A little extra work

Two weekends ago I went on one of my photo adventures, hitting various scenic spots around the area and taking pictures. I spent a whole Saturday exploring and snapping, and then on Sunday I began processing the photos.

This time, rather than simply saving off the camera and uploading immediately, I tried editing each photo using some tricks I read about online. I was extremely pleased with the results; I feel like I've taken my first step out of casual pointing and shooting and into real photography.

More before and after photos

First I evaluated each photo, rotating and cropping where necessary. Then I applied Image > Adjustments > Match Color > Neutralize, which I read about here on Sitepoint.com. I had used the other option mentioned in that article, Auto Color, before, but wasn't always happy with the results. Match Color > Neutralize really helped make the color of my photos look natural. I was especially happy with the Color Intensity slider, which helped me bring out color without affecting detail.

For most of the daylight photos, Match Color > Neutralize was very beneficial, but it wasn't necessary on all of them.

2010/02/20 - Riverwalk and Skyline

After rotating, cropping, and normalizing the colors, I went through a variety of adjustments. My friend Don posted a link on Facebook to this technique used by a photographer to enhance colors on his images. I ended up modifying the technique a bit, depending on the photo I was editing.

2010/02/20 - Savannah Rapids Park

To begin with, I didn't use the High Pass filter at all. Most of my photos were shot in bright daylight, and all that filter did was cause weird halos that didn't add anything to the scene. However, I made heavy use of Blend Mode. I would duplicate the background layer, then change its blend mode from Normal to Soft Light (or, in a very few cases, Hard Light). Sometimes I'd Desaturate the top layer; other times I'd leave it the way it was.

2010/02/20 - Bartram Trail

I also fiddled with the opacity on the top layer to get the exact contrast and color pop I wanted, and on some photos I played with Curves and Levels to get richer contrast effects.

2010/02/20 - Thurmond Dam

By the time I got to the last location, Thurmond Dam, the sun was setting. I had never managed to get a really good nighttime shot before, and I'm open to suggestions about shooting at night. For the shots of the dam from the Georgia side of the river, I propped my Nikon D60 against the side of a tree.

The editing methods listed above didn't work quite as well for the low light shots. High contrast tended to destroy the details and it was hard to pull out color without making the photo look grainy. I'll be interested to research and try out different techniques for night photography.

Any thoughts on the techniques I used for these photos? Do you know any shooting or editing tricks?

The battle within

Lately I have been struggling with things I want to do, things I need to do, things I absolutely have to do, and things I think I should do. I've been stressed and unhappy for most of this week, a striking contrast to last week, when I felt like I could do anything. I ended up burning out and crashing hard and it sucked.

I feel like I go through cycles of mood and competence. Normally it doesn't flip so fast from week to week, though.

I'm reevaluating lots of things. What do I definitely want, and how can I get it? What things do I have to do every day to make those goals happen? Is there anything I can cut out to save time and energy?

Moving to North Augusta would help--I would be able to walk or bike to work, maximizing my commute by combining it with exercise. But I doubt it will solve all my problems.

So here I am at Boll Weevil, seeking comfort in warm familiarity, settling in with a Curious George, chips, and tea.

I hope I can figure this out.

Sizzling fajitas

Sean's comment: "Fear for your life."

Edit: I only ate about 1/4 of this. The rest is in my fridge, baby.

New tea set

I got this at Hibari Market in Lexington, Kentucky on my way home from spending Christmas with my family. I hope to shift my home office to a blue scheme, so this will match perfectly!

Picture roundup

I wanted to link to some galleries I've posted in the last few months, to give blog readers an idea of what I've been up to.

Brick Pond Park and Alligator - September 22, 2009

Henderson Heritage Preserve - October 17, 2009

Work Halloween Party - October 22, 2009

Riverwalk - November 3, 2009

Aiken State Natural Area - November 7, 2009

Augusta Riverfront Marina and Skyline - November 9, 2009

Gasping Gobbler 5K - November 21, 2009

And there's more to come...

Lunch outside

Tandoori chicken and spinach; rice and peas; steamed broccoli; and tomato slices.

My first meal of the day

Somehow I managed not to eat until 1:30pm. I don't consider this a good thing.

Regardless, for now I'm having a mango and some whole grain crackers with cheese.

Ruby Tuesday: Avocado Turkey Burger

I ate the side salad and then realized I hadn't taken a picture of it. It had the best croutons EVAR. They were some sort of dark brown bread.

Edit: Kelly says the croutons are pumpernickel. :D

Baked tilapia with mango salsa

So here's what I did with most of the rest of the salsa:

I still have a little left, which hopefully I will eat today, in some form or fashion.

Mango Salsa

Since joining Oasis Garden's CSA, I've had more and more interesting produce to try and create dishes with. It's forced me to be more creative with what I have on hand.

The past two weeks there's been a mango in my box. I still had both of them as of tonight, so I decided I'd better use the oldest one.

A recipe for Avocado-Mango Salsa was included in last week's box. I didn't have all the ingredients so I omitted some and substituted others. Here's what I ended up doing--and it's amazingly delicious! I'm going to eat some with chips tonight and save the rest to go with fish tomorrow.

Mango Salsa

1 mango, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 tomato, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3/4 c chopped onion
1 T white sugar
1 T olive oil
2 T white wine vinegar
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 tsp salt

Toss first seven ingredients together, then fold in avocado. Season with salt.

Shooting in RAW and color-correcting for the first time

I'm busy getting ready to head to the airport, so I don't have a lot of time, but I wanted to go ahead and slap up these shots I took at the Canal the other day. Below you'll find the original, unedited image, and then how I tweaked the image in Photoshop. I mostly used Saturation and Levels. I may have overdone it a little...but it was my first time. I'm allowed.

The last two pictures came out the best, I think.

There are tons more photos from the Canal, but I won't have time to go through and edit them until I get back from England. I don't have time to upload them unedited, either, so you'll just have to wait ;)

Breakfast

There's something about the still solitude of the early morning that calls out for Waffle House.

What a great view

Charles and Heidi have a gorgeous backyard!

Chocolate Gateau

And Wes.

Thai Chicken Salad

At the "new" White Elephant. It has three pieces of tempura-fried chicken and a glob of mango sorbet.

The Best Salad Ever

Today when I got home from a lovely hour-long bike ride at the Greeneway I was in the mood for a serious salad. I immediately started pulling all the fruits and vegetables out of the fridge. A little washing and chopping, and voila:

In this salad:

• spring mix
• locally-grown, fresh English peas
• 1 locally-grown tomato
• seedless red grapes
• strawberries
• baby carrots, sectioned
• 1/8 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• a handful of celery stalks

I intended to use a packet of Berry Balsamic Vinaigrette from Chick-fil-A, but that turned out to be completely unnecessary. The salad was absolutely amazing just as it was. I enjoyed it at my desk with the blinds open while working on my laptop:

Chocolate Banana Bread and Muffins

A couple weeks ago I made chocolate banana bread and muffins. I promised at the time to post the recipe, but then never got around to it. This post is a product of my recent energy and motivation!

I got the original bread recipe from allrecipes.com, here. I made a couple of changes to the already light recipe to cut out more calories and fat. Also, since I didn't have two loaf pans, I used half the dough on a loaf and the other half on muffins.

They turned out extremely well--moist and delicious! I brought the bread to work and no one could tell it was "light".

Ingredients

• 1 cup margarine, softened
• 2 cups baking Splenda
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg beaters
• 6 bananas, mashed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan and one 12-cup muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, cream together margarine, Splenda, eggs, and egg substitute. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda and cocoa; mix well. Blend in sour cream and chocolate chips. Scoop batter by 1/4 cup into muffin cups; pour rest into loaf pan.
3. Bake muffins in preheated oven 15-20 minutes. Bake loaf for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

More pictures of the baking process can be found here.

Pimiento cheese sandwich

Jeff very kindly brought me back an official Masters Tournament pimiento cheese sandwich. This is as close to the Masters experience as I am likely to get. I look forward to seeing how it compares to Grandma's...pretty sure it won't come out on top (because what could?) but here's hoping it makes a good showing ;)

Sweet Lou's Crab Shack

Today I decided to try a new place for lunch: Sweet Lou's Crab Shack on Broad Street near 13th.

I noticed the place the other day--there's a huge blue banner with the restaurant's name and a neat-looking crab right over the door. Today, upon closer inspection, I see the name "Sweet Lou's Coffee and Bagel Sandwich Shop" on the windows. I'm not sure I would have been as intrigued by that...so bravo, Lou, on your rebranding!

The place is done up like a beach restaurant/coffee shop. You really just have to see it. I would have sat inside to enjoy the decor, but I was the only customer and it's beautiful outside, so I opted for the sunny Broad Street view.

The girl behind the counter has reddish hair and a smile like Christina Applegate's. She plucked me up a menu off the coffee table in the couch and chair lounge area near the back of the joint. Looking over the selections, I was surprised at the number of items that did not involve crab. I noted that they have breakfast, sandwiches, and entrees, and they're a little pricey. I settled on a fish sandwich called "Harbor Breeze", a fruit salad (the sandwiches don't come with any sides) and a can of Diet Coke.

I waited about 25 minutes for my food, but it was worth it. The fruit salad consisted of a large, pleasantly smooth green bowl filled with grapes, pineapple, strawberries, and kiwi. "Your fruit salad looks amazing," the girl said as she placed it in front of me. "I'm jealous."

The fish, light and crispy on the outside from frying, came on a toasted bagel with lettuce, tomato, and orange (probably American) cheese. It was delicious.

The prices are a bit steep, and the location, on a block with a payday lender, a nail salon, a planned parenthood office and an imaging service, is not ideal. But the food is delicious, the ambiance is relaxed and fun, and there are indoor and outdoor seating options. It should do well...as long as enough people discover it!

Gary brought me a souvenir from Augusta National

This is one of the free water bottles given to the media. It says "SODIUM FREE Pure Cumberland Gap Mountain Spring Water" and has a list of all the holes at the course on the back.