Adding Fantasy Elements to Puppy Pictures

I took this picture during my puppy's first trip to the park. He was moving around and facing away from me so much that this was one of the few shots I liked. Still, I thought it could stand improvement!

We were in the shade, so the first thing I did was brighten it and improve the contrast using a Levels adjustment layer. Now, this puppy is named Link after the main character in Legend of Zelda, so I decided to have fun with that and found a .png file of Navi, a little fairy creature also from Legend of Zelda. I added the fairy and set its layer's blending mode to Screen so that she looked like she was glowing and a bit transparent. I'm really happy with the results and I think this will be a fun keepsake from Link's puppy days!

Composition Discussion Assignment

1. I love the unique perspective of this photo. It gives a sense of both place and time. It makes me want to go find a clock tower to take a picture through.

2. This was my favorite photo in the files. I love the use of space to symbolize divide.

Shooting Assignment 2

1. Egyptian Geese - I chose this picture to represent "repeating shapes". I loved how the parents were flanking the goslings like sentries. 

2. Butterfly - this picture goes in the "Asymmetrical" category due to the butterfly and flowers all being off to the left. When I saw all the bees and butterflies scattering when I approached this bush I decided to sit very still next to it until they came back and posed for me. 

Chino Otsuka - Summer Series

I found this image from Chino Otsuka's "Summer" series interesting because it made me sit up straight and think, "how did she do that?!" My favorite pictures are always the ones that make me want to grab my camera and recreate them, just to see if I can. I love the supernatural tone of this picture. It seems to tell the story of a family's haunted summer retreat.

Passage of Time

1. African daisies before and after a bloom.

2. Ripening bananas

3. Terrier enjoys a snack.

My dog REALLY liked this assignment!

Diptych Assignment

1. Rocks

I took my "chaotic" image on a hike in Laguna Niguel with the help of my husband, who smashed the giant dirt clod for me. The peaceful image was taken at a bird sanctuary in Newport Beach.

 2. Kittens

These kittens were for adoption with a cat rescue I volunteer for. The sleeping kitten was photographed at a fellow volunteer's house. The crazy ones were my bottle feeders. 

3. Amiibo Picnic

I told my husband that his Ness Amiibo was creepy and evil. I took these photos in our kitchen to illustrate this point.

Assignment 1 - Altered News Image from North Korea

In 2008 rumors of Kim Jong Il's failing health or even death swept North Korea and the world. The North Korean government responded with several images of their glorious leader alive and participating in the community. One of the most infamous and controversial of these images is the above picture of Kim standing before a group of soldiers. This and a few other images publicized in North Korea were later shown to have glaring inconsistencies indicating Photoshopping. In this particular image you can see that the line at the soldier's knees disappears near Kim and that his shadow is slanted in a different direction from others in the picture.