There's a contest going on! Win and IPad!

I just love MCP actions and now they have quite a few available for Photoshop Elements. I find that the actions have enhanced my skills and photos considerably.

Check it out and see if you might win an IPad!

http://www.mcpactions.com/blog/2011/06/13/ipad2-giveaway/

Photo Collages

I came across an amazing artist on ETSY. Her name is Mae Chevrette. She starts with a photo as her canvas, adding paper, textures, print, and words to express her thoughts and feelings. I highly recommend you check her out. I ordered one of her prints from one of her original canvases with a quote from e.e cummings and it is simply stunning. I can't wait to get it framed and hanging on one of my walls. Truly a piece of art at very reasonable prices.

I share this with you because it leads to a lesson or discussion on trying things outside the box as it relates to photography, crafting or any other form of creativity you take up. I shared with Mae that I was interested in taking a class to learn this technique and she said "Why waste your money on a class, when you can invest in a few simple items and try it out for yourself?" She took the time to share with me her process for creating photo collages, and it was wonderful to learn from a person who I see as an expert and artist. Many times people don't want to share what they know, their resources, or their ideas on how to do something because they think it will steal away their own creativity. I think Mae realizes that every artist sees things differently. There simply is no way that I could "recreate" Mae's art as it comes from her heart and her soul. She gave me the techniques, but I have to be willing to open myself up to trying something new. It was her encouragement that has me motivated to give it a try.

I think taking classes is a great thing to do to, but I tend to shoot for perfection and often times leave disappointed that I couldn't make it look exactly like the others. Don't be afraid to push the envelope and develop your own style. Classes are great for trying something out without investing a great deal of money in tools you may never use again. In time, you will find your niche and know when the investment is a valuable one.

Today, when you go out on your photography adventure, why not venture into the unknown just a bit. Try taking photos from a different angle, perhaps shoot something in Manual mode if you have never tried it and see what you find out. Go in search of a new subject. As you print that photo, think about what you might be able to differently with it. Add a brush technique? Create a postcard? Maybe create your own photo collage that highlights your dreams for the coming year? I promise it will leave you feeling refreshed and renewed.

And, one other thing, don't be afraid to ask questions. Most people want to share their own inspiration and will offer it willingly. Some may say no, but dust of your feet and move on. I find the journey an exciting one. I would love for anyone to share their own creations, their ideas here. Please feel free to post your tutorials, lessons, resources, and ideas.

Getting Better with the Camera

Goodness it has been awhile since I have posted. Life happens at times at light speed. I have been relearning the camera, adding new techniques in Photoshop and constantly learning. Recently however, while working with a customer I realized that perhaps I do have some opinions and thoughts about the composition of a great photo. And perhaps when taking a picture its important to pay attention to your surroundings, what's in the way, how you can make it better before you take the picture. The benefit to this is the picture is close to perfect even before it gets loaded into photoshop. Its clear, sharper, and if all goes well doesn't have a palm tree sprouting out of the head of the person in the picture!

So, I have created my list of photography resolutions for the new year. The top things I plan to do to ensure better picture taking!

1) SLOW DOWN. Look at the subject from different angles, see the light as it hits the subject, look at the way you are holding the camera.

2) Do your best to use the "rule of thirds" to create your photo. Its so easy and can improve photos ten fold. This is explained perfectly on so many sites. A google search will give you so many to choose from.

3) Get out more and find new locations. I got stuck in a rut going to the same place getting the same results. There are a zillion places to experience and explore.

4) Read more. Check out PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS USER

. I joined and they have so many online tutorials and a magazine with new things to try. This year I made some wonderful snowflake gift tags with my nephews faces inside the snowflake! They were a big hit with the family. Now I am trying to figure out how to turn it into a offer on my ETSY site for sale.

5) Take classes. I don't understand the relationship of ISO, shutter speed and aperture. I am convinced that they place a huge role in creating a better picture, so this year I am paying for a class or some personal one on one photography training.

6) Find groups of other photographers and attend. Everyone I have met in these groups have been willing to offer information and advice willingly and my work has improved immensely.

7) Explore other mediums. Currently I am working on combining my photos with collage. More about that later!

8) Go to art shows. Pay attention to color, texture, layout. Look for the same colors and textures in nature, or when doing a family photo try to incorporate them into the shot.

9) Practice still life photography. Its an easy way to learn about lighting, improve your work when indoors on a bad weather day.

10) Set up a room for your work. You don't need a large photo studio, but you do need a place to practice, to read, to access all the tools you need to create your art.

I think I am going to be surprised with the results this year! I can't wait for next year to look back and see what I have accomplished! What about you? What have you learned that has improved your photography?

Photos with Flare

I love to experiment and I have enjoyed touching up my photos with textures, actions, brushes and more. There is so much to learn. Recently I came across a series of Textures called "Lite Flare" which is a texture that puts light, sunshine and photography flares you get usually by accident! But the results can be extraordinary. I have attached some photos to give you some ideas of what you can do and how much fun you can have. Careful though, you can get carried away as well. Keep in mind how the sun rises and sets, where it rises, and sets. The set was created by Photographer Patti Brown and it is amazing! One of the sets she offers on her Kaleidescope set is Lite Flare. Coupled with layers you can create some amazing photos! It enhances the picture and captures the moment exactly the way you remember it. So give it a try. One thing I learned is that when working with multiple textures be sure and flatten the image as you go. The lite flare won't show up on top of a layer. It needs to be on top of the photo. Have some fun. I promise you will love it.

Another Great Giveaway with Two Great Artists

Florabella Actions and Skye Hardwick. You have to check it out! The workbook is well worth it and I use the florabella actions in all my work.
Photogs, check out the GIVEAWAY & Sale for Skye’s new Workshop Workbook!! Visit the website at http://www.theworkshopworkbook.com!”

New Site Found with Great Learning Information!

Photography expert Barb Gordon, Master Photographer publishes Barb Gordon Photo Coach's Shooting for Success ezine. If you're ready to take your photography career to the next level, get your FREE reports "Make Photography More than a Hobby" and "15 Ways to Make More Money with your Photography" now at http://www.barbgordonphotocoach.com

12 Elements of Composition for Remarkable Photographs #5 The Foreground
By Barb Gordon, M.Photog., CR, CPP


A strong and interesting image can be achieved by including a lot of foreground leading to the subject. For an environmental portrait use enough depth of field so your image is sharp front to back to tell the story.

This is not a riveting example but it is a good example of recomposing the image to include foreground interest.

I wanted to show my family the cedar posts that my husband used for our front porch. Photographing just the posts up close was kind of boring. So I backed up to include some more of the hard work my husband has done in our driveway. The rock has now created an interesting foreground that leads to the cedar posts.

Another and very beautiful foreground sample image is on the blog, click here. (I think I did this link right as last week I got confused with all the steps there are to do this linking stuff!)

This is a twelve part series with most articles continued on the blog due to their lengh. Next week- Textures


© 2010 Barb Gordon Photo Coach & Gordon Photography & Gallery, Inc.

Contest for All Photographers FREE BUSINESS CARDS.

Photographers February 24th, 2010Categorized Under: Business Tips, ContestsEven in the digital age, some traditional marketing materials are still needed. One such item is business cards. Business cards are often the “piece you leave behind” that represents your company, your work, and your brand. You need to make sure your cards make a statement and allows the recipient a way to connect with you later.



Today’s contest is sponsored by Color Inc Pro Lab, an advertiser on the MCP Blog. They print business cards and send samples using a few different finishes: gloss, pearl and watercolor. They are all really nice, but for my particular cards, I am in LOVE with the pearl finish. It gives the cards an almost metallic look and they are just beautiful in person.


Do you need new business cards? Color Inc. is giving 4 lucky winners 250 double sided business cards in the finish of their choice.

To enter (you may do entry 1 or 1, 2, and 3 for more chances to win) -winners will be picked at random on Sunday, February 28th.

1. Leave a comment on the blog for this post (not on Facebook) – and answer the following for your 1st entry:

•What information do you feel is important to have on a business card for a photographer?
•Do you think photographers should have photographs on their card? Why do you feel this way?
2. Post one of the following to Twitter and/or Facebook (and come back and comment to let us know you did for your 2nd entry):

•What information should be on a business card? Win 2-sided business cards by commenting here: http://bit.ly/mcpcicontest
•Do you think photographers should have pictures on business cards? Win 2-sided business cards by commenting here: http://bit.ly/mcpcicontest
3. Ask your blog readers what they think business cards should have on them, by doing a quick summary of this post and its questions; then link them here so they can comment. Come back here and leave a comment with a link to your blog post for your third entry.

And for those of you who want to order business cards now, Color Inc is doing a promo for 10% off through Sunday the 28th of February by using the code: biz10.

A Contest and a Great Site!

I am all about showcasing people that are teaching! The Savvy Photographer not only has a great site filled with information, but she is also having a giveaway! Click here to enter! The Savvy Photographer

I have been focusing on photographing birds in flight. I find a bird feeder where they are flying in for food, focusing my camera to the side of the feeder and catching them landing, taking off, grabbing food, etc. Some things I am learning. When using this technique be very aware of what is in the background.

My first attempts had a big sign in the background and while I got some great shots, I couldn't use them with the sign in the back.

Focus in on the space closest to the feeder, but not the feeder. If you focus on the feeder, the feeder will be clear but the bird blurry.

Be patient. You will have to take a lot of pictures to get just one good shot! Trust me. But so worth it.

For these shots I am using a digital Canon Rebel Camera, with a 300mm Zoom lens. I am still struggling with focus, blurry images, etc. But each time I think it gets a little better!

Have fun. I would love to see your pictures!

Wishing you Much Wonder in 2010.

This photo was taken with the Canon Rebel using my 100-300 zoom lens. I came out blurry so I used a few textures and overlays, and feathered the edges in Photoshop. Turn blurry photos into something new! In my research, its important to lower shutter speed to allow in less light and shoot faster. I now have my tripod and a wireless remote, so I am heading out to see if it makes a different. Wish me luck!

Capturing Kids

It's Christmas and I have 5 little nephews running around like crazy, giggling, wrestling, making funny faces and just being kids. There have been snow ball fights, bingo games, opening presents, a few tired tears, hugs, and a bunch of love. I brought the camera with the goal of trying to preserve some of those special moments. Before I started I equipped myself with a little knowledge to help make it a little smoother. One important lesson I learned was to capture the unexpected. Get away from "Posing" them the way you want, don't force the smiles and look for the special times when they are just being kids. So I waited and watched. At the park I took pictures of hands. Just hands making sand pizzas. At home my brother and my sister's two boys sat together in GrandDad's chair. One nephew on his own with hands behind is head and his feet crossed looked just like GrandDad.

As the day progressed I was able to see things about each child that I had never noticed before. The way one cocks his head to the side when he is trying to figure something out. The way one twirls his hair around and around with his little fingers while watching a movie. It was truly insightful.

Digital photography makes it possible to experiment. You can shoot and shoot and shoot and then sort through the photos to capture the ones that express what you want to express in your photo montages. Kids don't stay small for long so get busy captures those special moments.

Show me some or your favorites! Here are a few tips I found on Digital Photography School Its great to go prepared!

Something I Made!!

Well, Christmas is coming and it seems everyone is in the Christmas spirit, but much more cautious about spending. While many are hitting the stores, there are just as many finding ways to cut costs, and still enjoy the Spirit of Christmas. To me, its be a new, exciting challenge to see how I can create something new, spend less, and make it special. Photography allows for so many options and whether you print your photos at home, or send them out, there are special discounts for first time orders, free shipping, and more. There are three areas that I focused this year and here is what I did:

1) Holiday Office Party and Gift Exchange: I decided to make it homemade. I found a vintage style Candy pedestal for under $10. I was making holiday candies for family and friends so I made 2 doz to go along with the gift. All the candies were simple recipes using pretzels, oreos, peanut butter, rolos. For the recipes I used give me a call!

2) Christmas Cards. I made my own. The photo in this listing was a tree I found on my photography expeditions. A little photoshopping, a few snowflake brushes, a Word Art layer, and some other layers (all free, including the cardinal!!) and I am good to go! If you can't find any of the free things I am talking about, drop me an email or leave me a comment on this post and I will point you in the right directions.

3) Family gift exchange. This year, we are taking a cue from Just Something I Made and the gifts are coming from inside our house! Just go to her site and click on the Thrifty Gift Exchange Post on December 14th! We all have so much stuff in our house that we don't need, don't use, that someone else may enjoy. Why not give it a try. Our family is now on the phone, talking, trying to figure out what they are going to give up, or bring, and its really stirring up some humor, stories, and excitement.

I hope you will try to do the holidays and little different this year. You don't have to do it all, just pick a few things you can do and make it happen. You will be surprise how much fun it is!

So Many Free Photoshop Resources on the Web!

I am addicted to Photography and Photoshop and constantly amazed at the number of people willing to share information, techniques, expertise, and more. And the resources, tutorials and on-line education available all for free! I have met so many interesting and talented paper as I learned Photoshop, and I encourage everyone to search for anything you might need to learn a new task, develop a new talent.

Lately I have been interested in layers and textures. And now there are actions! All designed to help improve your photos. And so many people have created free ones that you never have to purchase them if your budget does not allow. Some of the sites ask for donations or have select products available for purchase, but the free items are available without commitment or obligation. So try your hand at something new.

What amazes me about layers and textures is that it can transform the ordinary photo. Give it the extra oomph! that it might need to soften, highlight, texturize.

Here are some new sites I have happened upon. Please drop on in on them and let me know what you are working on. That is what the internet is all about. People connecting with People. Its a virtual library, a social event that you need to participate in. Don't be a wallflower!

ShadowHouseCreations The author creates the most interesting photos, and offers all kinds of free brushes, textures, and layers. His brushes were used to add the birds, and an extra tree in the photo above!

CoffeeTeaPhotography This is an amazing site that offers tutorials, resources, free actions, and more. She accepts donations of any amount to help her keep her site running, but its not a requirement for using the information. For me, a donation is well worth it. Her items are fantastic!


TexasChicksBlogsandPics Another informative site that offers tutorials, layers and actions and walks you through how upload them in any version of Photoshop. They also have a newsletter! Great tips and techiniques. They also have products for sale, but again, a lot of freebies.

If you want to try your hand at layering, trust me its easy. Drop me a line if you need some help.

Another huge resource is Flickr groups. People share their photos and work, you can get free textures of all kins on this site, and the groups allow you to post challenges you are having and get advice and suggestions from people who may have had the same struggle.

There is no excuse for learning. The free information is out there, print, bring it home and learn a new skill. Its easy peasey!

This photo includes my photography of a tree off the Potomac River, 1 cloud layer, one cloud texture, and one color texture all from ShadowHouseCreations and/or downloaded from Flickr. It has an eagle that was added using a brush set that was free on ShadowHouseCreations.

Now on to actions! Don't know much about them yet, but I am doing the Research. Will keep you posted.

Pictures I see may not be the picture you see...

Recently, someone purchased a picture from me. It was a picture taken at Bellows Beach on the island of Oahu. My home town. It was one of my older pictures so I was a little leery of the request. He wanted an 11 X 14 of the picture, and I was fearful that it wouldn't look as good as his expectations of my work. I am an amateur. I am getting better, and sometimes I get the perfect shot, but in my opinion this wasn't one of those times.

We talked back and forth and I learned that he had some very fond memories of Bellows Beach. It was his memories that made that photo beautiful to him. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say, and I have come to realize how true that can be. Each day when we pick up our camera, we are taking pictures of the beauty we see, or the oddity, or juxtaposition of the shot.

But someone else, is seeing a memory of their past, or perhaps a goal for their future. They are remembering a tale once told, or a song once rehearsed. Photos allow others the opportunity to relive or replay their own stories.

Its kind of wonderful when you think about it. Don't get so caught up in taking the perfect shot. Take pictures of what you love. You never know what memory you make wake up, or who you may inspire.

Pondering a New Thought. What do you think?

On another website a therapist who works with photography to help people make changes in their life wrote "Your photos are actually "self-portraits" even if you are not in them". WOW, I mean Whoa! that caught my attention, made me feel a little bit uncomfortable so I knew I was in the learning mode with God at that moment and I had to think about that statement. Especially since I have been a little less than satisfied with some of my work. Her belief is that we take pictures of things that move us, people we want to spend time with, actions that amaze us. These snap shots can give us an idea or our mood, our journey through time, our future.

So I began thinking about what was bothering me about the pictures. They were too blurry, they weren't crisp or as "Pretty" as some of the other professional photos I see, I can't get the f stop, ISO, aperture correct, etc, etc, etc. And in this self analysis I realized a few things. 1) I am in too much of a hurry to be perfect 2) Because I am in too much of a hurry, I am taking pictures just to have a picture, but not really to learn the process and 3) Like everything in my life I rush, look for quick, fast easy ways, and don't enjoy the experience. And so, what do I get? Blurry photos. It is self portrait of my hurried, fast paced existence. The beauty comes from slowing down, looking for the best shot, perhaps not always taking the photo, but just enjoying that quiet solitude, those moments when no one is around and you are seeing it all take place around you.

I am challenging myself to make the time to slow down. To no be so worried about getting a shot, but to spend more time with the learning, more time with relaxing and enjoying the visuals. Finding composition through my own life interpretation.

I love to learn new things about myself, about processes, about people. Its no surprise to me that this new revelation about myself has come up "once again". It just is. I hurry. I move fast. A lesson to learn is the slowing down. Perhaps we will begin to see a change in the way we take photos as we slow down and enjoy the process.

This also translates itself to photo editing. Photoshop should not be used to just slap on some layers and call it a day. It should be another slow process where we feel the photo and find ways to translate the moods into a finer print. Textures, words, layers can all be useful in expressing what we saw during those quiet moments but it can only be done if we took the time during the shot to feel the experience, to relish and enjoy the shot. What do you think?

It's Been Awhile, but can we keep it fun?

I haven't written in awhile mostly because my part time job just went back to full time (very long story), but also because I was so engrossed in learning about photography, and so frustrated with not getting right. Not creating the photo that I wanted, not being able to copy the "look" others were creating. Either I was out of focus, or not in focus at all, too much ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed and not enough stillness. I was looking for the perfect shot, the perfect picture and I was missing the beauty in the stillness. Two things happened. I met a semi-professional photography on one of my walks and he gave me some new insight. He said that he tells everyone to have fun. Don't worry about composition, layout, ISO, etc. He said if you see something that draws your attention, just take a picture. In time, you will get better, you read a little here, a little there, and as you try new things in small doses, you will begin to perfect you craft.

He walked on, and I heard the Fall peepers. Do you know what those are? Little bitty frogs that make peeping noise throughout the marsh. You can never see them, so you have to be very still and just listen. And then it happened. The woods came alive for me. I saw a blue heron hiding in the march, another stretch his wings. I looked down in a patch of orange flowers to see what I thought was dragonfly...do you know those little guys are impossible to shoot when they are moving! In any event, it wasn't a dragonfly, it was a hummingbird.

I came home so renewed, ready to download my photos, and it clicked. My reading, my photoshop practice seemed to come together. My eye was keener, my expertise a little smoother. I had learned, I was applying it, and I was having fun.

To some those photos may not be the best. But they are to me. A lesson I learned. Find your own style, take your time, ask questions, but realize that the learning may be important, but the stillness helps focus on why you love what you are doing.

Some of my resent photos. Look closely for the hummingbird. Doesn't the tree look like it has its own floral bouquet of autumn? How have you been? Thanks for keeping me on your list. I promise to get better.

What are you struggling with in your Photography? What would you like to learn? Please share it here and let's see what we can learn together.

I've Been Dreaming...

Well, I always dream but I have been trying to learn new ways of working with Photoshop, how to create fine art quality photos with the skill and finesse of someone like Florabella and it has been a fun lesson. I have to say there is so much information and knowledge available to you if you simply look for it. I wanted to find free overlays and textures, I searched for free overlays a textures. I wanted to learn how to create a fine art print from a photo, I search for "How to create a fine art print from a photo". Sure you have to read through, weed through some stuff. Some of it junk, but you do eventually come across the gem that teaches it in the way you need to learn it.

I stumbled upon florabella and while her overlays and textures are not free, she does offer quite a bit of support on her flickr site, and a community of people that are willing to help with information, advice, ideas. But her photos are just so darn gorgeous! I just have to go there about once a day and look at what she had created.

Here is my first practice photo. This photo was taken as an actual photograph of a butterfly. Then layered with various textures and overlays to achieve the dreamlike effect. I wouldn't say its easy to do, because it takes time to figure out what each overlay and texture does, how it changes the photo and different combinations do different things. But the applications are easy. I would recommend learning how to use masks, layers in Photoshop. To get the softer affect I created a duplicate layer of the photo itself, then adjusted the hue and saturation to give it a softer color. Once I applied the layers of color, texture, I went back over the butterfly with an eraser to bring the colors back out a little more. Pretty darn easy, although learning how to create the second layer and the erasing part took a little time learn. The beauty of all of this? You can always start over, take one layer off, put another one on. Let me know what you think.

Mermaid Cottage Coffee

There is a blog on the web Mermaid Cottages and its really a peaceful little place to go on Tybee island somewhere in Georgia where the pace seems much slower, the residents embracing the tourists and the setting sun. The cottages offer coffee in their homes and Mermaid Cottage is looking for a name for their coffee blend! I woke up this morning and was inspired to create this label! Now you all know I am just learning Word Art, PhotoShop and all that entails, but it was so much fun seeing where my thoughts and inspiration could take me. Here is the final draft. What do you think? Go on over to Mermaid Cottage and leave a Coffee Blend Name, you might just win a free jar of Mermaid Coffee!

Having Some Fun with Word Art

So, I told you I was trying to learn to develop my own Word Art and its been a little bit of a slow process. Its much easier to buy it commercially because the cost is so low, but the only reason why buying it is easier is because my computer is so darn slow that I keep freezing and shutting down Photo shop every time I press the text button. I think if I am going to venture into the design side of photography I am going to need to invest in a better computer with more memory. Hhmmmm...another item to research! Oh well, its a continuous learning lesson this here life!

But I have something so fun to share with you! I found a site that allows you to type in your words and it randomly creates a word art picture for you. The site wordle is so much fun. I created my own story using words and I am going to print it out and frame it. Think of how much fun you could have with children! Ask them to tell you words that describe them as a person and help them spell and put the words in and the press the button and it creates a piece of art. You can play with the fonts, the colors and its so easy! I just love fun free activities. In addition you can create phrases for your photos, coffee mugs, stationary. The possibilities are endless, but I just loved the way it took my words about me and created art. Give it a try and please post a link to your art so we can learn more about you. To get started with this one, I used my blog profile. Once I got the hang of it, I copied the words before I pushed the button to create, just in case I got something wrong and wanted to try again. I wanted my name to be more prominent, so I finally figured out what words were bigger and swapped them with one another. I hope you have some fun with this!

Frustrating Photos

Okay, I went out this past Friday (I had the day off) and headed over to a reserve at 8:00am to capture some shots of the Eagles they just let loose from rehabilitation. The day was perfect, it was very early in the morning, and not a soul was in site. The lake was calm and everything was coming to life. Butterflies, geese, birds, dragonflys, eagles, osprey, blue heron. I was in wildlife heaven, shooting photo after photo, after photo. Two hours later I headed home with some beautiful shots. You could see birds preparing to descent to catch fish, an osprey grabbing a fish from the water, a blue heron skimming the lake inches about the water. It was amazing and I was so proud that I had captured it all on film.

Coming home I was so excited, and tired. But I immediately began to download my shots. Photo after photo was blurry, out of focus. I was so upset and so frustrated. I just couldn't believe it. So I began to research the problem. And in a nut shell, here is what I learned.

1) Taking good shots is going to take time, patience and study. You can't rely soley on Automatic Focus. There are too many variables when it comes to capturing movement. In fact, there are three things that come in to play: Shutter Speed, Aperture and ISO. I could go into detail about it, but I recommend that you head over to this site: digital photography school read up! They are a wealth of information. They give good tips on all sorts of subjects. Photography at night, photographing kids, photography for children...and more.

2) Blurry photos can be fixed. I found this plug in FOCUS MAGIC that works as a plug in with Photoshop elements and while it looks easy, my first day of practicing its use was a little daunting. I will post more on it as I practice. It costs $45 so seemed reasonable enough. They let you have 8 free edits to try before you buy, but since I didn't read the instructions prior to trying, I didn't have much success. I broke down and registered for it, so I now have alot of practice time. I will keep you posted.

The great thing about Digital photography is that you can keep going back and taking more pictures and trying again. Its frustrating when you think you got the perfect shot, and you want to see it, frame it, send it out to all your friends!

As you can see, they are quite blurry, but they are very clear in my mind. Here's the thing, no matter how many times I go back and take that picture it will never come out right if I don't take the time to slow down, learn something new, and take a few risks.

And with digital, I can do it again, and again and again! Wish me luck! If I master the blurry corrections on these photos, I will post them to show you the differences. Are you learning something new? If so, please share it with us. This is what its all about!

Practice, Practice...

I have been practicing and this week has been about adding digital word art to photos. I have found so many sites that allow use of their digital word art for personal use. This is great as I create photo and note cards for friends and family but a little limiting for those cards and photos I want to create for my own cottage business. The rules for commercial use are very difficult to find and when you do, they aren't always so clear. So for me, if you are planning to sell it, make your own digital word art. I am going to tackle that challenge next week. I am pretty sure its rather easy, using different fonts, you create a layer for each word, or set of words is how I think it would work. This would allow you to create depth, change font sizes, change font color. weave fonts into one another.

In any event, here are some really interesting sites that I think you might find fun to work with in developing your own photos. Be careful and make sure you use them for your own personal use, or get permission. In many cases, the artist or creator asks you to give them recognition for their work.

I am posting a few photos that I have created for you review. If you are looking for resources here are some. Let me know if I can help you with any other additional information.

Oh, and you can purchase all kinds of frames, masks, word art, etc. But many of these also specify they are for personal use only as well. Make sure you check.

This one is free for both personal and commercial: This site www.LostandTaken.com provides textures, papers and they can be used for both commercial and personal use. Read the creator's profile. I like his willingness to help others.

Here is one for fonts: www.1001fonts.com..

I stumbled up this site www.jenzworld.wordpress.com and so far all of what I find here seems to be limited to Personal use only. This woman Elegant Word Art 2 has beautiful work and again, her word art is for personal use ONLY. If you want to use it for commercial use you need to contact her directly. I haven't heard back from her regarding my request yet. Her site is well organized and categorized and there is a lot to choose from.

The interesting thing about word art is that if you aren't creating your own then you are limited by the thoughts and ideas of others. Quotes are everywhere, and its not the quote that is protected, its the style, layout and fonts used. If you are learning photoshop you will learn quickly that you can and should do this yourself so that you can create and use your own thoughts and ideas freely.

I have posted one of the new ones I have done for my family. Please link to your sites and let me see what you are creating! In this photo I used the paper texture from Lost and Taken and Bethany's word art from ElegantArt2.blogspot.com

Check them out!