~ Please Note ~

Unless otherwise noted, all photographic images in this blog are the sole property of Kim L Branson and therefore may not be copied or used in any way without expressed permission by the owner. Thank you.

Welcome to CLIQUE!

I can trace my love of photography back three generations, to the early 1900s and my paternal great-grandfather, Henry Mattson. I have a really cool photo that he took of the old family homestead in Minnesota, sometime before 1910. According to family history, Grampa Mattson frequently took photos of his world - the people and places that he loved.

It warms my heart to know that this love of photography didn't skip any generations as it passed down to me! I am blessed to have such a legacy and I hope to pass it on to my own children and grandchildren some day.

I experience a physical and spiritual thrill whenever the Lord shows Himself in His marvelous creation around us and in the people I meet. My dream vacation would be to spend a year or two just traveling around the US, stopping at little out of the way places and photographing the interesting characters and the beauty of nature to be found along the way - those things that draw me closer to GOD and help point others to Him, too.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Orange eDition, pt 2

I did this photo last night for a friend and thought it fit very well with this week's TT "Orange" theme. Taken in July 2011 at the historic Kennecott Copper Mine in McCarthy Alaska.


Straight out of camera



Formula --
* Cropped original photo and added levels adjustment
* Added Kim Klassen's texture, "Cracker Jack" - color burn @ 100% - used a layer mask and removed texture from the bolt
* Added another layer of "Cracker Jack" - soft light @ 100%
* Added a 3rd layer of "Cracker Jack" - mulitply @ 100%
* Added Kim Klassen's texture, "Chamomile" - multiply @ 100%
* Clipped edited image to clipping mask made with digital brushes by "meth" (brusheezy.com)
* Added text - "High Tower Text" and "Century Gothic" fonts

TFL ~ klb
* 

Monday, August 29, 2011

Texture Tuesday ~ the Orange eDition

I skipped last week's TT by Kim Klassen, but am back this week with my ORANGE entry. This toadstool photo was taken three years ago - Aug 2008 - in our yard. August is when all the musrooms and toadstools "bloom" and show their vibrant colors.

Straight out of camera



Formula --
* Cropped original layer and did a levels adjustment
* Duplicated original layer and used MULTIPLY blend mode @ 75%
* Added Kim Klassen's "Cracker Jack" texture and used MULTIPLY blend mode @ 100%
* Added Kim's "Golden" texture and used SOFT LIGHT blend mode @ 100%
* Added Kim's "Chamomile" texture and used PIN LIGHT blend mode @ 65%
* Used a layer mask on the Chamomile texture with eraser brush set at 75% opacity
* Used clipping mask made with brushes by Anna Aspnes (designerdigitals.com)
* Added text using High Tower Text and Century Gothic fonts

Be sure to pop over to Kim Klassen Cafe and check out all the other creative entries for this week's challenge!

TFL ~ klb

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Bloom Baby Bloom

Took this shot of fireweed in front of a dirt-mover down in Anchor Point last month.  Loved the vivid pink against the orange-yellow of the tractor.  I used the text, "BLOOM Baby BLOOM" because I am entering a new phase of life and felt the need for some encouragement. I think I will print this, frame it and maybe hang it in my bathroom where I can see it every day. What color should the mat or frame be? I'm thinking bright {lime} green - will match my room colors and bring out the leaves in the photo.


Straight out of camera
 



Processing Formula --

* Cropped and duplicated original photo; set blending mode to Soft Light, 100%
* Added a layer using my "DI Texture 1" - Multiply blending mode @ 85%
* Added a layer using my "DI Texture 9" - Overlay blending mode @ 100%
* Merged all layers and clipped to clipping mask made from a digital brush by Anna Aspnes (designerdigitals.com)
* Added text - Font is KingThings Scrybbledot, reduced opacity to 75%

Print size is 8 x 10, 300 dpi

~ klb

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Something To Believe In...

For the past year or so, our family has been under attack spiritually, resulting in major upheaveals and emotional, spiritual and financial challenges. At times, it seems as though we are nearing the end of this storm - yet at other times, it feels as though we've been sucked into a whirlpool from which we'll never be freed. Yesterday was a "whirlpool day." Thankfully, the Lord did help us rise above it - or begin to, anyway - and we visited a couple of dear brothers- and sister-in-Christ last evening, who prayed for us and spoke blessings over us. Our dear sister, Michelle and her husband, Terry had recently been to visit their daughter and son-in-law in Australia; while there, Michelle was inspired to pick up this sweet little creamer with the encouraging promise that "Nothing is impossible with GOD." During our visit there last night, she brought it out to show us and said, "This is the Lord's gift to you. GOD is bigger than your circumstances - when you look at this, remember that."  Well, I may be paraphrasing just a bit, but that was the gist of what she said.

When she gave it to me, I knew I was supposed to take a photo and create something to print and hang, as a daily reminder.  Here is the result of that.


Straight out of camera



Texture Formula --

Background Layer: original photo; did a layers adjustment and added "diffuse glow" (1-2-13)
Layer 1: Duplicated background layer; used a Hue/Sat adjustment layer to remove color, then reduced opacity on adjustment layer to 50% to let a little color shine through.
Layer 2: Kim Klassen's "kk_123" texture - vivid light blending mode @ 60%Layer 3:  Duplicated the "123" texture - linear burn blending mode @ 50%; used a layer mask and removed a bit of this layer from the creamer to lighten it up some.Layer 4: Kim Klassen's "Golden" texture - vivid light blending mode @ 25%


*Clipping mask was created using grunge edge brushes by "meth," found at brusheezy.com; pink shade was taken from the petals in the photo.

I am so thankful for the body of Christ. They are truly His hands and feet to those in need and through them, the Lord pours out His love, mercy and grace. Blessings on you, Michelle & Terry, Ben & Deanna...

~ klb


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Texture Tuesday ~ the Movie eDition

This week's theme for the Texture Tuesday challenge is "Movie." Kim Klassen opened it up to us participants to select the theme for this week and Olivia was the winner :) Olivia wrote, "...my challenge entry is A MOVIE.. pick any movie, your favorite movie, the photo just has to go along with the the title! you said to think out of the box.. right! how fun is that!"  I have quite the list of favorite movies, but for this challenge, I chose Toy Story {although my favorite of the Toy Story movies is #2}

My image is one I shot this past April and is of our little dog Cully's favorite toys.  She just loves stuffed animals that squeak, sing, bark or giggle (Elmo) !

My "formula" --
Bottom Layer: Original photo; levels adjustment, diffuse glow filter
Layer 1: copy of orig photo; hue/adjustment layer - first removed all color, then decreased opacity to 78% to bring a little color back in
Layer 2: Kim's "Love in Layers" texture - Linear Burn blending mode @ 66% opacity
Layer 3: Kim's "Just Stitched" texture - Overlay blending mode @ 65% opacity
Layer 4: Kim's "kk_123" texture - Soft Light blending mode @ 85% opacity

Clipping mask was created using a decorative brush by Anna Aspnes (Hipster Plumes Korners & Edges No. 1) and an edge brush "meth" (found at brusheezy.com)

TFL ~ klb



Straight out of Camera




Monday, August 8, 2011

Texture Tuesday ~ "It's the Little Things" eDition

Kim Klassen's challenge this week is "It's the Little Things" -- Kim left it up to us to determine what that means.  So, my entry is a photo I took in April 2008 while visiting one of Anchorage's public greenhouses. In this greenhouse/nursery, there is a section that is filled with thousands upon thousands of ladybugs roaming free over the plants and flowers and... unfortunately... the floor. Eeww.

But I digress.

This pretty little guy-or-gal was a small speck on a big flower, but it got my attention and I snapped this pic. When I later saw the image on my computer monitor and enlarged it, I was so pleased to see how sharp and clear this little bug stood out on the flower - not to mention how color-coordinated they were together!

The quote is my paraphrase of a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson (All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen).

My "formula" -- after cropping the original image from 12 x 9 to 10 x 8 and adjusting the levels, and contrast, I copied the image and used the Overlay blending mode (100%). Next layer up is Kim's "Water Stained Frame" set on Multiply blending mode (100%). Above that is another layer of "Water Stained Frame," this time using Soft Light blending mode (100%) and the top layer is Kim's "Scratched Magic July" using the Screen blending mode (85%)

The clipping mask was made using a brush from Anna Aspnes' "Hipster Plumes Korners & Edges No. 1" (designerdigitals.com) and an edge brush by "meth" and found at Brusheezy.com. Font is "Curlz MT"

Check out the other fab entries for this week's challenge HERE

TFL ~ klb


Straight out of camera


Saturday, August 6, 2011

Yay! Converted my TFF images to JPGs :)

Sooo -- here they are. Taken yesterday at the entrance to Birchwood Monofill.  As I said - there is beauty everywhere if one has eyes to see it. The quotes were found at Pinterest.com. Both photos use digital textures by Kim Klassen ("Canvas Magic" and "Start"); the image with the pink flower also uses one of my own digital textures ("DI Texture 1" - last photo shown). Clipping masks made from digital brushes by Anna Aspnes ("Hipster Plumes Korners & Edges No. 1") and "meth" (found at brusheezy.com). Fonts are "CK_Ali's_Hand" and "Maiandra." 

The edited version of the pink flower is on here twice because I can't decide if I prefer the white text or the brown, better. What are your thoughts?

TFL

~ klb


Straight out of camera




Straight out of camera




DI Texture 1 - low res


It's been awhile...

...Since I've posted any "non-Texture Tuesday" images here on Clique, so I thought I'd share a couple of new edited photos, plus some of my own digital textures I've created.  The flower photos were taken yesterday, Aug 5, at the entrance to the landfill yard in Birchwood.  Just goes to show that one can find beauty anywhere, if one knows how to see...

Anyway, I will post the original photo first, then the edited version and also some samples of the homemade texture I used.  I have 14 tetxures total and if anyone is interested in trying them out, let me know and I'll email you the full size.

Hmmm... Ok. Apparently, I cannot upload my photos in tff format and since I cannot figure out how to save them in jpg in my CS4 program, I'll have to share those another time and just let you see the next textures I've created.  Sorry about that :(  All of the texture pix are shots taken of painted concrete - various shades of pinks, oranges, reds and browns. The last image is unpainted, but has a lot of colorful pebbles ad such embedded in the concrete that I thought would make an interesting texture.










I'll see what I can do about posting the edited photos.  I might have to use my PSE6 on the desktop and resave as jpgs that way.  Will try to get them done later this evening, as we are heading out again tomorrow and not sure when I'll have the opportunity to do so in the next week.

~ klb

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Texture Tuesday ~ "Anything Goes" eDition

Took these floral images at the Centenial Rose Garden in downtown Anchorage on July 30th. Kim Klassen's requirement for this week's TT was to usse at least one of her textures on one of our favorite photos.  I'm not sure any of these photos are my "favorite," but they're my favorite of the 50 or so shots I took at the garden!

Each photo uses three of Kim's textures: Granny's Cupboard, Canvasback and Canvas Back Magic. I hope you enjoy these shots and will also pop over to Kim's blog and check out all of the other lovely, creative entries from this week's participants :) KK Texture Tuesday

~ klb