A couple of fun hours of shooting in Arches before the rain started. Afternoon in the RV enjoying
the sound of the rain and editing images. (With this connection, though, I’ll share later.)
Cloe (no H) had fun trying to figure out where the water was coming from and trying to catch it 🙂
(captured with Lensbaby)
Spent yesterday and last night on the banks of Oak Creek in Sedona. Here are some Lensbaby reflections.
I’m taking a break today so here’s an image of Rainier Cherries from my archives.
These cherries are very different from regular cherries and especially delicious when cold!
There are still some left in the stores but it’s getting toward the end of the season.
(Today’s photo has nothing to do with the text below. I just wanted to share another Lensbaby shot) 🙂
Our digital group (DIG) meeting this week had one topic….Lightroom. Barry L. White, (our guru extraordinaire) gave an outstanding presentation which I’m sure inspired anyone in the audience who didn’t own Lightroom to run out after the meeting and buy it! Imagine working on an entire folder of images at the same time (including cropping), and then being able to print, send them via email or make a webpage without ever having to leave the program! The time saving advantage is tremendous.
Elements users already have these capabilities so after the meeting, several people asked me if I thought that Elements and Lightroom would be all they needed. My answer is: It depends. If you already use Elements and it’s been taking care of all your creative needs, then my answer is YES. It’s a perfect combination. Lightroom’s image editing and database capabilities are far superior to Elements so all you’d need Elements for is for any creative stuff that involves altering pixels.
If you’re a full version Photoshop user and you’re trying to decide whether you need to upgrade to CS4 or buy Elements 7, then again, my answer is: It depends. Do you regularly use Layer Groups? Do you regularly use Smart Objects? Do you regularly work with Channels? There are more but if you depend on these, then you need to upgrade to CS4 because Elements doesn’t have these features available.
HOWEVER…..Elements users DO have an opportunity to add some powerful Photoshop features so as a full PS user, check out The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements before you decide. These tools give Elements an impressive amount of power. Not quite CS4 but they might be all you need. If you are a current Elements user and you don’t know about this, check it out. It’s well worth adding to your copy of Elements.
Then I was asked if I knew whether Lightroom would retain keywords from Elements like it does from Bridge. I’ve been researching since then and although I couldn’t find a specific reference, my guess is that unfortunately it does not. Sorry. This means you have to start from scratch adding keywords. I wouldn’t let that stop you, though. As I mentioned previously, although you can also create a database using Elements, Lightroom is far superior. The time you spend now will serve you well in the future….especially with a growing library of images.
Finally….if you’ve never destroyed a pixel and don’t plan to, you might find that Lightroom is all you need 🙂
I planted this hybrid Hedgehog about a year ago and this is the first time it’s bloomed. A real feat considering the Javelinas that come through every evening! The bloom is much smaller than our native Hedgehogs and it’s a beautiful shade of pink. I have high hopes for the other 8 buds. Stay tuned 🙂
Still playing with my Lensbaby, here’s a shot of one of my yard’s dragonflies. I spotted these in Madrid, NM last fall and I’m a sucker for yard art made from recycled items. Every yard deserves something tacky 🙂
This was also shot is harsh light conditions. To make the dragonfly stand out, I converted the image to black and white and kept a little color. If you’re thinking of acquiring a Lensbaby (Jim), I highly recommend that you try the various models before you buy…specifically the G3 and the newest model, the Composer. I own them both but I much prefer the way the G3 works. Of course, that could be because I love the original. The Composer is great too, though, so if your budget can handle it, get them both! Canvas your friends for LB owners and try before you buy!
This Hedgehog bloom was captured with a Lensbaby at 1:30pm under very bright sunlight. With any other lens, the harsh light would have been very unpleasant to look at but the Lensbaby has a way of taming the brightest of light. I’ve heard the term “bending” the light. However it does it, this ability makes the Lensbaby a great asset when you’re stuck shooting in the middle of the day. (tech FYI: Canon 5D MKII, ISO 200, Lensbaby G3 with 5.6 aperture disk and underexposed by one half stop).
Another lensbaby shot. This time using a creative disc that turns highlights into hearts.
A quick lensbaby shot of a favorite ornament. Happy Holidays all!
You don’t actually “walk” a cat. You “follow” a cat. This makes for a lot of very slow moving and sitting while they stalk lizards. The positive is the time it presents for reading or for playing with my camera. I am trying to get inspired to use my Lensbaby more and also shooting more infrared so here is a shot with both implemented.