I promise to come back and announce my GREAT news.  I was so lethargic yesterday from celebrating the evening before that I barely was able to get my edit done (it made it on to Flickr and I forgot to post it here). I had expended most of my creative energy yesterday and was having a serious bout of photo editing block, so this was the best I could come up with.  I tried about 18 other images and then settled on this ‘before’ photo, it was looking a lot like my energy level.  I plan to be very productive today and even hope to get out and do some shooting.  Sigh, so this is what it’s like to feel free and like you are floating on air?  I can totally get used to this sensation…

 

This is a photo of a trophy, but you my fine friends could ascertain that without my assistance.  You after all are brilliant and beautiful. Yes, it is filled with cigarette’s, a horrible vice but it’s just a gentleman’s vignette and made for a good prop. Trophy’s are usually proffered when someone is recognized for an achievement.  I am giving this trophy to myself, I deserve it and I have certainly earned it.  I am busting at the seams to tell you my amazing news, but I need to wait a second and collect myself, it’ll be difficult at best as I am not known for being able to keep a secret.  It is not any of the following: 1. Not getting married today (but yes, this year), 2. not having a baby (please refer to 1.),  3. not moving to a new state (just yet).  What could it be?  I will give you this hint–it has changed my life and I feel as if I won the Lotto.  If I was any happier at this moment I probably would implode.

…And back to our regularly scheduled program…To edit my ‘before’ photo I used one action, it was highly modified but the essence of the action is what I built upon.  It is free and is called ‘Heartland’ and is available at P.W’.s. I did use some textures but so lightly, it really was the action that achieved this rich dipped in espresso transformation. Thank you PW and Thank you Totally Rad Actions!  (they created the actions for P.W.). You both rule!

Feather’s, so endlessly fascinating, so dramatic.  The Fancy doesn’t like birds or feathers much, they are dirty and carry diseases, (some we may not have discovered yet) and by my bringing the feathers into the flat I have basically served up a death sentence and brought in some strain of bubonic plague.  Okay, birds are fine with him if they are in the sky but not in our house. Yes, we’ve had not one but TWO birds fly into our apartment and he nearly had a heart attack.  You would have thought an escaped Wildebeest was in our livingroom instead of a confused little sparrow.   This feather was so diminutive in size that he never even noticed its presence in our home, which is a good thing because no photographer likes a neurotic man screaming in their ear–‘Are you nuts?  Who knows what you will catch?”, when they are trying to photograph their subject.  When I was editing this I wanted to try to recreate the feel of a salt print (one of the oldest photo development techniques).  I wanted to bring a lot more warmth to the image because my ‘before’ photo was looking a little on the chilly side (okay, a lot on the chilly side).

One of my goals this year is to be able to try my hand in the darkroom with some alternative photo processing one of these salt printing kits may be in order. I already have the supplies for some Cyanotypes (I got a kit for my birthday!) I just haven’t had any time to experiment (yet). I will soon, I just need to decide on a subject, not my strong suit the ol’ decision making.

Is it almost Friday?  It feels like it.  I allowed the Fancy to choose between the 50,000 different versions of this edit (trust me, it was such a half hearted effort on his part, he’s a boys boy/jock, he knows nothing about florals).  He actually didn’t choose this one, he chose one that was all blush, almost a rectangle of color.  I liked it, but I figured you might think I was getting lazy by turning the ugly ‘before’ photo into a rectangle of pink. I am not above being lazy, but I am only a couple weeks into the project I think I will save the rectangle/blob of color for when I am really feeling truly uninspired.

I am hoping to put my finishing touches on my ‘white’ office makeover inspiration board today and then finally getting the help (unfortunately not mental) that I need to get the makeover finally under way.  I am sitting on a stool as my ‘desk chair’ currently, that can’t be ergonomically correct and it sure won’t be winning me any design props anytime soon.

Whenever I can find an image that encompasses a baby gorilla, a curious Frenchie in classic black + white vintage style you better believe I am going to post it.  I’ve always thought that my Frenchie bears an uncanny resemblance to a baby gorilla (amongst a host of other people and beings).  You can view more images of this ‘baby’  (it’s now over 50!) at Zooborns (a very favorite haunt of mine).  Wishing you all a happy Monday!

P.S. If you know of cute or want me to post your cute, email me an image (It needs to be at least 600 pixels wide). I don’t know about you but I love to have cute delivered to my inbox, so much more delightful than a Viagra solicitation.