Lost Aussie on the loose

A Wet and Wild July 4th

After a little research, DH and I decided to venture off to the US National Whitewater Center to celebrate 4th of July and take in the local color and watch/photograph the fireworks.

All augured well to start, clear sunny skies and the usual thunderstorms of late, thankfully absent.

The Center showcases a man-made course of Class 1 and 2 white water rapids and I garnered quite a few fun images of the rafters and solo canoeists.

There were live bands, good food and locally brewed beer and the wait for nightfall was by no means tedious.

However with dusk along came the clouds and the sharp crackle of lightening and thunder.  Shortly thereafter, the heavens opened and down came the rain.... Cameras and tripods were hurriedly drawn to shelter and we scooched under the eaves attempting to stay dry - without success I might add.

Out came the trusty iPhone  to record the moment....

Eventually the rain stopped and we dashed back out, cameras and tripods at the ready, only to be thwarted yet again as the rain came back.

Eventually the fireworks started, amidst the pouring rain and us left enjoying the show through a veil of water.

And one barely snaggable shot, which looked like this .... UGH!!

So I might not have got the fireworks shots that I wanted and lost a favourite pair of shoes (as they were totally sodden and trashed getting back throught the mud to the car) .... but it was a pretty fine day regardless.... and I hope your July 4th was full of sparkle and delight!

A Little Seasonal Fun

I'm oh so busy with the Family at the moment and feel a little sad that I have so few moments to post to the Blog or to take pics....

but while my 'glory boys' are here, well, I have to make the most of it, as I am sure you understand...

So for those faithful followers who do keep peeking back now and then, here's a little video experiment....crafted with some photos that I have taken recently....

 

 

Music Credit http://www.jamendo.com/en/artist/427932/ccmixter-jamendo

Enjoy.....

A Little Photoshop Love

I'm tweaking my rather rusty video editing skills and have posted a quick tutorial over at LoveToPhotoshop.com

I so don't like editing videos on the Mac .... and have resorted back to the trusty old PC for the time being until my hair grows back and I can figure it out to my satisfaction!

:-)

Video Mama

Project 1 for the new Photo Magic Class

My new Photo Magic Class starts soon and so for the moment, all thoughts of encaustic and other creative pursuits have gone out of the window!

I've actually had to try really hard to deliberatly switch mental gears and it's been tough, as all I have wanted to do is go "PLAY" in the studio after last week's workshop.

Anyway, it is what it is and I am liking the way the new class is coming together - and that is all that counts.

I've even managed to stitch together a quick "Intro" video for PSE9 users as I have a couple of noobie newbies in this session and I figured it would not hurt to give them a "leg up" - so to speak.

It's been a while since I did any serious video editing and I am a demon perfectionist when it comes to good production - no weird noises, no hollow rooms or echoing floor boards.  I don't even let the cat purr on my lap :-))  So the intro video was good practice for the next 10 for the week! 

Oy Vay... why do I do this to myself I ask - yeah but I really rather love it, so don't worry!

On-Line Class Update

The DIGITAL MAGIC site is now UP!

It contains a full syllabus of the class, all the nitty gritty fine print and well...you can just go and see for yourselves what other goodness lies within :-)

Working with Acrylic Skins

I have been working on more Class stuff.  Messing with videos and a few other things.

So without giving away "state secrects" that "Paid" folk will enjoy, I'm going to use my Blog Buddies as guinea pigs for a little show and tell..  ENJOY!

Sorry the video is a tad long winded for such a basic procedure...but I am LEARNING as I go along (with the techno dweeb stuff)!

And yes, I know there is more to the story than I have shown you here, like how to make the skins and all that jazz....so there will be more about that at a later date!

Stroked Borders - Photoshop Tutorial

My friend Christine in Germany wrote to me and asked me to explain how to do the thin stroked borders that I put on some of my Blog pictures ....so you can either click on the picture or follow the LINK - to watch another Photoshop Tutorial!

Enjoy!

How Do I Count Thee?

It's been an odd kind of day.....I persuaded DH to help me clean out the garage today in preparation for Winter....you know, clean out the dust bunnies, reorganise stuff and exchange the lawnmower for the snowblower...that kind of thing.  90% done and Hubby says - "Where are my golf clubs"?...........Hmmmm says I, no idea, but if they are not in the garage then they must be in the house!  Large amounts of scrupulous searching ensues.......and sure enuff, golf clubs are no-where to be found - not behind doors, not in the basement, not decorating the desk in his study.........

Best guess is that one of our recent tradesmen, meter readers or some other "person" of interest has 'lifted" them from the garage.  How sad!  They are definitely gone, gone gone.

Irons aside, there are two important gifts amongst the Clubs.  Both from my husband's time at DuPont and both with significant memories attached.

All I hope is that whoever has them REALLY enjoys them - or got enough money for them to pay for something special and important.

Tomorrow we will be checking out the local pawn shops to see if they turn up there.  Really horrid to think that people will steal from you while your personal spaces are open and available for work.

Beware the 'folk' you let roam around your home is all I can say!

As an aside, the above piece is created from some new found ephemera and various overlays and textures that will soon be available as part of a tutorial that I am getting ready.
I've also had requests for some simple but easily done Photoshop videos and hope to get them posted in the next day or so.
Lots of the tips and treats for creating the digital images like these will be covered in my Art and Soul workshop next year - Lovely Layers and Magical Masks and my workshop Surface Magic has ONLY TWO spaces left...so don't miss out!

Rounded Corners - A Photoshop Tutorial

Finally, after much peer pressure (and what not!) I am getting my head around all this video business and have concocted a "very" simple tutorial in Photoshop for creating rounded corners on your pictures.

It's kind of basic, but I guess the best beginnings are!  Let me know what you think and if you'd like to see more!

Also, as a side note, the first video only addresses WIN settings but I plan to give you "bilingual" instructions in the future..so don't worry MAC users will find the videos easy to follow too!

AND... if you haven't already figured it out, click on the thumbnail picture, top left there to find you way to the video link!
Enjoy...

xox