“Learning how to be still, really still and let life happen – that stillness becomes a radiance”. ~Morgan Freeman
Until next time,
~donna
Sunday Vibes – Stillness
AffinityPhoto
Sunday Vibes – Keeping it Simple
“In the presence of nature, the deer teaches us to be still, to listen, and to appreciate life’s simple moments.” ~unknown
What can be simpler than a chance encounter with Mother Nature?
I took this photo on one of our walks last week using my Samsung Galaxy Note 20. After a few edits in Affinity Photo (lighting, blurring, curves and vignette) this was the final result. I’m also linking this to John’s Cellpic Sunday.
Until next time,
~donna
Sunday Vibes – Back to the Islands
This week I’ve been working a little on processing photos from our Caribbean cruise. I took sooo many landscape photos that I’m having a hard time sticking to the task at hand. Not to mention there may have been a little daydreaming which doesn’t help!
One photo I’ve been working on is a view from our ship looking out at the harbor of Martinique. Off in the distance to the left is Mount Pelee which is a volcano that has been dormant since the 1929 – 1932 eruptions. What inspired me about the landscape was the lush greenery with the shadows of the clouds dancing on the hillside, the city harbor nestled in the valley and the sailboats moored out in the deep blue of the waters. Simply put, it was breathtaking.
What I liked about how I took the photo was the perspective of the bow of the ship pointing into Saint Pierre. Unfortunately, like many photos you take, the camera never sees it quite like the human eye. To me it’s dark and lackluster, nothing like what we saw in person.
I began experimenting with the usual edits: exposure, curves, contrast, saturation, etc. Nothing quite worked to my liking. I then started experimenting with the “Tonal Map” option in Affinity. The “Tonal Map” option gives images an HDR (high dynamic range) look and feel.
My first attempt wasn’t bad, but I feel like it was a little too unrealistic and the ocean turned out a little grainy. In my attempt to boost the color of the rooftops, the red color seems to be too much.
My second attempt was much better. I feel like I nailed the colors better and the ocean took a deeper, bluer tone. But it was still missing the “pop” I was trying to achieve.
They say, “3 times a charm” and I think I may have hit the mark with this version. The landscape has the vibrancy I remember; the ocean could still be worked on a little bit more. But I can live with it. Or so I thought.
If you’ve hung with me this far, thank you. I wasn’t completely satisfied with the last shot, so I decided to merge all three (3). Voila! If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! I’m glad I did. The colors and the pop are there!
Here’s a look at the original and final images.
Now I really want to go back to the islands!
“I wanna be there
Wanna go back down and I’ll get high by the sea there
With a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine
And I’m a-chewin’ on a honeysuckle vine.” ~ Jimmy Buffet
Until next time,
~donna
Sunday Vibes – After the Rain
We’ve had a lot of rain, here, lately. I’m not complaining because it has been a much-needed relief. I just hope that it doesn’t come back to bite us in June and July. We shall see. Despite the rain, we’ve managed to get our daily 8 – 9-mile walks in. Yes, there have been a few times where we’ve had to either duck for cover or just walk it out.
At the beginning of the trail we take there are two (2) magnolia trees growing wild. They’re not massive but large enough that they are producing some beautiful blooms. You can tell the trees have been there a while by all the brown leaves on the ground.
Earlier this week I noticed they were blooming and made a mental note of how pretty they were and to take some photos on the way back.
This was one of the days when the rain caught up with us. We were a little soaked when we returned, but I didn’t mind when I saw how pretty the magnolia leaves were with the rain droplets.
Ultimately, I had a vision for this photo and that was to convert it into a dreamy black and white image. I’m still learning Affinity photo, but I feel pretty good about how this conversion turned out. What do you think?
The original images were taken with my Samsung Galaxy Note Phone, so I’ll be linking to Journeys with Johnbo Cell Pic Sunday as well.
Until next time,
~donna
Donna Robinson Photography 