Monochrome Weekly Theme--Many Blessings

To see other monochrome images click on the icon above. Thanks for Aileni for hosting this weekly event.

In honor of all blessings:

MANY BLESSINGS

In Celebration

THANKSGIVING

SkyWatch Friday

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Thanks to the SkyWatch Team: Klaus Sandy Wren Fishing Guy Louise Sylvia

Two days after seeing our first Sun Dog, two more appeared simultaneously. We could hardly believe our eyes. Here is one of those Sun Dog sightings:

SUN DOG

Photograph by Elisabeth Bacon

All Rights Reserved

This week I ran out, before the sun was up, to catch this pink glow:

Photograph by Elisabeth Bacon

All Rights Reserved

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you the Happiest Thanksgiving Day filled with Many Blessings. Shall we make a list of the good things in our lives?

The turkey is in the oven. Our pumpkin pie is cooling. Dinner will be ready at 10:30 a.m. Yum! Brunch anyone?

Heavy fog envelopes the cabin. Our heads are in the clouds. How neat is that?

WEEDS IN FOG
Photograph by Elisabeth Bacon
All Rights Reserved

Artists Play

This morning I was reading about the importance of play for artists. Part of play is seeing. Seeing what is visible and seeing what is hidden. For instance, The Staff image started out as a photograph of rumpled, white plastic shopping bags.

WHITE SHOPPING BAGS

After taking the pic, the play began with: Edit, edit, edit in Photoshop. First I took away any excess--anything not wanted while developing an abstract composition of shapes, forms and looking for interesting textures in the image.



Next, add details. Experiment. Crop and rotate. Repeat desirable patterns. Enhance. Refine. The result is often much better when we play than when we take total control of the process.

THE STAFF

Note for today (and every day) is: Play, play, play!

Accolades to Margaret

Saturday we had an early Thanksgiving dinner. Margaret outdid herself making this fabulous brie in pastry--a work of art. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Beautiful and delicious! Our compliments to the chef.

Snapshot by Elisabeth Bacon 2009--All Rights Reserved

Monochrome Weekend--November 22

Here we are...another week has flown by and it is time for Monochrome Weekly.

Empty vessels are meaningful. During this Thanksgiving week, let us fill our empty baskets with blessings--the things for which we are thankful.

Photograph by Elisabeth Bacon

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Thank you Aileni for hosting this weekly event. To see participant's images go to:

Abstract Update

This could also be titled ARTIFACT and I may type that on the left side of this image, as room has been left to include a header. This Chief's Staff was created from scratch using Photoshop and other plugins. It was basically painted in Photoshop and not created using any photographs of feathers. Instead, the feathers appeared and as I worked with them, they continued materializing (similar to finding a statue in a block of marble). As with painting and sculpture, this piece evolved from nothing (photo of bag) into something.

THE STAFF
Original Artwork by Elisabeth Bacon
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Skywatch Friday--Rainbow Pillar

Thanks to the Skywatch Team Klaus Sandy Wren Fishing Guy Louise Sylvia. To see other Skywatch images click on icon:

Bob saw this rainbow pillar and called me out. How cool is this? Had to grab the camera...

RAINBOW PILLAR

Photograph by Elisabeth Bacon 2009

All Rights Reserved

Abstract Play

FEATHERS, FOLDS, TEXTURES AND ANGLES (In Process)
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Monochrome Weekend -- November 14

My thanks to Aileni for hosting this weekly event. To see more monochrome images click on the icon below.

I love photography! There I said it. One reason I love it is there is always something to shoot.

MOCCASINS

Photograph by Elisabeth Bacon--All Rights Reserved

SkyWatch Friday

Thanks to the SkyWatch team for having this event every week. To see images from the other participants, or to enter yours, go to:

From morning 'til night:

SUNRISE

SUNSET

Our views are limited from the cabin, yet the skyscape continually changes providing a magnificent show. Above are two examples of a glorious "good morning," and an end of the day "good night."

Sepia Hay Rake

The hay bales are on the way out. In their place are hay rakes and balers--heavy duty equipment. Yesterday morning the sun hit the rake and part of it looked like bright metal sunflowers. So...I took color shots, then converted them into a rich sepia. (Have to insert this comment...the other day I gave instructions on how to achieve a good sepia print and after that article was read, I see people doing the same old, same old weak sepia prints. I am stunned. Were my suggestions vague? I don't think so. Conclusion: creating quality, deep sepia images isn't as easy as one would think. On the other side of that coin...perhaps some folks like a washed out look.)

Sepia Silhouette Portraits

After playing around today with my silhouetted self-portrait, I had Bob pose and the first image is the result in sepia. The second image is my self-portrait converted to sepia tones.

BOB in Sepia Tones

Self Portrait in Sepia Tones

Self Portrait

STANDING TALL

Photograph by Elisabeth Bacon 2009

All Rights Reserved

Monochrome Weekend

Memories of my grandfather include reading the evening paper, burning toast, sodas at a drug store counter, talking to everyone and puttering in his workshop making fabulous wooden things. The image of today's grandfather may be changing...

Photograph by Elisabeth Bacon

All Rights Reserved

Thanks to Aileni for hosting this event every week. To see more monochromatic images, click on the icon:

Possibilities Unlimited

The world is wide open. Ideas flow. There are so many things to do. The book possibilities are endless. Time to chunk it down.

1. Postage Stamp Images--Photo Posts
2. Tiles
3. Cards and Envelopes
4. Collages
5. Transfer Prints
6. Bromoil
7. Renaissance Setups

Today: Do!

Trip to Town

Last week I went into town and plunked myself down on a bench. Sitting there I watched folks strolling by and took a few snapshots. Then, I began to zero in on things. I love zooming in on parts and pieces. Here is a shot of bull's eye glass from one of the shop windows:

Then, I found a vacated cafe table:

The outing was great fun and I look forward to going back to sit and look again.

SkyWatch Friday

The view may be the same, or similar, but the Skyscapes change constantly. Amazing! Our Skies are a series of successes.

Photography by Elisabeth Bacon 2009

All Rights Reserved

Thanks to The SkyWatch Team: Klaus Sandy Wren Fishing GuyLouise Sylvia

To see submissions, or to enter your own, go to:

Climbing on My Soapbox Re: Sepia Prints

Today I am astounded at how little folks know about sepia especially how and when to use it for online postings as well as for prints.

Sepia is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as: "A pigment of a rich brown colour." A RICH brown color not washed out yellow, or pinkish brown tones. Think of the deep brown inks of Renaissance sketches (not conte sketches) and early written documents throughout history.

When we toned black and white images as sepia during the days of film, there was a choice of warm or cool tones...there was no choice given for weak and washed out tones.

The first thing one needs to create a good sepia image/print is a good black and white image. To convert color images to sepia doesn't work well. If you have a good black and white image that pops with darks, lights and medium greys; you will be able to produce a good sepia print.

Be sure your subject pops in sepia as it should pop in black and white. Then pick an appropriate subject:

1. Old things, i.e. antiques and old barns or buildings
2. Some portraits of adults
3. Textures (rough wood)
4. An occasional landscape or skyscape

Be advised: Sepia does not work well with every subject.

Thinking Out Loud

Miniatures. This term is running around in my head as I search for a word, or words, to describe my work. Miniatures are found in illuminated manuscripts and also are water color paintings and portraits done on ivory.

How about Photographic Miniatures in this digital age? Big is not always better.

Photistic is a descriptive term I like also, and photism. Photistics (I created this noun from the adjective) may be perfect.

Still thinking...

Monochrome Weekend

CHANGE

The leaves are falling. Winter approaches. Change is everywhere.

Thanks to Aileni for hosting Monochromatic Weekly and for choosing my gargoyle photograph, The Guardian, as one of the featured images from last week. To see images and/or to participate, click on this icon: