*Project 52* weeks #25 & 26 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

2014 was officially halfway over this week. I am not above remarking how quickly this year is flying by, either. Without further adieu (since I still need to post my final two Project 52 submissions for the Letters of the Alphabet).....

Week # 25: Y is for Yawn
This is the only deviation from the norm for the first half of the year in that I included two separate images to create this piece. I wanted to include both of my boys in this one, so I did!

Week # 26: Z is for Ziegen Bock
I think that completing the first half of the year calls for a little refreshment.....

I've already started on the first image(s) for the second half of the year....to be revealed sometime within the next week! Until then, have a safe and happy Independence Day!

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*Project 52* week #21 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

Week # 21: 'U is for Uvula'
I did not expect to love this image as much as I do. It started out as a sub-par snapshot and ended up kinda cool-looking with the application of a little Photoshop magic.

I had googled things starting with the letter u for inspiration, and I decided on uvula because I thought it would make for a comical image. I enlisted my younger son to give me a wide-mouthed expression and he offered me but a single shot; once he heard the click of the shutter, he was off to play in the yard, and there was no reeling him back in. Technically it began as an underexposed mess (see before & after below). However, I was happy with his expression and that his uvula was indeed visible and sharply focused. This shot I could work with.

I decided that this particular 'pose' and composition called for a high-contrast (but not too high) finish with a grungy border. I'm not sure what 'style' this image calls to mind (Irreverent mugshot? Lomography? Vintage photobooth?), but I'm pleasantly surprised at the end result (again, see before & after below). I even like the shallow depth of field causing some of his features to be a bit soft, coaxing more attention to the uvula. It reminds me of a pomegranate seed.

The icing on the cake is that he is wearing a T-shirt with Texas on it.

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*Project 52* week #9 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

The letter 'I' had me stumped before I finally googled photos of words starting with I for inspiration. Well, let me tell ya, there were some good ideas. Which led me to this week's image:
'I is for Idea'.

It was either that, or 'incense' or 'illusion' or 'ignite' (all of which I will probably do at some point).

To illustrate 'idea' as a photograph, I recruited Zach, who agreed to help me, albeit begrudgingly. Matthew flat-out refused. I'm not sure why.....what tween-aged boy wouldn't jump at the chance to dress up all dapper, with slicked hair, bow tie and 'smart' specs?  ;-)

Clearly this is not a single photograph. Matthew helped me by holding the light bulb so I could capture it for this composite. Then Zach did his part, and I spent the afternoon putting it all together. I think it looks more like he is surprised than receiving an idea, but maybe it's a surprising idea. Those are fun, too.

So here ya go!
Enjoy!

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*Project 52* week #7 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

In the interest of celebrating Valentine's Day, I'm swapping 'G' for 'H' in order to feature the predictable 'H is for Heart' this week.

Actually, this week's image is entitled 'H is for Heart of Hearts'. Clever, eh?  ;-)

My younger son is doing the highly-anticipated Valentine's Day card/candy exchange with his class this week, and he decided on the ever-popular 'Sweethearts' candy message hearts to accompany his cards. Did you know that they have been around for almost 150 years? The very first conversation hearts were created by Daniel Chase in 1866, and the first factory-produced candy hearts came along 35 years later, courtesy of NECCO founder Oliver Chase (Daniel's brother). You can read more about it here and here.

Anyhoo....those candy hearts made this week's assignment way too easy not to indulge. I dressed it up a little, but it's pretty straightforward and quite fitting for our annual heart-centric holiday. BTW, I did not eat a single one of them. Their appearance is far more appealing than their taste, imho.
Here ya go:

Have a Happy Heart Day, and may Love bless you this week in ways unexpected.
Enjoy!

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*Project 52* week #6 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

'F is for Football'
I was struggling a bit with what to do for this week's image, and it hit me as we were on our way to watch the Super Bowl with some friends: FOOTBALL! It just happened to fall on the right week—YAY!
Having two boys and a husband who love sports, we own lots of sports equipment, including several footballs. This one here belongs to my husband; I think perhaps it's from when he was in high school. It's slightly deflated but still has enough air to give it the proper shape, and I love how worn it is on the surface.....enough to show it's been used a lot, but not so much that it needs to be retired. It's actually great the way it is to teach kids how to catch because it's so easy to grip.
For those interested in the particulars, I captured this image with a Nikon D800 and a 60mm/f2.8 macro lens,1/80 second at f/4, ISO 1600, handheld with support, lit by north-facing window light on the left and with a white board angled from the front right to bounce some light back onto the football. Starting with the RAW image, post work included basic tweaks and conversion in ACR, then refining it in Photoshop with Nik plug-ins (Dfine, Viveza, Color Efex and Sharpener Pro). I wrapped it up with some layered textures that I purchased from a couple different suppliers.
Until next time....
Enjoy!

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*Project 52* week #5 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

'E is for Eyes (or Eyebrows)'
My kids have really beautiful brown eyes, and Matthew was kind enough to indulge me with his peepers for this week's image.
One of my intentions with this project is to experiment with styles that are a little offbeat (you can see this in more detail by clicking on the image). While vintage filters and 'film grain' are not difficult to add when you have the right software, getting them to look right can be a challenge (especially when you're applying them in the wee hours and your eyes start to glaze over....).
Anyway, what I'm really thinking when I see this one is: why wasn't I blessed with eyebrows like that (nevermind those juicy kissy lips)??
Enjoy!

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