09/15/2010 ***Lesson learned, 14 bit brings in a lot more detail in color range than 12 bit does, especially in reds. If your camera gets 14 bit, don't set your camera for 12 bit. I couldn't figure out why my reds were always over saturated. David had set the D300 to 12 bit to match the image quality of the D90. So I thought I'd change the setting and see how different 14 bit images would look. I'm pretty impressed with the range of reds. Besides, I got two bouquets yesterday...and all those reds were a great way to get one more bouquet in the Dailies :)

2010 day by day.

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09/23/2010
CS5 won my heart with this portrait! Until just now, I have struggled with content aware fill, the one feature I was most looking forward to using in CS5. I had watched a few tutorials and read instructions on how to use it. But I just wasn't impressed with the content awareness. But one tutorial changed all that. I found out about the lasso tool. (Remember, I have almost no experience with PhotoShop.) I found out that I can put a loose sack around the problem area and then employ the content aware fill. SO EASY!!!! I loved everything about this portrait with the exception of the spit bubbles all over his lips, hand and arm and the string of drool running from his chin to his collar leaving a wet spot on his shirt. Using content aware fill and content aware with the spot heal brush, all of it is gone. I'm impressed with the power and ease of this tool. I think CS5 is worth the purchase for this tool alone. Everything else is just icing.
(I left the dirt on his hands because he is a boy and I think the dirty hands are adorable.)

09/21/2010
Learning layers in CS5. This is a 3-layer image, the background layer, a fill layer for content aware and an adjustment layer for a reflective gradient.
Went to the doctor today. I thought we had ruled out Crohn's disease the last time we did this. Apparently not. :( Tuesday, I get to have the dreaded exploratory procedure once again. My brother has Crohn's disease and my other brother died from duodenal cancer when he was 37. The doctor says he thinks I probably have Crohn's. He saw evidence of it a few years ago, but the blood test was negative. Now they are saying that a negative result on that particular test is not very reliable. Oh well. We'll see what happens Tuesday :)

09/20/2010
***I can fly higher than an eagle, for you are the wind beneath my wings. ~Larry Henley & Jeff Silbar***
This little guy outshines every other bird on the pond. I don't think he knows he can't fly, and nobody should ever tell him. Hope is the adrenaline of life.

To see this image compared to the original shot visit http://www.sundayschildsnapshots.com/Animal/Animals/8153589_yGeDy#1016100439_RBXpd-L-LB.

09/19/2010
***When I grow up, I want to be just like them.***

The jury is still out on the "Jacci friendliness" of CS5. I'm not impressed with the content awareness fill. But I may not be using it correctly. I am very impressed with the image quality in general.

09/18/2010
***Like Water off a Duck's Back***
Or I hope it will be more like having all my ducks lined up in a row. We got the trial of CS5 today. Everybody tells me it is super user friendly. But until now, I haven't been the user. We'll see how Jacci friendly it is.

09/17/2010
***I was thinking about getting my eyebrows shaped. What do you think? Are they hopelessly Groucho or is it worth a try?

09/16/2010
***Diocesan Art Gallery***
The 4th semiannual art gallery for the Diocese of Austin opened this evening. David photographs each of the pieces for the on line version of the gallery (which we host here at Sunday's Child Snapshots) http://www.sundayschildsnapshots.com/Art/Diocesan-Art-Gallery-4/13547624_EZjD9#987335529_pwW2K
One of the sculptures had to be rephotographed after this evening's event. I thought it would be kind of fun to catch David at work while showing one of my pieces hanging on the wall in the exhibit. The Pieta image on the wall is the one I posted here in the Dailies back in the beginning of June. It was taken at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Minnesota and is one of my two pieces in the current diocesan art gallery. I feel so honored to have my work on display at the Austin Diocesan Pastoral Center

09/15/2010
***Lesson learned, 14 bit brings in a lot more detail in color range than 12 bit does, especially in reds. If your camera gets 14 bit, don't set your camera for 12 bit. I couldn't figure out why my reds were always over saturated. David had set the D300 to 12 bit to match the image quality of the D90. So I thought I'd change the setting and see how different 14 bit images would look. I'm pretty impressed with the range of reds.
Besides, I got two bouquets yesterday...and all those reds were a great way to get one more bouquet in the Dailies :)