Wordless Wednesday – An Unexpected Guest at the Bird Feeder
photography
Pink Buick, Woodbury GA – Trying Out a New Photo Editing Software
Lately, Saturdays are for day trips. They get us out of our weekly routine and provide us an opportunity to explore small towns around us. A few weeks ago, we hit a couple of places, but ended up in one of our favorite spots for “antiquing,” which is in Woodbury GA. It’s about 35 – 40 miles from us and we can take backroads all the way.
Sitting just outside one of the antique shops is this old pink Buick. There are no signs telling us why it’s even there. It’s just there. I suppose a backstory exists because the pink, metal umbrellas look as though they are from the same era. Whatever the case may be, it lent itself to a cool shot and, an opportunity to start a free trial with Affinity Photo 2.
I mentioned in my last post, (31 Days of July – Reaching Over Your Shoulder) I had purchased a new laptop and was extremely frustrated with Adobe because they wouldn’t let me load up my Photoshop Elements software without upgrading and paying a huge subscription fee. I remembered that a fellow photographer (LEANNE COLE – Trying to live a creative life) had mentioned she had used Affinity Photo 2 for an alternative editing tool in one of her posts, so it was definitely top of mind as an option.
So, off I went, pouring through YouTube videos trying to understand and compare to Photoshop. After several demos and seeing they had a one-time (no subscription) fee, I couldn’t resist giving it a try. Fortunately, through Microsoft Store I was able to download a 7-day free trial. It’s very user friendly, with similarities to Photoshop making for an easy transition. What I really liked were the tutorials which are comprehensive, yet easy to follow along and learn.
So, how did I do with my first photo editing in Affinity? Let’s get back to the pink Buick. Below left is the original shot. I had to be quick, and it turned out overexposed. I also didn’t like all the distractions on the brick wall, the trash on the ground or the fire hydrant. I suppose I could have left the fire hydrant in the shot, but the angle of the photo made it look like the umbrella pole was coming up through it.
As you can see on the shot to the right, the distractions have been cleaned up, the exposure and color levels have been adjusted to better compliment the details of the car and I applied a vignette mask. This was my first time using a mask tool and it was very easy to do after watching the Affinity tutorial on Vignettes.
I made one last edit and created a black and white version. A nice shot, too but since this post is about a pink Buick, the color version tells a better story.
All in all, I was very satisfied with the Affinity editing tool and purchased the photo module. There are three (3) modules I could have purchased for a reasonable price: photo, publishing and designer. But I felt for what I do with photography and blogging, I only needed the photo module.
After working with this image, I had the opportunity to take family portraits for our neighbors. I was a little slow with the edits, but in the end happy with Affinity as my new editing tool. Now it’s time to get back to taking photos.
Until next time,
~donna
31 Days of July – Reaching Over Your Shoulder
This photo pretty much sums up my attempt at a 31 Days of July Photography Challenge. I was reaching over my shoulder to scratch my back to make the shots happen every day.
If the hot temps and humidity weren’t bad enough for finding photo ops, I finally broke down and bought a long overdue new laptop. A great idea and a decision I’m very happy with. The problem is our wonderful friends at Adobe Photoshop no longer support my version of Photoshop Elements. So much so, they wouldn’t let me download it on my new laptop even though I had the serial number. Yes, I could always pay their exorbitant subscription prices, but for my photography needs, I think I’ll look for another option. Perhaps I’ll give Affinity a shot (pun intended) they seem to have some really good reviews and could certainly meet my needs.
So, for now, this is my last attempt at 31 Days of July. This photo was actually taken on Day 11. The squirrels are relentless with the bird feeders even though Michael keeps ample food for them on the ground. Hence my reference to “reaching over your shoulder to scratch your back.” The squirrels don’t need to climb the feeders; the food is already there for them in easy reach.
Editing notes: I applied the usual haze removal, some level balancing with the exposure, cropping and a final vignette.
Field notes: Focal length – 200mm; Exposure – 1/60 sec, f/9, ISO 1250.
I’ll return soon. Thanks for hanging with me on this challenge, although brief. 😉📷.
Until next time!
~donna
31 Days of July Photography Challenge – Day 10
Day 10 – We have a new visitor at the birdfeeder today, an Eastern Female Downy Woodpecker. According to All About Birds “Downy Woodpeckers are small versions of the classic woodpecker body plan. They have a straight, chisel-like bill, blocky head, wide shoulders, and straight-backed posture as they lean away from tree limbs and onto their tail feathers. The bill tends to look smaller for the bird’s size than in other woodpeckers.”
Editing Notes: I applied a haze removal before cropping and made some minor level adjustments to the lighting before applying a final vignette for accent.
Field Notes: 170mm; Exposure: 1/100 sec, f/9, ISO 1250
Until next time,
~donna
31 Days of July – Photography Challenge Day 9
Day 9 – House Hen Finch. This little bird was having way too much fun at the feeder today, but I was lucky enough to get a shot of him staring at me. His face is not quite as crisp as I would have liked, but it’s nature and sometimes you just go with what you get. I’m also linking this to Becky’s Simply Red Squares Challenge.
Editing Notes: Today, I applied the normal haze removal, level adjustments (lighting) and some sharpness adjustments followed with the usual cropping and vignette application.
Field Notes: Focal Length: 400mm; Exposure 1/125 sec, f/9, ISO 1250
Until next time.
~donna
31 Days of July – Photography Challenge Day 8
Day 8 – What was I thinking when I started a personal photography challenge in July, in Georgia? The temps are hot, and the humidity is worse. But here I am doing the best I can shooting photos from inside the house. Hopefully, this heat will break soon, and I’ll be able to venture out to find more interesting subjects. So, bear with me on this journey, you may be seeing a few more bird, squirrels or macro photos.😉
Today’s photo is of one our frequent mourning dove visitors. At any given time, there could be one, two or upwards to five of them hanging out around the bird feeders or on this limb waiting their turn. The complexity of this shot came from shooting it through a window screen. Fortunately, the bird didn’t move too much, and with an ISO of 1250 I was able to maintain focus and achieve somewhat of a crisp photo. Editing comprised of cropping and level adjustments in both lighting and color to achieve the depth and detail. I also applied a vignette outline.
Field Notes: Focal Length: 400mm; Exposure: 1/125 sec, f/9 ISO 1250
Until next time,
~donna
31 Days of July – Photography Challenge – Day 7
Day 7 – Back to the birds. This was a little challenging to shoot. The birds are very skittish and can see me pick up my camera through the back door. The second obstacle is the door is double pane window and casts a reflection if you’re not positioned correctly (hence why the image isn’t as sharp as I would like it to be). Nonetheless, here is the shot for Day 7 – Chipping Sparrow. Apologies for the dirty feeder…….the birds can be quite messy.
Field Notes: Focal Length – 390mm; Exposure – 1/100 sec, f7.1, ISO 1250
Until next time,
~donna
31 Days of July – Photography Challenge Day 5
Day 5 – May Flower. Full transparency, this image was shot with my cell phone. We made a day trip to Columbus, Georgia today. And while, yes, I had my camera in tow, we had just walked out of a restaurant, and it was still tucked away in my backpack. I didn’t have enough time to pull it out, so I opted for the cell phone camera.
My first thought with this statue was “I wish it was raining so I could really capture the true essence of playing in the rain.” The statue was part of the 2007 Sculpture Walk in Columbus and the artist is Susan Geissler.
I couldn’t decide which I liked best, the color or the black and white. So, I’ll leave the choice up to you. The only other edits I made to the image was cropping and haze removal.
Field Notes: Samsung Galaxy; Focal Length 26mm; Exposure F1.8, 1/2365s; ISO 40
Until next time,
~donna
31 Days of July – Photography Challenge Day 4
Day 4 – Well, if you live in the U.S. you probably were expecting something other than a squirrel shot for today. What can I tell you? Like life, photography is about the journey and capturing all things unexpected, not necessarily about shooting the predictable.
This squirrel is a regular to our bird feeders. He’s not as feisty as some of the others, but he’s determined to get his daily fill of food.
Field Notes: Focal Length – 105 mm; Exposure 1/100 sec, f6/3, ISO 500; Processing: Cropping, haze removal, Orton effect, conversion to black and white with vignette.
Until next time,
~donna
31 Days of July – Photography Challenge – Day 3
Day 3 – Shout out to our small-town and home-grown patriotism. I always love seeing this big, beautiful flag flying.
Field Notes: Focal Length – 65mm; Exposure 1/2000 sec; f 6/3; ISO 500
Until next time!
~donna
Donna Robinson Photography 