91. Extreme Close-Up

Today we are exactly a quarter of the way through the year. 

Which means I am a quarter of the way through this little project. 

Part of me thinks this year is going so, so fast - but part of me feels like I have taken an awful lot of photographs so far this year. That can only be a good thing! I'm off to the spa in Bath to celebrate.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

90. Fix-it Friday // Welcome

I haven't done one of these for a while - recently I've been leaving a lot of my photos exactly as they are. However, this one was a total transformation and the product of a lot of Photoshop meddling, so I thought I'd share my editing process.

Firstly, here's the original shot - a pretty boring capture of the sign outside our village church. 

I opened it up in Adobe Camera RAW and had a little tweak with the levels, reducing the exposure slightly and bringing up the contrast. 

Once I was happy with that, I opened it in Elements and gave it a quick level and crop. 

I then used some Pioneer Woman Actions (these are a great set, free to download and pretty much all I bother using) - I tried Heartland, which completely desaturates to give an aged, sketch-like quality to the shot. I toned it down to about 70% opacity and then added the Seventies action on top, again toned down to about 70% opacity. Finally, I merged the layers and added a black and white tint, at about 50% opacity. 

It's definitely an improvement on the original shot - let me know what you think.

Happy Friday everyone!

89. Fountains

More Millennium Square - a fascinating place.

88. Reflections

Millennium Square in Bristol, in the sun. Beautiful. 

87. Zany

This guy was loving having his picture snapped at the weekend, as he played away in the sun. He had a really vibrant, zany character. So cool. 

86. Debris

85. Patterns

I absolutely love Fritillaries - also known as Snakes' Head Lilies. I used to grow them in the garden of my childhood home. These were spotted in the grounds of Lacock Abbey yesterday morning - the seem very early! The weather is glorious here at the moment though, so they have decided to brave it. Their chequered patters are absolutely beautiful. 

84. New

These guys are our new neighbours. 

83. Candid

These guys are all great. I love capturing moments like this. 

82. Glass

Cheers!

81. Hands

Our lovely friends, Alex and Laura, tied the knot last weekend. I managed to get a few shots at the wedding that I was pretty pleased with. This is a fairly classic pose!

80. Food

Yum yum yum. I'm feeling peckish just looking at this photo!

79. How I see myself...

I'm using one of the Scavenger Hunt Sunday shots to fit this theme as it is pretty much how everyone sees me nowadays! I am the one who is behind the camera! On a slightly deeper level, it is increasingly becoming how I see myself, particularly as I am taking steps to improve my skills. I can't see myself without a camera in my life. 

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

With several busy weekends and being right in the middle of a hectic school term, I've not made the time to do this for the past couple of weeks. Shame on me. Particularly as it is such fun! Do head over to Ashley Sisk's Ramblings and Photos to see some other interpretations of this week's Scavenger Hunt Sunday.

Here are mine...

1. Vintage

I found this vintage Kodak Brownie last weekend in a junk shop. This model is from the 1950s and I love it - hoping to run a test film through soon.

2. Word

We went to a fantastic wedding down in Cornwall yesterday and had a wonderful time celebrating with good friends. I loved the little details, like these hand-drawn place settings. So beautiful

3. Nature's Own

This one needs little explanation. Blossom is everywhere here at the moment. I'm a bit addicted to snapping it!

4. People

Another from the wedding - I love capturing people and their emotions; everyone looks so happy here, watching the bride and groom cut the cake.

5. Photographer's Choice

My interpretation of this very 'open' prompt was to show you my choice of camera and lens. I'm a Nikon user and the lens I currently get the most use out of is a f.1.8 50mm portrait lens. A lot of people disregard these fixed lenses in favour of a zoom lens, but I have no problem moving my feet!

78. Ring

77. Sport

On Friday evening we went to see the Plymouth Raiders play against the Cheshire Jets. It was my first live basketball game - such fun! 

76. Dusk

75. Found Objects

I found this 'Box Brownie' camera in a junk shop last weekend and had to snap it up. The model number dates it somewhere between 1953 and 1957. We now have a couple of these in our collection of vintage cameras - it's been great fun trying them out and running a film through. Hopefully, we'll be able to do the same with this one. A great find!

74. Groups

The sheep in the field over the road are always huddled together in groups - as sheep tend to be. It is particularly evident at the moment, as I think they're about to lamb. 

73. Animal

Adorable. Waiting patiently for his owner to return, outside a cafe - and just because he was so beautiful, here's another...

72. Gloomy

Watchet Harbour in the mist. 

71. Distorted

This is B, who is 6'4, looking teeny tiny for once. 

70. Eating

This weekend we have been down in Minehead for ATP Festival. This was my favourite part - fish and chips on the pier. 

69. Best friend

He actually is. 

68. Pet

Not mine, but someone's. She is very loyally standing, waiting by their front door. 

67. Curvature

It's funny how often you miss what is right before your eyes. I have walked through the abbey gates so often, yet never paid attention to the lovely curved ironwork until I had my camera in my hand. It definitely makes me look at things with a more observant eye. 

66. Fresh

Fresh raindrops on the very fresh colours of my beautiful hellebore, freshly blooming after a year of no flowers. I love this sight. 

65. Symmetry

I loved how this little table in a cafe in Lichfield looked, just waiting for two to come and enjoy their Sunday morning coffee. 

64. Arranged

This one was also taken at my aunty's house - this time in her kitchen, where she has arranged these colourful decorations along her windowsill. 

63. Pastimes

Not my pastime, but my aunty's. She has knitted some absolutely amazing clothes and this caught my eye in her living room this morning. Such a stunning colour of wool. 

62. Blossom

It has become something of a running joke in our household that it gets to this time of year and I start taking a ridiculous amount of photographs of flowers. I am trying my hardest to broaden my photographic subjects, however, one of my themes is 'blossom' and it has just started blooming, so this had to be done. Had to.

61. Beauty

This is why I love Spring.

Happy March everyone!