Photo Restoration – old photos looking like new
February 10th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
I miss writing Photoshop tutorials, so I thought I’d ease myself back into it with a quick overview of restoring old photos. The tutorial isn’t quite done yet, so here’s a sneak preview.
Tomorrow I’ll show you the super quick steps to make this:
(Photo from Flickr Commons)
Look like this:
This is more of a photo refresher than a restoration project, which means quick and easy gratification with little work.
How’s it done?
Tune in and find out!
Link Love
February 8th, 2012 § 2 Comments
I’ve spent another day both working and hostessing, so today’s post is just a tiny link share.
3 fellow NaBloPoMo-ers…
…who deserve a look
- lesleycarter.wordpress.com – Haiti
- Imperfection is Beautiful – photography into art
- All Through My Eyes – through branches
2 sites that make me smile…
and 1 friend…
…who is very dear (and needs to post more often.. hint hint)
I’m looking for good reading. Do you have anything to share? Whether it’s your own or something you’ve enjoyed lately, I’d love to see!
Good evening to you all!
Another day
February 7th, 2012 § 3 Comments
I have no proper post for you today because I’m trying to avoid being a neglectful hostess. However, I’m determined to make it through a complete NaBloPoMo challenge this month, so here is a tidbit of my day… the sun setting over a field of snow.
(Photo taken at: 1/3200, f/11, ISO 400)
The snow covers colours, muffles sounds, and makes the world feel so quiet and peaceful.
A British Summer
February 6th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Old photo time tonight!
I was walking through Green Park a couple summers ago, and saw this sight, which to me perfectly illustrated Britishness. I love the “it’s summer and I’m using the deckchairs, even if it’s raining” stubbornness, along with the drizzliness that typifies our summer.
I found it this evening and it made me smile, so I thought I would share.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…
February 5th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
After a mild winter, which gave us only one quick flurry of snow before Christmas, spring finally seemed to be on its way. Bulbs are appearing everywhere, there is blossom on choice trees, I’ve even seen lambs frolicking in fields. But no, winter hasn’t quite finished with us yet. Last night produced the first solid snow fall I’ve seen since last year’s cold spell.
A good 5 inches fell through the night, blanketing the town in a thick white layer that disguises everything. Snow on a Sunday is a beautiful thing. Most people are at home, no one bothers to leave the house unless they have to, or to build snowmen, so the snow stays white instead of turning into grey slush soup at the side of the roads.
(Photo taken at: 1/400, f/2.0, ISO 100)
“Incomplete and a little strange”
February 4th, 2012 § 6 Comments
“A Ming vase can be well-designed and well-made and is beautiful for that reason alone. I don’t think this can be true for photography. Unless there is something a little incomplete and a little strange, it will simply look like a copy of something pretty. We won’t take an interest in it.”
- John Loengard
(photo taken at 1/800, f/1.8, ISO 100)
“Incomplete and a little strange” is something I have to learn to love in my photography. I’m trying. Often when I search through my photos I discover little treasures that I set aside because they weren’t just right. This photo is one I classed as “incomplete”. The focus wasn’t exactly where I wanted it, which bothered me so much that I couldn’t look at it and moved on. I didn’t rediscover it until a few months afterwards. I came across the photo and did a quick edit, just to see what would happen. It was only when I gave it this second chance that I realised it’s one of my favourites.
I’m trying to be more forgiving in my photography; allowing more space for life and less for attempted perfection.
This takes a lot of gentle (and not so gentle) reminders; I get frustrated when things don’t look like they “should”. I’m taking it gradually, one photo at a time…
…as a butterfly
February 3rd, 2012 § 5 Comments
(Photo taken at: 1/400, f/1.8, ISO 400)
My mind today is as flittering as a butterfly. I want to write, but I can’t stick with one train of thoughts for longer than a few minutes. One thought looks pretty and I go to explore it, but just before it turns into a tangible post, I see another splash of colour and off my brain flits to settle on this new pretty idea…
A Thanks-Filled Thursday
February 2nd, 2012 § 1 Comment
Today was one of those highly strung days where every tiny little thing explodes into a massive, towering catastrophe in the time it takes for me to blink.
I broke my mac charger this morning with a horrifying “kkkkkrrrrrrrrkkkkk” sound (fixed, thank goodness, superglue, and my mum’s stash of fuses). And when it was time to leave for work I decided that the worst possible thing that could have happened to me was having to cycle in this morning’s dose of beautiful winter sunshine (I’ve been cycling in the freezing cold rain without a complaint (usually)). Plus a commute that, when both journeys are added together, ends up being almost as long as my shift at work (genuinely stressful when I have a website to design and blog posts to write). And theeen, oh it’s so awful I can hardly say it, my mum *gasp* didn’t buy the pasta stir-through that I didn’t tell her I wanted.
As you can see from this list of disasters, I lead a very difficult life…
On days like this I’ve learned that the only methods of survival are gentleness, treats and appreciating the little things.
I got to work early and treated myself to an icecream milkshake (possible insanity in the temperatures we had today) and I sat in the sunshine, listening to the likes Billie Holiday, Tracey Chapman and Ella Fitzgerald lulling into one ear, and with the other ear I listened to birds singing around me. I closed my eyes in the sunshine and pretended it was summer. Of course my pretend summer only lasted as long as I could bear the cold of the icecream, the wind at the top of the hill, and the cold, cold air. Then I ran for cover and warmth, but it was very lovely while it did last.
A little ray of sunshine…
February 1st, 2012 § 1 Comment
This week has been cold.
So cold.
The first thing anyone says at the start of the conversation is, “It’s cold!”
But today I found an SD card full of photos from the winter, and what struck me was the amount of sun we seem to have had.
Eastbourne in November, as I sat and wrote…
And moved inside to bask in the indoor sun when it grew nippy.
Seaford in January, wrapped up all warm.
And this Saturday.
As I cycle to work tomorrow, I shall pull my scarf up around my ears, put my head down and think of all the sun we’ve had, and the sun that is yet to come. Maybe it will help keep me warm!
