Refinement

ss 1/60 f 3.8 ISO 1600

In the history and language of flowers one of the things the Orchid represents is Refinement.

re·fine·ment
noun
the process of removing impurities or unwanted elements from a substance.

the improvement or clarification of something by the making of small changes.

cultured elegance in behavior or manner.

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, or worn. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace & gratitude.”  ~ Denis Waitley

I loved this quote for the image above as all of our attitudes need refining from time to time ~ to live every minute with love, grace and gratitude instead of caving into the daily pressures of life, social media, work, and relationships.

Clerk at VooDoo…

…Donuts

Be sure to check out my Thursday post on Monochromia.

 

 

Easter Delights

Easter Delights I

Easter Delights II

Easter Delights III

Wishing  you a blessed and happy Easter!

Dazzled by Your Charms – how to layer two images

Dazzled by Your Charms

The Ranunculus flower means “Dazzled by Your Charms” in the Victorian Language of flowers. When shooting a bouquet of Ranunculus one day, I was playing around with different compositions and angles – keeping it simple and minimal as the flower speaks for herself.   In post processing, however, I decided to have a little fun with the images.  The image above is a combination of two images.  The first, was the Ranunculus on the left side of the frame, which I converted to black and white using Topaz Suites.  For the second image, the Ranunculus was on the right side of the frame and I left it in color.  When thinking about the meaning of the flower, I decided to merge the two images so that the flowers look as though they are truly dazzled by the charm of the other.

Creating a Layered Image in Photoshop CC

To create an image with multiple layers or multiple images, you simply open both images in Photoshop.  Decide which image you want to use as the top layer.  Open that image file and go to the menu bar and choose “Select All”.

Once the image has been selected, go to “Edit” and select “Copy”.

Then open the image file that you are going to use for your base layer.

Go to “Edit” and select “Paste”.

The top layer may not be seen in its entirety – you will have to fit it to the image below.  To do so, got to “Edit” once more and select “Free Transform”.   This will enable you to drag the image into place.

Once you have the top layer situated over the base layer, change the opacity by using the opacity slider in the “Essentials”menu bar.

Once your opacity is where you can see both layers to your liking, hit the check mark at the top of the menu bar.  Add your watermark and save your image.

Have fun creating new layered images…if you post any, please be sure to tag Robyn Graham Photography so that I can enjoy your work.

Lucid Dreaming – A Portrait

Lucid Dreaming

“Lucid dreaming has considerable potential for promoting personal growth and self-development, enhancing self-confidence, improving mental and physical health, facilitating creative problem solving and helping you to progress on the path to self-mastery.” – Stephen LaBerge

Taylored To You

Meet Taylor

The image above is of my niece, Taylor!  I adore her and she is absolutely, hands down, my most favorite model to work with!  The image above was taken last summer when she came for a visit.  I am writing about her today to introduce you to her new blog…TayloredToYou.  Be sure and stop by and give her a hardy WordPress welcome!  If you enjoy fashion advice and adventure, I suggest you follow her blog too!  You won’t be disappointed, unless of course, there is a time-lapse between her posts!

 

A Beautiful Woman…

A beautiful woman delights the eye; a wise woman…

To see more, visit Monochromia for my Thursday post.

The Lone Cypress…

As seen on: Monochromia today.

Please check out my black and white photography posted every Thursday on Monochromia!

Red Tulips

Believe in Love Declared

“I love you, I’ve loved you for years and I’ll love you for years more. It’s not something I can fight, it’s not something I want to fight.” ― Somi Ekhasomhi, Always Yours

The red tulip means “Believe Me” and “Love Declared” in the Victorian Language of Flowers, thus the title of this image and the reason I selected it for Valentine’s Day.  I wish you all a day filled with love and joy.

Coco and the Angle of Incidence

Coco in Thought

Regal Coco

When photographing Coco, my sister’s dog, over Thanksgiving I played with the angle of incidence – the angle of the light coming into my lens.  If you compare the two images above you’ll notice that when I was above Coco the light was not entering my lens in a direct way, therefore the light was not hazy, and she was not as blown out.  When shooting from below Coco, the angle allowed for more flare or haze as the light came directly into the lens.  This is a perfect example of how photographers should move around, above, or below, their subjects in order to capture the subject in the most pleasing light.   The most pleasing light may be softer, more blown-out light with haze and/or flare, or it may be more direct light allowing for details of the subject to be more definitive.

An easy way to experiment with the angle of incidence is to place a subject such as a vase of flowers in front of a window or door and shoot at different angles.  Once you upload the files, compare the way the light hit your subject based on the angle of the light coming into your lens.

The light being used for the photographs of Coco was hard, direct, and warm light.  The character of the light being used will also influence the final lighting of your subject, but the angle of the light entering your lens is what will result in the differences you see above.

Have fun experimenting and if you would like to share your images with me you can tag me in your post, or send me the link to your post!