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.

Seriously Brillient

Isn't this an incredible expression!  From the Alexandria Zoo this is one of the largest land birds originating from Australia and for the life if me I can't remember its species!   I had to take this through a no climb wire fence and so I had to do a severe crop on it.  After I got done with some exposure work I tried a dry brush filter on it and it really picked up the texture of the horn and the glassy eyes.  Such a great contrast. and so brillient!   

Under Water Again

Once again we are visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium and here are anchovies and a shark species.  The little fish swam in tight formation changing direction and darting as a single body, its quite a contrast to the easy moving shark.  This photo was worked over in photo shop with some texture added a bit of noise and dry brush to get rid of some of the flat feel from taking the image through thick glass.   Its also an ATC card!

Happy St. Patties Day

From Go Green Turtle, Happy Toasting and GREEN thoughts all day long.  Taken at Fort Worth Zoo through plexi glass viewing into bottom of a lake environment.

Moultin Color

In Alexandria Louisana is a wonderful little zoo that we visited one morning in September. My first crossing of a wood bridge just led me through more habitats, but on the way back, the carp were being fed and they roiled into a mass of color.  It was beautiful to see all the reflections and color of the fish in a hurry to gobble up the pellets.