Awe...some Mondays

I took this image last Tuesday evening prior to the Super Blue Blood Moon lunar eclipse. There was a bit of overcast on Wednesday morning and I was not in a good location to get a clean image of the eclipse, so I skipped that opportunity and just captured these images.

Did someone say "Blue Moon"? Blue moon actually refers to the second full moon in any given month. There are several of these each year. The moon isn't actually blue, I just put a filter to it.

No, the moon hasn't created it's own halo. I've just added a mild white vignette filter. It looks a little like the moon is peeking through a hole in the clouds.

Ever wonder what a mosaic tile wall mural of the moon might look like? Well, here ya go.

Of course, if you missed the total lunar eclipse Wednesday morning, you can always create your own. All you need is a good editing program and the right filter. Have an Awe...some Monday.

Fun With Filters

Our grandson celebrated his 14th birthday a couple of weeks ago. I took the opportunity to snap a couple of images of him. I cropped the birthday cake out of the image to create a more generic portrait.

Then I decided to make a more classic image by converting to Black & White (Grayscale) and adding a bit of a "Grundge" filter.

Honestly, I think I like the Grayscale image better.

Wordless Wednesday - Time Warp - Fun With Filters

Today I decided to have a little fun with some filters that are available to PhotoShop & Elements users. This image was taken at a recent event on our local town square. With just one click of the "Convert to Black & White" button, we step back in time.

This image could have been taken during a similar celebration in the '40's or '50's. It might even have been a pristine image taken during the Civil War. However, just a couple of more clicks from additional filters, available free through Google NIK software, and the image becomes an original that has been recently discovered after being locked away in someone's attic for over a century and a half. Have a blessed day.

Wordless(?) Wednesday

I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but we haven't lived there in over 30 years.  However, we do go back a couple of times a year for various functions.  As a retired architect, Tulsa has a rich history of art deco buildings which I did not appreciate growing up.  My favorite building in Tulsa is the Tulsa Union Depot which I posted last week.  My second favorite building in town is the Fairgrounds Pavilion.

Designed by Leland I. Shumway and built in 1932, the Fairgrounds Pavilion serves as the gateway to the Tulsa State Fair.  It has hosted concerts, horse shows, tractor pulls, the ice capades and pro wrestling.  Several years ago the building was restored to it's original glory and it is a sight to behold.

 When someone says, "They don't build them like they used to", this is exactly what they mean.  It is unlikely that we will ever see terra cotta details like this again.

 These ram's heads are my favorite detail on the building.  There are several other works on the building, but these just fascinate me.

I love the agricultural theme incorporated into the art deco style.  It is a master piece in my humble opinion.  If you're ever in Tulsa, drive out to the fairgrounds which is now considered the Mid-town area of Tulsa and walk around this building.  You won't be disappointed.

Fun With Filters

Since the Ram's head detail is one of my favorite features on this building, lets mess with it a little bit.  First, I converted it to black and white.  It gives a real 1930's feel to the image and allows you to concentrate on the detail of the terra cotta without the distraction of color.  There is a drama in black and white images that just can't be duplicated in color.

 Next, I took the black and white image and applied a graphic pen filter.  I really like this filter.  This time I used vertical pen strokes instead of diagonal.  I think the vertical strokes render the brick and terra cotta details better.

Finally, I went back to the color image and applied two filters.  the first filter was a grain texture.  I saved the image with the grain texture then applied the horizontal distortion, which are the streaks that you see running through the image.  I think this just gives the image a whole new look.  It may not be a look that appeals to everyone, but I find it interesting.

  Well, that's it for this session of Fun With Filters.  See you next time.

Wordless Wednesday - Fun With Filters

This is the base image and it is my favorite building in all of Tulsa, Oklahoma.  It is the Tulsa Union Depot.  It was built in 1931 and was the train depot for the Frisco, Santa Fe, and Katy passenger trains.  My dad worked for the Frisco from 1938 until his retirement in 1983.  He never worked for another employer.  He was second generation railroad.  I decided t have a little fun with this image through the use of the filters in PhotoShop Elements 13.  First I converted the image to black & white.

First, I converted it to a pen and ink sketch.  I set the strokes to a diagonal from upper right to lower left.  You can choose horizontal or vertical strokes as well.  I like this filter a lot.

Next, I distorted the image a little and then applied kind of a water color filter.  It has a really loose feeling to it at this point.

Finally, I took the original image, converted it to black & white then place it on a canvas filter.  This is another filter that I am becoming very fond of. You can vary the texture of the canvas to make it as smooth or as rough as you like.
I have been using PhotoShop Elements ever since version 3 and I am just now learning some of the fun tools that are in the program.  Why did I wait so long?  This program is more than I will ever need for editing images.  If you are new to photography and you have been advised to purchase Lightroom or PhotoShop, I would tell you that you might consider Lightroom, but you are years away from needing full blown PhotoShop.  Personally, I'd get PhotoShop Elements as long as they continue to produce it.  Have a great day.

Fun With Filters

I spent a few minutes this morning playing with the filters in PhotoShop Elements 13. My base image is a rose from our garden. The plant is a cutting I took from my parents house before the final estate sale several years ago. It was my mother's favorite color of rose.

 This is the original image.  I took it into PhotoShop Elements 13 and tweaked it just a bit.

Next I added the "color pencil" filter and brightened a couple of the colors.  I really like the effect that this filter has on most images.  Of course you can convert the image to black & white if you like or go to a pen and ink filter as well.

 The graphic pen is an interesting filter.  But I went back to the original image, converted it to black & White, then applied the bas relief filter.  You can even change the direction that the light is coming from.  In the image above the light source is coming from the  upper right.  In the image below the light source is distributed across the bottom of the image.

That's it for this edition of "Fun with Filters".

Fun With Filters

 Original Image

 A Little Stained Glass Filter

When the image is kind of monochromatic in color, I'm not sure that there is much difference between stained glass and mosaic filters.

A Little Crystallize Filter

This filter adds a feel similar to the watercolor filter.  In PhotoShop Elements you can control the size of the crystals.