Opryland Hotel Bokeh and Nativity

Another wonderful thing about being with my family for Thanksgiving was their proximity of Opryland Hotel.  This time of year Opryland Hotel is dressed beautifully with lights, trees, and a life size nativity scene (of which I will be sharing more over the next few weeks).

For now, I will share some of the bokeh light shots I took.  For those of you reading my blog that have no idea what bokeh is, it is "aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of a photographic image."

In this above image, the bokeh lights are those in the background that appear to be fuzzy, little blobs of light.  If you want to see more elaborate examples head over to My 3 Boybarians for the Second Annual Holiday Bokeh party.

There are thousands of lights hanging from the ceiling throughout a room filled with palms trees, restaurants, shops, a canal, and rooms with adjacent balconies.  It is a magical place.  I will share more of the decorations in future posts, as well.

Now, to leave you with a shot that has nothing to do with bokeh and a lot to do with the reason for the season.  May you be filled with the joy of Christ this season and forever.

I shared the above photo on Monday for Good to Wow.   I did very little to the original.  In ACR, I adjusted white balance, increased exposure +1, increased fill light +17, and decreased contrast slightly.  Then, I opened in PSE and applied Ashley's Nice and Easy action adjusting the layers to taste.  Rounded corners, resized and sharpened for web.

Davis Islands....Another Quiet Place

Last week, I mentioned that one challenge I have encountered since moving to the city has been finding a quiet place.  A place where it is a little easier to slow down, take a deep breath, and relax.  While it has been a struggle, I have lived here over two years, so I have found a few places.

Davis Islands is one of those places.  While, it is an island, I refer to it as more of a quaint community (located at the mouth of the Hillsborough River) that is the hidden jewel of Tampa.  It is one of few areas of wide open space.  It overlooks the water and is free to the public, but shhhhhhhhhh....it's not over saturated with people.

Davis Islands is where the photos I will share today were taken.  I have previously shared photos from this location, as it is prime for silhouettes (more here).

Davis Islands is prime for back lit shots too.  I was able to capture some sweet moments between my son and husband during our recent picnic there.

The above SOOC shot I shared for Good to Wow this week.  My edits were simple, which is what I love about backlighting.  If you nail your exposure in camera, your photo needs very little editing, because the creativity comes from the light flooding into the camera while taking the shot.

I opened the photo is Adobe Camera Raw where I adjusted the white balance, increased the blacks (5), and contrast (8).  NOTE:  If you are editing a backlit shot avoid increasing the blacks and contrast too much.  It will eliminate the haze effect, which is part of the beauty of a backlit shot. Now that I look at it, I increased my contrast too much eliminating some of the haze effect seen in the SOOC shot. Same thing with decreasing exposure.  Your histogram will read overexposed, but again that is due to the light spilling into your lens.  If you decrease your exposure, it should be very little.

I, then, opened the photo is PSE 8 and straightened the horizon; duplicated the background changing the layer to soft light at 13% opacity (primarily for a color boost); added a hue/saturation layer decreasing the reds (-6) and increasing master to (8); flattened and sharpened/resized for web.

Since I am linking up with my friend Courtney over at Click It Up A Notch, I should share what I learned.  I learned that if you don't practice what you learned, you will forget.  Well, I already knew that, but it took me a while to get my settings right for these back lit shots, because I hadn't taken any in several months.

If you want some tips on how to achieve the haze affect which is typically a result of backlighting visit Courtney's 6 Steps to Create a Haze Effect.

Family Photography .... What I Learned

Several weeks ago I took family photos of a friend of mine.  Not only were they family photos, they were family maternity photos.  We finished them just in time, as she went into labor two days later.

A few things I learned:

1. I still struggle to consistently survey the area for distractions when taking family photos or individual photos for friends.
2. I still struggle during crunch time to find solid shade vs. dappled light
3. Reading through The Maternity Posing Guide that Courtney @Click It Up A Notch suggested was more than helpful.
4. And I always learn that while kids are cute and fun they would rather be running around than posing for a photo.  Get Creative and move fast!!

This is week I submitted the SOOC shot of the photo above to the Good to Wow flickr group.  I am realizing more and more that I just don't have the time to be too creative with my edits, so I have to keep them clean when able.  In ACR, I made some adjustments to exposure, contrast, white balance, and brightness.  Then, in PSE 9, I ran The Coffee Shop's Perfect Portrait adjusting the layers to taste.  Then sharpened and resized for the web. 

A Brief View of Tampa at Night

I have always loved the photos people capture at night.  There is something about the light and how it cuts through the darkness that just captivates me.  Plus, the clutter of city life can be hidden by the darkness, which is very appealing to me.

Several weeks ago, my husband and I were able to venture downtown for my first attempt at capturing a little of Tampa at night.

I emailed Courtney and asked her to send me the post she shared regarding Slow Shutter Speed to Show Off Movement, which I used to help me capture the photos below.

This was taken at Curtis Hixon park which is located in downtown Tampa.  It is a fairly new park that is has a wonderful open grassy area, a playground, river walk, and the fountains.  It is adjacent to Tampa's Children's Museum.

Across from Curtis Hixon park is the University of Tampa.  UT is filled with beautiful architecture as you can see.

I shared the above SOOC shot on the Good to Wow flickr group Monday, so you may be wondering what I did for the edit.  I cropped is slightly and ran Pioneer Woman's Boost Color action primarly to add more contrast.

While walking along the river you can view this bridge that is now more of a landmark for those of us who call Tampa home.

I shared this photo a few weeks ago during my "If There Were No Heaven or Hell would you still be a Christian?" series.  However, I rarely take abstract photos, so I wanted to share it again.

Tampa has a lot of fun things to do.  You should come visit sometime.  Let me know and maybe I can show you around the city.

My next night time venture will hopefully include Ybor City (a little nervous to go there at night) and a shot of the skyline.

Linking up with Click It Up a Notch, Shoot and Edit, and Show Off Your Shot.

Journey of Faith Friday: Front Row Seat to One of God's Great Shows

Front Row Seat to One of God's Greatest Shows

Sometimes I wish I did not err on the side of skepticism, doubt, glass half empty. However, we all have those aspects of our personality that we continually struggle to embrace, to change, to explore.  I have sat and listened to many friends say, "I don't know how anyone could ever doubt God.  I have no doubt whatsoever that God is good, that He is real, and that His will is perfect for me."  Where I have never doubted that God created me (and all things) or that He is real, I would be lying if I said, "I never questioned His goodness or His perfect will."  I would also be lying if I said, "I will never doubt those things (and many others) in the future." You may be thinking this post is headed down the path of explaining another season of doubt, or begging people to avoid saying they will never doubt, or even how much doubt has lead me to a closer walk/a deeper faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but that is not where I am going.  

Today, I want to share that throughout my faith journey I have been pursued by God, encouraged by God, and drawn to God through my front row experiences of His Creation.  During seasons of (my) doubting His goodness, I have been drawn back to Him through the moments when He pulls up a seat, asks me to sit, and begins to play out one of His many great shows.  While there are many, the sunset is one that consistently reminds me that God is not only real, but ever present.  

He is beckoning us to look up!  Look down!  Look out!  Look around!  Not at the way, we in our sinful nature mess things up, but the way He in His goodness make things beautiful.  The way He takes the ugly mess we have made and pours out grace and mercy to make all things new.   The way He turns beauty to ashes.  

It is when I choose to pay attention that I am reminded God is everywhere and there is no denying Him. I may struggle, at times, with understanding His goodness when it comes in the form of a tragedy, but nevertheless, He uses His canvas of creation to speak softly the words, "I am in control.  I make all things new.  I make beauty from ashes." (Isa. 40: 12-14, Rev. 21:5, Isa.61:3)

God's grandest show is His creation of man, yet that is the show I struggle with the most.  It is His own image that blesses and disgusts me beyond belief.  Yet, I am a part of it.  I am a partner in the blessing and the disgust.  Yet, God in making beauty from ashes does just that in the life of man.  He takes His grandest show and as an encore redeems this life from one of ruin, of pain, of selfishness, and redeems it to one of beauty that is only found in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And while being a spectator of God through creation, I learn that doubt, pain, and loss are just as much a part of His goodness as beauty, love, and joy. 

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You can read other Journey of Faith Friday posts HERE.

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**I am linking up with Shoot and Edit.  Click over to visit more edits.  You can see my SOOC shots HERE.  I did very little to these photos.  I added a High Pass Filter (Soft Light) to each one and adjusted the levels/brightness/contrast to taste.  I also straightened the horizon and added text.

I am also linking up with Scripture and a Snapshot.

Front Row Seat....

A few weekends back we were blessed by friends when they offered us a beach front condo for the week.  They had rented the condo for two weeks, but were only able to stay the first week.  Since we only live 30 minutes from Sand Key beach we were thrilled when they offered it to us the second week.

This week's Shoot and Edit them is sunsets.  One of the many wonderful things about living near Florida's west coast is the beautiful sunsets.  However, we rarely have a front row seat, so thank you Conni for giving us the opportunity to sit and enjoy one of God's most magnificent shows.

These are all SOOC (straight out of the camera):

Be sure to come back later this week (Thursday or Friday) to see these photos edited.  Head over to Jill's to view other SOOC shots.  Oh and check back tomorrow to read a guest post Jill will be sharing here at Amber's Articles.