In low light photos that just don't look good in color, I make them Black and White and then they look edgy.
This is a band called, "High Class White Trash"

to get the changes here, I toggled the Lefels, greay, Curves, flattened and sharpened

Here is another example from the same shoot using the same technique as before.

Photo Editing during the flood

I've finally caught up with my photos since I've been in the house on the computer for the last 5 days. Check out the photos posted on Facebook of the mountain washing away and the road collapsing. I have to find a new way into town now.

The pictures I took of Kaylee on March 6th 2011 were direct sun but she was a lot faster than me and kept getting her face in shadow. Of course if I hadn't been wearing 3 inch heels (just got out of church) I might have been able to keep up with her. But, It does make for a lot of editing after I get home.

In this picture you can see the original is much darker, first I used the marquee tool to select the Iris's hold the shift key down and draw your selection over one eye then let the shift key back up and do the same for the other eye. Hit Ctrl/J to put the iris on their own layer. I then sharpened them and adjusted the brightness a little. At this point I can still see if I've gotten a selection that was larger than the iris so I use the eraser tool and clean up the edges if needed. then I merge the layers. Now I will use the dodge tool to lighten the whites of the eye if needed, be careful not to get them too white. I went 80% on this picture and that is high. Then I adjusted curves to lighten the whole photo. If I still have not gotten the shadows light enough I will adjust the gray with the levels pallette. Removing a little of medium tone to brighten a little more then sharpen a little. This was done with Cs5.
I really need to get a monitor adjuster to make sure what I see on my monitor is what gets printed but haven't bitten the bullet yet to get one. At this point I just print a photo now and then and make adjustments by comparing the printed version to the monitor.

Painting accepted at Exhibit

This painting titled "Leatherwood Drive" was accepted at the White River Painting Exhibit and Sale Edwards ARt Gallery at the Ralph Foster Museum at the College of the Ozarks near Branson, MO. It will be on display until December 16, 2010.
I am working on a series of these paintings based on photographs that my stepson Jason Took.

Are you smarter than a two year old?

I think a toddler can think a lot faster than me. My lovely Daughter-in-law told me recently she had to give the baby an m&m in the check out line at Wally world so she would quit screaming long enough for her to check out. The poor girl was frazled and needed a quick fix. I probably would have given the baby the whole bag. We all know how everyone starts standing on their toes and peering over the dividers made of candy to see why that baby is screaming and giving you the evil eye. Yes there is a lot of parenting info that gives us all those solutions to the screaming child and yes I know giving a treat to a screaming baby is not the best solution in the long run. But sometimes that baby is smarter than me in getting her way. And you know you have all resorted to the quick fix at one time or another. So let's hear it what was your guilty little secret quick fix?

We are all scared children inside

Book Review: Cliff Falls by C.B. Shiepe
I am a voracious reader and reading is one of my primary sources of fun and down time. So if the book doesn't reach me in the first few pages I do not waste my time. I found CLIFF FALLS to be an easy read and it touched my soul in a couple of spots that needed a light shone on them.

#1 No One Escapes Life and the grass is not greener in someone elses life. I need to be more content and thankful of where I am and what I have.
#2 It is too easy to get your eyes off God and on man. We so often find it easy to put fault on everyone but ourselves for our walk with the Lord. We put our leaders on pedestals then kick them when they fall off of them. They, like us are scared children inside. A primary lesson in this book was look to God not the men in the pulpit. What is your reason for being in a church body? Is it to serve God and others or to go where there is the biggest following and more money?
#3 we don't believe others will support us when we need it and that carries over into our relationship with God. We will follow a man and idolize him and not accept the loving Hand of our Father.

I found several underlying lessons in the story line of Cliff Falls and recomend it to anyone struggling with, "they have it easier than me" syndrome.

Not Perfect, but Possible

The solution to a fight, an argument,difference of opinion,unthoughtfulness on the part of another person, unfair treatment, selfishness, egoism, disregard for another person's rights is not splitting up and finding other human beings to live with, but understanding what must be taught, time after time, through seeking to find solutions which are not perfect, but which are possible.

One lesson I tried to teach my children, from a very early age...was the fact that some things must never be said, no matter how hot the argument, no matter how angry one becomes, no matter how far one goes in feeling, "I don't care how much I hurt him or her."Some things are too much of a "luxury" ever to say. Some things are too great a price to pay for the momentary satisfaction of putting the other person down. Some things are like throwing indelible ink on a costly work of art, or smashing a priceless statue just to make a strong point in an argument. Saying certain things is an expense beyond all reason.

What is it that can never be put into words, which can't be erased and forgotten? What is it that one can resolve and succeed never to say during the lifetime of relationship with one person?

It is attacking the person in his or her most vulnerable, most sensitive, most insecure spot in life. It is pulling the rug out at a place where the other person felt there was a solid acceptance and understanding, without question. It is bringing up something from the other person's background which he has no control over and which carries with it painful memories of outsiders' lack of understanding. It is turning the one secure place in all of life into a suddenly exposed place of naked attack from which there is no place to run. At some point in the beginning of a relationship, it is of tremendous importance to decide inside yourself just what things are really "out of bounds," and to declare to yourself that you will never resort to say anything about; his or her big nose, deformities, lack of cultural or educational upbringing, and psychological fears or special weaknesses. Naturally it can't be too big a list, but there must be certain specific areas you rationally decide not to let "wild horses drag out of you." It is possible. It is a restraint that you can inflict upon yourself. It is a possible control. - Edith Schaeffer

I remember my mom would get after us if my sister and I called each other even so much as stupid. We were just not allowed to say things like that.I appreciate it as an adult because of careless comments by others to me. Some of those comments while in my heart I knew they weren't really true have changed my perception of myself in a negative way. It is important for all of us to guard our tongues. Think before speaking, think is this the way I want to be spoken to? - Pam

look who's 5 months old

14 inches of snow

It was amazing, I got up at 6am to get ready for church and was asking my husband if he thought that was ice on his truck but when we went outside it wasn't ice. The dogs water wasn't frozen but there was a fine dusting of snow as we watched Snow started coming down in huge flakes and fast. Within 10 minutes the ground was covered. I didn't take the chance of going to church and it was a good thing because they called about 7:30 and said it was snowing so hard on their side of the mountain they were calling it off so please send out an email letting everyone know.
The snow continued until late afternoon with about 14 inches before it stopped. Our power was out for several hours that afternoon. The snow was wet and heavy, perfect for making snowmen and David and I planned on making one when it stopped. However in the meantime campers had gotten stranded at Steel Creek and we seemed to have the only cabin left open so we shoveled the snow off the steps, it was still snowing so heavily that it covered the steps almost as fast as I shoveled. We helped the ranger get 5 people settled into the cabin. They ended up staying 2 nights. Deborah was running around in the snow and loving it she kept burying her nose in it and snuffling around. It was too dark to build a snowman by the time it stopped snowing so we thought we'd do it the next day. Well it melted so much there was hardly any snow left! Just a lot of mud. It was an utterly amazing winter storm on the first day of spring.