Edits and Filters

"Life was so much more fun when she wore her rose colored glasses." Art Head Studio

This morning's walk was a challenge. I don't love the frigid cold.....and I love it less and less as I get older.  The wind chill was 14 degrees....but I was up and out there with Paul.  He actually loves the cold.

I was hesitant to pull my hands out of my purple mittens...but I was quite taken with the frost on a car window along our route.

It was hard to photograph with the glare...

but I quickly did the best I could given the conditions. When I got home I did some photo editing and enhanced the patterns with a filter.

I'm guessing there are people who think editing a photo is cheating.  But Philippa Stanton taught me that it's as much of an art as drawing or painting.  Photos are only as good as the camera you are using....and of course things like light and print or technology quality.

Philippa taught me that my photos should look like how I felt when I was actually seeing the subject with my own eyes and experiencing it with all my senses.  No camera can really capture that....but the tools and filters can help.

The patterns on the windshield were beautiful in the morning light.....and these edited frosty blue images capture more how they made me feel.  

I edit pretty much all the photos I put on the blog....that's the fun part of photography for me.  I don't use filters very often...but I crop, straighten, brighten or darken, and play with many of the other tools just a bit.  It only takes a few seconds....but worth it to me every time.  

These leaves were laying on the ground after a frost a week or so ago. There seemed to be so many shades of green...and I thought the random crisscross pattern was interesting.

When I got home and looked at the photograph I was disappointed. But with just a bit of editing....the photo came to life.

Widgery Wharf

I've had a screenshot of this maine_igers photo of Widgery Wharf on my computer desk top since January. The rustic charm, the snow, and the explosion of color drew me right in. I just learned that it was taken by Eric Storm and now I'm following his amazing Maine Instagram account too. His photos are incredible...and so many of the places and spaces are familiar! 

This one was taken on the working waterfront right here in downtown Portland and I knew at some point I had to check it out. Today was a 60 degree mostly sunny day....so it seemed like a good day for a little color collecting at Widgery Wharf.



I purposefully parked a mile or so away on Commercial Street. It was a beautiful day for a walk and there are always things to see along the waterfront.

The street sign was rather nondescript....but I was glad to be in the right spot.

I got to this point and was stopped in my tracks by the 

"No Trespassing Keep Out" sign.  Hmmmm

I went just a bit further....and with the sign out of view decided to keep going.  I'm a bit of very much a rule follower but I used the better to beg forgiveness mindset....I was on a color collecting mission after all.

Not too far down I found the spot where Eric's Instagram photo was taken...but the Widgery Wharf sign on the orange shed was blocked by the lobster traps.  I kept going....and had a an absolutely delightful time...I felt like a kid in a candy store. So come along if you're interested....every color of the rainbow is represented in the rustic waterfront charm of Widgery Wharf.

 Yes....the little sign says security cameras in use....too late now.

As I walked back to the car I took a couple detours. This little excursion reminded me that there's so much to see right at our fingertips....no matter where we live. You never know what you might discover when you wander down a quiet street, a back alley, or a fishing wharf. 

I just learned that "igers" is short for Instagrammers. I also follow IGersBoston....and it all makes sense now.  These sites with #igers are compilations of people who photograph places like Maine and Boston on Instagram. Duh! You don't know till you know...and now I know.  And I usually know WAY later than everyone else.  

Just as I was getting ready to publish this post I saw this amazing photo of the full moon setting over Portland taken early this morning by Eric Storm.  Oh my! I'm so glad Widgery Wharf let me to another very talented artist!

A Creative Jouney

Today was the final wrap up session for the "Consciously Creative" class taught by Philippa Stanton, better known as 5finf. 

It's been a wonderful experience for me....sometimes even a little emotional.  Being with  my sister Angie in farm country for two of the weeks added a whole other dimension to it.

This past week was about a journey towards a composition..but for me it was mostly about the journey.  I had to squeeze the composition in at the end before I came home. I would have liked to have spent more time with it....but it worked out fine.  There's plenty of time to play with composition.

Once I got home I put together a "Steller Story" as my final project. We were encouraged to include a Haiku, assemble a composition of abundance, then rework it in a more simplified way. To see my "consciously creative" journey...click here to connect to my Steller story.


I have come away with so much....and it will most certainly influence my art and the way I observe and appreciate the world around me.

Thanks Philippa!

Right Ingredients

Some found treasures from last week that are starting to shrivel (Wabi-Sabi)...some new gems from this morning's walk with Janet...and a few things from Trader Joe's...were just the right ingredients for a rainbow.

Playing on the porch again.

My "Steller" Story

In the "Consciously Creative" class Philippa is introducing us to some great photo apps. I'm generally intimidated by new tech stuff....I only know what I know and it generally takes a little push for me to try something new. But the best way for me to learn is to do...and do...and redo. And...it really helps to have a great teacher! Thanks Philippa!

One of the apps I'm already in love with is "Steller."  It's a great way to organize photos of an event or theme into a little story book. If I can do it so can you!

Here's some of my homework in a Steller story about what caught my eye on my walk downtown a few days ago. Click the link below to check it out. If you're on a computer there will be an arrow to click through the pages...on other devices just swipe.

https://steller.co/s/7N832zvWXU6

You can see Philippa's amazing stories here:

https://steller.co/5ftinf/

Steller...I highly recommend it!

Looking...

...and listening...and sharing.

One of the first exercises in the Consciously Creative class was take a destination walk without our camera. We were to use all our senses and observe. So Sunday morning I took the familiar walk downtown to the town hall and back. I've walked it hundreds of times and I knew there would be interesting things to see.

It was absolutely wonderful. I saw things I had never seen before and gained a new appreciation for the beautiful windows, doors, and architecture of our town. It was a lovely morning...and because it was early on a Sunday...it was relatively quiet.

A big component of this class is to share what we are
doing with the other class members.

I wandered down alleys and looked up drive ways and peered in store windows. It was delightful! On my way home I heard the music of a small ensemble playing on the our church steps across the Battle Green....I was moved to tears.

Looking and listening...it's a good thing.

The second part of this assignment was to go on the same walk...this time with our cameras. We were also supposed to pick up 5 objects that we found along the way.

So this morning I took the same walk expecting to take pictures of the lovely windows and the interesting architecture. But what caught my attention was something very different....more to come on that.  I have a lot of photos to sort through.

And, I actually picked up more than 5 items...surprise surprise. Some of them were natural objects...some of them bits trash or something lost. When I got home I had a little photo shoot. I used a leftover board from Paul's pew table project I wrote about a while back. It has lots of texture...a perfect backdrop.



I first photographed the two categories separately...then grouped them together. Philippa told us to think of it like putting a puzzle together...grouping things that relate in some way...all while trying to achieve balance and a pleasing arrangement. In the photo below, the pine needle tuft relates to the rose hip tuft and the green fibers. The round rose hip relates to black wheel (filled with dirt) and the round compass and the round reds are balanced. The strong yellow leaf is balanced by the strong pink compass...and the greens created a nice diagonal line.

I also loved that the hole in the plastic bag tie thing is a little heart.

Do all of these closures have little hearts? 💙

What I do know is that I 💙 this class!