A Little Texture

I selected my Week 2 photo for Project 52.  It's this door...the door to something delightful, but only in my imagination.  Until I figure out exactly where it should lead, I spent some time having fun with it in Elements and even added one of my own textures!  I'm gonna be learning a lot more about textures this year because I just signed up for a year-long adventure with Kim Klassen called "Beyond Layers."  I'd love to thank my dear friend, Sally Russick, but I can't just yet because I have to see just how much time I'm going to lose staring at my computer playing instead of getting things done!!  haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  Just kidding...the only way to learn how to fun-up pictures is to practice, so having a program to follow is a great way to work.

If you're interested...here's the before shot that I took with my iPhone.  I used five different layers with various masks to make it look like this.  My brother challenged me to never "just apply a filter" and be done...anyone can do that.  It's the little tweaks that are going to make it all mine.  So, that's what I tried to do here.

So, that's two for two in Project 52!  Whooo hoooo.  

Joining the Club: Scritches

I was seriously busy last week and it was great!  I took my "word" to heart and got out and about.  I used meetup.com to find some groups and I'm pleased to report that I had a great time at both!  This post is a start of my involvement in the Hampton Roads Digital Photography Club (HRDPC).  I guess I didn't really have a particular expectation when I went to the meeting on Tuesday night, but I was pleasantly surprised at the extensive involvement and really welcoming atmosphere.  There were over 30 people there at the annual brainstorming session to come up with programming for 2012.  It was really high energy and everyone seemed really generous and genuinely driven to share their skills.  There were quite a few professionals in the room, but I still felt like I could contribute some value with my own less-experienced creative perspective...and that felt really good!!!

In addition to the great face-to-face interactions, I'm excited about the projects.  The club organizers go out of their way to put fun challenges together that will allow anyone to participate.  First off is Project 52--a picture a week.  Apparently they did this last year with a Project 365--I can't imagine trying to shoot a pic every day.  But, I think one a week is definitely do-able.  Here's my first shot:  Scritches.

Can you guess what it is?  Think dumpster!  haaaaaaaaa  This is the concrete outside my office where the dumpster used to be.  I thought it looked kinda retro-70's wallpaper combined with nice lines.  I used my handy dandy iPhone's Hipstamatic for this one.


Another cool HRDPC idea is their Scavenger Hunt.  I have two months to shoot a specific list of 10 items.  This one includes a yellow sign and a news van, among other things.  I'll have to figure out how to get some sort of checklist on my phone so I won't forget when I see something I need!


Other than those things, I'm looking forward to next week's meeting because folks will be showing off photos of their "key moments" from 2011.  It's not necessarily the best picture of the year, but something that was pivotal to life or photography or whatever.  I'm excited to share my own but I haven't picked a pic yet.


I've gotta get another cup of coffee and keep the laundry train moving before Curt gets here.  He's riding down on his motorcycle since the weather is so wonderful.  Then, we're going to see Rock of Ages, the musical, tonight.  I love me some hair bands, so I'm really looking forward to it!  


Happy Saturday!