Photos of the Week - Week 25

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 25, Dark And Stormy Night

Photo by Lois Bennett

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Lois says: 

It was a dark and stormy night... when suddenly, to everyone's surprise, a sky full of umbrellas appeared! Where did they come from? Only The Shadow knows... LOL

Here in Illinois we are in the middle of a severe drought. It has not rained here in almost a month and we certainly haven't had any storms. So, what to do for this challenge...
While I was thinking about this week's assignment, I visited the Umbrella Sky exhibit in Elmhurst, IL and took some photos. At this exhibit there are beautiful, colorful umbrellas hung over an entire street. It was fun to see. I really didn't intend to use one of those photos for this week's challenge, but then I started playing around in PS and ended up with this photo. I did some LR edits, added the Topaz Midnight Lake filter, added some rain in PS and probably some other things that I don't remember now.

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 25- Embrace Presented

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 25, Embrace Presented

Photo by Debbie Huewe

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Debbie  says:  

I was hoping to take two photos and combine them to show my husband's before and after losing his hair and beard. His beard started falling out and his hair came out rather suddenly on Monday so he shaved his beard and got his head shaved the same day. This is his new look.

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 25 - Use a Mirror

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 25, Use a Mirror

Photo by Margie Clark

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Margie says: 

The underside of an ornamental grass plant plus the sky reflected in a mirror.
Edited in Prisma app with Watercolor.

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 25, Use a Mirror

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says:

Thanks goodness for the hotel room dressing mirror. At first I thought it was a cop out - but working with the image, I ended up liking it.

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Critique Group Challenge:

Week 25, Dark And Stormy Night

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2023 Critique Group

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Ricky says:

It was a dark and stormy night. Brandon and Hank decided to linger at the bar a bit longer and ride out the storm. It made for a good excuse to down a few more cold ones.

This image took a lot of fancy footwork. I shot the pair of guys with my iPhone at the Chris Stapleton concert - street photography at its best because nobody is paying attention to a stealthy iPhone. I located a photo of an old bar from a while back and then had to turn light and color into a more sinister and ominous mood. That was done with layers - gradients - and blending modes. My goal was to make the image seamless. Even the original photo of the bar was in daylight with bright windows.

The original photo from the concert can be seen here; https://rickytims.smugmug.com/Challenges-Extra-Photos/n-RPZVSn/

Photos of the Week - Week 24

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 24, Lazy Crazy Days

Photo by Barbara Larsen

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Barbara says: 

I live in Florida, which has the highest number of residential swimming pools in the US - 1,590 Million as per the latest (2022) estimate. Summer for me is jumping in the pool in my backyard!

Virtually straight out of camera. We had a strong summer storm this morning that drenched us with torrential rain, but then it passed and the sun came out once again and bounced off the pool waters.

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 24- Trash To Treasure

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 24, Trash To Treasure

Photo by Betty Franklin

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Betty  says:  

In exploring a local antique store, this vintage boat propeller seemed artistic. I used a 50mm prime lens with manual focus & hand held since I was in a shop (with the shopkeeper's permission) and with very little room to maneuver around. I used basic LR and PS tools with minimal cropping.

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 24 - Smoke

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 24, Smoke

Photo by Patricia Honeycutt

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Patricia says: 

Long exposure of smoke from a wood-fired grill wafting over apple trees on a windy afternoon. Edited in camera app.

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 24, Smoke

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says:

I used an LED flashlight in a dark room with the smudge stick. Basic edits in iPhone

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Critique Group Challenge:

Week 24, Lazy Crazy Days

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2023 Critique Group

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Ricky says:

I futzed with pretzels, but then went out to the garden for our twirly-sun ornament. Getting the speed so it didn't just look out of focus - and not so fast it was a total blur was the trick. The image then went through various processing starting in lightroom and adding a white vignette. Generally, when I move to Topaz, I will find a filter that I like - apply it - and then work to blend the two similar to how we do dreamscape. In this case I did blur the topaz filter a bit and I think I used Soft Light for the blending.

Photos of the Week - Week 23

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 23, Free For All

Photo by Sarah Carpenter

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Sarah says: 

Last week, a friend and I kayaked on Echo Lake in Mt. Vernon, Maine. We have had lots of rain recently and the dam was overlowing. I took this picture with my IPhone, on live. Then in post I liked the shot with the long exposure.. I added Brownie kayaking - ( I selected her from the old picture and placed here where I thought she showed up the best. ) Summer has come to Maine!!! (Somedays, at least).

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 23- Do Over

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 23, Do Over

Photo by Olivia Edwards

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Olivia  says:  

Kind of a combination of Selective Focus stirred with texture and clarity sliders.

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 23 - Circles

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 23, Circles

Photo by Cheryl Walker

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Cheryl says: 

I’m a quilter, so first thing I thought of was my quilting templates. Edited in Snapseed, double exposure.

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 23, Circles

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says:

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Critique Group Challenge:

Week 23, Free For All

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2023 Critique Group

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Ricky says:

Home! This is the Cuchara Valley, home to La Veta. These are the mountains that burned in 2018. The clouds often billow and dominate the sky which is what captivated me on this particuarl day.

Photos of the Week - Week 21

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 21, Perfect Pair

Photo by Wendy Hodina

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Wendy says: 

Someone had to do it :) i got these pears on Saturday on they have been staring at me all week. Mind blocked from thinking of anything else. 65% Topaz Dingy Cream applied after usual adjustments. Taken in a wooden cabinet with my iPhone light at the side.

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 21 - Loved Ones

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 21, Loved Ones

Photo by Carrie La Barge

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Carrie  says:  

My parents were visiting for Jamie's 1st birthday, so it was the perfect time for this week's challenge! My mom doesn't particularly like being photographed (we're similar in that way), but she put up with me randomly snapping pictures while they were here (my dad, on the other hand, loves having his picture taken haha). This is a shot of my mom and son, Jamie, who was smiling up at my dad. All candid, nothing staged.

It was really nice to focus on capturing moments between loved ones this week, but I wish that I had used different settings. I should have used shutter priority and auto focus, but I was being stubborn and wanted to shoot everything manually, which resulted in some BAD photos because I wasn't able to focus or adjust the settings quickly enough. I also personally have a very hard time raising the ISO - I want to keep it at 400 or less but that isn't always possible for hand-held shots, but then the graininess bothers me. I'm definitely still learning!

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 21 - Mellow Yellow

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 21, Mellow Yellow

Photo by Wendy Browne

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Wendy says: 

Native Australian Grass

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 21, Mellow Yellow

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says:

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Critique Group Challenge:

Week 21, Perfect Pair

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2023 Critique Group

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Ricky says:

This week was significant in that my grand piano (1978 college graduation present), came inside my home for the first time since 2005. It has lived in the building/studio/gallery in La Veta all these years. I’m going with Ebony and Ivory or Black and White. Opposites, but perfect pairs. I’m n a side note I was to graduate in summer 1979, but the Wichita Falls April 10 tornado destroyed 5000 homes killing 46. Out house was demolished. My car from the driveway landed on this piano. The scars are still there.

Photos of the Week - Week 20

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 20, Anticipation

Photo by Betty Seeman

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Betty says: 

Every year about this time I await the Gardenia blooms. They first appear as tightly spiraled green buds. They swirl to open and release the sweetest scent. We have a gardenia bush at each of the four corners of our house. The two varieties bloom about two weeks apart so we enjoy the beauty and fragrance for a full month.
Enjoy!

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 20 - Forks

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 20, Forks

Photo by Nora Norton

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Nora  says:  

Had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to submit..... So I just blended a background to the main fork image. I also did some cropping to one area I didn't like. This blending thing is interesting.

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 20 - Zig-Zag

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 20, Zig-Zag

Photo by Linda Rowberry

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Linda says: 

The Zig-Zag edge of a pair of pinking shears. Added a filter from the Distressed FX+.

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 20, Zig-Zag

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says:

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Critique Group Challenge:

Week 20, Anticipation

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2023 Critique Group

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Ricky says:

Spring has sprung on the mountain and there is an air of anticipation in the air. Sprouts sprouting. Nest building underway. . Hope and eagerness for the days ahead.