road map ii

               Jaelynn; Sado Island, Japan 2009         Jaelynn; Sado Island, Japan 2009

Road Map {Prediction}:

- adjust levels {bring out the background}

- adjust curves {make sure not to let her dissolve into the background}

- crop or edit out the foot

Road Map {Actual}:

- cropped out foot on right

- adjusted levels {brought out the background}

- adjusted curves {separated her from the background}

- adjusted brightness

- lasso'd and created a new layer for the background

- adjusted background layers

- had to go back in and try to blend/blur/heal her outline {the most obvious screw up is her left hand -__- } and then i had to go back in and painstakingly paint back in the colors of the background to help blend it better. i have learned i hate the healing tools.

- lasso'd and created a new layer for her obi {sash/tie}

- adjusted the levels on the obi to bring out the neon color

i like that the adjustments on this photo make such a huge difference.  there is a bit of noise though, but i think it adds to the photo and makes it look like a film print.  also, the darkness that was brought out in the shadows really helped give the photo depth.

xo

road map i

            Lanterns; Japan 2009 {original}                  Lanterns; Japan 2009 {edit}

Road Map I {Prediction}:

- adjust exposure {to make lantern color brighter}

- adjust levels {to make the background get pushed further behind the lanterns}

- edit out the building in the back {keep the focus on the 'hanging' so to take away the feeling/element that attaches it to the ground}

- get rid of some of the telephone wires

Road Map I {Actual}:

- adjusted levels {brought out the sky}

- adjusted curves {create a color difference between the lanterns and the sky}

- i played around with the healing tools to take out the building and some of the power lines but didn't like the look of it {i thought it looked fake}, so i decided to leave them in

- lasso'd the lanterns, and created a new layer

- adjusted the levels of the lanterns

- adjusted the brightness of the lanterns

- adjusted the contrast of the lanterns

it's kind of unfortunate that this time i was in japan, the weather wasn't the nicest.  but in general, japan, in tokyo {and other large cities} are always very gray.  the sky is so infiltrated with city pollutants that they rarely see blue skies.  it is almost amazing to me that the blue was able to be pulled out from the back.  but the dark skies also affect the photos and the lighting cast on/through objects such as the lanterns.  so brightening them up, in hopes that they look more 'normal' was my goal.

xo

{peer photo review}

     This photo of Trombley is unique in the sense that there is an interesting perspective, good use of the 'rule of thirds' in that the clock and and horizontal break of the photo are at approximate 1:3 ratios in their given placements.  There is good apparent texture in the photo which I love because it adds to the 'feeling' that you are in the flowers looking beyond.  This may be an insignificant fact, but that the time is almost 3:00 makes me feel this slight anticipation in time, gives the photo more life than it would have been if it were closer to an exact hour.  The fact that the sky was gray and the colors of both the trees and library roof in the background, as well as the black top of the clock, and the plants and flowers are the only thing that are really 'colored' in this photo give it a weird illusion of a black and white photo, that was color edited to include the colors of the vegetation.  It is kind of an interesting juxtaposition of elements because the trees are obviously dormant, in winter mode, and the weather also suggests that, but the flowers are still in bloom.  Without knowing that the school plants these flowers and they aren't just growing on their own in the middle of winter, this photo is thought provoking.

      There are a few things that I think could have been altered in order to make the photo composition stronger.  I would have actually liked if the focus of the photo was on the flowers rather than the clock itself.  It is completely a personal preference, taking to the plants more than to the brick clock that I see everyday.  It would have shown how much focus isn't put on something that is also always in our path.  I feel like if the clock and background were blurred we'd still be able to know where the photo was taken, and a bit of mystery would have been added to the image, not knowing the time and possibly not having the library roof so apparent.  Which brings me to my next point, that even if it may have been impossible to get the library roof out of the shot, I feel like a photo without it present would have been better because it takes away from the subject.

     Great shot!

xo

{pixiq: article review}

     This article about photography tutorials is awesome. It has 250 separate links to tutorials of almost anything that has to do with cameras and photography.  I find that it can be useful to this class because there are answers to questions anyone may have about cameras/camera equipment/understanding settings, etc. there are tutorials that can cause you to ask more questions, tutorials that allow you to be creative and achieve better photos using different types of editing skills.  There are tutorials that help you make sense of the f-stop scale, understanding exposure, there are how-to's of pretty much anything you could possibly imagine.  There was an article about knowing your limits {as a photographer} so you're able to fix/adjust them {whether it be buying new equipment, switching stuff out, lighting, etc.}.  Teaching you about camera lenses for indoor photography, outdoor photography, portrait photography.  Why you should get an external flash, and more importantly...how to use it.  

     Some of my favorites include how to improve seascape/mountain/macro photography, shooting at the beach/in the snow/in the rain, coloring an old black and white photograph, how to fake tilt-shift photography, photographing smoke and time-lapse photography.  There was even an article about film!  I feel like this article is like a golden pre-'favorited' page for photogs and an awesome go-to for any help/advice needed.  Definitely going to make use of this...

xo

photoshop {noise-reduction edit ii}

old lahaina sugarcane smokestack original at 100%

old lahaina smokestack edited at 100%
{levels, curves and exposure were adjusted first.  then photofilter, vibrance were added/adjusted.  lastly some sharpening, color noise-reducing & blurring were introduced...}

                                        original                                                    noise-reduced

photoshop {noise-reduction edit}

bribri original at 100%

bribri edit at 100%

{levels, curves and exposure were adjusted first.  then photofilter, vibrance were added/adjusted through lasso-ing/isolating just her figure.  lastly some sharpening and blurring were introduced...}

                                   noise reduced                                                     original

i wanted to focus more on the overall noise reduction, which largely comes from adjusting the color balance of the photo in its entirety, but also the individual subject.

{self portrait}

Ok, I couldn’t pick just five, so six it is. Emi is my baby. She’s already 8, but has energy like a puppy. She’s basically the best dog in the world, not much else to say but that I love her to death and that she reminds me each and every day why life is worth living.

This woman, couldn’t live without her. We have the most unconventional grams/granddaughter relationship ever. She has the biggest heart, the most stubborn mind, and the most caring soul. Don’t know what I’d do without her…

Hana Maui. Hana is one of those magical places, one of those places that makes you feel different, makes you feel special and worthy in an extremely spiritual way. I guess it makes sense given it’s history, but this photo not only represents my admiration for this place but it's fifty-two bridges, and all the darlings I've made memories here with.

With my boys there’s never a dull moment, there will never be faded memories, and no hard feelings. Everything we do together is out of love and trust. I have some of the greatest girl friends in the world, but these boys, these boys remind me what it means to have fun, to enjoy life, to wander through life and become the person I want to be, to live regretting little and to make everlasting memories. They drive me crazy, make me sad, annoy me to the point of recklessness, cheer me up, and are the realest goons around. We have shared secrets and insights to life, have witnessed countless things only we’d find funny, and every day I am away I am reminded of how much they mean to me. There’s something about the perspective of so many boys that I’m pretty sure makes me more annoyed by any living female. The boys remind me to not sweat the petty things, not worry about makeup or fashion, to not care about what people think, how your hair looks, or what she or he said, they teach me to love being spontaneity, not to cry {every time} times are rough or something doesn’t go my way, they remind me about how beautiful the world we live in is, and the importance of love. They make me, a better me.

Drums have been a part of my life for, jeez, ever since I was six. I played taiko for over ten years and learned in between how to play a kit, bongos, congos, box drums, and almost every other percussion instrument or drum type you can imagine. I’m not so fond of the uniforms for taiko, so this bongo photo will have to do. But there’s something about taiko’s power, it’s volume and strength, that makes it so moving. I never understood why it made audiences cry, but now, I understand.

My two favorite littles, Keke and Opihi-Cassidi. They are have the most caring, thoughtful, kind hearts and most loving souls. Why they want to be me? Don’t know.

XO