Hunting for Shapes Scavenger Hunt

I have been reading a book Picture Perfect Practice by Roberto Valenzuela which is mostly for portrait photographers, but its full of thought provoking insight.  He speaks about shape as being important to frame people but isn't shape in itself exciting too. 

So I came to this challenge yesterday to use a camera that you have, any camera will do and search out for shapes.  Clearing your mind of all the rest of the clutter.  Keep your eye looking for squares, triangles, circles, rectangles, converging lines.  Its like training your eyes to see shapes.   First just concentrate on 5-10 squares or circles and when you have those move on to the next set.  This is keeping your brain trained on a specific task.   Consider balance, color, complimentary shapes.  In the next day or so I will take a walk around town and see what I see for my exercise and I will begin with squares because I think this will be the hardest for me.   

So why not give yourself a little challenge and go scavenge for those great geometric shapes and create a little story board of your work.

Batik Recipe

Here is a little inspiration for the many photos taken of the lovely water lilies.   I am fascinated with all the big leaves and towering flower heads, the eco system that lives among them. I find many of my photos begin to look the same even though each time I look over the water I see more and more beauty .  I thought I would play with  a batik look for these.  If you want to try your hand at this little exercise on any photo here is a little recipe.  (I am in Elements 10)

Background image>duplicate>rename "sketch"
Enhance>unsharp mask and use a heavy hand
Filter>stylize glowing edges (5-13-14)
Control Shift>Invert Colors (it will be B&W now)
Enhance>adjust color>remove color

Create a new layer, and add a levels adjustment to brighten

Below the "sektech layer" add a new layer then
alt+backspace and it will become white - name it white

On this White layer, select the eraser tool with a brush that is like a dry media brush #63 or close and set the opacity to around 15-25% and begin to brush away on the white surface to let the image below come through.  

Enjoy this process and play with lots of photos.  Some images become magically transformed and others find their way to the trash bin or different processing.  This is so much more fun than a plug in!

Canadian Geese in the Morning

The light was right for a change and the birds were not in the shadows as much.  I love overcast days for taking photos.  I was still able to get a bit of reflection and not have the faces and bodies dark.  These adults were just entering the water as the sun was coming up.  Taken at Hagerman Wildlife Refuge in Sherman TX. Texture Skeletal Mess. 

House Finch, A Word of Advice

This little couple have given so many fun hours of amusement over the last months.  They play, they bicker and carry on like an old married couple.  I am pretty sure they have raised about 20 babies as the birdbath is often pretty busy.  Maybe she is telling Mr she has a head ache tonight!

I have been taking a bit of photography break with the Olympics on but I need to begin to sort through some of my images.   I have a photo contest I plan to enter offered from Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, using photos taken from the Refuge.  It will be their 3rd one and there are at least 3 categories that I can participate in.   Problem is I can not make a decision.   What will the judges be looking for!