Add Soft Evening Sun Glow with Photo Veils [Photo Recipe]

Japanese Anemones, sometime also called "Pink Saucers", are some of my favourite flowers. I like the slim and long stem, and the pale pink flowers, with uneven petals, the orange stamen and the light green receptacle. 

Yesterday evening we walked by a whole field of Pink Saucers - such a beautiful sight! My big camera was at home, so I took some photos with my iPhone camera. It was cloudy and about to rain - which gave a fine and even light - but as I edited the photos today, I wanted to create a feeling of a setting sun behind the flowers, using photo veils from Love that Shot.

Photo recipe:

• I cropped the photo, leaving the flower in focus to the right side of the photo. In Lightroom, I sharpened the flower in focus, boosting slightly the clarity, sharpening and contrast, with the brush mask. 
• Then I opened the photo in Photoshop, and applied the Privet photo veil from the Botanical Collection, using soft light blending mode with 50% opacity.
• To create a mild vignette effect, I applied Low Spotlight Right photo veil from the Illumination Collection using soft light blending mode 100%.
• The Evening Sun Glow effect is created with 2 photo veils:
• Sunshine 3 - Top Center photo veil from the Illumination Collection using screen blending mode with 40% opacity.
• Peach Glow Top photo veil from the Illumination Collection using soft light blending mode with 100% opacity.

I like to tweak my photos with photo veils and textures - they enable me to create a photo with just the right mood and light, I wish to convey.


Photo veils enable me - literally - to create some sunshine to a cloudy day ... Maintaining the natural look I appreciate, since I can adjust both the volume of the effect, by choosing the blending mode and the opacity.


Every now and then I edit some of my iPhone photos in Lightroom and Photoshop - like the photo from yesterdays walk. 


Now that I know where to find the Japanese Anemones, I will try going back with my big DSLR camera, to take even sharper photos with shallow depth of field... to be able to make a large print of these beauties, the sea of "Pink Saucers".

... Wishing you an inspiring and beautiful summer:

Let us enjoy the moments outside -

The Scandinavian summer is short,

so each moments out in the Great Outdoors 

is to be cherished, 

Nina

A Pathway through Wilderness

Here With You by Hillsong Worship

 :   :   :

Blessings to your Sunday,

Nina

Here's a printable

of Isaiah 43:19
for you


Sharing with

Scripture & Snapshot

 Photo:Nikon D3200 - Photo Veil Privet from Illumination Collection by Love That Shot

Help the troubled

Jesus I Need You by Hillsong Worship

 :   :   :

Blessings to your Sunday,

Nina

Here's a printable

of Isaiah 58:10
for you


Sharing with

Scripture & Snapshot

 Photo:iPhone 5S - Photo Veils from Illumination Collection by Love That Shot
Snapseed, Faded & Word Swag -PhotoApps

Eternity in the heart

This I Believe (The Creed) by Hillsong Worship

:   :   :

Blessings to your Sunday,

Nina 

Here's a printable

of Ecclesiastes 3:11
for you

Sharing with

Scripture & Snapshot

 Photo: iPhone 5S, Olloclip lens, Snapseed & VSCO applications
 

Create a Painterly Canvas Effect with Textures and Photo Veil [Photo Recipe]

Easter Tulips and the first episodes of the 4th season in Downton Abbey, inspired me to create this still life photo with a painterly canvas effect. 

At times I wish it would be possible to live one day in the early 19th-century ... Either in an aristocratic British family or on a Souther cotton farm in America. I would love to experience the interior design and the style of the dresses, and the etiquette in general, trying to perceive the difference in classes those days - that may be a bit hard to imagine in our modern society. 

I used a burlap cloth as a back drop to my image. I made the setting beside a window, using natural side light coming from the left. I did set the books, the can with the tulips, the small plate with a single tulip and a dried leaf to the right side of the frame, leaving the negative space to the left - for the painterly canvas effect, that would create the warm, old mood to the image.

This is how I proceeded with the editing and adding layers:

1. I adjusted the cropping of the image, making use of the rule of thirds, so that the tulip on the silver plate is in line with one of the golden sections.

2. I sharpened the image a bit, and adjusted the contrast, highlight and shadows in Lightroom.

3. Thereafter I opened the image in Photoshop, and added the following layers with 3 textures and one photo veil:

• Camembert texture from Olde World Collection with blending mode Saturation, opacity 40%. Blending mode Saturation with the Camembert texture creates a vintage-like warm glow to the image - you will notice this effect when you look at the books in the before-after-image below. I brushed the texture effect away from the tulips, since I wanted to keep some of their blue-lilac color.
• Lavendel Glow Left - Vertical photo veil from the Illumination Collection with blending mode Soft light, opacity 15%, adds a soft lavendel light effect.
• Salerno texture from the Olde World Collection with blending mode Soft light 15% adds a mild and soft painterly effect. I brushed some of the effect away from the upper right corner, using a brush with 50% opacity.
• Riviera texture from Olde World Collection with blending mode Hard Light, opacity 39%, adds some more painterly effect to the image. Using a brush I removed the texture effect from the tulips and the books - leaving it on the negative space, to my "canvas" background

What I like about Still Life Photography is the process of creating the image - Both setting up the scene, and the post processing ... Thinking about the light, the shadows, the balance, and what I want to focus on, together with the style and the feeling, I wish to convey. 

Already as I was setting up the books and the tulips, I had the textures from Olde World Collection in my mind - I like the rustic touch and the warm colour effect they create.

...Wishing you creative moments with photography and editing,

Nina

Joyful Easter

Jesus said to her, 

“I am the resurrection and the life. 

The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 

and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. 

Do you believe this?”

John 11:25-26

Alive by Nathalie Grant

:   :   :

Gracious God,

We praise you for the light of new life
made possible through Jesus.
We praise you for the light of new life
that shone on the first witnesses of resurrection.
We praise you for the light of new life
that continues to shine in our hearts today.

We pray that the Easter light of life, hope and joy
will live in us each day;
and that we will be bearers of that light
into the lives of others.

Amen.

Prayers for Lent and Easter

:   :   :

Wishing you a Joyful and Happy Easter,

Nina 

Here's a printable 

of John 11:25

for you 

Sharing with 

Give Me Grace 

Scripture & Snapshot

Photo iPhone 5S - Photo Veils from the Illumination Collection by Love That Shot 

The Book of My Heart

God made my life complete

when I placed all the pieces before him.

God rewrote the text of my life

when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

Psalm 18:20,24 The Message

Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman

:   :   :

Blessings to your week,

Nina 

Here's a printable 

of Psalm 18:24 

for your

Sharing with

Give Me Grace, Scripture & Snapshot, 

Sunday Stillness

Photo: Nikon DS3200 1/200 sec at f/8.0 ISO 100 - Photo Veils: High Spotlight Right the Illumination Collection by Love That Shot 

Add a Warm Vintage Glow with Photo Veils [Photo Recipe]

Printing my photos - using them as post cards or greetings for birthdays - is something I plan to do more often this year. And to start with, I will make a series of Still Life photos with simple motives, that will convey a warm and peaceful feeling. 

My mom has a bunch of old bottles, she has gotten from a friend of hers, whose mom was a pharmacist. The memories from my childhood - seeing these bottles filled with flowers - inspired me to compose the image above. To create a touch of vintage, I used a coffee-toned cloth, together with a brown masonite board as a back drop. I photographed the image beside our kitchen window, where the light is best in the afternoon. My camera settings were following: 1/60 sec, f/3.5, ISO 800.

Photo recipe:

1. I checked the cropping of the image, to secure, that my motive is in the middle of the frame, and adjusted the brightness and contrast.
2. I added the Rosy Glow Veil from the Illumination Collection blending mode soft light, 70% opacity. This veil creates a mild and warm glow to the photo.
3. In order to underline the light, that comes from the upper lift corner, I added the Sunshine 2 top left vertical photo veil from the Illumination Collection, with blending mode soft light, opacity 36%.
4. To create a natural vignette, I added the Medium spotlight top photo veil, also from Illumination Collection, with blending mode soft light 100%.
5. Finally, I added the Privet photo veil from the Botanical Collection to create a touch of vividness and depth, with blending mode softlight 29%.

"Say it with flowers"-works fine with photography cards  as well... Receiving a card via Snail Mail makes one happy today, when a great deal of our communication and greetings takes place via via e-mails and social media.

I hope this photo recipe has inspired you to create and fine tune the mood and feeling in your photos, you wish to convey with them. 
Let's keep on clicking our cameras - and let us not forget to make use of the images we capture!

...Until next time,

Nina

Peace of Heart

Let the peace of heart that comes from Christ be always present in your hearts and lives, 
for this is your responsibility and privilege as members of his body. 
And always be thankful.

Colossians 3:15 Living Bible

Draw Me Close to You Sax Solo

:   :   :

As we woke up Christmas morning, it was snowing outside -
Such a lovely surprise!

Blessings to your week, 

Nina

Here's a printable

of Colossians 3:15
for you 

Sharing with: 

Still Saturday, Give Me Grace,

Scripture & Snapshot

Photo: Nikon D3200, Photo Veil Light from the Illumination Collection Love That Shot

Take delight ...

Oh, how sweet the light of day, 

And how wonderful to live in the sunshine! 

Even if you live a long time, don’t take a single day for granted. 

Take delight in each light-filled hour, 

Remembering that there will also be many dark days.

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭11‬:‭7-8 The Message

I See You Lord by Aiza Seguerra

:   :   :

Blessings to your week, 

Nina

Here's a printable

of Ecclesiastes 11:7-8
for you 

Sharing with: 

Still Saturday, Give Me Grace,
Scripture & Snapshot

Glimpses of Sunlight - and Dreams of a Tripod

Welcome back, sunlight and blue skies ... Such a pleasure after a week with rain, fog and grey skies! The sun peeked out Friday afternoon - so I biked by the lake, so see the setting sun, on my way home from work.

The weather is getting cold - the crispy, fresh air fills my lungs each morning as I step outside - the temperature may soon be under zero during the nighttime.

The sun is getting up at 8 am, and setting down at 4 pm ... That is my working hours and I am mostly inside ... So I'm cherishing the weekends, having the opportunity to be outside during daylight.

Light is so important, in many ways ... and especially with photography. I prefer taking the advantage of natural light when taking pictures, so I'm using each and every opportunity I get, to snap the daily photos with my iPhone.

Yet winter is a wonderful season for learning low light photography ... which is the reason why tripod for my DSLR is on my wish list. I have been reading lately some articles about slow shutter speed photography, and would really like to experiment more in that area. 

What would be important to consider when buying a tripod?
And furthermore - what to consider when photographing with a tripod ... Should I use a timer in order to behave sharpness when photographing with normal shutter speed?

- As you can read, I am thinking about entering into a new, unknown terrain!

 ... Wishing you a Happy Weekend with Glimpses of Sunlight,

Nina

Sharing With

Friday Finds Friendship Friday Weekly Top Shot
 Saturday Share Fest Friday Photo Journal

Add a warm glow to your phone photos with mobile photo veils [Photo recipe]

The ground is covered with yellow and red leaves, together with the pretty, round chestnuts. It is a pleasure to walk outside, breathe the fresh air  and hear the sound of the dry leaves under my feet. 

I like to take a few pictures in my daily walks outside ... sharing often these moments with my family abroad. It is so easy to send the photos I capture: The pictures are taken with my iPhone, so all I need to do is to attach them to a mail or to a text.

I want to share with you here the process of creating the bokeh image above, using 4 phone applications and two photo veils from the mobile collection by Love That Shot.

Photo recipe:

1. I took the photo of the chestnut with the built in camera in the Camera+ -app, saving it with no adjustments to my camera roll.

2. Using the Filterstorm-app, I increased slightly the darkness in the bottom of the the photo, with the Levels-function.

3. Then I increased the ambiance and contrast of the image in Snapseed-app.

4. Thereafter I opened the photo in Tadaa SRL - app, where I masked the chestnut, selecting the linear aperture mode and increasing the range of the effect a bit.

5. I used the Filterstorm for upsizing the photo. Some phone photo-applications resize the image size, which is the reason I take my photo to Filterstorm a few times under editing it. You can upsize the photo by selecting the "export"-function, and choosing the "Png"-format instead of the "Jpeg"-format. The image size of the Png-format is often twice as large as the Jpeg-format.

6. In Snapseed-app I selected the "details"-function, and sharpened the photo with 16% and streghtened the structure of the photo with 17%.

7. I opened the photo in Filterstorm-app, and added the following photo veils from the mobile collection by Love that Shot

 - Privet Photo Veil, blending mode Soft Light with 100% opacity. 

 - Honey Wheat Photo Veil, blending mode Soft Light with 40 % opacity.

8. In Snapseed-app I chose the Center focus-effect, focusing on the chestnut with the following adjustements: -35% outer brightness, +30 inner brightness and 0% blur.

9. Finally, I upsized the photo in Filterstorm-app.

Mobile Photo Veils are easy to use: I have downloaded them to my iPhone, where I have made a special album for them, so I quickly can find the veil I am looking for. You may have noticed that Privet is my favourite photo veil - I like the way it adds warm tones to the photo, in a natural and subtle way.

I hope this photo recipe has inspired you to create images with a bokeh effect, and experiment with the natural mobile veils and textures from Love That Shot,

With colourful Fall greetings,

Nina

What happens when we live God's way?

But what happens when we live God’s way? 

He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—

things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. 

We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, 

and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. 

We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life,

 able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

Galatians 5:22-23 The Message

Everyday Miracles by Sara Groves

:  :  :

Blessings to your week, 

Nina

Here's a printable

of Galatians 5:22 for you 

Sharing with: 

Still Saturday, The Weekend Brew, 
Sunday Stillness , Give Me Grace


Photo: Nikon D3200, Photo Veil Light from the Illumination Collection by Love That Shot

In the Shade of Green Trees

Sit still with me in the shade of these green trees, 

which have no weightier thought than 

the withering of their leaves when autumn arrives, 

or the stretching of their many stiff fingers 

into the cold sky of the passing winter. 

Fernando Pessoa 

... Wishing you a peaceful weekend,

Nina


Sharing with 

Friday Finds Friendship Friday Weekly Top Shot
 Saturday Share Fest Friday Photo Journal


Photos with iPhone5: Camera+, Snapseed & VSCOcam Apps -
Upper Photo: Privet photo veil from the Botanical Collection by Love That Shot, Faded Crinkle 2 texture by Lil' 2 Owls
Lower Photo: Sepia & B&W Twist preset by Cole's Classroom, Privet photo veil from the Botanical Collection by Love That Shot

Unforged Rhythms of Grace

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? 

Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. 

I’ll show you how to take a real rest. 

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. 

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. 

I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 

Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

Matthew 11:28 The Message

He's Always Been Faithful To Me by Sara Groves

:  :  :

Blessings to your week, 

Nina

Here's a printable

of Matthew 11:28 for you 

Sharing with: 

Still Saturday, The Weekend Brew, 
Sunday Stillness , Give Me Grace

Texture Faded Crinkle 9 by 2 Lil Owl's
Photo veil High Spotlight Left from the Illumination Collection by Love That Shot