This Made Me Smile::Monday::One Picture, One Verse

~Mackenzie Hope~ 

The Coolness of Lightroom and A Clock

Can you believe that I am posting today. This is the third day in a row I have posted. 

Don't get used to it . 

I am pretty sure it will change very soon. 

Today I would like to show you some fun I have been working on. 

For fun. 

Yup. 

I took this picture a few days ago. I like it. 

I liked the white background, I liked the clock, I liked the light that is coming in the top. 

I don't take too many pictures like this, so I was very pleased with the change of pace. 

As I looked at this picture (and the twenty million others of this clock) I wondered what I could do with it in Lightroom. 

This is what I cam up with with a few simple tweaks (conversion to B&W, sharpening, a little bit of work on the light etc..) 

I like it....but it could be better, I knew that. 

So I decided to try something very obscure:

Lens distortions!

For some reason I liked this best, so I left it. 

Before 

After

The end. 

I hope you are having a delightful day!

~Mackenzie 

Just a Picture....And a Verse

~Mackenzie Hope 

When The Photographer Walks In

Last week I did a set of yearbook pictures for a local christian school. 

I did not do all those head shots, with the hideous lighting and not-so-beautiful backgrounds. 

I did a bunch of candids.

Pictures of kids "studying".

Pictures of kids walking down the hallway. 

Pictures of kids getting things out of their lockers. 

Pictures of kids in singing class. 

Pictures of kids in their gym class. 

Pictures of teachers teaching.

You get the idea.
I hope.

Every time I go somewhere with my camera I get funniest reactions.
Going to a high school was no exception.
At the beginning of the time I was there we would step in a room and warn everybody that "The Photographer" would be taking pictures of them and to just ignore her.
All the girls would say, "What! Why didn't you warn me!? I would have dressed nicer and done my hair better!"
The boys would just say, "Okay."

Later when I would walk into a classroom during a class and start taking pictures the teacher would say, "Okay kids, The Photographer is here, act normal."
Some of them would hide
The rest of the kids would sit up straight, put smiles on their faces and try to study.
But who can study when you know The Photographer might be taking a picture of you?
And that that picture had a high risk of being in a yearbook that everyone could look at for the next 10 years.
Scary.
I could never study if that was happening to me.
It's okay kids, I will try to make you look as nice as possible. 
I hope.
But please forgive me if I don't.  



The End.
~Mackenzie Hope 

One Picture. Three Ways.

I have been playing around with my new Lightroom 4 a little bit lately. 

I really am loving this program, it is magic. 

So I took this picture yesterday. 

It was a fun picture to begin with, but I thought I would see what I could do if I tweaked it a bit. 

So I sent it to Lightroom. 

What do you think? 

Better? 

I was quite happy with the results.

Although, I don't know what I think about that blue lens flare. 

Hmmmmm......

So I changed it to B&W with a small amount of Sepia in it. 

I liked that edit too. 

I can't decide what I like better, so I will just settle on both of them. 

Before

After 

After (again) 

The end. 

Have a great Easter weekend!

~Mackenzie Hope 

More Delightful

Hello all, 

Isn't spring wonderful? 

I took this picture on the first day of spring. 

At the time, I had no plans for this bee show up in the picture. But, when it did the results were delightful. 

God does that to me all the time. 

When I have no extra plans for something , and I think everything set up just right, He sends something to make life more delightful. 

Sometimes He sends a ray of sunshine. 

Or a whiff of sweet air.

Or a phone call from a friend.

Or a good hair day (girls?...).

A especially lovely sunrise. 

A tune. 

A flower blooming.

He might send a wonderful letter from your sister (I just got one yesterday, it made my day wonderful).

None of things may be needed, but they sure make everything sweeter and more beautiful.

I hope you are having a great weekend. 

~Mackenzie Hope