Playing With Photos

Today was a fun day with my little camera  phone....I really should give him a name because I take a zillion pictures with him and he never complains! He just keeps snapping away at my command! So nice....Anyway, I have been experimenting with a Phone App my friend Deb (@papertutle.blogspot.com) told me about. It is the PicFx App and it is loads of fun to immerse one's self in.

I have always (since way, way, way back to my early college days-pre digital) been primarily into manipulating photos. I have high regard for those who keep their photos pure and true, and I like to do that too, (occasionally) but most of the time, especially using my phone, my pictures are not the best quality to begin with, so it's fun to play with them a little and take them to another level. I usually like to reach a kind of  "dreamy" or fantasy look, but once in a while I stay realistic...just not very often. Today's play resulted in these........

                                          

I started with this photo from Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, Califonia. I used "Enhance" from the Urban selection. Then  for the next version I went to the Light selection and applied just about every filter in the "Bokeh" series before going to Texture and applying "Canvas", resulting in......the second photo, below....

I actually like the top photo better, but I am just learning, so it is interesting to see just
how far I can take a photo before I loose all resemblence to the original. The second photo is
something I would use in one of my "books", on a tag, or any of the various other things I make.

Then I tried my (heavy) filter hand at a picture of Cali-girl and her former roommate.

        Above is where I started and below is where I said, "Ok, enough, already!"

I see a pattern developing here....I don't seem to be one of the "Less is More" people! This one, I really, really, like though! I had changed the background color, used a ton of the bokeh filters, and then applied a "vintage" followed by a "cracked" frame. Way too much fun.....I had to pry myself away from the filters, haha!

Finally, in honor of my sweet little Daughter-Mama who is 32 weeks pregnant,  and celebrating (as much as she can, anyway) her birthday tomorrow, I decided to play with the photo she sent of her brand new haircut!

Original was sent via phone message and a little hazy to begin with. First I cropped it in instagram, then backed it out of instagram and went to the PicFx app....

I used a Bokeh filter and then used one of the "Flame" filters, (but I can't remember
which one, then I added "Hearts" and Sepia toned the whole thing. I also added a couple of frames. I love this one because it looks so aged!

Then I did pretty much the same thing and added the "Cardboard" texture. I am not sure she will appreciate the texture on her face, but in my "Paper Crafting" projects, I tend to distress the heck out of everything, so this texture was just begging me to use it!

Oh, and obviously I didn't sepia tone this one but,  I added a "Cracked" frame. I love this one!  And all the hearts, which normally might be a bit too "cute" for what I do, fit right in here because I love her, Oh So Very Much!

So, the early part of my day was all fun and games with my photos and filters, and then I tackled the laundry and all that other stuff that isn't nearly as entertaining!

All in all though, it was a very good day, and I hope, if you found my little blog post, your day was as pleasant as mine and I hope your tomorrow is even better! Thanks for visiting Sweet Serendipity!                                                 AND....

                             HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVE, MY SWEET DAUGHTER!