More on the Butterflies

Some people take pictures with the intentions of editing them to be perfect. I try to take pictures that with no editing would be perfect. That's not to say we shouldn't or can't ever edit to make pictures perfect - I just want to take the SOOC as close to perfect as possible.

The other day when we went to the MOS in Boston, I didn't take nearly as many shots as I should have to get the number of good shots I wanted. TAKE A GAZILLION PICTURES!!!! The more you take, the better the chance of something coming out the way you want it to. Also, all bad shots teach you what you don't want to do the next time you take a picture. I did not follow this rule at MOS and am so glad that I can go again soon with the membership that my parents got my kids.

Editing - I think I'm into it for the artistic value it can bring...I got the Color Select action from EZactions.com. Using this is as my main action - I got this:

I had to convert the original picture to chocolate and then chose color select. I also painted with light, making the butterfly a deeper orange. All these actions and more are available at EZactions.com. That website has actions good for PSE6.0 for both MACs and PCs.
I used the same set of actions on this picture:

Taken with my Canon 75-300mm on my mom's porch in NY. It was a colored photo that I converted to chocolate, vignetted and then color selected.

I love color select when you have one object with either one or two colors...any more and I think it might get goofy looking.

I cheated when editing this photo - instead of lightening the background, I magnetically lassoed the butterfly and lightened that instead.

I could have probably lightened up that butterfly even more but then it would have looked like I drew it there. Here's when I should have taken more shots so that I could get it perfect SOOC. Oh well...

I'm off to clean my scrap room before Adam divorces me - on this I probably couldn't blame him - it's not pretty in there - but it better be before my parents come to visit on Saturday. So if I don't blog for more than a day - you know I got lost in there.