Thursday, December 29, 2011

Playing with Photoshop

I recently took some photos around sunset.
I was near Swede Point Park,
just outside of Madrid, Iowa.
The pictures all turned out different
as I was near the river valley and so some
pictures were dark, with the sunset behind,
while others were brighter with the last
of the sun making the trees glow.
There were a few pictures I really liked,
but most were pretty ordinary.
So I played.
Playing in my Photoshop program
is like a kid playing with art supplies.
I just had fun creating various effects
with the tools in Photoshop Elements.

dry brush effect

stained glass effect

added a border


glowing edges

glass--small lens effect

paint daubs effect
This was near Swede Point, looking
west towards Woodward.

water color effect
The Des Moines River is low right
now you can see the remains of an old
bridge to the north of the current 210 bridge.

glowing edges effect
This photo shows the Highway 210 bridge
west of Madrid, with the High Trestle
Trail bike bridge in the background.


Saturday, December 10, 2011

Sunset in November

No words to say to
improve upon what God
gave me on this
past November day.




Sunday, December 4, 2011

How did you know I could do that?

Sometimes there is great wisdom
in children's stories.
I can't remember if this quote came
from a Winnie-the-Pooh story
or from the Velveteen Rabbit,
but either way it's a good
one for all of us to keep in mind.
Thanks to whoever the author is!



Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Illusion of Movement

I was taking sunset pictures
through a grove of trees
in the last moments
before darkness
overcame the land.
I have a number
of very pretty pictures
(some of which I'll post another time),
but this picture
was by far
the most interesting.
I have no idea
what I did
to create this effect.
If I stare at it long enough
I swear I am moving.
Or the trees are moving.
I wish I knew
what happened
to create
this illusion.
The colors behind the trees
are absolutely brilliant
and make a perfect
backdropfor the impression
of movement in a still shot.
Some days you just get lucky.


Saturday, November 12, 2011

Spiderwebs

I was taking photos at Grey's Lake
one evening recently.
Once the colored lights
on the bridge came on the
spiders and their webs were amazing.
Behind some of the photos you can see
dots of light from the Des Moines
downtown city skyline.

















Believe

BELIEVE      

believe
                Believe

                                        believe


                    BELIEVE


Saturday, November 5, 2011

High Trestle Trail Bridge at Night

The High Trestle Trail Bridge,
just west of Madrid, Iowa,
is simply amazing.
The architect is a genius.
If you've never been here, I highly
suggest you make a trip to visit.
If you come visit at night,
bring a flashlight as
only the bridge is lit up at night.
It's worth the drive,
worth the walk,
worth the time.
What a view.














Friday, November 4, 2011

Flowers near Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic has such beautiful buildings
and beautiful surroundings.
This post focuses on some of the gorgeous
flowers found on the grounds of
Mayo Clinic or in areas near the clinic.
They certainly brightened my day
and I hope they will brighten your day as well.













Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Castle Bookstore near Mayo Clinic

If you ever are visiting Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minnesota, there's a
Barnes and Noble store in the
skywalk/subway system
very close to Mayo.
I don't know the history of the building,
but now the bookstore resembles
a castle.
It's the coolest bookstore
I've ever been in.
I happen to love bookstores.
Could spend hours, days, weeks,
getting lost in them.
I absolutely adore the castle theme
of this bookstore.
And I love that it's so very close
to Mayo
so that when you're visiting
you have a place to go where your
imagination
can take you
anywhere
and away from every reason
you're there at
Mayo in the first place.
They used to have a great reading nook
in the front window,
with nice fluffy chairs.
They were gone this time.
Silly me.
I thought they'd want people
to enjoy the place and be comfortable.
I miss the fluffy chairs,
but I do still love the bookstore.
Worth visiting if you ever
need to take a trip to Mayo Clinic.




Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Sunrise Over Iowa

Few things are as breathtaking as a
gorgeous sunset or sunrise.
Thankfully I was awake when this
beauty of a sunrise
appeared and my son pointed it
out to me. My house doesn't give
 me the best spot to take
sunrise pictures, but I knew
that in a matter of minutes
the gorgeous colors would be gone so
I had to make do with what I had.
I thank God for giving all of us
a beautiful sunrise over Iowa
on the morning of Monday September 17.
This especially goes out to all the
service men and women
who are serving our country overseas
and weren't here in Iowa
to see this sunrise.
May you come home safely.










Popular Posts