July

View from Breakfast

How I did it -   Last weekend my son and his girlfriend were visiting from Vermont and we took them to breakfast at a quaint little restaurant in Ocean Grove, NJ--The Starving Artist. We sat on their patio and had this lovely view. I don't usually share my flower photos--too many years of photography professors telling me they are "postcard" shots have worn me down, but sometimes I really like one. I liked the color and composition here and wanted to do something special. After adjusting levels and curves and all the usual Camera Raw adjustments, I took it into Topaz Adjust and used the BuzSim filter on it. I really like it, and am looking forward to the opinions of the group.

COMMENTS:
 

Marie Altenburg	I love the photo, Vicki! The only suggestion I’d make is to darken the light spot in the upper left corner and another spot that appears on the left edge across from the purple coneflower’s blossom. But please don’t let professors or judges or anyone else prevent you from capturing and enjoying the photos you take. There are many reasons to press that shutter release.  Competitions are only one reason. Memory-capturing is another. You’ve captured a beautiful memory which may do very well in competitions, too!
Brad Ashbrook	I like the color as well and the BuzSim filter really brought out some nice colors and texture. The one area that is little distracting is the top right, I would either crop it out or clone some more branches in and fill the light areas. The other area to work on might be the brownish flower pointing to the middle. There is a nice image here with the pink flowers, I would play a little more. Boy what do the professors know...
Louis Duncan	I appreciate the technical qualities of this image including exposure, sharpness and depth of field. But what I really like about it is the flowers. The upper left quadrant is somewhat dark but it does serve as a background to bring out the color of the dominant flowers.
Margaret Price	Nice flowers Vicki, the only thing I would suggest is that you crop tighter and focus more on the group of pink daisies.
Stephen Byard	A lovely late Summer feel with the purple rudbeckia and the last few blooms of buddleia. It does lend itself to a painted feel. Simple, enjoyable, and certainly one to hang on the wall
Carol McCreary	Very good flower photo and the Topaz buzsim really works well with this subject. The pink flowers and the slight purple ones on the right are competing for attention, so I would crop 1/2 in off top and crop to just past the purple ones on the right -- this will allow the beautiful pink flowers to dominate the photo. Ignore the professors and enjoy this one... Even postcard photos sell !!

Member Bio

Vicki DeVico - Biography   My name is Vicki DeVico and I live in central New Jersey. My camera accompanies me on all travels and all subjects are likely to end up captured by my camera. I've recently started creating HDR images and am exploring the possibilities in that genre. Although I've always had the desire to create art, which was channeled into many directions, the idea of actually using photography for that purpose didn't manifest until just prior to the purchase of my first digital SLR camera. I was in Las Vegas and took a tour of the Valley of Fire—shooting with my point and shoot, with disappointing results. Shooting with my Canon Rebel XT, then my XTi, and now my two 40D cameras, has been a real learning experience. I started out self-taught, supplemented my knowledge through avid online reading, classes at Brookdale Community College and photography classes at the six Photoshop World conferences I've attended as well as various other NAPP conferences. I also study with Laury Egan, a fine arts photographer. I continue to learn and, hopefully, improve. My images have hung in various shows at Brookdale Community College, in Monmouth Camera Club shows, Twisted Tree Café in Asbury Park, various shows with the Monmouth Camera Club. My photography has been accepted into numerous juried shows at the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury, NJ, the Belmar Arts Council, and I've participated in shows at The Sandy Hook Lighthouse and McKay Gallery in Red Bank. My memberships include PSA (of course), NAPP, Guild of Creative Art (Shrewsbury, NJ), Monmouth Camera Club (PSA member club), New Jersey Federation of Camera Clubs, MCAC (Monmouth Council of the Arts), and SICA (Shore Institute of Contemporary Art). I'm a Photoshop “junkie” and teach Photoshop to beginners. I love sharing what I've learned with others and really look forward to participating in this Study Group, receiving feedback and learning from the members. My website: VisionsbyVicki My blog: VisionsbyVicki My Flickr Photos: vickidevico