When a Google Search & Good Fortune Collide...

You never know what a Google search will find. 

And, you never know when good fortune will make an unexpected appearance. 

Those truisms collided yesterday. I received a heartwarming surprise in the form of an e-mail. It was from a creative director at a national advertising company. Thanks to a Google image search, he saw one of my pictures. It was exactly what he wanted for his work, so he inquired whether I would be agreeable to a non-exclusive licensing agreement. After I consulted with my business advisor (sweet hubby, the retired professional photographer) and tossed some correspondence back and forth, we reached a financial agreement! I still retain copyrights to the image. 

So I am now officially, and accidentally, a professional photographer. Gracious! Here is the picture that caught his eye. This happens to be one of my personal favorites too, so the recognition is extra sweet.

The subject image is one that I “tricked out” in Photoshop with several techniques. The stone wall is not painted in real life. The stones are actually part of the structural support to the Pisgah Covered Bridge in Randolph County, North Carolina. The bridge was originally built in 1911 for $40. A flood tragically destroyed it in 2003. But local residents recovered about 90% the materials and rebuilt. The bridge, with its poignant history, represents a little slice of Americana - one with a unique, tough, and resilient spirit. That is what inspired me to create an altered image by digitally “painting” a flag over the stones.

If you ever spot my image in an advertisement, please let me know! I will probably have to change my pants.

A Photoshop Study - Acoma Pueblo Pottery

After I finished up with the previous photo shoot, I photographed another personal treasure. This one hails from the American southwest! We stayed a few days in Santa Fe when we visited New Mexico last year, and we enjoyed browsing in all of the trendy shops. One of our favorites was Andrea Fisher Pottery near the downtown plaza. My sweet hubby bought me a couple of early birthday presents here, and one of them was this adorable seed pot. Such pots were traditionally used by Native Americans to store garden seeds. 

This artisan piece was made by Rachel Concho (age 76) of the Acoma Pueblo and features a mimbres-stylized rabbit and geometric designs. The intricate design belies its size. It is tiny in stature, measuring 2-1/2 inches across and 1-1/4 inches tall. 

I applied minimal digital processing to the image shown above. The photo came out pretty, but I wanted to see if I could kick it up a notch. I applied a little bit of creativity in Photoshop and made some additional images from the original photo file. 

Here is a dramatic low-key application in black and white. I cropped the photo slightly and applied some “glow” for more drama. With the clay texture smoothed out, one can clearly distinguish the pot as handmade, with whispers of shadows dancing across the painted white surface.

Next, I gave the image a vertical crop and applied a neon glow filter that inverted the black and white colors. I then chose a coppery tint to fill in the former white areas of the clay pot. Now it looks like it is made of metal! 

In my final attempt, I was compelled to take advantage of clean dramatic lines of the pottery decoration and the simplicity of the overall scene. So I cropped the photo into a square and applied a stylized filter with glowing edges. The image was transformed to show the pot’s outline and design with vibrant lines on a black background. 

I had fun with my Photoshop playtime! I hope that this demonstration has also given you a giggle!

Photo Challenge: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

It’s time for another Brenda Photo Challenge! The subject is “these are a few of my favorite things.” Please visit the link to see contributions by the other participants! 

This photo assignment was difficult! First of all, I had a terrible time figuring out what “few” things I could use in my photo shoot. I have a lot of favorites! I finally settled on a grouping of new bookends and some treasured books. The bookends are rustic, metal rabbits! They are whimsically shaped into a strenuous pose, showing their struggle to hold weighty tomes upright. I had to buy them. They make me laugh! And the treasured books are ones that my husband bought for us 30 years ago. These are collector editions of the J.R.R. Tolkien classics, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (or There and Back Again). Each book is encased in colorful sheaths. We adore the stories and were thrilled when the movies were released in 2001-2003. And we’re looking forward to the December movie release of The Hobbit! 

The second difficulty I had was setting up and executing the final image. I photographed the scene in my home office and used only natural light. Though the light level was relatively low, I had to deal with some annoying shine on the metal rabbits and the gold lettering on the books. Hot spots in a photo are not attractive. Plus, light was needed to fill in on the right-hand side. I ended up taking about two-dozen shots and half-way processed a couple of them before I finally settled on the final image. The finished product took me an hour and a half to accomplish. (I’m a slow and deliberate learner, LOL.) 

The camera settings were f/3.5 (for a shallow depth of field), 1/40 second, and ISO 320. I used an 85 mm lens and a tripod. I began the photo shoot by using a white deflector on the right-hand side of the image to bounce light into the scene. The reflections on the lettering were mottled. It wasn’t the look that I wanted. Frustrated, I started moving the reflector around to see if it would change the effect. Low and behold, holding the reflector directly beneath the scene evened out the light and eliminated the reflections that were annoying me. It was a breakthrough moment to finally figure that out! Digital processing in Photoshop was aided by multiple filters from the Nik Color Efex 4.0 plug-in program, including ones for contrast, detail, and vignette. 

And now that you know the stories behind the photo, here are the bunnies paying homage to Tolkien. 

The Lord of the Rings

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

A Little Request

Here’s an old garden catalog cover that I restored for you! Isn’t that a beautiful bouquet? (You are welcome to click to make it bigger and save it.)

I have a request from my blogging friends. My mom is not feeling well right now. I would appreciate it very much if you kept her in your prayers. Thank you!

Primitive Eggs

It has been a rare event for me to do any crafting lately. But I managed to whip up a batch of primitive painted eggs this past weekend. When I mentioned it in my previous post, some of my blogging friends requested a photo. I’m happy to oblige! 

The paper mache eggs are available this time of year at your local craft stores. It doesn’t take a lot of skill, time, or expense to do these. With a little supervision, it would be a good project for children or grandchildren too. Thanks to the countless acrylic paints available, you can customize your colors. I have previously painted some in muted pastels. I got a hankering to paint this latest batch in a neutral buttermilk color. I also used a light hand with the sanding so that they would compliment a cottage décor. You can easily vary the amount of distressing. 

I pinned a tutorial on my Pinterest site, but HERE is a convenient link it you want to try making these. As a final touch, I sprayed the eggs with a satin polyurethane spray. This step is not mentioned in the linked instructions. 

Have fun!

February's Random Thoughts

We bought a couple of pots of tulips and hyacinths about a week ago. It has been a treat to have splashes of floral color on our kitchen table. 

The flowers have given me a little indoor practice with the macro lens, reflectors, and digital editing. And when I get practice, you get to see a pretty picture! 

It’s a rainy day, but I can’t complain. It could be snow! 

The gas bill just came in yesterday. It was pleasantly low. It’s probably the lowest that I can ever remember for this time of year.

Against my better judgment, I started Pinterest a week ago. I really don’t have to time do it justice right now, but I thought it would be a good idea to at least get it set up. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! On the plus side, I can get rid of a lot of stray bookmarks on Safari. On the downside, I now have an incurable case of creation fever. I’m starting to make a list of little treasures and messes I want to try to make after the working stint is over. 

I hope that you have turned off the word verification setting on your blog. The latest Blogger changes have made this step difficult and frustrating to complete.  The setting is totally unnecessary because the spam filter is working well and there is also an optional comment approval setting. Fair Warning: If you maintain word verification on your blog, I will not leave comments. Sorry!

An antique cut-glass bowl on the entryway table has been looking a little lonely since Christmas time. So I painted and distressed a dozen paper mache eggs yesterday. They are all a lovely buttermilk color, toned down with a dark glaze. I got a creativity fix and the bowl is now filled. Two birds and one stone, so to speak. 

Our first daffodil should bloom outside this week. It looked like it wanted to open up last week, but a brief cold snap help change it’s mind. I am checking it daily, ensuring that I don’t miss it. Oh, how I love daffies! 

DH found some leeks on sale at the grocery store. So he made a pot of potato and leek soup for lunch. The recipe is low calorie and delicious! I was too hungry to stop and do a photo shoot, so you’ll just have to settle for a mental picture us chowing down a couple of gorgeous bowls of tasty goodness. 

Thanks to the unseasonably warm weather for the past month or so, DH and I have been walking laps around the road that goes through the villa section. It’s an oval that is reasonably flat and the traffic is nil. In addition to fresh air and a little exercise, we get a chance to regularly check out the progress of two new villas under construction. One is a custom home and the other will be featured in the next local parade of homes.

I have tomorrow off from work because it’s a holiday. Hooray! I don’t get paid, but hooray anyhow! Sunshine needs to make an appearance so that I can capture some images for the next photo challenge. The theme is “these are a few of my favorite things.” Gosh, it’s going to be hard to decide my subjects because I many cherished treasures. Won’t you consider joining in on the challenge fun? The link is on my sidebar.

Katmai Brown Bears - Daydreaming

What toy does a brown bear daydream about owning? Well, I found out! It obviously hankers for a fishing boat with a powerful motor! 

I can just imagine the little thought bubble, hovering above their heads in these photos. “What a sweet ride! I’ve got to get me one of those!"

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is a special surprise message to my hubby (who faithfully reads my blog): 

Happy Valentine's Day, Sweetie!

Waiting for Daffodils

Spring fever is making the rounds. Has there been an epidemic in your corner of the world too? I am eager for the early season daffodils to great us outside. But we had a cold winter snap settle in the past couple of days and that has slowed down their progress. The grocery store had a huge wall of pots with spring blooms strategically located near the door. The sight was dazzling and the smell was divine. We couldn’t resist selecting some tulips and daffodils to brighten up a corner of our kitchen table.

So how about a couple of vintage spring graphics to decorate here too?  Enjoy!

Katmai Brown Bears - Fishing Styles

Welcome to another installment of the brown bears that live in Katmai National Park! 

We stayed at Brooks Lodge for three days. Oh, how I wish we could have stayed longer! Every minute we could, we were bear-watching and snapping photographs. While observing the bears, we began to notice a wide assortment of fishing styles. When they were young cubs, they learned by watching the momma bears. Undoubtedly, they adapt their learned tactics based on the location, the amount of salmon running, and the pecking order at the fishing hole. Some like the deep areas, and some like the shallow places. Some bears don’t fish at all, but spend their time begging nibbles from the catchers or eating leftover fish debris in the river and along the banks. Apparently, the human race doesn’t have a monopoly on moochers! 

Every photographer who visits Brooks Falls tries to capture the iconic scene of a fish jumping into the waiting jaws of an 800-pound brown bear, poised at the top of the waterfall. I never got such an image. There were very few times that a bear actually positioned itself at that precipice. And none caught a fish from that spot while I was there. The majority of the action occurs in the river below the falls. 

Here are a few memorable examples of fishing styles. First, there is the paw scoop. Yikes, look at those claws! 

Here is a variation that I call the toe dip. The cute ballerina pose resulted in an unforgettable image for me! 

This handsome bear was floating across a calm part of the river near the lower river platform. It was ready to dive in for a catch. 

The king fisherman of the group at the falls, Genghis, commanded a reserved spot in a “Jacuzzi” section. It seemed like this guy pulled in salmon every 10 to 15 minutes! It was a superb location because the salmon got caught in a natural eddy current. Not only did he out-fish all the other bears, he enjoyed a therapeutic water massage in-between meals! 

This burly fellow had his jaws ready to shovel in his catch. I was amused to see a photograph of this same bear on Moose Peterson's blog recently. Moose is a noted professional who specializes is wildlife photography. He visited Brooks Falls in 2009 and was captivated by this bear dubbed Ted. It was easy for me to recognize Ted by the large scar on his rump. Such a mark is a painful reminder that there is a competitive spirit among these wild animals. 

The fishing style of this furry guy made me laugh out loud. He positioned himself on a boulder in the river, downstream a hundred yards or so from the falls. As he repeatedly dunked his head in the water, he would poke his wet rump up into the air!

A Little Help from My Friends

I noticed that I was getting more traffic here all of a sudden. Then I realized that two of my dear blogging friends have been spreading the word about my site. 

Vee at A Haven for Vee referred to my story of patience, featuring Otis, the bear. She was amused about how I refer to “thought bubbles” that hover invisibly above critters when I photograph them. I amuse myself by trying to imagine what they are thinking. In actuality, they are probably wondering, “Why is the crazy lady pointing a black contraption at me and giggling?” Sometimes I wonder the same thing! 

Vee always keeps me entertained at her blog, sharing snippets of her life in Maine and delighting everyone with her dry wit. Thank you, Miz Vee, for the thoughtful plug! 

At the same time, Jenny at I'm Having a Thought Here also mentioned me in a post. She won some of my handcrafted beaded bookmarks in a bloggy giveaway a while back. Jenny has been inspired to begin crafting beautiful book swags made of ribbon and charms. 

Hubby and I were very fortunate to meet Jenny in person last year and entertain her at Grey Havens. She has that special gift of lighting up a room, and a visit to her blog will quickly convince you too. Thank you, Miz Jenny, for mentioning me, and I am thrilled to see your creative spirits soar!

Adding a Favicon

I recently got around to adding a favicon to my blog. Have you noticed? I was surprised at how easy it was to get it accomplished! 

Some of you may be asking, “What on earth is a favicon?” The word stands for “favorites icon.” It is an image displayed in the web address bar and also a favorites menu. If you have a site on the Blogger platform and you haven’t added a custom favicon, the automatic default image is the Blogger symbol - a white capital B on an orange-colored background. 

I switched out the standard Blogger icon with a customized one of a rabbit. (Marty, my official blog greeter, did the choosing.) If you look up in the web browser address line, you’ll spot the little cutie in front of my blog address. 

The hardest part of adding a favicon is deciding the image. Because it is so small, it needs to be a very simple design. The image also needs to be square and sized no more than 100KB. 

Once you have your design prepared, go to Blogger’s Layout control panel. The favicon block is shown in the upper-left of the layout. Click on Edit. 

The Configure Favicon screen will pop up next. Choose the file stored on your computer and upload it. Hit the Save button. That’s it! 

It may take a little while for it to show up, so be patient. My rabbit favicon took about a day before it finally made its appearance. And, if you ever change your mind and want different design, you can go back to the Layout screen to edit. 

I see that some of my blogging friends figured out how to do this little customization long before before I did. The new Blogger interface makes it as easy as pie. Like I said, the hardest part is figuring out what picture to add! Logos of flowers, animals, and initials seem to be the most popular. 

Have I inspired you to give it a try on your blog?

Photo Challenge: Memories

Memories of Moments

Snippets of captured moments are committed to our memories. 

They are mental snapshots to remember a feeling, a person, a creature, a place, or event that stirred our souls. 

Normally tucked away for safekeeping, they are roused when our reflecting spirits wake them from slumber. 

Some memories are vast. 

Some memories are trifling. 

Some stand in the out in the colorful light of joy, allowing our hearts a youthful skip. 

Some recede into the hushed shadows of sorrow, causing our hearts a mournful sigh. 

Examined closely, each one’s character has unique texture and substance. 

A few are wistfully embellished. 

Linked together, they collectively transform and meld into a single vision. 

The composite represents the enduring beauty of a life. 

Personal. Treasured. Timeless.

This post was created for the Brenda Photo Challenge. The subject is “memories”. The flower in my photo represents the many pieces of our memories and the beauty created when all of those fragments are assembled. This particular bloom was one of many in a surprise bouquet from my sweet husband in early January. (May I never take him for granted!) The camera settings for the image were ISO 800, f/14.0, and 1/25 second. 

We are very thankful to see Brenda, our dear friend, resume the photo challenge and return from her absence after the loss of her husband last fall. I hope that you will visit the other participants and cheer them on in their photographic endeavors!

Katmai Brown Bears - A Story of Patience

It’s time for another installment of this series! Remember the fishing hole at the Brooks Falls, where the big brown bears congregate? Okay, let’s picture the overall scene again.

As I surveyed the scene, it didn’t take me long to realize that there was an established pecking order and agreement among the bears at the falls. Every bear had its designated fishing “spot”. And if another bear came along and tried to infringe upon that space, growling would ensue and there would be a very brief tussle. (Sorry, but because of my positions on the viewing platform and lack of quick reflexes, I never got a good photograph of a bear fight.) When a bear caught a fish, it would eat it on the spot, go off into the woods for a private meal, or carry the fish over to the side of the river to enjoy a momentary picnic. After completing a meal, the bear would faithfully return to its claimed “spot” at the falls. 

There was one bear in particular that endeared me. He was the embodiment of the patience virtue. This particular bear has reportedly been nicknamed Otis, after somebody’s dog. Do you know how a dog can look intensely at an object or point of reference and not budge a single muscle because of sheer concentration? A slightly angled head adds to the studious effect. Do you know the look? Well, Otis had that look. I bet you can now identify him from the crowd! 

You see, Otis knew how to concentrate. And he had patience. I watched and watched that bear, waiting to see when he would budge or catch a fish. Yes, I was ironically a study of concentration too. Unfortunately, Otis was either a poor fisherman or else had staked out an incredibly poor “spot”. He would stand there for hours and not catch a single fish. I can’t tell you how many times the salmon would jump around him, but never quite close enough. I finally took a picture to record his shame. You can easily fill in the blanks for his thought bubble.

After watching Otis for countless hours over the course of three days, I finally saw him catch a fish! Many of us on the viewing platform couldn’t help but rejoice for the furry fella. He was near the end of his patience. His disgruntlement was evident, despite having a fat salmon now firmly secured in his jaws.

He soon settled down, relished his hard-won reward, and finally achieved contentment. After his meal was finished, he even indulged in an after-dinner, celebratory scratch. 

And then Otis returned to his “spot” at the bottom of Brooks Falls, ready to start again.

February - A Look Ahead

Hello, February! We get an extra day allocated to us this year (the 29th), so we better make the most of it! 

The weather in January was downright delightful compared to our typical winter months. Let’s hope that February continues the trend! The daffodils are peeking out of the flowerbeds here at the cottage. Some green stalks are now several inches tall! We should have blooms starting in a couple of weeks. Oh, how I adore my “daffies”! Not only do I love to photograph them, but I always look forward to filling vases and scattering them around our cottage. Such bright blooms of sunshine can’t help but make us smile! 

And I am going to need all the help I can get to smile when I finish up our income tax return this month. I’ve already begun this dreadful task. I readily admit that I’m not thinking charitable thoughts about our 2011 tax bill. Despite overly generous withholdings (at least I thought they were), we will be required to send in an additional amount to the government coffers. This is the heavy price we have to pay (literally) for me picking up the consulting job last year. What gets my goat is that our government wastes a LOT of our hard-earned dollars. But I will count our blessings for the extra income and try to keep the grumbling to a minimum. 

Thank you for your continued interest in the latest Alaska photo series, the Katmai Brown Bears. I am tickled to hear that several of my gal followers call over their menfolk to the computers and have them check out my photos and posts too! Alaska is America’s grandest wilderness, so save up those pennies (if you can) and put this destination on your bucket list! You won’t regret it. During February, you’ll be treated to more bear photos and tales of our Alaska adventure. 

Speaking of bucket lists, hubby and I have been making plans and reservations for more trips this year! Our first jaunt is still in the planning stages, but we will trek up to Indiana in April to visit some of my relatives. Then we will take a few detours and stops on the way back home, meandering through southwest Ohio and middle Kentucky. 

In July, we are confirmed to take a small boat cruise on Alaska’s famed Inside Passage! We took a similar trip way back in 1996, but we didn’t have digital photography equipment back then. So we decided a repeat performance was in order. The scenic beauty and wildlife in this area are incredible. Our particular departure is touted as a photographic voyage and a professional will be on board. (Of course with my hubby, I have a pro with me on every trip!) 

In August, we are confirmed on a Natural Habitat Adventures tour of Glacier National Park (USA) and Waterton Lakes National Park (Canada). I have been itching for many years to visit this part of the mountainous west. It’s hard to believe that it’s finally going to happen! In addition to soaking up the outdoor grandeur, we’re also going to relish staying at the old historic lodges in the two parks. 

I will continue with my consulting job this month (reviewing and writing technical procedures for electric power facilities). My contract was renewed again in January. But I plan to quit and go back to retirement mode in early April. Ah, I can already see the finish line! 

That’s enough rattling on for now. If you have read this far, then you deserve a gold star for your attention span!