Month / June 2021

by Janet

A Chorus Line

All together now,

Sing your heart out, chirp, and whirl…

We’re on Broadway now!

I had some fun earlier with a color palette that I put together and a dancer that I converted into a shape in Photoshop (I’m learning a few new things in a summer class in case you couldn’t tell). If you’re into color, there is a great site that generates color palettes for you in a fun and simple way, and it’s called Coolors. And it is the coolest.

Here’s the palette that I created for the image above:

It was not my intention to create a background that looked EXACTLY like the palette (i.e. a bunch of rectangles), but once it was imported into Photoshop I thought it looked cool—so I duplicated it by using rectangles and fill. The effects process changed the shades ever so slightly, but they’re close enough.

Anyway, I don’t usually get into my processes, but I thought I would share that tidbit of information along with my Haiku, just for those who are interested. I’d love to do a series (here we go again) where I share some of the tips and tricks that I’ve learned in my classes thus far. What fun is learning if you can’t share it with someone? Right?! We’ll see. If anyone is interested, let me know.

That’s about all for now.

One can speak poetry just by arranging colors well, just as one can say comforting things in music.

Vincent van Gogh

Written for Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Chirp & Sing

by Janet

Windows of Time

There are moments which mark your life. Moments when you realize nothing will ever be the same and time is divided into two parts, before this, and after this… Sometimes you can feel such a moment coming.

Fallen, 1998
Superhero Selfies

I’m excited about this addition to my new and totally random series called “Windows.” I have to say that finding windows that are interesting enough to photograph (and talk about) isn’t as easy as I thought. After my last post, The Clones, a fellow blogger reminded me of one of the things that is so special about street photography:

“Street photography is special to me because . . . it celebrates humanity – the photos captured are so one of a kind and can never be duplicated again because that person (or people) will never be the same they were in that moment and neither will the setting.“

That is so true, and is actually one of the reasons that I love street photography myself. Looking through a lens—or a Smartphone in this particular case—is like looking through windows of time. You have the opportunity to capture a special moment, a moment that will never happen again. That is absolutely precious, and makes me wonder if some of those people who overdo the selfies understand that concept, because they know they’ll never be in that moment again.

Anyway, I went through and selected four images that I really liked from that night, that can also be tied together, and then I forced myself to do only TWO edits. Cropping, and a black and white conversion using Nik Collection (and some mood setting with contrast and style). I’m really happy with these, and it was an exercise in self-control to not butcher them with my manipulations so that the images remain “pure and unadulterated,” if you will.

So, here are the “windows of time” that I’ve captured with a little “superhero” theme…

MEN IN BLACK

This next one made me laugh because these men made a point of approaching the statue to look, but they didn’t feel the need to take a selfie. I gave it a little newspaper effect because these men thought the statue was important enough to look at while most people either take a selfie and move on… or walk by without noticing it.

WHO IS THIS MASKED MAN?

Lastly… this final photo captures those true superheroes that we all know and love…

MOTHERS

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.

Leo Tolstoy

That’s about all for now. I hope you enjoyed these windows of time!

Peace & love to you all…