The 52nd ETSOOI theme started today so I couldn't resist. I had gone to pick up a bag of 'holy cow' which is manure you mix with soil (don't I sound like a gardener?). While there, I took a lot of photos of the many flowers for sale. I'd never seen a black petunia before -- they're beautiful. When I downloaded the photos, these were the ones I started processing. Started in Lightroom, migrated to Silver Efex and back to Color Efex solarization filter. Then imported to picmonkey collage, then exported to picmonkey editor, and ta-da. This is the result. Great fun!
PS -- bag of manure that started all this is still in the car. Ended up playing with photos rather than getting the rest of the flowers/herbs that arrived today into their pots.
PPS -- thank you so much for sending my hydrangea shot to the PP for a bit. Very exciting!
And don't forget -- still time for entering the mundane-stairs theme/challenge! http://365project.org/discuss/themes-competitions/25806/announcing-mundane-challenge-stairs
I did get tickled with your "P.S" - photo playing is much more fun! Love what you've done with these black petunias - which I never knew there were - and viewing this against black is even better. Really made a fabulous collage with it.
I was planning to put a couple (not nearly as many as you're planting!) flowers into my pots on deck today. Well, you weren't the only one who didn't get to it! I did manage to spray the flowers so the deer who were resting in the neighbors backyard weren't tempted to come and snack on my gardens afterwards. I like your processing here!
This is fabulous Taffy and much better than playing with manure! Interesting to read you process as wellI haven't got Silver Efex but I'm tempted as so many people on here seem to use it and want to improve on my efforts in B&W
@thistle I can't recommend Silver Efex highly enough. It has been, along with studying a few people's work regularly on 365 who do B&W work, the primary way I've learned about B&W photography. Then, there were two b&w book clubs in February over the past two years (2013 and 2014 I think, maybe 2102) you should look up -- those books really helped as well. I've found that learning to think in b&w has helped me improve my composition as well as noticing more about the role of form and texture and contrast. Have fun!!
I'm actually glad this isn't real - I think black flowers would be too depressing! You must write down what you do with processing - I just move on from one app to another, reject or accept but never remember!
@kelly2 Funny comment, Irene! Thanks for the visit! I actually am sitting here with my computer, having planted about 40 plants - flowers and herbs -- this afternoon. I hit a wall about 20 minutes ago and came in to drink water and relax a bit. There are three lovely basil plants that need a bunch more soil mixed for their pot, but I think they will be fine til tomorrow. And three more flower-type things that need a new home in a still to be figured out pot. I don't know how they ended up left over! NOT my most fun afternoon but they do look nice and healthier now that they've had some water and are out of their little pots. Whew! Happier looking at and commenting on photos!
@maggiemae They black flowers ARE real! My processing was just to make it b&w. They were totally unusual -- like velvet and actually very pretty. Haha re the processing...I don't write it down and never remember except immediately after I save it. Within the hour, I couldn't replicate if my life depended on it!