked. Very Edward.
Overall, I really enjoyed it and will get the DVD to pick up on all the bits you inevitably miss first time around. Courtney thought it dragged a bit but I was OK with it.
It’s amazing where inspiration comes from, isn’t it?
When Courtney came back from Bali a week or so ago, she brought with her the whole of the DVD series of ‘The Hills’. A supposed, teenage reality TV documenting the trials and tribulations of some rich American teenagers and their journey into early adulthood. Not the type of thing I would ever watch willingly but, I didn’t really get a choice with it on the TV 24/7. I got hooked and it wasn’t so bad.
The one thing I loved about it was the lyrics of the opening song – ‘Unwritten’, performed by Natasha Bedingfield. Hearing it at a time of inner turmoil in my own life gave me food for thought. The title of this post is one of the lines that ’spoke’ to me as I battled my demons. You can listen to the whole thing below if you want.
Lyrics | Natasha Bedingfield – Unwritten lyrics
It’s like there was some unseen force that was programming television and personal discussions that I overheard recently, to further influence me. Dr Phil and Oprah (I never watch daytime TV but, again, Courtney is responsible) had sessions on this week that could have been taken straight from my muddled brain. Stuff that was very relevant to me at the exact right time. Hmmmm, must thank that Courtney .
Anyway, all these things that happened, I read or I heard, and the wonderful support from some friends who didn’t even know they were giving it, has lead to me feeling the most positive about my future that I have for, probably, the past 10 years. I finally have an optimism that makes me believe that my life isn’t over at the ripe old age of 46. I’m positive about my financial prospects with the knowledge that a lot of hard work may well pay off and I’m in ‘learn everything’ mode again.
Of course, part of this is due to the great relief of finishing my Semester 2 folios that were driving me to despair and I had lost all motivation for. You can see them here if you like.
I’ve also decided to put my break over Christmas, until I start the final year of my course (did I mention somewhere that I will be going back now thanks to a dear friend?), to productive use and learn as much as I can about the artistic side of post processing which is what I need to learn to give my images the unique edge over all the zillions of photographers out there. I’ve decided I’m not so interested in the standard point and shoot type of portraits that we are inundated with in this image rich culture. I want to focus more on an artistic bent in both composition, design and treatment. And so my education begins.
Here is a very early attempt at using textures and blending modes to give images a ‘look’ – for this one, an aged i-found-it-in-the-attic type of feel. I’ll just play around for awhile until I find whatever works for me I guess.
And to finish, I walked into the lounge room tonight and it was bathed in orange light. The sunset was amazing so, of course, I grabbed my camera. The only processing on this shot is the addition of the texture. The sky really was amazing – and right outside my front door. Can’t ask for more than that
Photoshop gives so much creative potential if you know how to use it. I know an itsy bit but am having fun playing around.
I like things a bit different. I get told that I’m odd, all the time. Must be a connection I think.
Sorry about that last post. I know I worried a few people who sent me lovely, supportive emails. Really, I’m OK. Was just taking stock and got a bit melodramatic I think. I’m not giving up just yet but am reviewing the scale of my dreams into something that is closer to the real world.
Being sick, realising I can’t go back to school next year (without a lotto win) and a few other hiccups, had me down and out and wondering which bus load of Chinamen I’d knocked off this time. After your lovely emails and phone calls, a lovely day that was reasonably productive and a slight improvement in my health, I’m a bit more sane now and looking at things a little more positively.
Also, pissing myself laughing watching ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 days’. The poker seen is a pisser LOL.
Thanks guys
Youth is a wonderful thing. Not least because your metabolism is working, your collagen still intact and keeping those deep furrows off your face, or gravity hasn’t dealt it’s blow and all your bits are still where they’re meant to be. The real wonder lies in blissful ignorance and the belief that you have time, with all the possibilities and hope that brings.
Then you get old. . . like me, at 46 years, and you realise that many of your dreams, of your beliefs, have timed out and you’re forced to reevaluate who you are and what you can achieve with the time you have left. You know that there are people worse off and others, better off and that, each of us is dealt a certain hand of fate that no dream or belief will ever change. You spend the greater part of your life fighting against that hand of fate in the hope you might be one of those rare human beings who can change their destiny by sheer will and hard work but, eventually, you realise you are wasting your energy on something you are never going to have and should have spent your time making the best of what you already have.
I was brought up to believe that, above all else, it was desirable to be a good person. I still fundamentally believe this is true, however, I think my interpretation of what constituted good or, more to the point, who decided if you were good, was a bit off beam. I have spent my life trying to do the right thing, and be ‘good’ and honest in the false belief that this would somehow make my life easier and I would be rewarded with the same. That I would find peace and happiness. Basically, to this point, I’ve lead my life on a falsehood.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe I should have been an evil, cruel, criminal and that I would have found what I was looking for. I am relatively happy with the way I’ve lived my life (not perfect or without mistakes, by any means but with good intentions always), just not happy with myself for wasting so much time and effort EXPECTING certain things;
- Expecting others to understand who you are or your intentions and judging you appropriately and not understanding (until recently – slow learner) that you can never truly know another person, or they you.
- Believing that people are generally good and honest and not believing, despite a mountain of evidence and experience to the contrary, that everyone has their own agenda and that too many people will prey on your trust to your detriment.
- Having the ridiculous notion that if people close to you were ‘good’ they were so in every facet of their lives. That to have any major flaw marred every other good characteristic and made them untrustworthy in every way. This despite the knowledge of my own flaws and belief that I am basically a good person. This despite an acceptance of the flaws strangers or more distant people might have. How stupid and judgmental can a person be.
- Believing that, despite the pain it would cause me, that I should follow the ‘right thing to do’ as dictated by some unseen moral and social standards committee.
- Expecting that because you wanted something so bad that there would be a way to get it.
- Expecting fairytales.
It not that I haven’t been told all of these things at one time or another throughout my life but, I think I just believed I had time to prove them wrong, to prove that the world could be different to what the pessimists kept preaching. But now I’m tired. I’ve worked hard, been proactive in the face of countless obstacles and stayed positive. But, nothing really changes. I’m still struggling financially, I’m still on my own, and I’ve finally lost the time and the hope that there is anything I can do to change it.
So, my future visions include being a crabby old woman living alone on a pension and sharing cat food with my 100 cats (’cause I can’t afford human food) in the government supplied rental at the end of the street where the local kids are all afraid to approach. The upside will be that I will have a beautiful family to visit me and gorgeous, fragrant roses in my garden to sweeten the air. I’ll look back at my scrapping albums and recall the dreams and hopes I had while watching another stunning sunset that mother nature provides for free.
In the meantime, while I am still working, I’ll live in my little house and look forward to my grandson’s birth in March. I’ll take lots of pictures of him to scrap and be glad that, even though I didn’t finish my Diploma, or work professionally, I still take a good picture. I’ll ‘ooh and ahh’ at others travel exploits, all the while feeling a little jealous, but make do with my local environs and be glad that I’m alive and healthy. Then, when I finish work and have to sell my house, I’ll join the local senior citizens club and play lawn bowls and drink tea (or maybe not – yuk) and enjoy the memories of my journey.
So, not so bad after all.
Looks like my wanderings blog will have to stay dormant for a while longer. This month’s trip has been cancelled. It’s probably a good thing as it gives me an extra week to finish my folio for school and a bit less stress while I have pneumonia can’t be a bad thing.
Got a phone call from Courtney today (she’s in Bali) and it seems her arsehole boyfriend is treating her pretty poorly and she was in tears wanting to come home. He won’t talk to her and disappears on his own leaving her to eat alone and basically fend for herself. I am not impressed that he is ruining her holiday and could cheerfully knock his block off but I will hold my tongue (and hand). Can only hope she will see the light.
Have you met Norman? I bought him for my grandson (who will be born next March). He is very cute and I’ve given him the task of guardian giraffe when baby visits us. Don’t know if I want him to go live with new bub as we have struck up a lovely little relationship of our own.
I shot a wedding recently for a school friend of Courtney’s. It was an odd situation with 3 different ceremonies. One a couple of months ago at the Registry Office, the one I shot which was a Hindu ceremony and another last week which was a Catholic service and reception.
My other folio is based on the characters in Alice in Wonderland. I’ve been putting together ideas and costumes etc for weeks and finally got two great models in today to work with me. Another little planet for the Mad Hatter and a very 2009 version of the Queen of Hearts.
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