Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Christmas Photo Art

Christmas 2010 has come and gone. But photos help us remember the love and joy we experienced with family and friends.

And for some of us, the photos also serve as the base for some artistic interpretations.

Anne of Green Gables)
Anne of Green Gables

Recently learned a new method of converting a photo into a painted watercolour image in Photoshop, so many of my more recent images have been done in this manner.
Christmas Tree Angel
Christmas Tree Angel

Twas the night before
Twas the night before . . .

Not all my recent photo art images were created as watercolours, some were attempts at coloured pencils

Christmas Tree Snowman
Christmas Tree Snowman

I sincerely hope that the Gift of Christmas bless you and yours with Peace, Love & Joy throughout the New Year.

A Merry & Blessed Christmas to All
A Merry & Blessed Christmas to All

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Glorious Red

Burning Bush
Burning Bush (Euonymous alatus)


Every year around this time, I go off with my camera to try and find glorious Fall colours. This year was no exception. For me, what makes the colours glorious is an abundance of red.



Red leaves
Red leaves


So this year, off I went into Montreal and headed up to Parc Mont Royal. To be honest, it was less than impressive. Even Beaver Lake was being drained.

But all was not lost. Here and there, there were reds to be found.
Sometimes a solitary Maple . . .

Red Maple leaves
Red Maple leaves


Sometimes it was a building detail . . .

Public building at Beaver Lake - Mont Royal
Public building at Beaver Lake - Mont Royal


Sometimes it was Ivy on a fence . . .

Ivy on fence
Ivy on fence at Notre Dame des neiges cemetery


Or growing up a wall . . .

Ivy on a crypt
Ivy on a crypt at Notre Dame des neiges cemetery


And then there are the bushes . . .

Red bushes

Red bush
Red bushes


While there may not have been an abundance of Glorious colours out there this year, if you looked carefully, you could still find some.

Hope you enjoyed the images.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other images from my trip into town can be seen in my Photography --> Montreal images --> On the Mountain 19 October 2010 gallery.Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Rocks

Okay, so I've been bad. Over two months since my last blog entry. Hopefully, a few of these images are interesting enough to make up for it.

Rocks. I find rocks interesting. Patterns, textures, colours, all elements that appeal to me. The following images were taken on our recent trip to Nova Scotia.


Rock formation - Baxter Harbour


Rock formation - Baxter Harbour


Rock formation - Baxter Harbour
Rock formations - Baxter Harbour


Rock formation - Western Head
Rock formation - Western Head


Hope you enjoyed the images.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other images from our trip to Nova Scotia can be seen in my Vacation --> Nova Scotia 2010 gallery.Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Irises

Irises -- One of my favourite flowers.

I've always thought of irises as the poor man's orchid. I've been real lucky this year in that I've had some gorgeous irises growing just in front of my home.

White Purple Iris)
White and Purple Iris

There is a stand of mauve and purple irises growing at the corner of my block. Problem was there was usually a strong breeze blowing that made it quite difficult to capture the flowers without blurring.

Purple Irises)
Purple Irises

I found some more of the dark purple irises a few blocks away. This colour always make me think of the royal purple worn by ancient Roman Emperors

Purple Iris)
Purple Iris

I have a wonderful neighbour who plants and maintains the many beautiful flowers that grow in my front yard. She planted one of the most uniquely coloured irises I've ever seen -- burnt orange is the best colour description I can come up with.

Burnt orange Iris)

Burnt orange Iris)
Burnt orange Iris

Iris season has come and gone. Until they come back agan next spring, I'll have these photos to look at and enjoy.

Hope you enjoyed the images.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other Flower images can be seen in my Flowers - 2010 gallery.Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Some recent Note Card images

Have had some recent fun creating new Photo Art images for use on Note Cards. I previously posted the following example.
Photo Art - Tulip
Photo Art - Tulip

I've modified my work flow somewhat in the past few months in creating these images with what I hope results in improved final images.

These images were created using Dynamic Auto-Painter (DAP) and PaintShop Pro v9 (PSPv9).

Photo Art - Allium
Photo Art - Allium

Photo Art - Alstroemeria (Peruvian Lily)
Photo Art - Alstroemeria (Peruvian Lily)


The following was not processed in DAP, only in PSPv9. I didn't like the background in the original photograph, so I removed it and replaced it with the mauve background you see here.

Purple Irises)
Purple Irises


Hope you enjoyed the Note Card images.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other Photo Art images can be seen in my Photo Art gallery.Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Tulips

I like tulips. They appear soon after the crocuses and daffodils. They appear as splashes of vibrant colours against the canvas of slowly greening gardens.

In previous years, I've driven to Ottawa for the Canadian Tulip Festival where you can see over 3 millions tulips in bloom.

Tulips - Canadian Tulip Festival - Commissioners Park - Dow's Lake - Ottawa
Tulips - Canadian Tulip Festival - Commissioners Park - Dow's Lake - Ottawa

This year, I've been content to simply enjoy the tulips in my front garden.

First buds
First buds

Double Tulip
Double Tulip

Pink and White Tulip
Pink and White Tulip

Even when the Sun does not shine and the World is cool and damp, the tulips still sparkle and shimmer.

Wet Tulip
Wet Tulip

And as they age, there is still a beauty to be seen.

Past Prime
Past Prime

With all the riotous colours, this shot just screamed to be done as Photo Art.

Photo Art - Tulip
Photo Art - Tulip


Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other images of flowers taken so far this year can be seen in my Flowers - 2010 galleries.
Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Friday, May 7, 2010

First visit this year to the Longueuil Regional Park

Longueuil Regional Park
Longueuil Regional Park

With such an early Spring this year, I decided to visit the Regional Park in Longueuil to see what it had to offer. Things are really greening-up

One thing I noticed that was different this year from previous years was the number of Canada Geese.


Canada Geese
Canada Geese

I'd not seen more than three or four geese in the past. This year I saw easily six geese in various areas of the Park.

Mallard Drake
Mallard Drake

Another oddity was I only saw one set of Mallard ducks. Usually there are easily a half a dozen in the ponds and the marsh.

But one thing is for certain, the Park is greening up quite well and I look forward to many more visits this year.

Meandering Creek
Meandering Creek

Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other images taken in during my visit to the Regional Park can be seen in my Longueuil Regional Park - 2010 galleries.

Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

It's begun - Flowers, flowers and more flowers

Crocus
Crocus

Spring has arrived!

Actually it's about 4 weeks early for my part of the world. When the crocuses bloomed back in April, we thought that was pretty amazing. Then the daffodils showed up.


Daffodil
Daffodil

Then, the tulips sprang forth.
Yellow Tulips
Yellow Tulips


Then on April 27, 2010, the snows returned.

Tulips chillin'
Tulips chillin'

Since then, the warm weather has returned and most of the flowers have recovered. Windy conditions and lack of time has prevented me from recording that recovery, but I'll get back out there soon.

Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other images of flowers taken so far this year in can be seen in my Flowers - 2010 galleries.

Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Montreal Metro


The Montreal Metro (or what some call a subway) was inaugurated in October 1966. It initially comprised of 26 stations on three separate lines. Today, there are 68 stations on 4 lines.

 Berri-UQAM station - Yellow line
Berri-UQAM station - Yellow line

I have often thought it would be a great photo opportunity to get on the Metro and travel from station to station taking pictures. But to date, that is all it is, a thought.

Place des Arts station - Green line
Place des Arts station - Green line

What I have done instead is take a few photos when I remember to as I return home from various photo shoots.

Papineau station - Green line
Papineau station - Green line

I do still plan to one day get on the Metro and stop at each station to take pictures. But until that happens, I just try to remember to take a few whenever I use it to return home from a photo shoot.

Pie IX station - Green line
Pie IX station - Green line

Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other images taken in teh Montreal Metro can be seen in my Montreal Metro galleries.

Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Scenes From Ireland - Part 3

Those that know me, know it doesn't matter where in the world I am, if there are flowers, I'll be taking pictures of them. And so it was during our visit to Ireland. These are some of those images


Hope you enjoyed the video and its photos.

Other images taken on our visit to Ireland can be seen in my Ireland galleries.

Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Scenes From Ireland - Part II

Lakes, Rivers and Coastal Waters. Some additional photos from our Ireland trip last year


Hope you enjoyed the video and its photos.

Other images taken on our visit to Ireland can be seen in my Ireland galleries.

Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Scenes From Ireland - Part I

A few images from our trip to Ireland last year


Hope you enjoyed the video and its photos.

Other images taken on our visit to Ireland can be seen in my Ireland galleries.

Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Photo To Photo Art

A good friend recently commented on one of my Photo Art images saying that while Photo Art wasn't necessarily his 'bag', he thought it might be cool to have a slide show where the photo art image transitioned into the original. Trying out his suggestion, I discovered I preferred the opposite -- the original transitioning into the photo art.

So with much thanks to Ron for the idea, here is my presentation of 'Photograph To Photo Art'.

The Photo Art images were created using Dynamic Auto-Painter with pre & post processing done in PaintShop Pro. A trial version of DAP can be downloaded from Mediachance (http://www.mediachance.com/dap/)

Other Photo Art images can be seen in my Photo Art gallery.

Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog or in any of the photo galleries.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Spring has Sprung!

The weather has been so much warmer than normal that the flowers have become confused and are sprouting up almost everywhere.

Took a walk around my area yesterday (19 March 2010) and took a few photos of early signs of Spring.

Crocus
Crocus

Even along the St Lawrence river, all the snow and ice has disappeared. Admittedly everything is still very brown. But if the temperatures continue as they have been, it will soon be green.

Along the St Lawrence river
Along the St Lawrence river


Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other images taken on my walk around the area can be seen in my Flowers - 2010 and General Southshore Images galleries.

Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Recent Trip to Vermont

Had a 2 day getaway down to Vermont recently. Beautiful weather. The sky and the lake were a beautiful shade of blue.

Burlington Bay - Burlington Vermont=
Burlington Bay - Burlington Vermont

Stopped in Shelburne and visited the Shelburne Country Store. What an amazing place to browse through.

Burlington Bay - Burlington Vermont=
Shelburne Country Store - Shelburne Vermont


Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other images taken during our visit to Vermont can be seen in my Visit to Burlington and Shelburne - March 2010 gallery.

Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Montreal Botanical Gardens - Plants

Part 2 of the photos taken on February 25, 2010 at the Montreal Botanical Gardens of flowers and plants

These and other photos taken that day of the flowers and plants can be seen in the Events - Montreal Botanical Gardens Gallery: Visit 25 February 2010 - Flowers on my website.

Thanks for looking

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Montreal Botanical Gardens - Flowers

Couldn't visit the Montreal Botanical Gardens to see the butterflies and not take a picture or three of the flowers. Here is part 1 of two parts.

These and other photos taken that day of the flowers can be seen in the Events - Montreal Botanical Gardens Gallery: Visit 25 February 2010 - Flowers on my website.

Thanks for looking

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Butterflies Go Free

A selection of photos taken during a recent visit to the 'Butterflies Go Free' exhibit at the Montreal Botanical Gardens


These and other photos taken that day of the butterflies can be seen in the Events - Montreal Botanical Gardens Gallery: Visit 25 February 2010 - Butterflies & Insects on my website.

Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010