Gone Panorama Crazy

 Lately, I've gone a little crazy with the Panoramas...I discovered that with Photoshop it is super easy! All you do is click file-new panorama, select your photos, click ok and let her go!

The panorama below was taken behind the building where our church meets.

 At The Beach

The panoramas below were taken at our family's vacation to Galveston

This was the view from the beach house that we rented:

This one is my favorite, we were collecting shells near the San Luis Pass

 On the Beach...

 Our Beach House (from behind)

(Now, try and guess where the seam lines are. :))

Around Our House
Notice that my brother, J.Michael is in all three photos I used for the panoramas below.

Sometimes a little cropping is necessary but other than that it is super easy! Just make sure you watch your exposure so that the pictures will 'sew' together seamlessly. Always err on the side of overlapping-it is far easier to merge duplicate information than to try and re-create what's not there.

Beach Trip: Brain Teasers

In the beach house where we stayed there was a mirror which stood parallel to the front door that led to the balcony overlooking the beach. On our first morning there we decided to eat breakfast on the balcony. The wind was very strong so we chose to leave the door open so we could come in and out more easily. Standing in the doorway I was telling my mother how I loved having such a large mirror when I suddenly had an idea. It is a well known fact among photographers that the photographer is the least photographed for obvious reasons. So, we photographers will result to all sorts of creative ways to say "we were there". I've tried taking a self-portrait in the mirror before but it never has seemed to work very well. I typically have to use the flash which messes up the whole picture when it bounces off the mirror obscuring my face. But this time it worked. With the open door facing the sunrise there was enough light to not use the flash and if I lowered the exposure it was even better because I got a silhouette.

 This was my set-up:

 Zoomed in and exposure reduced to bring in the waves.

This one is my favorite:

 and...here are some other interesting shots

 Who is where? Are they walking towards the mirror or the doorway?  

Editing Your Photos-Part Two-Artistic Effects

Artistic Effects:

(click to enlarge photos)

Paint Daubs:

This is one way to turn your photograph into a "painting" by making little "Daubs" or "Blobs" of color rather than clear, sharp edges.

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After:

Sponge:

Similar to watercolor in it's "watery" appearance but has a different texture. Sponge is more "grainy" than watercolor-like a sponge.

Before:

Rough Pastels:

Pastels are similar to crayons (only more professional :) and will create a more "gritty" and "streaky" look to your photograph as it has done here.

Palette Knife:

Notice the "blobs", much like in a painting.

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After:

Dry Brush:

Notice the smoothed and more blended colors in this photograph.

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After:

Charcoal:

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Colored Pencils:

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Watercolor:

Watercolor darkens the colors in your photos and make it look more "watery"
like a watercolor painting.

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After:

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Emboss:

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Soft Focus:
(I used Gaussian Blur & a little B&W to dim the overexposed areas)

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Have Fun!