Valentine Tulips

I am a sucker for tulips. I might even love them more than roses, but asking me to choose would be like asking a mother to choose between her children. There's nothing like having a vase full of fresh cut cheery, happy tulips at home, especially in the winter! It was the perfect mid-winter Valentine's gift from my Mommy (thanks Mom!). I sketched them, I photographed them, I enjoyed every moment of them even after they lost their fresh perkiness, wilting and shrivelling into darkened skeletons of their former selves. Here are two shots of these beauties in different stages of their glory.

(SOOC)... I actually like this as it is.

50mm lens

1/400

f 4.0

ISO 200

Skeletal Remains - (SOOC Again)

50mm lens
1/125
f 2.5
ISO 200

Winter Trees

As I push winter out the door with both hands, here's a shot of some bare wintry trees after a warm spell melted a lot of the snow we had. Actually it had just started to snow which made the original shot kind of white and cloudy looking.

For post-processing in Photoshop, first I boosted up the color and contrast, then I applied "Boutwell's Magic Glasses" to sharpen it up. That was followed by applying the "Super Fun Happy" action to give it that dreamy otherworldy look, then I added a hint of a vignette edging. I love the way these few easy steps transformed this photo. The original SOOC (straight out of camera) shot is just below. Big difference, right? I always like looking at other photographer's before & after photos because they helped me realized that I could really get my photos to look even better. I hope this helps you realize that too!

EF 50mm lens
f 4.0
1/400 sec
ISO 200

Actions Used:
1 - Boutwell Magic Glasses (free from Totally Rad Actions)
2 - Super Fun Happy (also free from Totally Rad Actions)
3 - MCP Burnt Edges Action (free)

Jellyfish

My little guy favors aquariums over zoos, and I must admit that I am starting to feel the same way. Jellyfish have become one of my favorite aquarium attractions (just don't let me see one when I am in the ocean!). At this aquarium there was a jellyfish "touch" tank which was really cool, although these babies in the photo were NOT what we touched! Aquariums are generally dark and using flash (which I typically avoid at all costs) doesn't work well either so I had to boost the ISO waaaay up to 1600 (YIKES!). Yes, there is grain in my pics for sure, but I was able to get some good shots for the memory books, including the shot above. Anyway, many post-processing actions end up adding grain on purpose so I figure I can "embrace the grain" in these kinds of situations. Jellyfish = uber-relaxing liquid motion... I could watch them all day long. *sigh*

EF 50mm lens
f 2.2
1/125 sec
ISO 1600

Actions Used:
1 - Boutwell Magic Glasses (free from Totally Rad Actions)