celticsong22's photostream  

When I first saw this pic, I thought it might come out nicely if I processed it to look something like an old, master's painting. I think I was right. While the natural tones were beautiful, they were possibly a little too vivid; a little too clean. I used the Orton-like filter on this, as I do with most of my pics now, which enriched the depth of color, and deepened the shading, allowing for more contrast, which I also adjusted. Two textures were used, and to get the vignette to do what I wanted, I had to turn the photo upside down after I did the vignette the first time, so that the top would have nearly as much depth as the bottom. I then put it back the way it was, of course. I like the result.

This was taken at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville, Florida, one of my favorite nature hangouts.

This was zoomed in, and I still couldn't get as close as I'd like to have gotten on this shot. The pelican was huge, and being so far away, I was surprised how large he looked from where I was standing on top of the bridge. The blackbird was surveying what the pelican was doing, probably hoping for leftovers! A few seconds later, the pelican dove off the dock and plunged into the river, so I guess the hunt was successful.

I always feel excited when I get to watch nature play out in front of me, and even more so when I can photograph it. I would've liked to have clearer pics of this, and hopefully, in the future I will. This day was cloudy, with low light, since a storm was coming in. From second to second was a challenge with the rapidly changing light, as clouds drifted overhead, and I felt glad I could capture the scene at all.

There was a storm coming in from the west, so of course, brilliant moi had to climb up on one of the areas tallest bridges for a better look!

This is facing the beachside, overlooking the Halifax River, in Port Orange, Florida, which is two cities south of Daytona.

This is the view of a sunset from one of the stores I work in. Nice way to end the day, huh? I'll be there tomorrow. Hopefully it will be as nice then.

Nighty night, Folks!

I don't generally go to air shows, but this one came to me. I was driving down A-1-A in Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona, when I saw these planes putting on a fantastic exhibition, so I grabbed a couple of quick shots. They were doing a lot of acrobatic maneuvers, which were quite amazing.

Years ago, I had a friend who was a stunt pilot. He offered to take me up for some loop-de-loops. I refused, not because I was afraid of the stunts, but because I didn't think my middle ear would let me do it without getting sick! Some people are cut out for acrobatics, and some are not. I'd LOVE them, but unfortunately, I'm one of the nots. :-)