~ More Emily ~

Here is some more edits from my shoot with Emily. :)

~ Emily ~

A current edit of the awesome Emily. :)

~ Owen and Emily ~

Here is some edits from my shoot with Owen and Emily. :) Owen is a great guy and I had a lot of fun getting to know him a bit and shooting with him. He is a Nikon shooter but he is still a nice guy hee hee. :)

~ Lens Baby Experiment ~

My friend and photographer Tara Ruptash, let me borrow her lens baby. I have never used one of these before and was really confused, interested and not sure about it. Here is a shot I got today using it to take photos of my wife's flowers. I'll post more maybe, have to see how I like the rest.

Definately an interesting gadget. I might wanna try some portraits of people with it next...have to see how it goes. :)

~ Emily ~

I was looking at some photoshop tutorials last night on a really cool website on photoshop. It really reminded me how much fun it is to be creative with photoshop. There are so many talented photoshop artists out there that it makes me feel a bit overwhelmed when I try and do similar work. I have to keep reminding myself how individual art is. I know that is a simple concept but I am always looking at other artists and creative people and feeling like somehow I just don't stack up. I do love it and last night I played around with a pic from my shoot with Emily. I have come up with these two versions. I really like them both for different reasons.

A great resource for stock photography to use with edits is here. I found a lot of cool images to use and sometimes a good stock image is a place to start for creating ideas. Just use your imagination, practice photoshop and really start learning to use layers, layer properties and how to blend layers together to create different looks. I found dodge and burn are also very helpful tools. The trick when you blend lots of images together is to try and make the lighting and colour work. It's like a magic trick, trying your best to create the illusion that all of those elements you are blending together in photoshop deserve to be there together. A good way of doing this is doing an image adjustment for colour balance on the layers to try and make them all work together.

I hope I am able to inspire someone else to try using photoshop and to be creative. I am by no means an expert or on the level of some of the photoshop artists out there. It's an art form and takes time and a lot of talent to master. You have to start somewhere and don't let others intimidate you. Just do what you can do and it will come. Baby steps, I started with some really basic concepts and techniques. Google is your friend and there are some excellent guides and tutorials out there. I look forward to exploring my creative side more this summer. :)

On a personal note, thanks SO much to the people (you know who you are) that read my blog about my Dad and his recent diagnosis with cancer. He is seeing his doctor today to discuss treatment, so hopefully tonight I will have some reassuring news. Your thoughts, prayers and well wishes really helped and I thank you so much. I know many of you have had loved ones and close family ill and also experiencing cancer, which makes it mean even more to me on a personal level that you cared enough to let me know you were thinking of my family. Thanks so much. I hope all of your families and friends stay safe and healthy this summer and in the future too! :)

On a really happy note, my beautiful wife returned safe and sound from her Huntsville adventures. I love having her back as do the 3 baby cats. Life is good! :)

Green Day - 21 Guns "Official" Music Video | HD | Full Video

This song fits my mood perfectly......

~ Dad ~

I just heard some news that makes me have a heavy heart today. My Dad was diagnosed with prostrate cancer. He meets with his doctor on Friday to discuss treatment options. I just want those that know me to please keep my family in your prayers and thoughts. I have faith that things will work out for the best. I just really hope that my Dad can be treated and get back to enjoying his retirement once it happens and his grandchildren.

"Dear Dad"

Dad, You're my hero. The quiet way you lead and the example you have given me will never be forgotten. Your sense of humor and creativity have been inspiring to me. I will always be proud of the Man you are. You have done so much for so many people. You have married people, visited the sick, been there for families that have lost their loved ones. The things you have done as a Pastor have been hard. You have had to move your family around a lot as I grew up to move to new church districts. Now you have to face this cancer and I pray in my heart that this is something that can be defeated.

I never had a lot of close friends growing up and I thank you for being there for me. You showed so much love for me when I discovered photography and pursued my art and education. All of your support and faith in me helped me achieve more then I could of imagined. I will be here for you Dad as you go through this valley. I will keep you in my prayers, thoughts and I hope that God's healing hand can bring you back to full health. Your visit last year came when I needed it most, your love and support mean the world to me. I love you Dad, thanks for being you.

Love Your Son,

-Randy

This picture brings me hope, so I am posting it today and thinking of you:

~ More Emily Edits ~

~ Emily ~

I had a chance to finally meet Owen, a photographer friend. We were able to head to Edmonton and shoot with a model/MUA named Emily. Emily lives downtown Edmonton, so we went down by the legislature and found some REALLY cool spots to shoot. I was very impressed with Emily's ability to give a lot of different expressions and poses with very little directions. Her makeup was also great and creative. She has a lot of cool ideas and I have the feeling she could have given a lot more different looks if we had the time. I think Owen and I got some awesome shots and I look forward to seeing his edits and work with Emily. Here are a few edits from the shoot...more to come I am sure. :)
-Randy

~ Jenn's Flowers ~

Jenn is away in Ontario visiting her family and I miss her a LOT. Thankfully there is lots to remind me of her here. I love seeing her flowers and garden, I know how much she enjoys growing flowers and seeing them reminds me what a beauty she is. I can't wait for her to come home and for us to enjoy the warm summer weather together.

~ Sarah Cole ~

Some more recent Sarah Cole work:

~ Susan ~

~ CANADA DAY ~

Here is a shot of some Canada Geese enjoying their Canada Day as a family....floating around in Vegreville. It was a very nice day, saw Transformers II and went to Festival Place and walked around taking pictures. It was a fun day and hope to post more shots of the day tomorrow....but just too tired now....so here is the goose pic and an edit of a Cree Dancer:

~ HAPPY CANADA DAY EVERYONE ~

It's Canada Day!!! Another year for our great country. Since I stayed up until 2am playing xbox live I was able to post this before bed. Maybe I'll add to it tomorrow if I can think of something highly intelligent to post.....heheheh. But if you read my blog you'll realize I mostly just post pics. Here are 2 recent edits of Sarah Cole. :)

http://www.sarahcolemusic.com/