Beyond Layers Day 64

I am really behind in Beyond Layers. I have skipped lots of lessons and exercises. I did not participate in the pieces of me scavenger hunt at all and as interesting as that sounded, I think I will skip that at this point.

I have not yet started on the shape exercises, but I do think that will be a valuable exercise and I want to do that. For me a lot of the problem is I only spend my free time (sometimes) doing photography (usually after work and when the light gets a little better) and I do not ever use a phone camera for spur of the moment photos. I don't have an iphone and my android devices does not have a good quality quality camera, so I don't see the point. I prefer to always use my dSLR and for that, I need to be a bit more deliberate. For certain, there is no taking photos at work or on the way home from work and such.

I can do the shape exercise in time  . . . the important thing is the idea and the understanding of what it can do is there.

Overall, I am realizing I have to relax about the Beyond Layers course and realize that, really, just reading the emails and prompts and watching the videos is enough. I have learned a lot  . . . so much about Photoshop that I never knew and even if I stopped now, it was well worth it . . . and on top of that, I've learned about myself.

I won't stop, but I will relax and do what I can . . .

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For the above image, I used Kim's 'Jay' texture and followed a lot of her tips and tricks about masking. I did not need to as much with this as I would have if my image was different, but I really loved the backslash trick . . . that was helpful. How would I ever find out about that if it were not for Kim?

'Laundry Mat'

I saw this sign in Indian Lake, NY. It tickles me. I cannot help picturing a big, black mat with laundry spread out on it, drying in the sun.

Texture Tuesday--Free and Easy

For Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday. This is a  photo of the sunset over Lake Pend Oreille (pronounced ponderay) in Idaho. My husband's family has property there and we go every summer for a visit.

I changed the look of the photo with some cross processing in Lightroom, Photoshop and with Radlab and then applied the texture. I don't honestly recall which texture I used (I think it was 'take heart'), but I know it was Kim's because I always use hers. 

Texture Tuesday: Dream-it Edition

For Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday: dew-covered spider web, taken on a foggy morning on the bridge at Raquette Lake, NY.

I used two layers of her Dream-it texture: one with the multiply blend mode at 22% and one with the soft light blend mode at 45%.

Close-up of a spider web

I had gotten up at dawn to take photos during my annual vacation in one of my most beloved places--Raquette Lake, NY. The fog was dense that morning so I turned my focus and camera to the dew covered spider webs.

www.rocktheshotforum.com

Beyond Layers, Day 49, Color Storyboard

Kim Klassen taught us how to make a color storyboard in Day 49 of her Beyond Layers e-course. It is a fun and easy thing to do and makes for a lovely display.

I took the photo of these buttercups on the top of Blue Mountain in the Adirondacks on our recent trip back there. I processed the photo in Lightroom and Photoshop, as well as with Radlab. I added a couple of texture layers as well.

She gave us a bonus lesson to create a shaped color palette as well using the brush tool.

Beyond Layers, Day 47, Polaroid Love

This was a really fun exercise from Kim Klassen's Beyond Layers. She shared some Polaroid frames for download and told us how to make 'fake' Polaroids :)

I edited this photo of my daughter using some presets in Lightroom and a couple of vintage color stylets in RadLab.

I think her scraped-up knee is a nice touch and adds to the feeling of summer, but she would probably disagree. She thinks she has a major wound!