
Landscape Photography

capturing the world around me
Sometimes it is what you don’t see in an image that is more thought provoking than what you do see.
We have this fountain that lights up on our patio. So last night around dusk I decided to try my Sol 45 Lensbaby lens on my Sony a6000. So far I have only used it for flower photography. The lens faired pretty well under the light conditions and was able to capture the bubbles while keeping the water streams smooth.
“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.” Maya Angelou.
“A flower blossoms for its own joy.” Oscar Wilde
A skiff inserted into a photograph of Lake Michigan.
The photograph of the skiff was taken in Capri, Italy. I loved the skiff’s simplicity and faded colors, but the surrounding area left a lot to be desired to capture a good photo.
One day I was looking at some photographs that I took of Lake Michigan and decided to see if I could insert the skiff into a beach photo and make it work. I first processed the skiff to pop the colors, then I cut it out. I brought both the cutout and Lake Michigan photo into Photoshop and combined them: adjusted colors, luminosity, and cloned sand around the bottom of the skiff. I decided to add some texture by using the Oil Paint filter under Stylize. Then to finish the composite I created a mask and lightly brushed the filter out in different areas. I did not want a lot of texture in the skiff. Finally I went into Photoshop Elements and added the border.
This exercise is a really excellent way to experiment and use tools that you don’t often get to use in normal photo processing. I must say I learned a lot!
Sony a6000; Lensbaby Sol 45; 1/200 Sec; ISO 250
I bought this lens a year ago and was really frustrated with the results of my photography sessions. No matter how I adjusted the lens or bokeh blades my photos left a lot to be desired. Yet many photographs taken by others with this lens were amazing. Why theirs and not mine?
Initially, we were not a good fit. The whole purpose of the Lensbaby is to create soft, dreamy photographs. I am someone who strives to create clear, sharp photographs. I suddenly realized when using this lens I was just shooting to shoot. So I set out to create one really sharp area in an image and let the rest just happen through adjusting the bokeh blades. Much happier with the results and this lens has become a whole lot of fun!
“I think we all see the world from our own little unique bubble.” Julie Taymor
Today I had some fun working in Photoshop. Recently I purchased some water gel beads and decided to get a little creative!
This photo was taken with an Iphone 6 and processed with the mobile app Snapseed. The app allows you to mask, add layers through the double exposure tool and edit your photo with a variety tools that most computer software programs offer. It will also process RAW photos.
If you are looking to have some fun on the run, I would recommend taking the time to learn this app!