Photo Storify

Photos, Stories and Scrapbooking

Santa’s Coming Soon

By

On December 9, 2018

In Photography, Scrapbooking

Friday afternoon, I spontaneously decided to drive to Lauritzen Gardens to capture the annual poinsettia display and maybe avoid the crowds. While the massive tree created from red poinsettias was still in the center of the room, there are always variations on how the staff displays the smaller Christmas trees, other varieties of poinsettias and the model trains running throughout. It was a great way to spend a few hours on a Friday afternoon.

It’s easy for me to capture the decorated trees and poinsettias. They don’t move. The little trains are another matter. I keep practicing. Notice the nice blur on the side of the caboose and behind the train. The focus is on Santa and the sign on the back of the caboose.

Camera settings: 55mm, 1/250 sec at f/4.0, ISO 1600.

While I don’t like the photo’s composition, I selected this photo for my layout because of the train’s angle and the amount of track showing on the right of the photo.

First, I placed solid paper 5 from ArtPlay Palette Mistletoe on a new 12×12 document. Next, I sized and placed my photo before extracting the caboose with Santa and the track across the bottom of the layout.

Second, I placed the psd layers of file 3 from Evergreen Fotoblendz No. 2 and clipped linked copies of the same train photo to the layers.

Note: I deleted two of the mistletoe layers.

Next, I added silver paint 1 from ArtPlay Palette Mistletoe below the extraction along the top of the train. Above the extraction layer, I added a copy of the solid paper with an inverted layer mask. I brought back in just the silver edge on the left with a hard round brush. Above and below the paper, I placed two copies of silver paint 2. The top copy is on normal at 50% and the bottom copy 100% on normal with a color overlay.

To finish my page, I placed the psd file of branch 3 from MultiMedia Branches No. 12 along the top of the train. I added a title.

Note: I darkened the berries a little with a Hue and Saturation layer and masked out one white splatter.

I’d like to return to the gardens to practice capturing Santa clearly in focus with his caboose on the left. It’s not enough for a photographer to get the focal point clear, the composition also has to be good. That’s my goal!!

Christmas

By

On December 5, 2018

In Scrapbooking

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday; celebrating the birth of Christ by exchanging gifts, decorating a tree, dinner with family, the music and the lights. As a child I remember a tree appearing on Christmas morning decorated with lights and strings of silver tinsel, but when I was older my dad would bring home a tree on Christmas Eve for us to decorate.

On our first Christmas, Bill and I decorated a tree with lights, round balls Bill’s mother gave us and silver tinsel. On the top we placed a little red angel, thinking that we’d have a collection of ornaments some day.

For these two layouts, I began by placing templates from Project Album Template No. 4 above solid paper 3 from ArtPlay Palette Rejoice that I had clipped to the masks from Heritage Live template. On the left I placed the layers from template 15 and on the right I placed the layers of template 5. I turned off all but the fotoblendz masks from both templates.

I clipped my photos to the large fotoblendz masks but gave them each a sepia look with a Hue and Saturation layer. The color in my photos didn’t work well together.

Note: On the left I used the basic arrangement of the fotoblendz mask and text boxes, but on the right, I moved the mask to accommodate my overall page design.

Before deciding how to arrange the small photos that I wanted to include, I worked with layers from transfers 2, 4 and 5 of Artsy Transfers Rejoice. I placed all the layers for each psd file and began to turn off layers and move some around. On the right I used a combination of layers from psd files 4 and 5. On the left, I combined layers from psd files 2 and 4.

Next, I turned back on the frames on the left and deleted all but two square frames to accommodate the photo format of a Kodak Instamatic camera. On the right, I selected similar frames from those included in the template but moved them down below the fotoblendz mask. I clipped my photos to the small frames and added adjustment layers.

Note: I toned down the color in the two photos on the right by adding a Hue and Saturation adjustment layer for a sepia tone but reduced the opacity to 50%.

I filled the area to the left of the small frames on the right with two layers from transfer 4 of Artsy Transfers Rejoice.

To finish my layout I opened frame 3 from MultiMedia Frames No. 5 and placed only the deer included in the file on my layout. On the right, I used the heart, word art and branch from file 1 of MultiMedia Frames No. 5. I added the red and green paint from file 4. I completed my journaling, changing the size of one of the text boxes included with the template. With a title and a little more of the red and green paint, I finished my layout.

You may not be old enough to remember 1968, but gold was a very popular color. Anna’s new palette, ArtPlay Palette Rejoice, was perfect for remembering our first Christmas.

Summer 1970

By

On November 19, 2018

In Lightroom, Scrapbooking

We hadn’t been married two years when we volunteered to serve as leaders for a group of college students on a summer long trip to promote a singing group from our church, Van Nuys Baptist. We spent most of our time in the Philippines. I kept a journal in summer, 1970, handwritten pages tied together with yarn, filled with details about the Philippines: waking up to the sound of jeepneys, shopping for meat in open air markets, cooking in a pressure cooker, listening to the daily rain on a tin roof collected for cold showers, riding a bus out of the city, walking to a small village into a corn field to find a bathroom, laughing at our caribou ride, hearing Bill preach on David and Goliath in a little dirt floor church.The words tell a story not seen in these photos, my thoughts and feelings. Now that I think about it, summers before we had children, a detail about which Philippinos questioned us, are some of our best memories.

I continue to work on my heritage project, deciding which photos to include, what to write and simply remembering what it was like 50 years ago. It’s not as easy as I thought to create a page that conveys the essence of an experience in our early marriage. I took some time to think and plan before beginning this two page spread.

I began by reducing the size of templates 7 and 8 from Hipster Plume Album Template No. 2 to about 85% and placing them above solid paper 3 from ArtPlay Palette Sage on the template provided in Heritage Live.

Note: I deleted the masks included with the template for the small photos. To each matte, I added a stroke style to keep the framing consistent through my project.

Next, I clipped a photo to each of the fotoblendz masks and some of the stains. I also extracted us from the photos and created a custom shadow.

Note: The photos on these pages are from old slides and required some work in Lightroom as well as adjustments in Photoshop.

On the left, I placed the layers from transfer 5 of Artsy Transfers Sage between the extraction and the photo copy clipped to the fotoblendz mask. I placed layers from transfer 1 below the cluster of frames on the far left. On the right, layers from transfer 4 of Artsy Transfers Sage are below both the extraction and the fotoblendz mask.

To accommodate one additional photo, I duplicated the square matte and shadow on the right and moved it to the place where the text box was originally. I gave the matte the same stroke style and clipped my photo to it.

Finally, I photographed the handwritten journal I kept that summer, reduced the size and gave it a shadow. I tucked it next to one of the small photos. I gave the gold yarn, a popular color then, it’s own custom shadow.

After rereading my journal, I decided that if my family wants more details about the summer of 1970, they can read my journal too.

As Simple as 1, 2, 3

By

On November 14, 2018

In Photography, Scrapbooking

Thanksgiving will be a little different for us this year, but I am so thankful for the constancy of fifty years with this man no matter what happens in life. This is one of the simplest layouts I’ve done and it came together so quickly. I love when that happens.

First, I opened .psd file of the frame included in ArtPlay Palette Epiphany and placed it toward the left above solid paper 1. I clipped photo to mask of frame and added an adjustment layer.

Note: ArtPlay Palette Epiphany will be released Friday.Second, I placed overlay 2, copper paint and transfer 3 below the framed photo.Third, I added a word art from Gratitude WordART Mix No 1 and journaling.Life gets hectic as the holidays approach. I’m very grateful for a few minutes to enjoy a little simple art play.

I Remember the Music

By

On October 27, 2018

In Lightroom, Scrapbooking

A few weeks ago, a cousin sent me the photo of the house in Dallas that my Grandfather and Grandmother Kennamer moved to in 1939. I have few memories of my grandfather, but I do remember his music. I remember dancing on his porch while he played Mockingbird Hill on his fiddle. Independent of a few photos, music is my strongest memory of my grandfather. The extraction above is from the last photo I have of him, taken in 1964. Below are the steps for creating this page.

Create a new blank document. Place file 1 from Luster FotoBlendz No. 1 on solid paper 2 from ArtPlay Palette Luster.Clip the photo sketch to mask. Add Screen adjustment layers at 100%. Above the adjustment layer, place a duplicate of the original photo. Add an inverted mask and bring back in the roof. At the top of photo layers clipped to the mask, duplicate one more copy of the original photo on Pin Light blend mode at 50%. Place textures 3 and 6 from Paper Textures No. 1.

Note: I used a Lightroom preset by Studio Romy to create the sketch. I recolored the mask white so that I could change the blend mode of the sketch to multiply.Place transfers 1 and 6 from ArtPlay Palette Luster below the mask and photo layers.Above the fotoblendz mask and photo layers, extract subject with the Quick Selection tool from group photo. Give the extraction a custom shadow.Add a black and white adjustment layer to the photo. On the layer mask use a round brush to reveal the red bow tie and face. Above the black and white adjustment layer add an adjustment layer on Soft Light at 100%. Place musical instrument 6 of Instrumental No. 1 below the extraction. Give it a 1 px stroke. Place stitches 3 and 11 from UrbanStitchez No. 12 below the text box and extraction. Add title.On the left side, place the tag from ArtPlay Palette Luster. Add address of house. Add button from ArtPlay Palette Joyeux and a thread 6 from ButtonThreadz No. 3. Add text box and journaling.

I don’t have a photo, but I can see my grandfather standing on the porch and hear him playing his fiddle.

Color Challenge

By

On October 17, 2018

In Scrapbooking

This is the first layout that I have finished as part of the 100th Color Challenge with Anna Aspnes Designs. It’s all about red, black and white in combination with one of the quotes provided in the forum at Oscraps. I already had an idea for a photo when Kate and I walked to the park Saturday afternoon. Below are the steps for creating this page.

After extracting Kate and the play apparatus from four photos, I combined them to create one composite. I gave the composite a custom shadow.

Note: I made the black and white adjustments to the photos in Lightroom.

To color just part of the apparatus, I duplicated the composite and then used the Quick Selection tool to extract just the part I wanted red. I added a color overlay using the styles panel at the bottom of the layers panel.

To build a background, I placed brush 1 from Countryside No. 2 and brush 2 from Countryside No. 1 on the page below the extractions. I blended out part of the second brush with a layer mask.

To ground the play equipment, I added threads from UrbanThreadz No. 9 and three layers of stitching from UrbanStitchez Misc. No. 1.

The hardest part was scaling and combining the four extractions so that I could have a complete scene. That and adjusting to a new version of Photoshop CC. The rest was easy!

Start with a Brush

By

On October 5, 2018

In Scrapbooking

Sometimes all you need to begin a piece of art is just one brush as I share below.

Stamp brush 1 of San Francisco No. 1 on a new blank document.

Drag the frames, stitching and one text box from template 3 of Travel Album No. 4 on to the document above the brush.

Clip a photo to each mask. In this case I used just one photo, but changed the crop for each mask.

Below the brush place transfers 1, 3 and 4 from ArtPlay Mini Palette Harken.

Add heart and button from mini palette. Create title and write journaling.

Yes, I left my heart in San Francisco and I’d go back to see all the things I didn’t see.

Best Man

By

On October 4, 2018

In Scrapbooking

I can’t tell you how difficult it was to work with that old photo of my husband and his best man. I had to figure out how to correct the color and hide the photo crop and bland background. Stu and Bill have been friends for a long time; their parents had known each other for years. They both loved the outdoors: camping, fishing and hunting. That’s what gave me the idea to create an unexpected look for the background of them at our wedding. The guys were good sports when I asked them to recreate a wedding photo for our 50th anniversary.

To begin, I extracted my husband and his best man from the photo on the left. I gave the extraction a custom shadow. I placed the layers of file 13 from WaterColor Template Album No. 2 on the right side. On the left, I pulled the text box from page 1 of WaterColor Template Album 1. I moved one frame, duplicated another from the other side and changed the stitching.

Next, I extracted the guys from a photo I captured on our recent anniversary trip. I added a custom shadow.

I clipped some photos to the small frames and adjusted the exposure with adjustment layers.

To fill in the background on the right side, I placed layers of files 1 and 4 from Artsy Transfers Sonoma.

On the left, I placed transfer edge overlay 1 and transfer 4 from ArtPlay Palette Sonoma. In addition, I added artsy transfer layers to create a better edge for the old photo.

I am going to revise the journaling I think and try to find that photo of the red Mustang convertible.

Fifty Years of Friendship

By

On September 27, 2018

In Scrapbooking

It’s been six years since we were last all together. We’ve shared more than fifty years of friendship with Bill and Sue Woods and Stu and Patty Macy. We’ve attended weddings and baby showers for one another, traveled together, i.e. the zoo, San Diego, Disneyland, even as far as the Philippines. We watched the Olympic Soccer finals in 1984 and numerous fireworks shows together. We made one more memory when we had lunch at Azul Latina Kitchen in South Lake Tahoe. For me the contrast between the photo of us all now and a few snapshots from the past are a treasure.

To create this page, I began with the template from Heritage Live and psd file 4 from Feuillemort FotoBlendz No 1.

I clipped a copy of the photo from our trip to the fotoblendz mask. I could have left it at that, but I wanted the photo to pop with depth.

I extracted parts of us from the photo and gave that extraction a shadow. Then I added two adjustment layers, one on Soft Light blend mode at 40% and the other on Screen blend mode at 30%. Between the two layers angled transfer 1 from ArtPlay Palette Feuillemort.

Note: I clipped copies of the photo to the stains included in the psd fotoblendz file.

Below those layers, I placed a combination of layers from Artsy Transfers Feuillemort 4 and 5.

On the right side, I used template 16 from WaterColor Template Album No. 3, deleting some of the stains included with the template. First, I clipped another photo to the fotoblendz mask included in the template and added an adjustment layer.

I clipped my photos to the small frames and added a stroke layer style to make the photos look as if they had the same frames used on the previous pages.

Note: the frames on the template are different from those that I’ve used for the other pages in this book. I deleted the masked included in the template, leaving just the frames. I added the stoke to the frames of the template by clicking the styles button at the bottom of my layers panel. Each frame has a style attached.

To finish my page, I added transfers from ArtPlay Palette Feuillemort and layers from transfer 5 of Artsy Transfers Feuillemort. I added a title with a thread from UrbanThreads No. 17.

I really didn’t take many photos with our friends over lunch, but that one was enough to tell this story.

Honeymoon

By

On August 29, 2018

In Scrapbooking

Bill’s brother handcuffed us together as we left the church following our wedding, but his dad unlocked the cuffs on the way to the airport to catch our flight to San Francisco for a short honeymoon. We only had a few days before I began my first teaching assignment at Langdon Elementary. I didn’t capture many photos on our trip; I can’t remember what kind of camera I used. However, I will have my Fuji X-T2 when we return to San Francisco in a few weeks.

To create the right side of this layout, I clipped solid paper 1 from ArtPlay Palette Riant to both sides of the template that I received in Anna’s class, Heritage Live. On the right edge, I placed the layers of frame 1 from UrbanThreadz FotoBlendz Frames No. 2.

Next, I clipped my photo to the fotoblendz mask included in the psd file. I used a brush to darken parts to reveal more of my photo. I extracted myself from the photo and gave the extraction a custom shadow. I also duplicated the entire photo twice, one on Screen blend mode at 50% and the other on Soft Light at 50%.

Note: I blended my legs into the mask to disguise the way my feet were cut off in the original photo.

I placed the frames from template 10 of WaterColor Template Album No. 7 on my page and adjusted the placement of one frame to accommodate one of my photos.

Note The thread and text boxes was included in the template. The button is from ArtPlay Palette Riant.

After adjusting the position of the frame grouping, I clipped my photos to the frames. I adjusted the exposure by duplicating the photo copies and changing the blend modes to Screen or Soft Light.

Below the group of frames, I placed most of the layers of psd file 3 from Artsy Transfers Riant, adjusting the position of the layers to line up with the top frame.

Below the circular frame, I placed transfers 3 and 7 from ArtPlay Palette Riant.

Note: I adjusted the yellow in transfer 7 with a Hue and Saturation adjustment layer after I rotated it. I had already created the textbox on the left before adding the transfers so all I needed to do was adjust its position.

My friend, Adryane, is going to help us recreate a couple of these photos for the opposing page of this layout when we are in San Francisco. We are really looking forward to our trip.

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