Sunday Scavenger Hunt

I'm leaving Georgia for a vacation to New Mexico today and I'm anxious to take photos while I'm home. Here are this week's scavenger hunt items: 

1. Winter

If you saw what the original photo looked like, you'd be very impressed with what I did. I know I'm proud of this! The original was badly lit, with horrible shadows and the colors just weren't meshing well. But I played around with Elements until I got it to look decent, and then I added my bokeh to give it that wintery touch. It's not really winter in Georgia yet, so this is the best I could do.

2. BW with Selective Coloring

I'm usually not a fan of selective color, because I think it makes photos look cheap and very 80s-like, so I tried to give this some character before taking the color out. I ran PW's seventy's action and then her heartland action. I thought it was too bright, so I brought the brightness down and found the opacity shade I liked for the flag.

3. The Wind

It just so happened that we had three very windy days in a row. Saved me the problem of figuring out how to capture the wind!

4. Framed

This is a frame I bought for my husband. We have a corny inside joke dealing with rulers, so the second I saw this I knew I had to buy it for him. He's had it for over a year, though, and hasn't filled it yet. Oh, the differences between men and women.

5. Remember When

Yes, that would be me during a circa 2006 Christmas party. It makes me smile whenever I see it. 

 Happy holidays.

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

Well, what do ya know; I actually got my act together and took these throughout the week instead of scrambling around on Saturday! I had a lot of fun with these. 

1. Self-Portrait

Well, this is me! I altered this photo using tricks I'm using in Kim Klassen's e-class. Despite starting with a blown out photo, I really like the way it turned out.

http://www.iheartfaces.com/2010/12/photo-contest-self-portrait/

2. Handmade 

I made a lemon meringue pie—from scratch—for my husband's birthday. It's the perfect combination of a zesty lemon and a sweet pie.

3. Orange 

I came home one day and noticed a tree in the backyard illuminated by the sun. It was an absolutely gorgeous shade of burnt orange, and when the leaves danced with the wind it made it look like the whole tree was on fire. It was just gorgeous. This is SOOC.

4. Candle

Wow. Capturing a candle flame is hard! I took so many photos and this was the one I liked the most. I liked that the candle was off center and that the flame peeked above the rim of the glass.

5. Traffic Signals or Signs

I created a few versions of this photo, but in the end I went with a basic, almost SOOC version. I just touched it up by enhancing the red a little bit and adding some contrast to bring out the texture on the sign. I really like the trees reflection peeking through.