Birthday Girl

This week's Sunday Still's challenge was to take any photo and do something with it in Photoshop or similar software.  Since it was Emma's third birthday today she had to be the subject.  I decided to make her a birthday card.

This was the original photo, which I liked OK, but was disappointed in as the lighting just isn't right.

I fumbled around with the effects in Picassa and came up with these, I'm not sure which I like better.

It is hard to believe that Emma is just now turning three, she often seems ageless to me.  A visual contradiction with her greying coat and her young eyes.  It goes beyond that though to who she is.  Perhaps it is a donkey thing, perhaps because she is already a mother, probably a bit of both, but she is both old as the hills and young as a butterfly.  I love her dearly.

Happy Birthday my sweet Emma-Girl.

Sunday Stills - Animals in Black & White

I almost skipped this again, but I needed a break from worrying about Ramsey and the horrible howling wind, snow and arctic temperatures that roared in this morning.  So much for our lovely Fall weather, it was short, but very sweet.  We miss it already.

I ventured into my Photoshop program for this, which I am only barely getting the hang of.  I guess it will take more then the five minutes per month I have devoted to it to actually figure it out.  It's on the list......Meanwhile, I actually found this to be surprisingly easy and kind of interesting.  These are all from my recent archives, most of you will probably recognize the shots.

Time now to go medicate and walk the donkey one last time before bed.  Enjoy and let me know what you think...   

For more Sunday Stills visit:  http://sundaystills.wordpress.com/

Sunday Stills

There is a photography website I found recently called www.sundaystills.wordpress.com.  Every week they put up a photography challenge with an example and other bloggers can accept the challenge and post their own photos.  I haven't participated much because my photography skills (if you could call them that) are limited to pointing my camera at something and pushing the button.  For every one of these good pictures, I have at least a hundred that I hope no one ever sees.  I am trying to do better and actually learn what those settings on my camera do.  I like the Sunday Stills challenges because it gives me one simple thing to try to do each week and provides some basic directions.

A couple of weeks ago, I even bought a copy of Photoshop Elements when they sent me a super sale offer.  However, I am finding that software to be a bit um, challenging.  I have no doubt it can do miracles with photos but, don't hold your breath waiting to see Photoshop wonders here.  In fact, you shouldn't even put off a menial, boring chore you have been successfully avoiding waiting for me to master the wonders of Photoshop.

If you want to see some great photography and "meet" some wonderful critters at the same time, you should check out  www.the7msnranch.com.  She takes some great photos and her subjects are wonderful.  My photography requires more of the "it's the thought that counts" attitude.  Still, I have taken a few photos that I particularly like and when I saw that this week's Sunday Stills challenge was pets, I figured I'd have to jump in.  Tanner features rather heavily here for the simple reason that he has been here the longest and I have had more opportunity to get a decent shot of him.  So, in no particular order, here are some of my favorite pet photos (untouched by Photoshop and likely to remain that way:)