Something very NEW for me...

I LOVE to take pics. I take them all the time of the kiddos... I try very hard to capture every moment in my family's lives. BUT, that does not mean I do it very well. So I've decided to try to get better at it (and hopefully get better pics of my cards in the process too).

This started when I stumbled upon this this really neat blog - sideoats and scribbles. It's a really neat blog... one that I'm still exploring, but the reason I stumbled up it was that I had seen Lisa's blog highlighted on someone else's blog because of the photography toots she (I think) started recently. Although she is also an amazing (and published) papercrafter too! :)

I tried the sharpening challenge this week, and in the process incorporated the white balance lesson as well. It's definitely a very beginner try at this, but I have learned so much already. I've had Adobe on my laptop, but think that before tonight had used only the automatic fixes for the pics. So let's give it a whirl with Scribbles Challenge #3.

So here is the original pic. This is one of the thank you gift card holders I made for my kiddos' teachers (I made a bunch of these, as my kids have lots of teachers to thank since they are in school and afterschool all day).

And here is my new and (hopefully) improved picture. Can you tell a difference?

I started by doing the levels adjustment, which was difficult since there was no white on my card (plus it was my first time!), so I focused on the top of the white cabinet that the card was sitting on. Then I started on the actual challenge by sharpening the images using the 2 filters. Lisa, your directions are really clear... but I definitely need practice though, as I wasn't sure how much to adjust without it getting too distorted and grainy. I had to try it a couple times, because I couldn't tell how the card was going to looking to look until I pressed "ok" to make the dialog box disappear. Maybe I should've sharpened more... not too sure yet. But I do like how the rock and roll technique I used for the limes really came through much clearer on the second pic. :)

So that ends today's experiment- LOL. I will definitely be following along Lisa's blog for both her creativity and photography tips and lessons going forward. And practicing lots too. I guess these techniques also go for photographs too, right?? (hmmm... question for another day/experiment - now it's time for bed!)

Deets:

Stamps: SU Tart and Tangy, PTI Day at the Beach; CS: Lemon Tart, Spring Moss; Ink: SU Kiwi Kiss and Always Artichoke (rock and roll technique); Other: Spring Moss grosgrain.