Leaves Silhouettte

When I took this shot I knew it was iffy because of the bright background. But it was worth a try and all it would cost me is time. And it was pretty interesting subject matter to me, so even though it didn't turn out great, it was still worthy of fiddling.




In editing, I did all my regular recovery, clarity, vibrance and exposure adjustments, then the cropping. Better, but no wow factor. The background still needed something. So I decided to go dark and do the leaves in silhouette. Blacks up, exposure down. I was drumming my fingers. Still not there. I then thought about Split Toning and changing the hue of the background. As I was sliding through the spectrum these turquoise blue/green tones spoke to me. Never be afraid to put time into a photograph you weren't initially impressed with if you like the subject matter.

Autumn Leaves

I found this branch interesting because it contained all the colors of the leaf rainbow in the same place and in order. After making all the color adjustments I wanted in Lightroom, I cropped it to emphasize the branch.



So I decided that the image deserved a caption like 'color life cycle' or 'evolution of color'. But I knew that most people view a photo as they read - from left to right, top to bottom and wanted the green on the left hand border. So I went hunting for a way to flip the photo in Lightroom. I ended up finding an online manual for the program, and found the function in the Photo menu at the top. Finished product.

Reed Detail

This is a close up shot of a reed blowing in the wind. There is some blurring due to the movement, but I still like the composition of the image. The contrast against the green is much better than in the last post, so there was no need to adjust the color in Lightroom.

Down By The River

I know I talk a lot about taking Nalin for a walk down by the river, or on the waterfront, but I realized that I had never taken a photo of the actual route we take on these walks. So here is a typical lazy afternoon stroll through our eyes.

Reeds In The wind

When i took this photo i was hoping the contrast between the green in the foreground and the yellow leaves of the tree in the background would be more noticeable. In part, it was a little over exposed. Off to Lightroom we go.




After the regular adjustments to recovery, clarity and contrast, I took the exposure down some and hit it with a little vibrancy. The reeds still weren't popping against the background, so i started to play with the hue sliders, specifically the yellow, orange and green to see if taking away anything would mute the yellow tree in the background. What actually happened was that by taking away a lot of the orange from the photo, the reeds turned darker color instead of the muted gold. Works for me.

The Rebel Leaf

This bush made me laugh when I saw it. All the leaves on the whole plant were drooping and green, except for one strong dissenter who had to further point out his individuality by turning red. Some leaves just need to be the center of attention.

Tree Sculptures

One thing my area of town is really good at is tree sculptures, flower beds and gardens. From the main town bed on Champlain to the planters in front of the Auditorium to the hanging pots on Wellington, they make a huge difference in the summer months. These shrub pops are part of the town bed. Amazing colors and textures.