Tag / Photography

by Janet

The Storm

Angry storm rages,

Love battered, Hearts holding on,

Refusing to bend.

I’m taking a break from my emotion images, although my haiku and photo art appear to hint at some of the emotions I’ve been seeing in my neck of the woods lately… thanks to the “Rona” and all of the crap that goes with it. Anyway…

The emotional aspect of this post wasn’t planned. I took a photo of our Ginkgo when the leaves were green and yellow and I’ve been wanting to do something artistic with it. I love the colors of the leaves (although now the tree is bare and the leaves are on the lawn), but I also enjoy seeing them in black and white… with an oil paint effect and a little play on the perspective. As you can see, the end result looks a little angry, but maybe that depends on the viewer’s state of mind.

So… I’ve been thinking a lot about the blog and I’ve got a ton of new ideas for it. I’m really looking forward to organizing my thoughts and getting started. I’m back to school this week (virtually), but it’s just one class so I’m going to take advantage of the extra time on my hands. I’m tired of hearing people argue about the you know what virus, so I’ve decided to channel my frustration into some really cool and creative projects, both on the blog and off. I think 2022 will be a good one, and I hope it is for you as well.

That’s about all for now. Thank you for reading!

Written for Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Bend & Heart

Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.

John Wooden
by Janet

Wake-up Call

a haiku

Father time is blue,

The world is in a sad state,

“God help them,” he cries.

Before I go any further, just let me say that I’m not trying to be a downer. Especially with Christmas around the corner. The world has issues right now, I’m not going to lie (or live in denial), but the fact remains that humans are strong, intelligent, creative, and resilient. We got this! Another year is coming and it is time for us to kick ass recover.

Anyway, Ronovan started it (kidding)— I created this post for the Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Blue & World. I was thinking about long beards and sunglasses, like the good old Blues Brothers, but while I was working on some ideas for the blog I came upon an old man—another image that I wanted to redo. It was basically my first attempt at street photography.

Ironically, I shared the photograph five years ago to this day. I’m using the old post to re-share my new version, so it’s a complete overhaul of sorts. That being said, please excuse the old comments from 2016. Hey, comments never grow old!

I converted the original to black and white with Silver Efex in Nik Collection using an effect that really darkened out the background and lit up the man’s hair and beard. In the spirit of my Haiku, I put the whole world in his hands. Finally, I added a little oil paint effect. I don’t know about you but I think he was made for my Haiku.

That’s about all for now. Thanks for reading. I hope you found something interesting or entertaining here!

WORD OF THE DAY

Resilience
1: the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens
2: the ability of something to return to its original shape after it has been pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc.

Merriam-Webster
by Janet

Child’s Play

Three seconds of bliss,

Colors my soul with laughter,

Innocent child’s play.

Written for Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Color and Three

I’m traveling back in time again. The featured image is a photo that I shared about five years ago. That’s my youngest grandson, playing with the same sprinkler that I played with when I was young. Since I’m rewriting my life’s story, I thought it would be interesting to revisit and revise some of my old images as well.

I added a slight oil paint effect with the BeCasso app on my iPhone, and then added a few other touches with Nik Collection in Photoshop—using Analog Efex and Silver Efex. I was going to go completely black and white, but I kept just a touch of color. I know that might sound like Greek to some of you, but I decided that if I’m going to repurpose and reshare some of my old images and photographs, the least I could do was tell you what I did, and/or how I did it. In case you’re interested.

I thought Ronovan’s challenge was going to be a breeze with the exception of the word THREE. That was a tough one! But… I’m really focusing on slowing down these days, or at least being more focused and mindful (and balanced), so the idea of “three seconds” seemed really pertinent.

I think it sums up why it’s so important to pay attention to what’s around you, and to be “present” rather than somewhere in your head. Some of our most memorable moments might last but three seconds, and if our minds or eyes are closed… we just might miss them.

That’s about all for now. School is winding down to the last week and soon I’ll be on winter break—so I hope to see more of all of you!

Until later,
Peace & Love!