Steve’s Snap & Zap Challenge: Lilacs

This week Steve has asked for nature in his challenge:

For each Snap & Zap I will suggest a new theme so take a new photo or use an existing photo and edit it with any software you like, so…

1. Create a new post showing the original
2. What edits have you made?
3. What software/techniques have you used?
4. Link back to the current week’s page

The theme for this “Snap & Zap…” is Nature.

So I found this photo of some lilac blooms.  I choose this one as the details are rather lost due to me shooting up towards the sky and the light blue sky fooled the sensors.

So I added some drama in Snapseed.

Then the HDR nature filter.

And blurred around the edges to focus on the flowers.

Then for a bit of fun I went to ArtWorks comic filter.

Then my final stop was with Photoshop Express to add a spring filter to soften the comic affect.

And finally I added a white vignette to really get rid of the unwanted leaves to the left.

Thanks for visiting.

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Gorgeous spring colours

 

Good morning from another beautiful spring morning in Hastings.

It has been so warm and windless the last couple of days and it makes going for a walk a pleasure.  Spring has well and truly arrived and the gardens are really starting to show of.  The senses are been inundated with the sweet smell of new blossoms as well as the vibrant colours which is so lovely after a grey winter.  I am now just discovering what a beautiful flower the peony is.  There are a couple of gardens that are just a mass of colour.  They make a fantastic show.

 

What can spoil a lovely walk is not having enough battery juice in the camera or too small a memory card.  Everywhere I looked there was something to take.  I left at around 10 am but by midday the light was getting too harsh, leading to hard shadows so maybe it was just as well that the battery had died.

 

I did try and use the strong sun to silhouette the flowers a little to get different textures on the flowers themselves, or as in the second photo to highlight the hairiness of the plant.

I also worked on my focusing skills.

 

Then there are the hazards.  The bees are out in force.  I have to stand right back and try and zoom in on flowers when the bees are around as I am allergic to them but they epitomise what spring is about.

It is a real pleasure to go out and see the perfusion of colours and signs of life, and with my favourite music helping me along it is a great way of relieving stress.  A way of living in the moment and trying to capture the memories on a memory card.

Cheers and have a nice day.

Raewyn