Friday, November 9, 2007

T.G.I.F.

 

 

Doesn't that picture just radiate peacefulness? Aaaaaaaaah!

This is my Boo, his buddy Ten and the two yearlings. Aren't the youngsters getting big? They are sweet, kind and funny. I'm really pleased with how they are developing both physically and mentally.

I had a couple of questions on the Wordless Wednesday entry, so let me see if I can answer them....

The frog was a funny little decoration on a tree at the botanical garden we visited. The way I got the picture was setting the shot up and then turning off the auto-focus and manually focusing in on the frog. This caused the blades on the plant in front of it take on a 'fuzzy' or out of focus aspect. This is the same as idea as when you take a picture of an animal in a wire fence or cage. You set the focal distance for the main subject. You have to turn off the auto-focus though, or the camera wants to focus on what is closest. I have a couple of pics of the frog taken from a different angles, but I thought the out of focus grass added to the 'feeling' of the picture. I then cropped the picture with an oval, put a bevel on that to give the under glass feel, filled the background with a gradient fill that started with a light gray and ended with black. A quick selection and red stroke fill for interest and Viola!

 

What kind of art is it? Ummm.. I really don't know. I just thought it was cool. I think they have some similar pieces for sale in the gift shop. Next time I am there I will have to see if they have a name for it.

I took a bunch of pictures of flowers and decorations both at the Gardens and at the zoo, so you will probably be seeing quite a few of them over the next several entries. It is fun to see what you can do with them with some cropping and framing.

And, one more flower picture!

 

 


12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oooh...that flower pic is just awesome!!  Would you mind telling me how you do your borders??
Thanks!!

Nancy

Anonymous said...

beautiful horses.. gorgeous flower.. you do good JJ ! hehe

Anonymous said...

Marc, great pictures of the horses and the flower.
Thanks for the fill in on how you did the frog.
Nice job on that also. Bill

Anonymous said...

And here you are complaining about how your life has been getting blah - but look at all the great pictures you are getting!  ;-)

Anonymous said...

The horses are definitely a serene sight to behold. Your getting quite talented there with the pictures your taking lately. Love the flower, what a beauty. (Hugs) Indigo

Anonymous said...

LOVE the pictures.  I wish I was there to pet the horses AND the flower.   Anne

Anonymous said...

That was a very artistic photo of the horses.  And it looks like Spring there!  Lucky!!  

Russ

Anonymous said...

There is nothing more peaceful than watching a group of horses grazing. It just is so sweet. I wish there was a way for me to transport myself into the photo. Excellent shot!

Thanks for sharing your incredible moment with us.
Jo

Anonymous said...

Good morning! I love your pictures. The horses look beautiful. We used to have those spider lillies growing wild in the ditches of our old house. I always thought about digging up the bulbs but never got around to it. I found your journal through osmeone elses I go to, saw you posted, curiousity led me here! I really love pictures...so your journal is going to be a treat for me I know. I see time got away from you and you didnt post for a while. Summertime can draw us away from the computer cant it? Thats not a bad thing though...I love to be outside. Hope your having a great weekend! Nice to meet you. :) Kelly

Anonymous said...

That was really great work with the Wordless Wednesday frog picture.  I like learning the process you went through to get all the the effects, too.  The Macro shot of the flower in this post is beautiful.  When you see blossoms this close and personal, one can't help but be in awe of the true beauty and marvel at the inticate design each flower brings to us.  Well done!
Sam

Anonymous said...

The horses look great. And I agree about the peaceful feeling.

Brenda

Anonymous said...

You're a wonderful photographer.  I've enjoyed seeing your photos here.
                                          Smiles,  Leigh