Photography Lesson - Actions

Actions are tools that you use in processing.  The ones I'm going to talk about here, The Essentials Set from Paint the Moon, can be used with both Photoshop and Elements; and will make a huge difference in your shots with just a few clicks of the mouse. 

Here we have a shot I took at a recent clinic.  It was shot in raw and isn't too bad.  A little dark, but it's alright.

The composition is good and everything is in focus.  Now watch what happens when I use the "Punch it Up" action from the Essentials Set.

Now we're getting there, but still it could be a bit better.  So I'm going to use the "Luxe Color Boost" action.



To do this took me all of five minutes.  Without the actions, it might have taken me hours. 

Now let's go outside.

Our original.

Once again, not too bad. Interesting composition.  In focus.  But I think it's a little too blue.  So I'm going to use the "Warm it Up" action.

Hmm, getting there, so I'm going to use the "Paint on Vibrant Color" action and lower the layer opacity to about 30%.

Now I like it. 

This action set costs $45 and will make a world of difference in your pictures.  They load right into Photoshop and I'm guessing they load right in to Elements as well.  Now I can just hear you guys thinking to yourselves, "Actions, Smacktions, Maia would you please speak English.  I have no idea what you are trying to tell me here.  The Paint the Moon website has great tutorials which will explain exactly what an action is, what a layer is, and how to use them.  Do yourselves a favor and take a look. You won't be sorry.







When The Moon Hits Your Eye ...

(PICTURES COMING SOON)

Squigg:  "There she is folks.  Isn't she beeutiful."  Sigh. "Her eyes the color of a summer sky.  Each little whisker perfection."

Dweezil sticking claw down throat making gagging noises.

"Everyday I try to visit her.  I could spend hours just gazing at her loveliness."

More gagging noises.

"At least once a week I try to drop off a little present.."

Dweezil interrupting:  "Ah yes, a nosegay of deceased rodents, just the thoughtful gift every young lady wants to receive."  Hmm," tapping claws against cheek.  " Doesn't each nasty little corpse have a special meaning? Oh yes, I have it now., it's ratties for remembrance.  Or more likely in her case, mousies for misgivings might be more apropos. He thought for a minute and then finished with, "See a hare? Do beware."

Squigg laying ears back and looking annoyed.

Clippity clop, "Hi cats, it's me Jolie. Guess what I learned how to do?  Wanna guess, wanna guess?"

Dweezil: "Ignore it and it might go away."

"I can crisscross my front feet while turning, here I go." Jolie says pivoting around. "Well cats wasn't that the coolest thing ever."

Squigg:  "It's time somebody taught you some manners, missy. "It's Mr cats."

Dweezil:  "Why to I have to keep correcting everybody? It's Sir Dweezil and Mr. Squiggman.  I would think by now we would all understand these very clear social distinctions."

Sqigg: "Why do you get to be Sir Dweezil.  Aren't you the one who was born in a barn, while I was born in the lap of luxury, the adored only son of ...

Dweezil: "A woman of the streets and god only knows who."

Sqigg laying ears flat back and switching tail. "Don't you insult my mother.."

Jolie contemplating things:  "I know what a woman is and I know what a street is.  What to you get if you put the woman on the street."

Dweezil rolling, beating paws on the ground, holding stomach and laughing his head off, "snort, cackle, this is too good. If you put a woman on the street what you get is.."

Smack, swat,  smack, smack smack.

Jolie, jumping up and down :  Oh a fight, fight, fight.

Maia:  That's it! Stop this fighting immediately.

Jolie:  What would you be, if you went out on the street Maia?  I don't think it's possible for you to be Squigg's mother.Would you turn into another lady cat?"

Maia: "Enough. Jolie, stop this ridiculous line of conversation this minute. Sqigg, Dweezil, shake paws and stop fighting right now.  What is it with you two?  Why is it whenever I let you post something it always turns into this?  First we had perverted boy coyotes and hairdos down there.  Now we have nosegays of dead rodents and street walkers. I am mortified. Mortified, I tell you.  Sigh, what am I doing wrong.

The animals heads down start slinking away, except for Squigg who turns his head and whispers, "Sir Squiggman here. I think we all realize which one of us brought up nosegays of dead rodents and street walkers.  The lowlife who was born in a barn."

My Intentions

My online bud, the California Cowgirl posted some of her intentions for the new year.  Here are some of mine.

1. You're going to see and hear more of me.  I have several posts plotted out but unwritten.

2.  See #1.  I think I need to post a few more photography lessons.  From what I've been seeing you guys really need to understand where the sweet spot is.  Hello this is a photography class, not an X rated film.

3.  I intend to promote myself more.

4. I need to take time out to just be. I've been far to busy being busy.

5. I need to connect on a regular basis with my friends and family.

6. I think I need to redesign this blog. The music is boring me, God only knows what it's doing to you.

7. I will diet and exercise. I will I will I will.

8. Oh yes, now that I'm dragged into it kicking and screaming, I will try to be more tolerant of our US criminal justice system. I am going back to court in January.  If I could only find that prescription pad and burn it. Oh well.

9.  Howard Street has been quiet lately, but that doesn't mean the loons are gone. I don't think this counts as an intention, maybe it should be counted as an addendum to point 1.  Say point 1c. (Rereading this point 8 should be point 1b or maybe we're at point 1..a..27)

Have the Happiest New Year.  We were going to go away, but Tommy went to see War Horse and now he's so depressed, he just wants to stay at home.   I, personally, have no intention of seeing it.  I remember Bambi, Dumbo and ET.  There are certain movies I know better than to go see.  If any of ya'll go, I'll be interested in your reaction. 

This isn't a cheery ending.  So pooh on that. We are all going to have a lovely year and that's my last word on the subject.

Day in Court - 2

Well this happy trip into the US justice system was the polar opposite of my previous experience. First of all the defendants, for the most part, did not look like solid citizens who through no fault of their own ended up in court. Nope, they looked like they crawled out from under rocks, slithered out of flop houses, or wandered in after a lifetime spent on the street.  It was almost as if they were in a contest to see who could be nominated the dirtiest, smelliest and most pitiful person there. And, none of them had an attorney, public defender or otherwise.

The judge was also different.  The judge before was bored, but respectful.  This guy came across like some unhappy combination of the Queen of Hearts and the stereotypical wild west hanging judge.  The first thing he did after entering the courtroom was bang down the gavel and scream that if he saw or heard a cellphone, the owner of said cell phone was off to jail in contempt of court.

Then he called the names of several people in the courtroom and asked them to come up to the bench.  They came forward to see if they could get out of their charges.  One by one they told their pitiful story and after each tale was told, the judge slammed down the gavel and screamed denied.  Somewhere around the third or fourth sorry soul, he squinched up his eyes and stared out into the room.  "Was that a sound I heard out of one you?" he sneered.  "The next one of you who opens his or her mouth, is on their way to jail in contempt of court."

Now I believe it was the fifth or sixth loser, who stumbled up on two canes, carrying a canister of oxygen.  It seems she had been caught in possession of a large amount of marijuana.  "I'm a very sick woman, Your Honor," she wheezed. "Do I look like the sort of person who could smoke a large amount of marijuana?

"You don't need to be the smoker, to be in possession," he said, "DENIED."

Now if I was a member of this miserable and dwindling group, I think it would be occurring to me that this was a real losing proposition and my best course of action would be to tell the state's attorney I wanted a jury trial and find an attorney any attorney.  The odds had to be better.

But no,  they each stumbled up and told why they were innocent and each one was denied.

After about two hours of having all of this fun, my new best friend, came up and told me that the defendant wanted a jury trial and I was free to go.  So roasting, this courtroom was hot and yes coming down with another migraine I left.

Well, gentle readers, this the case of the stolen prescription pad, and the pages that were sold from it.   So, there very well could be more fun days in court to come.

Poking My Nose Out

Today, I do not have to go to court. YEAH.

Well they say you should always begin a story at the beginning and this one starts this past spring.  There I was at work, minding my own business, when the phone rang.  Now normally the office assistant answers the phone, but she was at lunch. So being the proactive little dooby that I am, I answered it.  Big Mistake.  The person on the line wanted to know if a certain doctor was on staff, and when I said no, that doctor hasn't been here for years, the voice on the line said and I quote "Got Her."

Well it turned out that the person on the line was a cop and the her in question was using a stolen prescription pad to write scripts for Oxycontin and Percocet.  "Hmm, interesting," I thought to myself as I hung up, little knowing what was headed my way.

Well folks, what was heading my way was subpoenas and my new career as a state's witness.  Try as I might to wriggle out, there was no wriggling.  I was caught and I was going to court.

Court Appearance #1

If you think when you are a witness, you are treated the same way the jurors are.  Forget it, you aren't.  You have to sit on a hard bench, in the courtroom until you're particular case is called.  I guess they keep you like a trapped rat so you won't bolt. I was forced to sit there for four miserable hours while my state's attorney, during breaks in the action, would walk over, point, and tell the defence attorney that her "star witness" was here.  Lucky right?

Anyway during my four hours I saw and heard some interesting things. All of the defendants looked like executives or clean cut coeds.  They were dressed as if to say "look see how respectable I am.  You couldn't possibly think a solid citizen like myself could have possibly done that?"  The attorneys were all dressed in black suits and, when they weren't working, sat around gossiping or doing other meaningful things like playing Angry Birds on an ipad.

My favorite defendant,  I kid you not, was seen distributing drugs on a church parking lot and when the police caught him, he had forty bags of marijuana in his underpants.  Let that thought sink in.  What was he wearing maternity underwear?  I could see maybe eight bags, but forty.  Jeesh.  Just as I was calculating how get got all of those bags in there, (did I mention that they were four very long and  very boring hours) my new best friend the state's attorney came over and told me that our defendant took a plea deal and I was free to go.  So, cold, the courtroom was freezing, starving and developing what turned out to be the beginnings of a migraine, I left.

Stay tuned for Court Appearance #2

What I Am Thankful For My Girls

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I thought I'd show you my human girls. Have a wonderful weekend. Whoo Whoo post coming soon.

What To Say Next

Well, it's been awhile and I've been having trouble deciding what to talk about.

First my cat Squig is love.  It's a riot, as is Dweezil's "gag me" reaction. I think his head  (Squigg's) might explode if he doesn't get to tell everyone all about it.  Oh yes, he's been fixed for years, so go figure where this is coming from.

Then there's Jolie's great escape. She's been working on figuring out how to open gates and last week, she let herself out and actually got to run with the big boys. It was probably the happiest day of her life. 

Oh yes and then there's a few nagging questions, such as:

Who reading this calls it underwear and who calls it lingerie?

And why when horses have such gracefully arched necks, do the western pleasure folks seem determined to want to see them pushing peanuts around arenas with there noses?

And then I've been watching "The Fabric of the Universe" and "Through a Wormhole."  Trust me those two shows will get you thinking.  Just as soon as I've watched them both enough times to be able to speak somewhat, sort of intelligently about the subject matter, I give you my take on some of this mind blowing material.

Anyway, I hope you all are having a great week.