Two blog posts for the price of one
Two blog posts for the price of one
Today is that very special day when you get two blog posts for the price of one.
But wait!! There’s more.
Not really, I just wanted to say that. But you still get two for one today because it’s After Before Friday, and the monthly See Beautiful blog hop, my fav.
First we have the See beautiful blog hop. We are encouraged to See Beautiful, everywhere, all the time.
On Wednesday the sun was actually out, mostly. So I grabbed the dogs and we headed for the beach. The Orcas have been around the island so I grabbed my camera and long lens in hope of seeing the pod. No such luck though. We had a wonderful walk on the beach however. The dogs are just beautiful when they are having a good time.
And a beautiful shell.
Everybody was pretty glad about the sunshine. My mental status most especially. This has not been easy for me with all the rain, clouds, gray skies and wet. The day was cold and windy, but at least the sun was out.
My photo for After Before Friday is something totally different for me. I have always shot landscape, wildlife, sunrises and sunsets. Being here is presenting me with different challenges in my photography. On Monday I went to Seattle, (a whole post on that coming up on Monday.) This photo shows part of a larger group of sculptures that are stainless steel wave shapes. They were pretty cool. It was impossible to get the shot I envisioned in my head however, there was just too much stuff behind the sculptures, no matter which way I looked at them.
So I created my own background. This is the edited photo.
And this is the original.
This was a major departure from what I normally, so I probably did it all the hard way. I started by making the image black and white in Lightroom. I then took the image to Photoshop. More than anything I wanted to get rid of the background stuff. I ended up using the quick selection tool and picking the spaces that are background. I then filled them in with solid black. This is not at all an exact science, and took more time then I expected because it kept wanting to choose part of the sculpture too. I finally got it where I wanted and cleaned up the edges with the brush tool. (If there is an easier way, someone please tell me)
I then applied a layer mask and the Hard light filter.
I am very happy with the way this turned out. I added the edited photo to my print store at Mary Hone Photography. So check that out if you would like a print of this.
To see what everyone else today, check out After Before Friday at Aperture64.
Absolutely GORGEOUS….so much texture and detail in every thing from the dogs’ fur to that piece of whirled art. OH how I love this photography!
Photography is a great fun medium, as you are so finding out.
Changing the background does sound fussy but I think the end result was worth it!
Good morning, I just lvoe your cute doggies. Great shots. And awesome before and after shots. Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend!
“But wait!! There’s more!”
My first laugh of the day – thank you!!!
I know the lack of sunshine can be tough but the new challenges you’re giving yourself with your photography are really paying off with some great photos, and it sounds like, new skills. Plus, that’s a terrific shot of Torrey on the beach running towards you!
I’m glad I gave you a chuckle. The lack of sunshine is taxing at best. Those rare moments of sun are for getting the dogs out to run, that’s for sure.
I have the same issue with the picker tool too!
Love the photos of the puppies on the beach — they look so joyful and relaxed, even in the wine blowing all around!
have a joyful and hopefully sunny weekend!
There has to be an easier way in Photoshop, I just haven’t found it yet. And yes, the wine is blowing, or flowing all around too. LOL
haha! That must have been a freudian slip — wind not wine blowing around! :)
I’m definitely feeling you on the misery of constant grey and drizzle. I don’t know how people in the Pacific NW (or England for that matter) keep from killing themselves.
But you really appreciate the sun when you see it, don’t you?
Looks like you really took advantage of the light. Love seeing the dogs in the new setting. And that sculpture is fascinating. Nice shots.
Someone told me Washington has the highest suicide rate in the country, and I can see why. The problem with the sun here, even when it’s sunny, it’s not really SUNNY.
Mom says it is so amazing what we can do with photos today. It wasn’t that long ago, you had them developed and that was it. You either kept the photo, or you threw it out, but both options cost money. Young people these days have no idea how fun things are now and basically free too. Great photos as always! Mom is getting old talking about young people and the way things were!
What a beautiful post and a perfect sea shell. I’m a big fan of shell hunting…you found a good one too
Hugs to you and the pups madi and mom
I love what you did with the After Before Friday shot!
Dogs are always happy making!
Love the photos of the dogs on the beach! :) Your edits to the sculpture are just wonderful, the great thing about many of these editing programs is that you can accomplish the same task many ways, so there is no “right” way to do something. :)
Hi Y’all!
Yep, we’ve had some sunshine too! Time for fun and games!
Y’all come on by,
Hawk aka BrownDog
I’m so glad that you saw the sunshine. I know that I am addicted to sunshine, living in place where it is sunny 300 days per year. I might shrivel up and never move in the pacific northwest! But, what a day you had. Your beach photos are fabulous. Both girls look very very happy!
Love the after-before. You truly transformed it in a great way!
I love the edited photo, it’s intriguing and would go so well in a contemporary decor. I also love the pics of the dogs on the beach, they look so happy! The tiny shell is so charming. If I were on that beach, I’d probably be checking through the rocks for fossils! :)
I’m so glad for you that you finally got some sunshine. We were in a spell of rain, cold, and windy and it was such a relief when the sun finally came out today! The girls look happy for sure!
I saw your After Before photo on Facebook and couldn’t imagine what the heck it was. LOL…I’m glad I finally got over here to check it out. Very cool…good job!
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Photo edit looks great. Two ways you might be able to do it faster, given the shot:
1/ instead of progressively selecting the background but by but, select the foreground you want. Then just do “select inverse” and you have what you need to blacken.
2/ A kind of extra to #1 is to use the “selective color” tool instead of just the “select” tool. Since the foreground you want to keep is all grey, you can use the selective color tool to select it all in one foul swoop. Then select inverse and voila.
Hope these ideas help.
Nina