Tag Archives: flowers

Photo of the Day- In to the Cosmos

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"In to the Cosmos" - Tracey Capone Photography

Well folks, I had a whole tutorial planned for today but, as my internet is down due to some storms (which, oddly, happened Monday morning and yet are somehow affecting my cable today… hmmmm) and I don’t want to use up too much of my mobile hot spot time, I’m going to stick with a simple Photo of the Day.  I’ll do a few extra Photoshop tutorials later this week to make up for it. :)

Today’s Photo of the Day, “In to the Cosmos,”  is a sepia toned photograph of a cosmos flower I came across while out and about with the camera. Cosmos reminds me a bit of one of my favorites, poppies, with the delicate, yet hardy flower sitting tipped as if cradling the sun.

Enjoy!

*tracey*

Photo of the Day- Noir

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"Noir" - Tracey Capone Photography

I woke up to another one of those mornings where, it’s so dark outside, you can’t decide if you accidentally woke up too early or it’s just going to be “one of those days.” Today, it turned out my alarm clock was working just fine… unfortunately, it’s just going to be one of those rainy Chicago days (one of many as of late).

Today’s Photo of the Day, “Noir” is a tribute to those grainy old, black and white films that, despite lacking color didn’t lack beauty in any way. It was about to rain when I took this photo of a wildflower at Chicago Botanic Garden and I wanted to use that lack of sun in the final piece while giving it some of that beautiful grain of the film noir days.

This is just a reminder to me that, despite the rainy, cloudy day, there is still amazing beauty out there; I just have to look past the grey.

While I truly appreciate the colors that nature creates, the beauty of a monochrome photo is that it forces the mind to notice aspects of the photo it may not have otherwise… to imagine it’s own color scheme. Here is another shot of the wildflower in color. How close were you?

Enjoy!

*tracey*

Photo of the Day- “Embrace”

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"Embrace" - Tracey Capone Photography

I think my favorite sign that Spring has, well, sprung, is the dogwood blooms. I love how the papery, delicate sepals  gently cradle the smaller inner flowers. (The common misconception is that the larger part is a flower.  They’re actually called “bracts” and protect several smaller flowers on the inside, similar to the green sepals that protect other buds before blooming)

I love how the tips of the creme colored bracts have just the slightest but of burgundy at the end, as if nature was using Photoshop to “burn” the edges to give them definition. More than anything, I love the overall structure of a dogwood, especially when shot as a monochrome image like the photo of the day, “Embrace.”

I wanted to give this a bit more definition by adding an espresso tone to the overall picture and I love how this turned out. The creme colored sepals in stark contrast to the bold, inner flowers; the variations in the leaves and the branches. Mother Nature gave us a wonderful subject when she created dogwoods, don’t you think?

Enjoy!

*tracey*

"Texture Series" - Tracey Capone Photography

New to the Gallery… “The Extrovert”

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Admittedly, I’m behind on posting some of my newer creations so, no time like the present, however, perhaps I should change the title to “Relatively New to the Gallery” How about this… “Added to the Gallery Within the Last Month or So?” It’s a mouthful but it will do.  Time just gets away from you…

“The Extrovert,” shot here at the Chicago Botanical Gardens is “relatively” new to the gallery and one of my favorites. It was recently purchased in a large format print and I truly wanted to keep it for myself :) (Wait, I’m the artist, I suppose I can right?)

The flower is in no way Photoshopped, it was just THAT pretty. I loved how it stood out against the murkiness of the pond it was in. Fact of the day… that’s actually one of the reasons the lotus flower symbolizes perseverance against all odds… something so beautiful can grow up from the dark, dirty waters of a pond.

Enjoy!

*tracey*

"The Extrovert" by Tracey Capone

Baked Figs and Creme Fraiche… A Treasury

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Fresh Figs- a photograph by honeyandjamphoto on Etsy

The only childhood memories I have of anything, “fig related” are of Fig Newtons. I’ll admit it… they weren’t my favorite. I would have much preferred a ooeygooey (yes,  as far as I’m concerned, that’s a word) chocolate chip cookie over a Newton any day. Looking back, I didn’t  appreciate the beauty and delicate flavor of the fig.  As an adult I look forward, with much anticipation, to Autumn and the markets carrying fresh figs. Use them in salads, grill them, or preserve them, they’re healthy and tasty and, dare I say it, one of the most beautiful fruits around. You can find a host of fantastic recipes for figs as well as tips on how to store them on the California Fig Advisory Board’s website found here.

Today’s treasury is inspired by the beautiful shades of green and aubergine of the fig and even includes a special treat… one of my favorite recipes for Baked Figs and Creme Fraiche.  Looking for a simple, yet elegant dessert for a holiday dinner party? Try it… you won’t be disappointed.

Be sure to check out the treasury by clicking on the photo below and search each of the Etsy shops included in the treasury for some great inspiration for the holidays and beyond… Enjoy!

*tracey*

Pixel Bender and the Droste Effect

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Droste Clock

Well, I apologize, it’s been a few weeks since I posted. I appreciate everyone’s patience while I attended to some family matters (and of course surviving the biggest snowfall in Philadelphia’s history…brrr). All is well and I’m excited to get back to the blogging!

For those who have been following along, you know of my recent obsession with all things Photoshop. I have even gone so far as to go through a very extensive training program (three phases, about 20 hours each) to get certified and I can honestly say, it was well worth it! I learned so much that I can’t wait to share with all of you!

Today’s post is going to be spotlighting a wonderful tutorial on The Droste Effect, along with one of the filters which can be used in Pixel Bender plug-in within Photoshop (as well as other products in the CS suite).

There are a number of examples out on Flickr of the Droste effect, some a little creepy but cool all the same,  found here.  First though, a few definitions…

What is the Droste Effect?

The term refers to a specific type of recursive picture…well, wait, recursive? What’s that? There’s an a long and completely confusing definition, used in both computer science and mathematics, regarding functions and components. Long story short, it’s a broad term used to describe objects self-duplicating themselves repeatedly, seemingly infinitum.

Example please!!  Ever been to a Hall of Mirrors? I don’t know about you but, as a kid,  I had fun making the Millions of Tracey’s dance and jump and, well act silly all in unison. Because the mirrors were set at particular angles to one another, the image would repeat over and over, and the reflection got smaller and smaller for what seemed like forever.

The Droste Effect is the same concept, meaning a picture depicting a smaller version of its self and, within that a smaller version, and so on and so on. While, to the eye, this duplication appears to continue on forever, it will only truly continue until the resolution of the picture will no longer allow it.

What is Pixel Bender?

I won’t even begin to boggle everyone’s minds with the exact definition of what Pixel Bender does, especially as I’m only on my first cup of coffee. I have, however, attached a link to Adobe Labs definition of how it works. In laments terms though, it’s a pretty cool plug in for several Adobe products, including Photoshop, which very quickly processes a bunch of complex algorithms to apply filters or effects to your photo or illustration, in this case, the Droste Effect.

First things first, in order to use Pixel Bender, you have to download the actual Pixel Bender plug in- found here. (check the very bottom) Now, once that’s downloaded, if you have a mind to, you can code your own image processing algos (the filters and effects) or, you can take advantage of the wealth of shared knowledge on the dedicated Pixel Bender Exchange site within Adobe. (Yes, it’s just that amazing that it has its own site.)

Now, as I don’t claim to be a computer genius, to achieve the Droste Effect, I am using the best (at least in my opinion) filter out there, created by a developer by the name of Tom Beddard. Tom, also known as “subblue,” has created a number of amazing Pixel Bender downloads that he offers up for free (oh did I mention the actual Pixel Bender plug in is free as well?? Thank you Adobe!) His graphic design work, blog and downloads  can be found here on his site.

Tom also provides a wonderful tutorial on how to use his Droste Effect filter, along with the filter  download, here. I’ve attached a couple of my own initial attempts and plan on providing many more down the road. I won’t dare to repeat everything Tom provided in his tutorial but I’ll offer up one suggestion… don’t be afraid to play around with the tool on a copy of your photo. (I’ve said it before and will say it again, if you’re going to play, especially when messing with pixels, save an original copy somewhere else as you never know what can happen.) The more you tweak the settings, using Tom’s basic tutorial as a guide, the more interesting the results and guaranteed you’ll end up with something different each time.

If you decide to play around with the Droste Effect, I would love to see what you’ve done with it. Please feel free to comment and post!

Enjoy!

*tracey*

"Droste Lotus"

New Creation- The Monochrome Botanical Series

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"Monochrome 1- Gardenia"

As far back as I can remember, I have loved black and white photos for their understated beauty. Beauty aside however, as I’ve discussed in earlier posts (and thus won’t bore you again with all the scientific mumbo jumbo about brain synapses and color assignment), I believe it’s also due to the lack of color which forces your mind to process the photograph in a way much different from a color photograph.

I especially love monochrome botanical photographs. It’s  easy to look at a picture of an orange poppy and say it’s beautiful, however it’s mostly due to the beautiful orange color nature provided it. Remove that color and you’re forced to look at the lines and curves of the flower itself and, quite frankly, in my mind, Mother Nature is a true artist.

My Monochrome Botanical Series is an ever-growing series of many of her best works. I am lucky enough to come across so many beautiful subjects in my daily life, that I’m excited about what’s to come. The series, as well as others, can be found here, in my online gallery.

Enjoy!

*tracey*

"Monochrome 3- Poppy"

"Monochrome 4- Poppies"

 

Monochrome 2- Succulent"

Going to a Good Home, “Smoke”

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I’m always toying around with new ways to shoot photos whether it be trying out a different lens, shooting from a different angle or, in this case, trying out a new filter.

“Smoke” is an 8×8 print of a beautiful dark pink bloom that I came across while wondering through Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, TN. Doesn’t look pink right? I took this photo with an infrared filter attached to my macro lens. Now, if you look at other examples of infrared photography, this isn’t quite the same, but, regardless, I loved the end result of this photo.

Layered just slightly to give it a textured effect, I love how the flower ended up looking like billowing smoke. I’m still toying with the infrared photography, and plan on offering more as time goes on. In the mean time though, check out “Smoke” in my online gallery, as well as others available.

Smoke WM

"Smoke"

Going to a Good Home “First Leaf of Fall”

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Going to a good home is a beautiful large format metallic print of “First Leaf of Fall.”

Now, those who have read past blogs have heard me tout metallic paper’s high quality and amazing look so I won’t go in to it ad nauseum but seriously folks, with a print like this one, I can’t even begin to do justice in explaining how wonderful it looks. OK, I’m sorry, I lied, I need to talk about metallic paper again.

Having been called, “chrome on paper,” metallic paper highlights vibrant colors while providing a subtle yet beautiful dimension to photographs that is unmatched by other papers. While it’s not for every print, in “First Leaf” the reds and oranges of the leaf almost pop off the paper while the browns of the table underneath take on a truly realistic quality. You can see every line of the leaf and almost feel like if you touch the paper, you will be able to pull the leaf off the page.

This print, among others are available in metallic paper in multiple sizes in my online gallery. Custom sizes are always available. Feel free to browse around!

Fall WM

"First Leaf of Fall"

Going to a Good Home- “Dogwood”

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Well, anyone that has seen my business cards, avatar, banner for shows, etc. etc. knows how much I love Dogwood trees. I love how the flower of the tree looks both delicate and strong at the same time and how the beautiful colors of each flower play off of one another so perfectly.

“Dogwood” was taken at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens here in the Nashville, TN area. Cheekwood is a beautiful place to visit any time of year but is especially so in late Spring when all of flowers and foliage are out in their full glory.

I love the depth of field of this photo as it’s something I’m always playing around with; the flower in the front being very crisp and detailed and the one in the back being out of focus yet still discernable. This is one of those photos that I will always turn to as one of my favorites no matter how many I take.

It is with great pleasure that “Dogwood” is going to a good home, framed up and matted in a beautiful black wood frame. As a note, this print is also going to be on display as part of the Love,Juca silent auction and sale in Spring Hill, TN starting this week, through November 6th.

This limited edition print is available in my online gallery, along with others. Please feel free to check it out!

"Dogwood"

"Dogwood"