Start 2 Finish - Day 2

On Day 2 we were encouraged to find the light in our homes, as well as considering blur in our images.

The front of our house faces east, doesn't have many windows and we have quite a few mature trees, which doesn't allow for much light.  But the back of the house is the complete opposite.....lots of big windows facing west and the afternoon sunshine floods in.  We don't have any windows that face north or south, or rather we do, but the north one faces a brick wall and the southerly one is tiny.

My picture was taken mid morning in the conservatory which faces west, so the sun wasn't shining directly in and the light was just what was there from a pleasantly sunny morning.  I did try bouncing light, but didn't think this shot needed it.

I started off in Lightroom and used Kim's kk_classicwarm preset and cropped to 4x5, then into photoshop.  There I added kk_chase texture at 47% soft light, a gradient fill (hex d6cc91) over the top left hand corner at 45% soft light, a slight hue/saturation adjustment, kk_2711 at 26% soft light, levels to dull down the book a little and finished with some text in "Across the Road" font.

Camera:  Nikon D90, 50mm f1.4mm lens, at ISO 200, f2.8, 1/125 sec.

Props:  Top of a very old picnic table (guessing from 1920's), old book, little pewter pot, some creamy coloured sheer organza (used by florists for wrapping bouquets) and a single stem of wild Columbine.

Start to Finish - Day 1

Kim asked us to give our creative story and what lead us to being where we are......taking pictures.  Also to give our intentions.....so here goes......

To begin with I wasn't sure about joining the class, as somehow, I wasn't sure I would be up to it, as I don't consider myself to be an artist, although I would like to make pretty pictures.  There is something in me that wants to be creative and photography has taken over as my #1 hobby.

I've been quietly following along with Kim's blog and classes for about a year, and feel it's time I came out of the shadows, hence joining S2F and Be Still 52 classes at the start and hoping to join in with community life and happenings, and all being well, I shall do my best to keep up, as well as try and visit everyone else's posts and pictures.

So my intention....think positive and be myself, whoever that might be.  Allow what will be, will be.  Take each day as it comes and enjoy the process of seeing and living.  Tomorrow is an empty page to fill, not a list of does and don't.

Anyways, I wish all the very best to my fellow S2Fer's and thank Kim for adding some meaning to my life.

PS....I love the idea of collecting bits 'n' pieces to make pictures and think I've head start there :)  I used to be a self employed curtain and soft furnishings maker, and so have lots of fabric.  Plus my hobby before picking up the camera was flower arranging, for which I gathered lots of pretty and useless things.  I'm also firing up the other half to find bits of wood in his junk store.