A Pinch and a Pull

To create the image above I started with a mediocre shot of a close-up tulip (original capture, straight out-of-camera, shown below). I took the image into Photoshop and cloned out the green area at the top of the frame, next I added the Pinch Filter, under Filter> Distort> Pinch then I added the Transform Tool> Warp to pull the flower center out of the center. Voile, my image was almost complete. I added a slight bit of sharpening and did some clean-up work to get rid of some of the blemishes (that could have been done beforehand).

I know that image manipulation is not for everyone—but I thoroughly enjoy spending time at my computer working on artistic creations. In 2010 I won my first Nature’s Best Highly Honored Image in the Creative Digital Category-they have done away with that category now. But many other competitions celebrate creative artistry. Best to check the rules carefully before submitting to any competition.

For more ideas on how to add some artistic flair to some of your photos, check out one of my eBooks-sold only through A Creative Adventure HERE.

Original Capture

My Junkyard Dogs

I have fondly been referring to my fox family as my junkyard dogs, notice how I say “my”. Anytime I spend more than one shooting session with a species I start to form a bond, probably my maternal instincts. I adore baby animals and birds, they are so clumsy and innocent. I could watch them play for hours and I have been watching this family for days now.

The two images below were captured moments apart. As soon as I pressed the shutter I knew I would be smiling when I got home. I was surprised that the photo I thought I would be most happiest with turned out to be my third favorite of the day. Do you know which one of these I like best? To see my favorite shot of the day check out my Facebook post HERE.

I also want to thank all of you that have been supporting my blog by using my B&H affiliate link. It is very helpful to me, especially now.

Fox Kits

My friend told me there was a fox that had five kits and was bringing them out of the den. He said it was an urban decay area and I might be interested. I was. I went there on the first day and did not see the kits. The background area was full of debris and you must stay behind a fence that encircles the mostly removed structure. The mother made her den under the boards that remain.

I decided to go back a second time to see if I could get a glimpse of the kits. It was a sunny day and I felt my chances were good. At least better than the cold overcast day before. Bingo! She brought all the kits out to play in the sun. At first just two followed her out of the den then another and then again another…Here are a few of my images, I plan to go again today, it was so much fun to watch them. I shot every image with my Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera and my Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens. I tried to be mindful of the sun direction and the backgrounds, using a shallower depth of field for some.

I’m sure when the den area was selected by the fox there were not too many people around as the area is an eye sore and the cold weather would have kept the crowds away. Now with warmer temperatures there are people everywhere. The fence is helpful in keeping the curious at a distance and allows the fox some privacy…well, just some. The folks passing by are the real issue for the fox as they are curious, loud, and ignorant of what is right in front of them. The photographers have been wonderful, most have been taking time to educate the public to make them aware, asking them to keep their voices down, not to feed the fox and to be respectful of the site and not go into the enclosed area.

Unfortunately, there have been some folks that go into the fenced area, I have not seen this but there is a photo circulating of someone sitting right next to the den.  I have also seen evidence of feeding trays being left out for the fox. Probably some neighbor that thinks they are helping. Feeding wild animals is not helpful, it only leads to trouble for them. So, if you visit a fox den, please be respectful of the animals. Know how hard it must be for them to survive and give them their space. I fear it will not be long before officials get involved.

Petunia Blurs

I received a beautiful basket of petunias today. The colors were unique, with some having a slight brown undertone. The basket itself had a full roundy moundy look -a term we used in the florist industry for a typical round centerpiece arrangement. The first thing that came to mind was to do an in-camera blur effect. So that’s what I did.

Both were shot using a slow shutter speed of 0.6sec. with my Sony 200-600mm lens set on manual focus. Yes, my 200-600mm lens. I had just returned home from scouting my local beaches looking for Piping Plovers. So, I decided to give it a try, I had to take the image stabilization off in order to get a blur-even at this slow speed. It just proved to me how effective the stabilization on the Sony lens is.

In addition to a slow shutter speed, I moved my camera slightly in different directions until I liked the result. The camera movement does not need to be great, especially at this shutter speed I was using. I also added an ever slight zoom to the second image to add some depth. Lots of factors contribute to the pleasing outcome of an intentionally blurred image. If you would like to learn more about how to do in-camera blurs, check out my newest blur book titled “A Guide to Creative Blurs” sold only through A Creative Adventure.

Marigold Blaze

I photographed a few Marigolds at my friend’s garden center the other day and wanted to share them here. I used the sunlight and flower petals to help create the ethereal look that I was after. I shot both using my Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera and my Voigtlander 42.5 Macro lens @ f/0.95. I like the soft-focus effect of using an extreme shallow depth of field. The Voigtlander is a manual focus lens, that suits me fine as I always use manual focus when shooting close up flowers anyway. I also use a slight swaying motion with the lens to help me to get just the area in focus that I am looking for. More about how I create this soft effect can be found in my eBook ‘The Softer Side of Macro Version II”.

These were two totally different varieties of Marigolds with different color variations. Which one do you like better? I have a clear favorite…