Not So SAHM

Gateway to the West

Apparently this is the tallest arch in the world and the tallest man-made monument in the United States! 630 ft (190 meters) tall. Those black rectangles are windows that you can peek out of once you’re at the top.

St Louis Arch is the tallest arch in the world Not So SAHM — Gateway to the West – ProjectEdit365 – 08 June

The original looked good in color, but I love how the steel lends itself to black and white. I increased the clarity and decreased the contrast. I played with the Tone Curve sliders tonight to get the desired look. I confess, I do not understand Tone Curve and so I rarely use it. I need to study up!

08June

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Sunshine Lady

My girls love to play in the rain. Usually under an umbrella.

Girl looks out from under a pink umbrella Not So SAHM — Sunshine Lady – ProjectEdit365 – 07 June

As toddlers love to eat, but rarely hit the mark, my girl had food around her mouth. I healed that out and cloned out a crumb on her cheek. I moved the tint slider closer to the green side and the temp slider closer to the cooler side. I used an adjustment brush on her eyes to sharpen them. I used another adjustment brush on the background to soften it. Lastly, I increased the vibrance just a tad. The original (can you spot the messy mouth?):

07June

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Lady Liberty

The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

The Statue of Liberty Not So SAHM — Lady Liberty – ProjectEdit365 – 06 June

I made subtle edits (but a lot) to this one. I cropped in a little and slightly sharpened the whole picture. I adjusted clarity, contrast, and the shadows to reach the desired effect. I used an adjustment brush on her plaque and face to sharpen those up a bit. I also used an adjustment brush on the sky to soften it and decrease the noise. I decreased the aqua saturation and increased the blue. *After typing all that, I’m sure there are people who could do the same thing with better efficiency! The original:

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The Visitor

Tiny visitor
Fulfilling God’s purposes
For all of mankind

My dad and stepmom used to keep bees. For some reason both of their hives disappeared. I think this was before the hives left.

A bee searches for nectar in a lily Not So SAHM — The Visitor – ProjectEdit365 – 05 June

I think I intended to catch the bee in the photo in the original. I cropped this a little to focus more on her. I sharpened the picture and lowered the noise. Increased the vibrancy and clarity by just a little. I increased the contrast to 100 and then slightly lightened the shadows. I cooled the temp a little bit and then moved the tint a little into the pink. (I didn’t stay true to the original color of the flower, but that’s not what I was going for.) I used an adjustment brush on the green section in the left side of the photo to decrease the noise over there a little bit more. And I used another adjustment brush on the bee to make it stand out more. The original:

05June

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Biltmore Sisters

I would love it if my girls would enjoy being my photo subjects.

Like this one time when they didn’t mind posing for me on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate:

Two girls stand next to a brick wall on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC Not So SAHM — Biltmore Sisters – ProjectEdit365 – 04 June

This was another quick edit tonight. I really wanted to go black and white and be done with it, but I challenged myself to do some color adjusting, even though I couldn’t spend a lot of time on it. I like the curve of the brick behind them, but I cropped in to change the pic up a bit. I lowered the saturation but increased the vibrance. Lowered the clarity to give it a softer look. I moved the “tint” slider more to the pink side and then adjusted the individual orange and yellow colors just a tad to soften the colors. I used an adjustment brush on their eyes to sharpen them. I think that’s about it. The original:

04June

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La Tour Eiffel

During our anniversary trip, we made it to Paris.

One of the most iconic structures in the world:

Looking up to the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France Not So SAHM — La Tour Eiffel – ProjectEdit365 – 03 June

With the edit I was going for an old-world look. I really liked the original photograph, below. Tonight my challenge was one of speed (not much time to get on the computer) and just finding an edit to make. Sometimes black and white is the way to go. I did click the black and white button on the individual color palette, but I didn’t stop there. When you click that button you then have the option of adjusting all the colors within the black and white picture. It makes a difference!

03June

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