SOME PHOTO & PICASA TIPS ON A GRAY RAINY DAY

IT IS THE TIME OF YEAR FOR WEIRD & WONDROUS THINGS GROWING IN OUR YARD & FLOWERBEDS

Just like some of this areas early Autumn leaves, our Pine tree needles have begun to fall.  It was a surprise for us 10 years ago when we first moved here to see so many pine needles covering the ground.  We just hadn’t thought of evergreen trees losing needles in the Fall.  In another week or so we will be walking on a silent carpet of Autumn Pine gold.

BACK YARD CAMPFIRE WITH A FEW PINE NEEDLES ALREADY ON THE GROUND 

In Mike's post over at PHANNIE & MAE I see he has himself a new Canon SX-40 camera which he is pretty happy with.  I had left a comment suggestion on Mike’s post about using fill in flash on his first people photo but after looking at the photo again a second time on our desktop computer I see the the photo didn’t actually need a fill in flash.  I had first looked at the photo earlier this morning sitting in my recliner with my laptop precariously perched on my lap.  This sometimes presents a problem, especially when looking at photos.  If the screen is tipped just a tad too much away from the user the photo appears too dark.  If screen is tilted just a tad to close to the user, a photo can appear too light.  I obviously had my screen tipped back just a touch too far when I looked at Mike’s photo the first time.  I’m sure other folks have noticed this problem with their laptop screens from time to time as well.  However, the tip I left for Mike is still valid………………. 

And, speaking of ‘happy,’ you had better check out another Mike’s post over at MIKE & PAT'S TRAVELS as Mike meets his twin Great Granddaughters for, I think, the first time:))

I have been using Picasa's photo editing program almost daily now for about 4 or 5 years so I do know my way around the program a wee bit & do have a couple tips regarding a couple of it's tools. First, the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' button is fine if you are new to Picasa. It will automatically grab you some quick results from your photos. Some good, some not so good. I see it as kind of a razzle-dazzle button to get you started & I made the mistake in the early days of always hitting that button to correct my photos. However, I have not used that button in years & I would strongly suggest you not get in the habit of hitting that button to automatically improve your photos. You can do a far better job of improving your photos manually after you experiment with all the other tools & get to know your way around the easy to learn program. One problem the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' button has is that it can put too much saturation into your colors. Maybe impressive at first, except it is quite often not the true realistic colors in the subject.  Yes, some times saturation can be used to bring out faded colors in some photos, but you just have to be careful not to overdo it & end up with artificial looking colors……………

AN EXAMPLE OF ‘FILL IN FLASH’ LIGHTING UP THE OVERHEAD BASSWOOD LEAVES

Second button I am very careful with & only use rarely now is the 'Saturation' button itself. Once again, easy to hit this button a lot & watch your colors 'pop' out. Problem is, they usually pop out way too much often leaving you with a yellow color caste to your photos. Yes, there is a slider bar to tone down the saturation but....... If & whenever I decide to use a file photo from about 4 years ago now I have to drag it back into Picasa & redo it because back in 2008 I was still locked into the bad habit of hitting that 'Saturation' button waaaaaaaay too often. Greens are artificially green, reds are blown out & fields of light green grass can turn out bright yellow in some cases.

PHEEBS & KELLY LOADING UP SOME CANNED GOODS TODAY…(SLIDE IS IN)

Now, having wrote the above paragraph with a few Picasa tips & opinions, let me be very clear about something. A few times in the past when I have written posts on how I think photos or blog posts can be improved, some folks have taken offense to that in thinking I was telling them how to do things.  Wrote a post awhile back called, JUST TRYING TO HELP & in that post I went on to offer some ideas, make folks aware of some pitfalls, & use myself as an example of mistakes made along the way.  I do have a little experience with photography, editing photos, & blog writing so felt comfortable writing that post.   One has to keep in mind that what I say here are only my opinions & they are not some kind of rules on how things should be done.  These are just thoughts on the way I do things, & why.  If a few of the tips help, great. If not, well, that’s life:))

 

  

PHOTO TIP:  MOST OF THESE MUSHROOM PICS WERE TAKEN WITH A SMALL PIECE OF KLEENEX DRAPED OVER THE CAMERA FLASH TO DIFFUSE THE FLASH & GIVE THE PHOTOS A SOFTER TOUCH OF LIGHT

Been a lot of buzz around lately about unhealthy dog food & treats, etc. Lots of INFO  about it on the internet. Kelly is very careful about what she buys in the way of dog food but decided to check our doggy treat supplies anyway. Ended up throwing out 'Dentley's Natural Flavor Rawhide Roles'. Although distributed from Phoenix Arizona....the product is made in China!! Also threw out American Kennel Club's 'Duck Jerky'. Although it says 'Pet Brands Inc.' Columbus, Ohio....it too is 'manufactured in China'. We have just heard too many negative things about food manufacturing in China, whether it be pet food or human food. We have consciously been trying to avoid products from China. Not easy, because our retail shelves are just loaded with the stuff.

 

 

THESE MUSHROOMS ARE GROWING IN A PATCH OF PERIWINKLE IN OUR SIDE YARD

Noticed in the November 2012 Canadian Consumer Magazine that the Nikon Coolpix S100 holds down the top spot for point & shoot digital cameras. In the DSLR top spot is Canon's EOS 60D. In between those two types of cameras are the models described as SLR-like. Panasonic's Lumix DMC-GH2 holds down the top spot here with the most number of points. I have no idea how these points are reached & there is quite a price range difference between some of these competing camera models.
   

  THIS SMALL EDIBLE ‘PUFFBALL’ IS WELL PAST IT’S PRIME TIME FOR EATING

Despite the gray rain soaked morning, Kelly did get quite a few food items loaded into the rig. I stayed in the shed & took the opportunity to paint some garden tool handles. With all the foliage around our place it's easier for me to find garden tools if they are brightly painted. Can't rely on my short term memory to tell me where I have left things anymore...................

Judging from the Magnolia flowers in our latest Blog Followers photo I’m thinking our latest Follower comes from just across the street.  Kelly has been helping neighbor MONICA with some computer problems the last couple days & I recognized the Magnolia flower photo as one of my own.  Monica has been keeping tabs on our blog for a couple years now.  Nice to see you on the Blog Followers list Monica:)) 

I LIKE SUMAC TREES SO WE HAVE LOTS OF THEM IN OUR YARD

GROANER'S CORNER:(( My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned...couldn't concentrate.  After that I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it...mainly because it was a so-so job.  Then I tried to be a chef -- figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn't have the thyme.  I managed to get a good job working for a pool maintenance company, but the work was just too draining.  Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the ax.
After that I worked in a blanket factory, but it folded.  Next was a job in a shoe factory; I tried but I just didn't fit in.  After many years of trying to find steady work I finally got a job as a historian until I realized there was no future in it.  My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy.  I became a professional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income.  My last job was working at Starbucks, but I quit because it was always the same old grind.................:))

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