Lotus Photography

Towards the beginning of July, my dad and I did something we hadn't done for a long time: we went out on a "photo expedition". Our destination was a semi-nearby aquatic garden to take pictures of the lotuses, which were getting close to peak at that point. I really enjoyed it, but because of Camp NaNoWriMo, I couldn't find time to edit the pictures I took.

Then, earlier this week, my dad told me that he'd downloaded a demo version of the Nik Effects collection, a set of plugins for Photoshop. I'd heard a lot about the Nik Effects software from other photographers, but had never actually tried it. So, I was very excited to play around with it. The first few days I spent working on some pictures Daddy had asked me to do something creative with, but on Friday I finally went back and edited some of my lotus pictures. I had a lot of fun, and I think they turned out well- but I'll let you judge the latter for yourself.

This is one of my two favorite pictures of the batch, mostly because of the colors. That's also why I enjoyed playing around with the Nik Collection so much; I could more easily bring out a lot more color and detail in the pictures. For a comparison on detail, I edited one (black and white) photo twice: once with standard Photoshop adjustments, and once with the Nik Silver Effects plugin.

Photoshop version

Nik version

As you can see, there's a lot more fine detail in the Nik version. However, that doesn't mean that the Photoshop version is bad; it depends on what you're looking for.

Lotus flowers aren't the only part of the lotus I like taking pictures of. The leaves have their own attraction, at least for me. I thought that this one looked especially interesting, with the water drop and the bits of grass trapped in it. This is also proof that Nik software isn't perfect for every situation; this picture (I'm fairly certain) was edited with standard Photoshop adjustments.

I found these lotus seedpods towards the end of the photo expedition. I liked the way they were partially twisted together, almost as if they were working together to each reach towards the light. 

Most photographers say that when you're taking pictures of anything in nature, you should look for the most perfect specimen available. However, sometimes the broken plants can be more interesting, as with this cracked seedpod.

I'll finish with my very favorite picture of the batch, which happens to be of the same lotus as the first picture I posted:

What do you think? Which of the pictures was your favorite? Any suggestions? Please tell me in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

 -Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

Cherry Blossoms and Tulips

Hello, everyone. I've got some more pictures to show you. I took these pictures at a nearby public garden-type place last Saturday. This is one of the first times I've been out taking flower pictures this spring, and I'm really quite pleased with how the  images turned out.

I hope you like them! Thanks for stopping by!

-Sarah

Lensbaby Flowers

Hello, everyone. As you know if you read my latest post, my assignment last week was to take pictures with a Lensbaby. Well, these are the results of my efforts.

Thanks for stopping by, and please don't forget to vote on my poll!
-Sarah

Contest Ideas

Hello, everyone! This week I'm posting several pictures instead of just one. These pictures are my ideas for what I'm going to enter in an upcoming contest. Only one of them will be entered, but I haven't decided which one, so I decided to post all my ideas.

So, what do you think? I'd love to know! Thanks for stopping by!
-Sarah

Flowers and Gardens

Hi, everyone! Today is Monday, and that means that I'm posting some of my photography. Today, since there's a Flowers and Gardens photo competition coming up at the Loudoun County Photo Club, I decided to post the pictures I'll be entering. So, here they are:

This is a picture that I blogged about in Chilly Cherry Blossoms.

This picture was taken very recently, when I went to Lexington two weekends ago.

This is a picture that I re-did in Black and White. To see the original picture, go here.

I hope you like them! I'll let you know how they do on Friday. What do you think of them? Please comment and tell me!
-Sarah

Rainbow Flower

Hello, everyone! I've returned, with more of my photography! Here's today's picture:

This is a picture of a flower. I have no idea what variety, but it looks something like a large dandelion, only red and slightly different. (Did that make sense?) I took this picture at a local public garden, then gave it this look with (you guessed it) a Photoshop filter. What do you think? Please let me know!

-Sarah
Note: In case anyone was wondering about the former title, I messed up because I was planning to do a different picture. Sorry.

Soft Rose

Hello, everyone! I'm back again, with some more of my photography! Here's today's picture:

I took this picture at Hershey Gardens in Hershey, PA. I entered it in a Macro and Close Up contest, but I don't believe it won anything. What do you think of it? Please comment and let me know!
-Sarah

Pansy Face

Hello, everyone! I'm back, with some of my photography! I know that normally I'd be posting an update on my week today, but I'm switching today's entry and Monday's entry, for reasons I'll explain on Monday. So, my picture for today!

This is a picture I took a while ago. It was the first picture I entered in a Photo Club contest. I named it PansyFace because it looks like it has a face on it. What do you think of it? Please comment and let me know! I'd love to hear your opinions!

-Sarah

Chilly Cherry Blossoms

Hi, everyone! Yesterday morning, I went with Daddy to a semi-nearby public gardens-type place to take pictures of the cherry blossoms there. Unfortunately, it was very cold there and the cherry blossoms weren't completely open. Also, it was quite windy. I managed to get one or two pictures worth editing, which I shall post here.

Cherry Blossom Branch HDR

Cherry Blossom HDR

Non-HDR version of the above picture

As you can see, my pictures ended up being rather blurry because of the wind. Still, please tell me what you think. I'd love to hear your opinions!
-Sarah

Flower Collage

Hi, everyone! I'm back with some of my photography once more! Today's picture is different from most of the pictures I've posted thus far. Why? Well, see for yourself:

This picture is my first collage since I first got into Photoshop. The pictures are all different versions of the same photo, which also serves as a background. The different looks came from my playing around with the different layer masks and effects in Photoshop, trying to figure out how many different abstract-type effects I could come up with, and the beveled edges were done in a similar manner. So, what do you think? Please comment and let me know!
-Sarah

Red and Green

Hi! It's Monday (unfortunately), and I have more of my photography for you!

Red and Green Bromeliad

This picture was taken at the US Botanical Gardens in DC, at the same time as Sunshine Flower. I found it when I was looking for complimentary colors and noticed this red and green plant that looked rather unusual. It didn't win anything, but I still like it. What do you think? Please comment and tell me!
-Sarah

My Pictures: Desaturated Rose

In honor of Valentine's Day, I decided to post a picture of a rose. This picture was taken at Hershey Gardens in Hershey, PA. Instead of doing my usual overflowing-with-color look, I decided to do a muted, desaturated look. What do you think of it? Please comment and let me know!
Happy Valentine's Day!
-Sarah

Sunshine Flower

I took this picture about a year ago at the US Botanical Gardens in DC. (It's inside, in case anyone was wondering how in the world flowers could bloom in winter.) It was taken for the Complimentary Color competition at the photo club I go to. This picture is one of my favorites, and the one I thought would most likely place. Unfortunately, it didn't even get an Honorable Mention. I call it "Sunshine Flower" because of the way the light shines through the petals. What do you think of my picture?
-Sarah

By the way, the voting on whether or not I should post story parts on Saturdays has been extended to the eighth of February. To vote, click here and comment with your opinion.