For those who may not know what I'm talking about, actions are when you record what you do in Photoshop for a short period of time, so that in the future you can replay said action and perform a combination of things with the click of a button. It saves a LOT of time, and let's face it, I just think it's pretty darned cool.
I had downloaded a set of actions off of The Pioneer Woman's website, and they lay dormant in my computer for several months until I got CS5. And now, I can use them. And I am in LOVE with actions.
I particularly like the 'Lovely and Ethereal' action and the 'Warming' action, especially with this set of pictures that I took on Friday at an abandoned train depot/livestock shipping barn. The atmosphere of the buildings was that of a graveyard: quiet, but strangely beautiful at the same time with all the shafting sunbeams and soft internal light.
The midday sun usually isn't too kindly to a camera lense--everything is either washed out or in high contrast--but inside a building looking at the sunlight shafting down through the roof and making the dark places glow, it was night perfect.
For this picture I ran 'Lovely and Ethereal', 'Warming', and a bit of contrast over a base layer of 'Multiply'. The effect, if I say so myself, is fantastic.
I think I ran 'Sunlight' over this one...or maybe it was 'Warming'. I don't know, whatever it took to get that warm light look. XD
I only found out about HDR photography recently, and from the way I understand it I would have to take 3 pictures (normal, low, and high exposure) and blend them together in Photoshop to get a picture with an amazing, almost fantasy-like effect.
Of course, then I'd need a tripod, and I don't HAVE a tripod (yet), so I guess that point was moot. But when I get one, I'm running over here to get more pictures. XD
I thought about opening the drawers, but the thought of some dormant creature flying out unexpectedly stopped me. (It was a legitimate concern--I saw at least one cat skulking around, and there were raccoon droppings EVERYWHERE.)
I managed to hit my head over here--I was crouched next to a car to get pictures of the rusty wheels, and forgot that there was a metal bar above me, and stood up quickly, and...well, you can guess. There was no blood and no lump, so I continued on. XD
But I only want to take pictures of them--actually having them around me is more of a hassle. XD
And next time I go, I'll have a tripod...then HDR, here I come!!
Your hostess,
The Fox