Deb's Umbrella: Two Ways

My friend Deb of Paper Turtle has offered up a photograph and asked people to edit it anyway they would like.  You can see her original photo and read about her challenge here.  Since it's a sun umbrella where she and her husband sit to enjoy the end of the day, I chose a quote about the joys of the great outdoors. I did all my editing in picmonkey, a free site which offers all kinds of overlays and effects (it's kindof like photoshop elements for dummies). I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out . . . it feels like me.
But, I wanted to do another variation.  One for Deb, one which I thought she would like and which would fit her and her life.  So, here's version #2:

This was such a great challenge. It really helped me learn to use more of the features in picmonkey.  And it helped me think about how different creations might appeal to different people. I wonder which of these variations you prefer?
Other bloggers are playing along with this challenge, too. To check them out, click here to go to Deb's blog and see the linky.
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p.s. The 2013 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt is on! Check out the details at this post. **************************************************************************

Texture Tuesday Link Up

It's been a while since I've played with PSE - mostly because of my hard drive crash.  PSE reloaded in a slightly different format which has confused me.  I need to go re-do the Kim Klassen videos and also finish  start the Jessica Sprague class I signed up for.  In the meantime, I decided to participate in Kim's Textue Tuesday link-up using her free texture "Warm Sun."  I started with the following picture of Gypsy:

cropped it, added the texture, then played a bit with the color levels. I think that PSE is definitely a "use it or lose it" skill for me.  What about you?  Is it second nature or do you need a refresher each time you open it?

Class Review: Skinny Mini from Kim Klassen

One of my resolutions for this year is to learn photoshop elements, and the first step in the process was taking a free class on photoshop called the Skinny Mini, offered by Kim Klassen.  The class was run over two weeks, with new lessons posted each weekday.  The lessons alternated between videos explaining a concept and homework to go over those concepts.    The videos were incredibly clear and easy to follow.  I would run the videos on my ipad, while working in PSE on my computer.  I could pause and rewind the videos whenever I needed to.  The homeworks re-enforced the lessons presented in the videos and gave you the steps in a written format. The lessons covered using the layers panel, blending modes,adding text,  solid adjustments, textures, brushes, spot healing, masks, black & white conversions, making a blog banner and making a blog button.  Although the videos were only available for a week after the class ended, for a nominal fee of $5.00, a student can have permanent access to the videos.  I gladly paid the charge to have continued access to them.  There was a flickr group in which you could post your homework assignments, and other students often commented on them.  There was also a conversation page to post questions, and Kim answered every question posted to the conversation page promptly.
Overall, this was a great class!  It contained a huge amount of information, and it was all very clearly presented.  I learned enough to be able to process photographs in many interesting ways.  And it was free!  My one criticism is that Kim's approach to teaching might not appeal to everyone because, although she does a great job of showing off all the "trees" of photoshop, she never really describes the "forest."   I ended up having used a number of different tools available in PSE and feeling pretty good about how to use them, but I never understood the big picture of how they related to each other.  Now, not everybody wants the big picture.  Many people just want to jump in and know what button to push, drag or apply.  And Kim is fantastic at that!  But I do better with a little more introduction.  So, I'll be taking another class in the near future to hopefully learn more.  Still, for a free class, I give the class a solid A rating. I'd love to hear reactions from others who have taken a Kim Klassen class as to whether you think this is typical of her style, and, from everyone, whether you want a teacher who emphasizes the forest or trees.
My art journal page above summarizes my feelings about the class.  It reads, "In January, I took an introductory, free PS class and I learned how to do a lot of things, but I don't yet have a good overview.  I've signed up for another class and hope to learn even more.  I'm happy to emphasize photo processing." I incorporated images of an owl (for learning) and a forest and a tree (for what I learned & didn't learn). 

Let's Talk "Photoshopping" Photos

I'm working on my second assignment in the FREE photoshop class I'm taking with Kim Klassen ("Skinny Mini"), which is on using the layers and adjustment panels.  The result of my initial attempt is above, and I think it's pretty cool looking.  Here's the original photo below:

First, I changed the photo by using the "hard mix" blending mode to get the cool highlights; then I lightened everything in the blending mode and added text. 

I'm happy to be learning photoshop, but I'm feeling a little conflicted as well.  I have always been a little uneasy about "photoshopping" or "processing" photos because I think it changes the essential nature of the photograph and consequently photography as an art form.  That's the main reason I hesitated for so long before learning photoshop.  I finally broke down and bought PSE because I thought PSE would be an easy way to improve a photo without changing it.  I think the processes I went through with this photo really change it's nature, rather than simply improving the original image. On the other hand, I can see how these types of changes will be useful in creating a poster or card or some other digital art piece.  

Here's the rest of my homework assignment. I did all kinds of blending and adjusting on the first photograph to create the second piece.

Again, it's cool to be able to do this, and I'm glad to be learning this, but this still seems to me like a different art form than photography.  And maybe that's okay. And maybe I'll embrace digital art or digital photography (or whatever it is/should be called), but I do think it's different than the art of photography.  What do you think? I'd welcome your thoughts.