M is for Mallard

Why are you so shy my Mallard friends, I come only with my camera and lens to capture your lovely colors in the morning light.   Taken at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge lat weekend - ducks are finally gathering among the many Great White American Pelicans and Great White Herons.  Migration season is here!
Texture is concrete. Enjoy!

Great White Heron

Sunday at the Refuge was once again magical.  Saw pelicans again but it was disappointing they were so far out, they are in the hundreds now.  The care takers of the refuge have plowed and planted the winter wheat and green things for the snow geese and other birds coming through this winter and it might explain why some of the Great White Herons were not in the blue grey waters.  The light was a bit harsh in the morning, not that awful bright sunlight but hazy harsh light, however  it did the most amazing thing to the wings in this photo as it shined on them making the wings like transparencies and you can see the bones!  Cheers

New work and more birds!

 The more I play around with birds and the processing of textures the more I am learning.  I guess birding might become a new hobby!   They sure are not easy to get images of and at least for my art I do not need super close images.  For once less is more!  Enjoy ~

The Challenge of White

A little exercise in our Totally Texture group was to use a texture with the theme being white.  I had just taken this photo of the little cherub the day before so I was happy to use it for the challenge.  This image and so much clutter in the background from Lowes garden department, I ended up taking the statue out and placing it on a soft grey background, desaturated the statue and then added two layers of Kim Klassen's Ocean Side.  Once on soft light 82% and again with multiply at 82%.  I added the little soft frame effect to finish it off.  Flattened it and bumped up the brightness just a bit and signed it.  Enjoy ~

Crane and Turtle a Painterly Recipe

Over at Beyond Layers group Kim gave us a new texture to play with called Shine.  Mostly the group uses her textures with still life photos so me being me, I had to try it with a nature photo.  I am glad I did.  The original photo has so much distraction but there is that cool little story trying to be told of the little turtle on the log looking up at the crane.  I am thinking he might become a meal!
My recipe for this painterly image:

Background > duplicate
Levels adjustment
Hue Sat adjustment
Filter>dry brush lowest settings
KK Shine texture soft light 87%
KK Shine texture again multiply
59%
Kristen Frank Texture Paint 64 overlay 56%

I kept an extra background image off to the side which I did in the lowest watercolor setting, and now placed that on top of the work
blend mode 88%.

Flattened the layers, added a little frame and signature and a little last minute brightness adjustment.

Meadow Lark

This lovely big Meadow Lark was a look out in the pasture last summer.  Boy I am going to miss that pasture, it had quite a bit of life in it.  Anyway, this big boy just sat up on his branch and sang and sang...


Texture by Kim Klassen Worn and Weathered and another texture by Distressed Jewel called Painted Days Ahead, and a little brush effects for the sky, a bit of burn to the edge of the layers.

Flutterby Dream

For awhile I was posting birds and now it seems its butterflies.  They are so dreamy and delicate in contrast to our harsh environments.  This lovely Eastern Tiger Swallowtail was a giant in my garden last year.  I worked him over with a few textures after I did the Orton effect on the original image.  To make the Orton effect in photoshop, you duplicate the background>apply>screen 100%>blur>gausian blur about 19%
then you move that layer on top of the original.  Blend mode>multiply>adjust % and go from there.   I learned this from an article in http://www.naturephotographers.net/

I spend quite a bit of time looking at people's photography and gathering ideas to make my own images peculate with interest.  Enjoy ~

Drinking Buddies

What luck, as I rummage through a couple boxes left over from the move and find some photos from last summer burned to a cd!  The couple bees that came late in the drought of summer were regulars at the bird bath.  I would fill the bath up about 3 times a day for the birds but everything was parched with thirst.
So here are my little buddies having a cool drink with a great texture from SkeletalMess called Bokah and then a great water pane texture from Distressed Jewel which gave my water a sky look with that bokah texture.  Finally some nice little brushes from French Kiss.  Enjoy~

Circus Yellow

Another happy face from one of the 3 orchids I have.  They are such clowns in disguise.   Added several layers and adjustments, a bit of swirly brush and my haiku.   

Life in Six Words

In our Beyond Layers group, Kim ran across a fun and interesting challenge.  Your life in 6 words.   The idea originated from The Smith Magazine http://www.smithmag.net/
and so here we are taking some of our photos and putting some life words to go with our images.  Its a whole big world out there, the Smith Magazine site is very entertaining, so check it out.   My image was taken a couple weeks ago at Hagerman Wildlife Refuge in Sherman TX, and these are snow geese who were flying in by the thousands.  This photo was unusual as they were flying right over me so close that while in formation they look like someone stacked them up like a kabob.    Enjoy ~
Oh, my texture is just the cloud overlay at soft light.

Goldfinches are here!

 What a fun surprise to look out at my feeders and so a flock of Lesser Goldfinches.  My camera was ready too, amazing.  This first shot is of a single little guy waiting patiently for his turn at one of the feeders.   They did not seem very shy of me and the camera, maybe because they were so excited about a free meal!
Enjoy ~

Herons and Mockingbirds

Here I have included a couple more birds for you to enjoy.  The great big Mocking Birds are so stately and commanding.  In the other photo I see the Great Heron carries the same attitude in his marsh area.  Now that we have sold our old ranch and the bird bath stayed there too, I can not imagine a summer without one.  I wonder if two bird baths will find their way to my yard!
Enjoy~

Fractilius Garden

I love the way sunflowers on long stems reach out toward the sun, like little satellite dishes,  I got to playing around with one of the Redfield filters and applied it to this composition.  I was really happy with the over all effect and have not used this in a couple years, so now it is all fresh and exciting for me again.  I left the link to the plugins below if you have an urge to play.
http://www.redfieldplugins.com/galleryFractalius.htm

In the Garden

 Sifting through yet more of last summers images.  I was happy to find so many photos to play with and shocked at how many more I have yet to review.

This little damselfly I did a search on for its species and for Oklahoma it seems it is called a Powdered Dancer.  How sweet to have such a wonderful name.  It was really tiny and hid down deep in the weeds in the pasture.    I have included this giant clover image along with the Damselfly because this was part of the Weed Exploration I was on with my Macro that day.  Enjoy ~

Hagerman in the Winter

Well, at last there is an image without birds!  I thought these dead looking trees in the water were so interesting with the reflection and the way the water glistened in different textures and colors.      The Great Heron's were out  in abundance at the Refuge last weekend and I got quite a few images of them doing different things.  They really blend in with water and weeds so it was hard to get nice shots of them. I hope you are enjoying these winter images.

Dining In The Muck

Hi again, with birds!  Saturday I got to visit again the great Hagerman Wildlife Refuge http://www.friendsofhagerman.com/Home
and spent 2 hours just driving and walking about trying to get some photos.  Since its winter there are not many things to shoot except , what else...birds!  I got a nice assortment of birds that I will be sharing with you.  These are not Mallards but this pair kept close enough to the edge of the water to get some nice wakes behind as they paddled along the shore.

1000 Birds

I guess last Summer I got tired of butterflies and flowers, and became a Birder.   Well they are pretty darn entertaining and a bit more personality than a flower, so here is another baby from last summer's collection and its little Haiku I put together just for this baby bird.  Enjoy ~

High Noon

One of my little birdies from last summer. She was a character and I remember her well.  Doesn't her expression just say it all!
I used two textures in this, one called Scripted and one called All That done at different settings and masks, I added my haiku and my frame which I darkened. Hope you enjoy it!

Bluebird Oasis

When it was hot I could not wait for winter, now that its cold I crave the heat.
I had such a great group of birds come to my birdbath last summer.  So many would come they would splash the water out several times a day.  This batch of bluebird babies which actually included 5 total were always there playing in the water.  This Image used two texture layers, a dry brush filter and simple frame.
Enjoy!

Eagle Portrait my recipe

OK everyone, I have been asked how I am creating my art.  I think this eagle will be a good example.  You can see below the original photo that is just bad with awful light and reflections.  I am really happy with the new image of the eagle.
1. I use PS7.  Open the image and duplicate the background.
2. Add a gradient layer black to white at 45% opacity and then using a soft round black brush with opacity about 45% again brush away the areas you want to show through.
3. I duplicated the gradient layer and set it to blending mode screen      22% opacity.
4. Another adjustment layer was added with a soft warm peach color
   4b1506 hex code soft light blending mode at around 15%
5.I went back to the duplicate layer I added a watercolor filter
6. I now added an adjustment levels layer and brought out the whites.
7. Another adjustment layer Hue and Sat to take out the greens and yellows for a soft look.
8. I went to the top of my layers and added a very cool free texture from Deviant Art and set at soft light about 23% and duplicated that layer.
9. I added a mask layer and brushed away the area over the bird for the last part
10. I added the very nice little frame to finish it off.  Don't you think it look's much more interesting.  I feel like I saved that photo from the trash bin.

This must seem like reading Greek to my friends who visit my art here,
but the steps are quite easy to learn especially if I keep my pen and paper handy at my keyboard!   I am learning all this at:
http://photoshoptestkitchen.com/