Many people have asked me how I create my photographs with textures. Here is a recipe for my latest creation.

The first thing I do is look at the colors in the photograph and pick different textures to see how I like them.  I do admit that I have my favorite textures and seem to always get drawn back to them. I try many different combinations before I decided what looks best to me.  I use a layer mask to lightly brush the texture from areas I do not want texture.  I have found that using 40%-50% opacity works the best.  I mainly use, soft light, overlay, screen and linear burn.  I adjust the percent of opacity until I get the look I want.

I mostly use Flypaper textures, Florabella Collection, Isabelle Lafrance.  I may also use actions depending on what I am trying to achieve.

For this image, I have decided to use Flypaper textures.  I have chosen to work with 2 textures from the August Painterly Pack and 1 texture from the Spring Painterly Pack.

Now for the processing:

Murano 50% soft light, lightly brushed from the focus flower.

Tieopolo 25% linear burn, lightly brushed from the focus flower.

Peacock 30% overlay, lightly brushed from the focus flower.

Peacock 90% soft light, lightly brushed from the focus flower.

I adjusted curves and levels to enhance the colors.  

Murano and Tiepolo are from Flypaper Textures, August Painterly pack.

Peacock is from Flypaper Textures, Spring Painterly pack.

That's it for this one.  I save as a  PSD in Photoshop in case I have to go back and make any changes.  Then flatten.  Save a JPG file original size and then re-size for web use and add my watermark.

The Art of Photographing Flowers.

When you walk by a field of wildflowers or in a garden you are looking down.  When you shoot flowers from a standing position, as you look down, your flower shots will just look average.  If you want to create a flower shot with some interest, shoot from an angle that you don’t see every day.  What that means, is not take your shot looking down, but get down yourself and shoot from that level.    Another interesting angle is get down below the flower and shoot up. 

When shooting flowers, you can use a zoom lens and shoot on aperture priority mode.  Try to isolate one flower, or a small group of flowers that are close together and focus on just that flower.  By doing this, it puts the background out of focus and makes for a stronger visual composition.  

The ideal time to shoot flowers outdoors is on cloudy, overcast days.  The shadows are soft because the sun is hidden behind the clouds.  The colors are richer and not washed out by harsh sunlight.  Another ideal to shoot flowers is after a rain.  Try and capture the raindrops still on the petals.  If you do shoot on a sunny day, mornings and late afternoons are the best.  It’s best if you try and position yourself so the flowers are back lit from the harsh rays of the sun. 

If you are shooting flowers indoors, soft light coming from window works best.  Look for a window that has non-direct sunlight coming in.  Position the flowers near the window so you are getting side lighting.

Happy Weekend

It's the weekend and everyone is busy getting things done after a hectic work week.  Take a moment to slow down and relax.  Brew a cup of tea.  A cup of herbal tea like chamomile, known for its relaxing qualities, can provide a moment of calm and help you recharge so you have energy to tackle  the rest of your day
 

 



 Are you taking a moment out of your day to relax? Have a great weekend!

 Thanks for stopping by.

 Kim

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun and find your shoulder to light on, to bring you luck, happiness and riches today, tomorrow and beyond.

 ~Irish Blessing


 Some interesting facts about one of my favorite subjects to photograph.

 1. Butterflies are very good fliers. They have two pairs of large wings covered with colorful, iridescent scales in overlapping rows.(butterflies and moths) are the only insects that have scaly wings. The wings are attached to the butterfly's thorax (mid-section). Veins support the delicate wings and nourish them with blood.

 2. Butterflies can only fly if their body temperature is above 86 degrees. Butterflies sun themselves to warm up in cool weather. As butterflies age, the color of the wings fades and the wings become ragged.

 3. Butterflies are found all over the world and in all types of environments: hot and cold, dry and moist, at sea level and high in the mountains. Most butterfly species, however, are found in tropical areas, especially tropical rainforests.

 4. Many butterflies migrate in order to avoid adverse environmental conditions (like cold weather). Butterfly migration is not well understood. Most migrate relatively short distances (like the Painted Lady, the Red Admiral, and the Common Buckeye), but a few (like some Monarchs) migrate thousands of miles.



Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day. Kim

Autumn

This is my first post on the new blog. I have been thinking of what to post and thought about the time of year it is. Autumn! This has to be the most beautiful season there is. I miss it living in Florida and cherish the times I did get to spend in Virginia.

I wish that Autumn would last longer. Have you ever noticed that one good rain and wind and most of the colorful leaves are gone? Why is that? I remember one year I was planning a photo shoot up in Vermont. A few days before I was to leave there was a bad storm and by the time I got there, Autumn was over! I guess that is one of the perils of not living in an area that has a change of seasons.

What is your favorite thing about Autumn?

Big thanks for stopping by.

Kim