winter's bloom

Nature's canvas is so subdued in the wintertime.  But while its muted colors are not as dynamic as the bright hues of spring, you can still find beauty in winter's bloom.

Rejardin's image below does just that.  The lonely flower bud looks well past its prime, but it still reaches out to offer passersby a little taste of snow.  I love how this photo captures this soft and delicate moment.

My image above was taken in the wonderful English garden on the grounds of my apartment building. We've had almost 60 inches of snow in New York City this season and these hardy flowers reaching up from underneath the thick white blanket are few and far between.  Such remnants of warmer days have a certain beauty of their own, and remind me that spring is just around the corner.

~christy of urban muser

snow cup by rejardin

{textures by kim klassen}

i had a dream

So... this is my very first time I have ever used a texture.  I have always enjoyed looking at photographs and art with added texture but I didn't have a desire to try, maybe I was scared, or lazy but mostly it didn't seem my style.  I am so grateful that I have wonderful inspirational women surrounding me and pushing me outside my box, because as I looked closer at your photographs I saw the magic of textures that really transform photographs into works of art!

That is how I feel about wawamiu's photograph.  It is a beautiful piece of art that really struck out to me in the flickr pool.  It is stunning and magical, and her title "i had a dream" is perfect I had to steal it for this post!  Both of our pictures use textures from pareeerica.  Thank you so much for sharing!

April of april's 365

i had a dream by wawamiu

time machine

I often find myself looking at my slideshow of my summer pictures, particularly in the depths of winter, wishing I could travel back in time to those warm, sunny days. My pictures are the nearest I have to a time machine. For this picture I channelled my inner Edwardian, because I hate taking self-portraits. Looking at this portrait I feel I might have travelled using a time machine; this could easily be my ancestor, somewhere back in time. I made it look as vintage as I could, changing my original portrait to sepia and then adding a texture by les brumes.

I chose Damiec's picture because I felt it too is a timeless self-portrait. This could be a woman today, it could be twenty years ago or it could even have been taken one hundred years ago.

See you next time time for some loving!

K
x

mystery by damiec

vintage texture

It's no secret that I love textures. I also have a love of vintage keepsakes. I am drawn to the texture of vintage things, the more worn, rusty, crazed, faded, and loved the better. For me, it's a perfect marriage, that of textures applied to photographs of old, well used treasures.

I instantly fell in love with this photo of well worn, well loved baby shoes. And how sweet that these belonged to Kelly, that her Mother had saved them all these years.

{Just for fun, hover your mouse over the photo above to see the before photo. I love seeing the difference applied textures can make on a simple photograph.} Both photos use textures by lenoirrr.

xo maureen at Cottage 960

vintage... by kellyk09

beauty in darkness

As photographers, we are drawn to light. Even in darkness, our eyes can't help but to wander a room looking for hidden treasures illuminated by the glow of a candle or reflected by the moon. However, in many cases, our eyes see something that our cameras aren't always able to capture. I find that texture allows me to fully illustrate the image of my mind's eye.

A couple of months ago, I was asked to photograph a wedding reception for a friend. The reception was held at a neighborhood bar with 75 of their closest friends and family. I'm not much of a drinker, so it's been a while since I've spent much time in a bar. However, I was struck by the unexpected beauty of the bottles on the shelves and the traces of candlelight.

Photoangie's photo embraced that same unexpected beauty in these Guinness bottles. I love the way the sunlight pours over the glass. The texture adds to the tone of the image without being distracting.

Until next time,

Ashley of Ramblings and Photos

display of old guinness bottles by photoangie

standing tall

My fellow muses, I cannot tell a lie.  I came kicking and screaming into doing textures.  I love taking photos, I love the stories they can tell - when I get them right, that is - and I love messing around in Photoshop to get the look I want.  I even have added Photoshop noise/grain to get a vintage look from time to time.  But I couldn't get my head around the need for textures.  I certainly have seen some beautiful things done with it, some by the muses themselves, but I snootily decided that textures weren't for me.

But now?  I am a convert.  I love them.  Sign me up, I'm born again.  They can enhance a photo in a whole new way and I'm more than happy to eat my words.  The Columbus Tower in San Francisco is a distinctive copper green flatiron building - perfect for photography.  But the sky was uninteresting and the light not quite right.  The vintage canvas texture from Shadowhouse Creations (SkeletalMess on Flickr) was just the ticket.

And although I'm sure drdesign's sooc photo was lovely, the added texture takes it to a new level.  I loved the feeling of the subject almost whimsically standing at attention center stage, similar to mine.

Thanks for the amazing photos this week - you helped convert me into a lover of texture!

cheers,
mosey of mosey along

October 10, 2010 by drdesigns

nature's texture

Nature's own texture always insist me to look closer. To frame and capture.
Sometimes I look for something different.
A bit of a vintage look, a touch of a painted canvas.  It makes me feel like the pictures I look at everyday are a part of a huge public museum where I am the one who chooses which one goes up on the wall.
Mahoney Photography WA's picture absolutely captures that for me.
It is the not-so-ordinary use of texture, that inspires me in his picture and makes me even want to delve deeper into it.

See you in 9 days,
suki of sukiphotographyblog

Oregon Coast by Mahoney Photography WA

let me wonder

I wonder...
    ...who these people are, standing on the dock.
    ...where this place this can be found.
    ...when this photo was taken.

Of course, I know the answers to these questions. I took the photo. But adding textures changes the photo, and allows me to wonder.

SightSpecific's photo had the same effect on me. I love the mystery of where and when created by the textured image. To me, it's much more fun than knowing the details.

kat of The Kat Eye View of the World

day 315/11.11.10 by SightSpecific

painting with textures

painterly tulips by tammy lee bradley

It continues to amaze me how textures can add such depth and richness to a simply composed photo.  In my experience, not every photo benefits from adding textures and using a minimalist approach yields the best results.  With that said, I chose to apply a texture not so subtly to my photo of tulips.  I love how this canvas texture by Jerry Jones of shadowhouse creations (skeletalmess on flickr) transformed my photo into a new piece of artwork.  You can almost feel the rough surface canvas and it makes the tulip pop off the screen.

As an escape from the winter doldrums, I chose my companion photo by Design by Nicola for it's wonderful spring colors, perfect composition, and painterly feel.  I had to giggle when I read this note in the comments... "It was my first time trying texture and clipping masks, so I'm pretty pleased with the result."  Yes, indeed. She should be pleased. It is truly lovely.

Make sure to visit the More Musing page today for some texture fun.  I am creating silly textures from household objects and a scanner.

♥ tammy lee of bliss and folly

Little Yellow Bug by Design by Nicola

and the next theme is... TEXTURES

Textures are image files (usually .jpgs or .bmps) that you can use to overlay on your images to create an artistic effect. (You can do a Google search for textures or find them on flicker.)

If you aren't familiar with this technique you can google texture tutorials, there are many great tutorials on the web. You'll also need photo processing software, a program that allows you to apply a layer over your photo. You can use Photoshop, or Photoshop Elements, if you don't have either program you can down load a free trial version or use a free software program like Picasa.

blue hydrangea in pot by pam martin

Adding textures to your photos can completely change the look and feel of your photo. When applied to a photo, textures can be subtle, soft and romantic, or add drama and interest.

beating the heat by langley photography

As you can see, textures can be used on portraits, landscapes or still life's - any subject can be made into a work of art by adding a layer or more of texture.

If you've never tried this technique, I hope this prompt encourages to step outside your comfort zone and try something new. For those of you who have been using textures, I can't wait to see your work. Thanks so much for participating in these themes. I love surfing through the Flickr pool and being inspired by your talent. It’s become one of my favorite activities!

Make sure to visit tomorrow when Tammy will start our 9 days of musing on silhouettes.

♥ maureen at cottage 960