Dried…

Another "quickie" one for this week. Actually, I was to almost forget about doing my blog for this week. Many things are going at home and I'm trying my best to "chill" and fix my mood, but seems every time I try to do so, I get a slap on the face.
Anyway, I've managed in the past few days to get my camera out again (well, it's always out and collecting dust actually) and tried my hand with some macro, since it is the fall season, which acts like spring for us (and actually all of winter is like spring for us), and the yard started to bloom a bit here and there. 

I don't want to put all the eggs in one basket here so I will post about a simple experiment here which was done outdoors and not for a flower or anything, but simply a dried out twig!

Dried

For this post, all there actually is, is simply a single image that had been processed in different manners. I was trying to actually take more than one image but that time (and efforts done) was not enough. Also, because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, I've used 50mm here with 12mm extension tube just to enable me to focus at a close distance. So, technically speaking, it is not quite a macro shot, but rather a shot at a close distance.

Dried 1

Of course the work was handheld and it was a struggle to get a decent shot at ISO160, and I didn't want to increase the ISO here. I was working with bent knees and back, so imagine. Anyway, in some way, I've managed to take a "somewhat" stable image as seen in Dried 1 and probably that's all there is to it. For this reason, I didn't quite work further on more shots of this dead little twig. I think it is a good looking abstract in general, but I'm not going to break my back for it for sure!

Dried 2

Probably one of the delicate issues to consider or compromise with is the background here, which I tried to make as dark as possible in Dried 1 without losing some of the delicate details, while keeping it as while as possible in Dried 2. The 2nd version here is made by blending an Invert adjusting layer with the image with Luminosity blend mode. Ironically though, it seems when viewed from a distance or at a small size (like in here), the white background of Dried 2 is not quite white yet! But it's alright with me. What I find fascinating about this effect specifically is the almost complete conversion of the image while keeping the original colors to some extent, as if the original was shot at night and been converted to a day-shot! Something to ponder on and consider for future work I suppose. There is already a lot of art I can do with this single image but I'm keeping them for later (for emergency when I can't shoot photos but need to post something).

Dried 3

Then of course we have the typical B&W conversion which was done in a manner to give out a contrast before even applying any contrast effect. My favorite way of converting into B&W in Photoshop is to apply the Infrared scheme in the Black and White adjustment layer and work it out from there. There had been, again, edits and adjustments to the background as well to fit it all in a black scheme, as much as possible.

Dried 4

And just like the case with Dried 1 and Dried 2, so was the case with Dried 3 and Dried 4 with applying an Invert adjustment layer and blend it under Luminosity blend mode. The whole image turned into something like a pencil sketch! Between these two versions, and also in the previous two, there certainly is some mood shift in play; for me at least. Notably, I worked further more on the background in Dried 4 to make it as white as possible but maybe there were some stains that I didn't notice first, but seem to be noticeable at small size; Seems my Retinitis Pigmentosa is at play again here.

Finale

So, I didn't want to put all the eggs in one basket here as I've said earlier and this is merely one image done in various versions. There is more work coming in macro, which seems to be my new "niche" after putting panoramas aside. I do yearn to work with panoramas again but what to do here; I can't travel yet and I can barely move out of home, supposing there is a place to take panoramas of without being questioned or without any permits requirements. My life right now feels like one big prison; you are free of obligations (to work) and even to move, but you are not able to do a thing.

September was somewhat heavy on my mental status already, and October followed. I'm hoping November would change the formula in some way. I really wonder sometimes about these people who speak about good vibes and being with positive people, how do they do that? With my social being next to zero, and a home that doesn't feel like home, this would sound like a fantasy or some fictional story.

I don't know where am I going from here, but honestly, it just looks dark and as always, I'm trying to fight it all alone. In simple terms: I'm lost.