Catching Up...

Starting to fall a bit behind on my postings here... Really don't want to do that. It's been a busy and somewhat emotionally draining week. Won't go into that right now, because I want to post my collage for this week's assignment of varying focal points. Before I show you my actual entry to the 2B group, let me share a couple failed attempts...

The two sets above were "failures," not because the images were poor, but because they are too busy. Well, the Lilac Bush set is too busy, with the dozens of twigs and branches. It wasn't pleasing to my eye, so I presumed it wouldn't please anyone else's either. Photos were processed with Kim Klassen's "Violet" texture (from her Downtown II collection); 12x4 template created in PSE11.

The Kitchen Window set is fun and colorful, but the images just didn't flow with the kind of look I was trying to achieve for this assignment. Photos processed with Kim's "Anna" texture, also from her Downtown II collection and the 5x7 template was created in PSE11.

Here is my chosen entry for the focal point assignment. This jade plant normally resides in my kitchen window (as seen above), but for this assignment, I moved it into the living room and set it on a table in front of the window. The stained glass butterfly belonged to my late mother and it always makes me smile to see it :) Photos processed with Kim's "Mary" and "Sybil" textures from her "Downtown" collection.  This is my very first project using LR and after several tries, I finally created a template I was happy with! Glad to have gotten my feet wet and look forward to learning more in this program.

TFL -- kimB

Focal Points & Collages

"Today's Challenge --

Today I would love to see you experiment specifically with different focal points. Set up a shot...of course it can be a still life, a portrait, a nature shot....whatever you want to shoot. Focus on different areas in the scene. Select a collection of your favs (at least 3) and put it together in a lovely layout."

This is Kim's collage sample that she made using Lightroom 4. I have this program, but have yet to use it. Part of the reason I was excited to join up with Beyond Beyond {2B} was because Kim had stated that we would be using Lightroom more actively in this group. True to her word, we are doing just that, but watching her video tutorial today left me feeling a little lost... I think it's because I have nothing loaded into the "catalog" and therefore, when she speaks about importing tagged images and such for this project, I'm not on the same page, as all of my images are in Windows folders and files. Still, I'll play around with it and see if I can't figure it out.

Along with working on collages, our photography task is to try using various focal points of the same subject or grouping. I didn't get a chance to work on that today, but will try to in the coming days.

I'll post again soon!

-- klb

Your Love, O Lord...

Beginning Jan 1st, I've given the first part of my day to the Lord, spending time with Him in prayer and devotion. On Monday, I was reading Psalm 36 and I realized that this passage is where Mac Powell and Third Day got their inspiration for their song, "Your Love, O Lord." This is one of my (many) favorite songs of theirs and I was inspired to make the digital art piece, shown here. The photo is of Mt. McKinley, taken by me in July 2010 on a train trip to Denali National Park.

Here is part of my journaling, written after reading Psalm 36 --

May I find Strength and Peace and Hope in the shadow of Your wings, my Abba... May I run with Your Holy Spirit, the race You have set before me. May I soar with You higher than I've ever been and faster than I've ever gone...

-- klb

"Life is Just a Bowl of Pine Cones..."

Another of Kim's challenges this week was to download her image of a bowl of pine cones and put our own twist on it. Her original photo is first and my rendition is next. I cropped the image to 8 x 10 and processed it with Kim's "Sunday" texture and a texture by "groundfloor," which I found on Flickr. I also did some basic edits that I do with virtually every photo I post/print (levels, sharpen, color balance, etc); merged the layers and clipped to a mask I created using edge brushes by "Skeletal Mess." Fonts for the quote are Elephant ("Heal," "Live," "Dream"), Euphemia ("the past," "the present," "the future") and First Impressions ("Mary Engelbreit").

TFL - klb

Aperture Priority

This second challenge from Kim @ Beyond Beyond {now known as "2B"} is about using the aperture priority on our cameras, thus breaking out of the "auto" box on our cameras. Here's what Kim had to say --

"...Experiment with your camera. If you have yet to move out of Auto, perhaps now's the time. Pull out your manual and get familiar with your options. Google is your friend.

Set up a shot or pick a still subject, stand in one spot, switch over to Aperture Priority or AV, set your f/stop down to the lowest it will go, take a series of photos, bumping the f/stop...one stop at a time..... Move in a little closer and go through the series again. Download the images and view the DOF differences as you increased the f/stop settings and adjusted your distance.. "

Personally, I don't use the auto feature, but neither do I often shoot in AP mode. I took some indoor shots, beginning at my lowest F-stop and graduating three or four stops. Checked them out on the computer and wasn't happy with any of them, so I went outdoors and shot the decorated lilac bush in our front yard. Still not thrilled with the results, but decided to use them anyway. Here's my sample, below.

Kim also shared her "start-to-finish" process on an image of a bowl of pine cones. She encouraged us to download her image and play around with it, then share with the group. I will have to post my result(s) in another post, as I haven't completed this challenge, yet.

TFL - klb

"Washing Dishes ~ My P.O.V."

For our first week in Beyond Beyond, Kim challenged us to spend some time really examining and contemplating our subject and to focus on varying angles and points-of-view. Also in her post, she spoke of "being present" in the moment and shared what she goes through when she washes her dishes. Very interesting and inspiring. Later that afternoon and without conscience awareness of Kim's post, I was part way through washing my own dishes and had a "light bulb moment" -- why not shoot my experience of washing dishes by hand?

This is my take of her "Capture Challenge." What you see here are various shots and angles of my dish washing process; the middle photo at the bottom shows my view when I look out the window above the sink - from the knick-knacks on the shelf to the trees across the street.

Main image was changed to sepia and processed with Kim's "Sunday" and "1412" textures.

Week 1 ~ Capture Challenge

Hello and Welcome!

Welcome to the first post in my new blog for 2013! I intend for this to be a venue to share photos and projects from Kim Klassen's "Beyond Beyond" group, but I will also be including my own personal journal entries and notes from my daily devotions. I'll most likely be updating once a week, but may post more often on occasion. Please feel free to comment or ask questions - even leave a {gentle} critique on my photos or projects if you so desire - I enjoy feedback and input, so don't hesitate to say something if you feel so led.

Those of you who already know me - either in person or from other online sites - know that I am a follower of Jesus Christ and my posts here will reflect that. I try hard not to "preach at" people, but I won't apologize for sharing my heart through my art, nor in my journalling. If you find anything offensive, please know that it was not intended, but be aware that I will not hide my light under a bushel. 

I realize that this blog is a little boring to look at right now, but I will be adding eye candy in the days to come. My internet connection is sporadic and sometimes it shuts off for hours at a time, which makes it a challenge to upload.

I hope to see my current friends pop in when you can and I hope to make some new friends too, during this year of creativity, sharing and personal growth!

Hugs to All - kim