You can fix a plain picture

Many of the pictures we take are just plain. The lighting may be bad or there might be a distracting background. Even these pictures can be fixed by trying some fun techniques. Here is a photo taken of my beautiful niece. I didn't take this picture, but noticed how sweet her little face looked when perusing through my sister in laws pictures. I decided to play around with Adobe Photoshop which is how I am slowly learning this program. Don't be intimidated by Photoshop, it's an amazing program. I am only beginning to learn some of the ins and outs of PS4!

Before:

First, I cropped the picture in closer around her sweet face. I use many of The Pioneer Womans actions (which she offers two sets in a free download on her Photography page). I lightened the picture, used bring out the eyes and used "sharpen this" around her eyes and face. Finally I used poster edges to give this picture a funky painting look.



Rustic

When decided what to name my fledgling photography business, I kept coming back to one word: rustic. It pretty much sums up me and my life. I live in the country, always have. I like old things. I prefer a worn old table to a new one. When it comes to my photographs, I like my pictures more natural, earthy.... well, rustic!

While many have their great talents and abilities with props and backgrounds, I have always gravitated toward natural light and beauty. So when I kept coming back to the word rustic, which virtually describes most elements of my life, I looked the word up.

Definition of RUSTIC http://dictionary.weather.net/dictionary/rustic

Rustic (adjective)

1: of, relating to, or suitable for the country : rural <rustic rolling farmland>

2: a: made of the rough limbs of trees <rustic furniture> b: finished by rusticating <a rustic joint in masonry>

3: a: characteristic of or resembling country people b: lacking in social graces or polish

4: appropriate to the country (as in plainness or sturdiness) <heavy rustic boots>

Rustic (noun)

1: an inhabitant of a rural area

2: a: an awkward coarse person b : an unsophisticated rural person

Yup, that's me in a nutshell.... rustic. I have tried to work on the social graces and polish a bit.

Bring your camera ding dong

I am a slow learner, it takes dozens of mistakes before I clue in and make the changes necessary. I go up to our ranch regularly to feed cows, check cows, meet the tree trimmers, escape for a day of solitude (shhhh, don't tell anyone), whathaveyou.. I never know what I might come across up at the ranch. I have learned over the years that if I don't bring my camera, I will most certainly come across something amazing or exciting. Because of my failure to bring my good camera, I have taken lots of really bad photos over the years with my iPhone or my old beater camera. Occasionally I have had the wherewithal to bring my camera only to discover a key component like a battery or memory card is at home on my desk.



I have bumped into pigs, cats big and small, deer and even a bear. I have never been very lucky with my camera and photographing the wildlife I come across. I have really bad blurry photos of all sorts things.



Never have I been so disappointed as last spring when I was working up at the ranch. I was closing up the gate to the hay barn and out of the corner of my eye I see a bird fly. So I look up and the bird has landed on the telephone pole about 30 feet up and just a few feet from me. As I focus my aging eyes I realize, holy crap, it's a bald eagle. Not only is it a bald eagle, which are a spectacle to see in these parts, it is holding what appears to be a 2-3lb large mouth bass in its talons. I grab the only camera I had, which was my iPhone 3G and snap a couple photos and the eagle flies off. When I got home I uploaded my pictures and did everything I could to salvage the missed opportunity. It was a definitely lost moment because I captured a blur of a bird holding something. If only I had my good camera with the zoom lens locked and loaded I could have captured this never to be repeated opportunity I had.



 I will keep trying, although wildlife photography is definitely not my forte, I can only improve! If I can remember to take my camera, make sure the batteries are charged and the memory card is loaded and be ready to shoot, I will have a better chance of improving. What amazing photo opportunities have you blown?