Dappled Light at Horn Pond

Dappled Light at Horn Pond, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is a photograph that I took a couple of days ago at Horn Pond, in Woburn, MA. We were in Woburn to take our dog to the vet, so we added a little side trip to see the pond. I liked the contrast of the dappled light under the trees and the sunlight on the water in the distance. I only had time to get a couple of quick pictures, but I am happy with this one.

Daylilies in Wellesley Hills (Digital Woodcut)

Daylilies in Wellesley Hills (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is a digital woodcut that I made using Painter last night. I made it from the photo of daylilies that I took at Wellesley Hills yesterday. What I like about the woodcut effect is the way it emphasizes the lines of the leaves.

Daylilies in Wellesley Hills (Posterized Photo)

Daylilies in Wellesley Hills (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image began with a photo that I took today in Wellesley Hills, MA. I had an appointment to keep, but I saw some beautiful day lilies outside the building, so I took a quick photo or two with my iPhone camera. The appointment couldn't have gone better; in fact, it was perfect. However, my photo was not! Tonight, when I got the image into my computer, I could see that the focus was soft, so I decided to open the image in Painter and posterize it. I liked the result, so I then used iPhoto to crop it to get this composition. I also used Painter to create a digital woodcut, which I will publish here tomorrow.

Sunset on the Water (Posterized Photo)

Sunset on the Water (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image began with a photo that I took last night during a sunset walk at a local park. I liked the colors reflected in the water, so I took some pictures. Tonight I used Painter to posterize the image to heighten the colors and shapes, and the posterizing has the added benefit of making the houses less recognizable. You see a lot of waterfront houses around here, and I really like the way they look.

Farmer's Market Beets (Digital Woodcut)

Farmer's Market Beets (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday I published a photograph that I took at Beverly's Farmers' Market of red and orange beets, posterized with my Painter software. Last night I also used Painter to create a digital woodcut from the same photo, and here it is.

Farmer's Market Beets (Posterized Photo)

Farmer's Market Beets (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image began with a photo that I took today at the Farmers' Market here in Beverly, MA. It was a busy day, and I only had a few minutes to look around, but I saw the red and orange beets on display and took a quick picture with my iPhone camera. Later, I used Painter to posterize the image, and then cropped it in iPhoto to get this composition. I also created a digital woodcut, to be posted here tomorrow.

Tropical Fish in Belfast (Posterized Photo)

Tropical Fish in Belfast (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image began with a photo that I took during my recent stay in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the "Tropical Ravine", part of the botanical gardens at Queen's University. Finding images of tropical plants among my photos from Belfast might seem surprising, but actually this wasn't my first visit, so I already knew that you can see lots of beautiful plants on campus in the greenhouses, no matter what the weather. But still, it was surprising to suddenly see a pond full of bright orange fish! (I love this kind of surprise, especially on a trip.) I was interested in the way the brick wall and window were reflected in the water, so I took a picture. Tonight I used Painter to posterize the image, and then I cropped it to get this composition.

Close Look at Clematis

Close Look at Clematis, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

The clematis in my back yard has been opening up over the past few days, but it has been hard to find time to take photos, especially with the rainy weather. But I managed to get a few photos between storms. I love the colors and subtle patterns, so I got up close with my iPhone camera. Later, I did an even closer crop in iPhoto.

Pink Roses

Pink Roses, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today I bought a birthday bouquet of pink roses. I put the bouquet down on the counter for a minute, and the roses looked so good that I took a picture with my iPhone camera. Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

La Fontaine Saint Michel (Posterized Photo)

Fontaine Saint Michel (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday's post was a photo that I took on my last day in Paris, La Fontaine Saint Michel. I took the photo not only because this Paris icon was a landmark for the Metro stop for the Latin Quarter, but because I loved the way the light was shining on the structure. Tonight I used Painter to posterize the photo to emphasize the play of light and dark. That's one of the best things about taking pictures of your travels: you can always go back for one last look.

La Fontaine Saint-Michel

La Fontaine Saint-Michel, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

It was certainly hard to leave Portugal, but it was time to fly back to Paris for the last two days of the trip. We stayed at a hotel near the airport (to catch an early flight), but there was still time to take the train into Paris for one last day. This is the view near the Metro stop in the Latin Quarter, which is where most of that day was spent. I loved the way the light looked on the statue, so I took some pictures. This is the best of them. I did a tiny bit of retouching of some marks on the statue, but apart from that, this is just as it came out of the camera. So the end of the trip came too fast, but I have many, many photos and lots of great memories.

Solar do Vinho do Porto (Digitally Edited)

Solar do Vinho do Porto (Digitally Edited), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I have so many wonderful memories of my trip to Portugal, and this is one of them: looking out at the Douro River from the rose garden at the Solar do Vinho do Porto. If you want to sit in the garden, you are required to drink port. I sipped a port cocktail with orange juice, and mint, while I watched the late afternoon light. Of course, I took pictures, too. The original version of this photograph came out of the camera in pretty good shape. I just adjusted the exposure a little bit, and used some cut-and-paste to get rid of some distractions in the foreground. Apart from that, the photo has not been changed. It was really this beautiful there.

Stairway in Porto

Stairway in Porto, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here is one of the many, many pictures I took during my short visit to Portugal. I love the old buildings and alleys of Porto in the old area near the river. I saw stairways that serve as streets (or alleys), like the ones I had seen in Lisbon's Alfama area during one of my earlier visits to Portugal. As we walked around Porto, I noticed the red door and the ochre wall, so I took a picture. Tonight I edited the original version in Painter, using some cut-and-paste and digital airbrush to eliminate some distractions. Then I did a final crop in iPhoto and here it is, a little glimpse of Porto.

Daddy's Girl

Daddy's Girl, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Well, it is Father's Day, so of course my dad has been on my mind. This image began with one of my favorite family photos, taken by my uncle, Ike Fitterman. (My uncle was a professional photographer who worked under the name Jay Phillips, and he took many wonderful pictures of our family.) Tonight I used my iPhone camera to snap a quick picture of the original photo that is hanging on my wall. Once I got the image into my computer, I cropped it to get this composition, and then used color overlays and then posterized it, experimenting until I got the level of posterized effect that I wanted. I got the image back into iPhoto and did one more crop to get this final image, which is very much a collaboration with my Uncle Ike. And working on this image gives me a way to spend a little time with my dad on Father's Day, because I am still my Daddy's girl.

Ponte de Dom Luis (Posterized Photo)

Ponte de Dom Luis (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image began with one of the many photos that I took during a boat ride in Porto. It was wonderful, start to finish, and a beautiful way to see the city. The tour boat goes under six bridges of Porto. This is a view of the most famous of the bridges, the Ponte Dom Luis. Tonight I cropped this image out of one of my photos, and used Painter to posterize it.

Evening in Porto (Posterized Photo)

Evening in Porto (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I flew from Paris to Porto to spend a few days. The visit was too short but it was wonderful to be there. This is the view at sundown the evening I arrived, seen from a restaurant near the Arrabida Bridge. The scene was spectacular, so I took some pictures. Tonight I used Painter to do some cut-and-paste to conceal some highway lamps in the original photo. Then I posterized the image, and cropped it to get this composition.

Looking Up at Galeries Lafayette (Digital Woodcut)

Originally uploaded by : randubnick

This image began as a photo that I took at the Galeries Lafayette during the third day of my recent visit to Paris. Although this is a major shopping destination, I wasn't there to shop. (There was no room in my suitcase anyway.) But I did want to see the famous gallery and windows that I remembered from my college art history class. I was not disappointed! Tonight I used Painter to create this digital woodcut from one of my photos.

Looking Up at Montmartre (Posterized)

Looking Up at Montmartre (Posterized), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image began with a photo that I took on the second day in Paris. The hotel was near the Gare du Nord. I looked at the map and saw that Montmartre was not too far, so I decided to walk there. The basilica looks just like all the iconic pictures of it, but I was surprised to see so many tourists, souvenir stands, and the carousel! I liked the juxtaposition of the merry-go-round with the rest of the scene, so I decided to take a picture despite the crowds. The original version of this photo had lots of tourists in the foreground, but I opened the image in Painter and used some cropping, some cut-and-paste, and some digital airbrush to get a somewhat quieter scene. Then I posterized the result, and cropped one more time to get this composition.

Eiffel Tower (Posterized Photo)

Eiffel Tower (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image began with a photo that I took a few weeks ago, during a little tour boat ride down the Seine. The boat ride was a relaxing way to start the visit to Paris and I took lots of photographs. Taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower seems like such a cliche, but I took pictures of it anyway, lots of them. And it is actually kind of tricky to find a composition that works. This composition was one of the best of the lot. But I wanted to punch it up a bit, so tonight I used Painter to add pink overlays to the sky and the tower, and then posterized the image, and here it is, a little daydream from my trip to Paris.

First View of France Stroke-by-Stroke Video

First View of France Stroke-by-Stroke Video a video by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday I posted a digital sketch that I drew as the Eurostar train emerged from the tunnel in France. I didn't have a chance to recharge my iPhone so I couldn't take a picture of the scene. So I used the Brushes app on my iPad to draw the sun setting over the fields of France. This is the stroke-by-stroke video captured by Brushes as I drew. The little video seemed to stall out before completion when I downloaded it, so I used iMovie to add a still of the final drawing.

First View of France (Digital Sketch)

First View of France (Digital Sketch), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is a digital sketch that I made on my iPad with Brushes. I was on the Eurostar train from London to Paris, and when the train emerged from the tunnel, I saw a beautiful view of France as the sun was going down. At that point, I had no functioning camera. During the ride from Glasgow to London and the mad rush to change trains in London, there was no time to charge my iPhone. So I got out my iPad and sketched the scene instead.

Darlington Stroke-by-Stroke Video

Darlington Stroke-by-Stroke Video a video by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday I posted a digital sketch that I made on my iPad with the Brushes app, a view of Darlington, England, seen from the train. The Brushes App captures a stroke-by-stroke video as you draw, so tonight I am posting the stroke-by-stroke video of my sketch of Darlington. The drawing is a little rough, but keep in mind that I was on a moving train. I used iMovie to create the final video, and added a still shot at the end.

Darlington (Digital Sketch)

Darlington (Digital Sketch), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

During the train ride from Glasgow to London, I made this digital sketch on my iPad with the Brushes app. When the train stopped at Darlington, I had a view looking down on the town from a railroad bridge. At that point, my iPhone camera had low battery, so instead of taking a photo, I pulled out my iPad and started to sketch. I kept going long after the train left the Darlington station.

Glasgow Central Station (Posterized Photo)

Glasgow Central Station (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

After spending the night in a hotel two blocks from Glasgow's train station, we turned in our rental car early the next morning and caught a ride back to our hotel from the rental car folks. I took this picture of the train station as the driver was stopped a red light. A few minutes later, he dropped us off at the hotel, where we checked out, collected our bags, and returned to this train station to catch the train to London. From there we would transfer to the Eurostar train to Paris. I took this photo partly because I was excited about the train trip and Paris, but also because I love train stations. In this photo you can see the beautiful 19th century ceiling and windows of Central Station, juxtaposed with modern traffic lights and advertisements. You can also catch some reflections on the car window. Today I used iPhoto to edit the image, and also used Painter to posterize it, trying to heighten the colors to match the excitement I felt that day.

Along the Coast in Scotland

Along the Coast in Scotland, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

The return trip to Scotland from Belfast was on a vehicle ferry (Stena line) to Stranraer. The plan was to drive to Glasgow to spend the night, so from Stranraer we drove north on the A77 towards Ayr. (I was the navigator on this trip, so I remember the road number, but I did check on Google tonight to be sure.) I had been on that stretch of road before during a previous trip, so I knew that it would be beautiful, and I wasn't disappointed. It is a coast road with amazing views of the ocean and surprises at every turn. It was still breathtaking even though I had seen it before. Even though the light was fading, I took lots of pictures from the passenger side of the car. This is one of the best of the set. Once I got home, I edited the original version in iPhoto to get this composition.

Toward Scotland

Toward Scotland, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I took this photograph from the Stena line ferry, heading back to Stranraer, Scotland. I was taking pictures with my iPhone camera as the boat approached Scotland. The light was beautiful and the composition kept changing as the boat moved. This is one of the best photos that I took that day.

Belfast Chimneys (Digital Woodcut)

Belfast Chimneys (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I am a fan of the chimneys in Belfast. I like the repeated patterns they create on the rooftops. Even though the buildings in this photo are owned by Queens University and are now used as offices, they still look like many of the rowhouses there. Tonight I cropped this image from one of the photos I took during my recent visit to Northern Ireland, and then used Painter to turn it into a digital woodcut.

Approaching Belfast

Approaching Belfast, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today I spent some time editing more photos from my recent travels, and the batch I worked on today included the drive north from England to Stranraer, Scotland, to catch the vehicle ferry to Belfast. Although many of the photos I edited today were more colorful or more appealing, I think this photo is the strongest of the bunch, so I am posting it here. I took this photograph from the Stena Line Ferry as the boat was approaching Belfast. I like the luminosity of the water, the cloud formations, and the strong diagonal created by the small boat in the foreground. I used iPhoto to straighten and crop just a bit, adjust the exposure, and retouch a couple of marks caused by streaks on the window of the boat..

Lake District Scene (Windmere to Penrith)

Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is a photograph that I took in England during my trip, on the road from Windmere to Penrith in the Lake District. The owner of the bed and breakfast in Windmere suggested the scenic drive, and it was as advertised: beautiful views, a winding road, with fog and rain adding atmosphere. I was in the passenger seat and took lots of pictures. Now I am back at home, and this morning I edited this set of photos, cropping out the interior of the car. The original photos are fun, and convey a sense of the twists and turns of the journey, and I plan to keep some of them in the album for friends to see. But to get the landscapes I wanted, I used iPhoto to straighten and crop, and where necessary, to adjust the exposure.

Windmere Window (Digital Woodcut)

Originally uploaded by: randubnick

I am still editing the photos that I took on my recent trip so that I can share them with friends and family. I also hope to make art with some of the photos. This morning I was working on the photos that I took in the Lake District in England. This image began with one of those photos, the view from the window of a bed and breakfast just outside Windmere. This morning I decided to turn this into a digital woodcut using Painter. I wanted more color in the image, so I added some color overlays as well.

Half-Timbered Houses in York (Digital Woodcut)

Originally uploaded by randubnick

My recent short stay in England included a visit to York, which is a fascinating mix of old and new, quaint buildings and Starbucks, narrow streets filled with parked cars. I had a lot of fun and took lots of pictures of the tourist-filled streets. I loved the patterns in the half-timbered houses, but it was hard to get a photo that didn't include traffic lights and neon signs. Tonight I opened the original version of this photo in Painter. First I used some cut and paste to cover up a car parked in front of the building. Then I used some digital airbrush to cover up electric wires in the sky and in front of the building. Then I posterized the image and turned it into a digital woodcut, using a reverse selection to leave the sky unchanged. Then I transferred the result back to iPhoto for a final straightening and crop, and here it is.

Between Manchester and Sheffield

Between Manchester and Sheffield
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Today I transferred the videos and photos from my recent trip from my iPhone into iPhoto, and started editing. I am going to crop and label and edit my travel photos to make albums to share with friends and family (through e-mail, Facebook, or MobileMe gallery). But don't worry: I don't plan to post all my travel photos on this site. As I edit, I am also looking for photos that I took with art in mind, and those are the kind of photos I plan to post here. I took this photograph shortly after arrival in the UK. The flight landed in Manchester, and the weather was very overcast, cold, and rainy. We picked up the rental car and headed toward Sheffield. I was expecting the area to be very industrialized, so I was surprised to see the green hillsides. It was still cloudy and raining, but the sun began to come out just a bit. I liked the light, so I took some pictures. (I was in the passenger seat of a moving car: this time on the opposite side of the road!) Tonight I used iPhoto to adjust the exposure just a bit and to crop this image out of the original photo, trimming out the interior of the car. The sunshine through the rain made me feel optimistic about the trip. Turns out I was right about that.

Houses in Porto Stroke-by-Stroke Video

Houses in Porto stroke-by-stroke
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is a stroke-by-stroke video of the drawing I made yesterday with the Brushes app on my iPad. These happy little houses are inspired by my recent trip to Portugal. Tonight I had the usual problems bringing the video into my computer (stops short of completion, etc.), so I used iMovie to add the still image to the end of the file. I was drawing this image on an airplane during a slightly bumpy transatlantic flight, and my struggles to control the image are evident in this little video.

Houses in Porto

Houses in Porto
Originally uploaded by randubnick

I have been traveling for the past few weeks in Europe (5 countries in 17 days), and just got back tonight. With hundreds of photos, it is hard to know where to begin. So I decided to begin with a digital drawing that I made today during a somewhat bumpy transatlantic flight. The plane's entertainment system wasn't very entertaining; in fact, it was frustrating, so I decided to use my iPad to draw with the Brushes app. This image is inspired by the old houses that line Porto's Douro river. I used bright colors to try to communicate the happiness of my trip to Porto. Brushes captures a stroke-by-stroke video as you draw, and I plan to post that tomorrow.

Cascading White Flowers

Cascading White Flowers, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is a photo that I took last year (May 12, 2011). I was leaving for a trip to Europe the next day, and despite having a lot of errands to run, I took a break to go to Long Hill Gardens (here in Beverly, MA) with my daughter to see the flowers. It was a lovely break and a good idea. The flowers were in bloom, and I got some great pictures. I uploaded them into my Flickr account, hoping to post them to my blog while I was on the road, but that turned out to be pretty complicated. I posted some of them when I got back, but time got away from me and I didn't finish the task. But now that flowers are blooming again, I decided it is time to catch up.

Spring Trees at Long Hill

Spring Trees at Long Hill, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image is cropped from a photograph that I took at Long Hill Gardens (here in Beverly, MA) back on May 12th, during an outing to see the trees in bloom. I like the way the trees look alongside the road that leads to the main house. In the original version of this photo, you can see more of the road and trees on both sides, but unfortunately you can also see a car coming down the road. Today* I decided to crop the photo which got rid of the car, so I used Flickr's Picnic to do the editing on line. (*Today is June 10, but I am backdating my posts for May; I had planned to post during my trip, but it was harder than I thought to get internet access.)

Sunlight on White Blossoms

Sunlight on White Blossoms, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here is another photo from the set of pictures that I took back on May 12. We went to Longhill Gardens here in Beverly, MA, to see the flowering trees and lilacs that were in bloom. (I was leaving for a trip the next day and decided to fit in this little excursion because spring doesn't wait!) I liked the way the sunlight hit the white blossoms, so I took a picture. I took quite a few pictures that day, and had planned to post them from the road while I was travelling, but the internet connection turned out to be a problem. So I am posting them now, and back-dating them. Today I used Flickr's Picnic to adjust the exposure and crop the image a little bit.

Lilacs and Blue Sky

Lilacs and Blue Sky, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I took this picture of lilacs against a blue sky on May 12, 2011, during a trip to Long Hill Gardens to see lilacs and blossoming trees. We were trying to fit this in because I was leaving for Europe the following day. I uploaded several pictures from this outing to Flickr and planned to post them to my blog while I was on the road. But getting on-line to do while I was traveling proved to be more complicated than I anticipated. Besides, I was busy on an amazing trip! After I got home, I didn't finish posting this set, but now that lilacs are in bloom again, I thought I would try to finish the set and fill in the gaps in my photo stream and blog. So I am backdating the post to May 16, 2011.

Light and Shade on Flowering Trees

Light and Shade on Flowering Trees, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is another photograph from the group of pictures I took back on May 12, the day before I left for my trip to Europe. It was a wonderful idea to go to see the flowers in bloom at Long Hill Gardens. In this photo, I was trying to capture the play of light on the trees. Today I used Flickr's Picnic to edit the photo online. (I had uploaded this set before I left, with the intention of posting "from the road," but it was too hard to find a connection.

Looking Up at White Blossoms

Originally uploaded by: randubnick

This is another photograph that I took on May 12th, the day before I left for a trip to Europe. Everything was in bloom at Long Hill Gardens, so I went to see the flowers, even though I had a lot to do to get ready for my trip the next day. Seeing the flowers was wonderful and I am glad I didn't miss it. This is one of the flowering trees that you can see along the edges of the main road as you enter the property.

Flowering Trees at Long Hill Gardens

Originally uploaded by: randubnick

This is a photograph that I took during a visit to Long Hill Gardens in Beverly, Massachusetts, back on May 12, the day before I left on a two-week trip to Europe. I took lots of pictures of the flowering trees, and planned to post them while I was "on the road." Well, that turned out to be too complicated, so I am posting those photos now. (This format of this post might look different today: for some reason Flickr is not "talking to" Blogger today. Lots of questions about this problem are posted on the help page, but so far, no resolution. So I am posting directly from Blogger.)

Pink Blossoms on the Tree

Pink Blossoms on the Tree
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is a photo that I took on May 12 at Long Hill Gardens, here in Beverly, MA. I was leaving for a trip to Europe the following day. I had so much to do to get ready. Should I really take the time to go to Long Hill to look at the spring flowers? I didn't want to miss the spring blossoms or the lilacs, so I decided to go. Well, it turned out to be a great idea. The flowering trees were all in bloom, and I couldn't stop taking pictures. Suddenly I was able to calm down and focus on the present moment. Later that day, I uploaded a number of the photos to Flickr, and marked them as private (temporarily), and planned to my blog during my trip. But it was too hard to get an internet connection during the trip, so I decided to post these images after I got home. (Both Flickr and Blogger allow editing the date of posting.) This is the first of this set, and I plan to one or two every day until I "catch up." Meanwhile, I will also organize my trip photos so I can start posting those too. So thanks to digital technology, I am turning back the clock to post this image as my "daily" post for May 12!

Pear Tree at the Pond

Pear Tree at the Pond
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is a photograph that I took over the weekend during a walk at the Cummings Center Pond (aka Shoe Pond) here in Beverly, MA. The pear tree was in bloom and it was beautiful. I liked the white blossoms against the blue sky, so I used my iPhone camera to take this picture. Apart from brightening the image a bit in iPhoto, this is the image as it came out of the camera.

Daffodils at Long Hill (Posterized Photograph)

Daffodils at Long Hill (Posterized Photograph)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This image began with one of the pictures I took back on May 1 during a walk at Long Hill Gardens here in Beverly, MA. Signs were posted announcing that it was "Daffodil Sunday" and signs were also posted pointing toward the "daffodil path." So instead of the usual walk up the hill towards the house and formal gardens, we followed the daffodil path downhill towards the children's garden, the barns, chickens, and the fields. I used my iPhone camera to take lots of pictures of the daffodils. Tonight I cropped this image out of one of the best photos. I liked the contrast of the daffodils and the barn in the background. I used iPhoto for basic adjustments, and used Painter to posterize the image.

Mom and Me (Digital Woodcut)

Mom and Me (Digital Woodcut)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Yesterday I managed to digitally restore a photo taken by my uncle, Ike Fitterman, starting with an old negative that I came across. It was wonderful to see my uncle's photo! I cropped it and posted the result yesterday, for Mother's Day. (I used a digital camera, a computer screen, Painter, and iPhoto to do that; if you want details on how I restored the image from a negative, see yesterday's post.) Then I used my Painter software to create the image you see here. I used the digital woodcut effect on the photo, with very little black, and then posterized the result, to add more color. Working on this project was a way to bring my mom into the present tense; this project was also a way to collaborate with my uncle, and a great reminder of what a talented photographer he was.

Mom and Me (Digitally Restored Photo from Negative)

Mom and Me (Digitally Restored Photo from Negative)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Today I wanted to make a Mother's Day image, so I was looking for a photo of my mother. She was camera-shy, so pictures of her are hard to find. I found an envelope of negatives of family photos taken by my uncle, Ike Fitterman. (My uncle had a photography studio in Pueblo, Jay Phillips Studio) In one of the negatives, I thought I saw an image of my mom holding me on her lap. I didn't think that I had ever seen a picture from this negative. Although I now plan to get this negative developed professionally, I was excited and wanted to see this today. I tried and failed to capture the negative image with a scanner; the result was too dark and I couldn't turn it into a good image no matter what I did with it afterward. Finally I had an idea. I slipped the negative under the edge of my computer screen, and then used my iPhone to photograph the back-lit negative. I got a clear image of the negative, which I e-mailed to myself, and downloaded. Then I opened the image in Painter, where I was able to produce a "negative" effect, and suddenly the positive image appeared! I did a little digital sharpening and cropped the image to get this composition. Then I transferred the result into iPhoto and made the image into a black and white photo. I was excited to see the photo that my uncle took, and here it is, cropped just a bit! I also used this image to create a piece of digital art which I plan to post here tomorrow, a collaboration with my Uncle Ike Fitterman.

Photo Display at Beverly Farms

Photo Display at Beverly Farms
Originally uploaded by randubnick

After I finished setting up my art show at Beverly Farms Library, I took some pictures. I usually hang my photographs on the wall. But these frames aren't sufficiently to work with the hanging system that the library uses. (The weight of the art work makes the hook engage and hold tight against the metal rod.) I didn't want to re-frame the photographs, so I decided to display the photos on a table (in this case, two library tables pushed together). I bought some very simple black metal stands at Michaels that seem very stable. The hardest part was arranging the display. Each photo can be seen without obscuring the other photos, but viewers have to lean in and get involved to get a really good look.

Pink Peonies for Mother's Day

Pink Peonies for Mother's Day
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Today I received an early Mother's Day gift: a beautiful arrangement of pink peonies in a glass vase. Of course, I took pictures. This close-in view of the huge blossoms was the best of the photos that I took this morning.

Photo of New England Landscapes show

Photo of New England Landscapes show
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This afternoon I took this photo of some of my oil bar paintings on display at the Beverly Farms Library. The light there is very nice in the late afternoon. The library has a pretty interesting hanging system of metal rods that hang from the moulding. There are hooks on the rods that slide up and down so you can adjust the height of the painting. (At first, they were sliding when I DIDN'T want that to happen.) It's a very efficient system, but it took me a while to "get the hang of it".

Beverly Farms Library (Digital Woodcut)

Beverly Farms Library (Digital Woodcut)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Tonight I used my Painter program (and a lot of trial and error) to create this digital woodcut. I used the photo of the Beverly Farms Library that I took yesterday. (I was there to hang paintings for my art show.) The library is charming and so is the little town of Beverly Farms!

Beverly Farms Library (Vine Street Entrance)

Beverly Farms Library (Vine Street Entrance)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

I spent much of yesterday hanging my art work at the Beverly Farms Library. It was a lot of work to get everything ready, but Beverly Farms is an adorable little town and I always enjoy being there. On my trips back and forth to the car for loading and unloading, I caught myself admiring this charming little library, so I stopped to take a picture of the Vine Street entrance with my iPhone camera. Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition. I think it would make a nice digital woodcut. To be continued. . . .

Magnolias and Fence (Digital Woodcut)

Magnolias and Fence (Digital Woodcut)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

I recently published a posterized version of a photo that I took of pink magnolias against a wooden fence. I also used Painter to create this digital woodcut of the same image.

Morning Light in New Hampshire (Posterized Photo)

Morning Light in New Hampshire (Posterized Photo)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Tonight I am re-publishing this posterized version of a photo that I took back in 2009 of the woods on campus at the University of New Hampshire at Durham. I created this version back in late December of 2009 and used it as a reference photo for a painting. I am going to include the posterized photos in my upcoming art show of New England landscapes. In fact, this very image is framed, in my studio, and today I packed it up for the show. I have been searching for this in my photostream and although I can find it in iPhoto on my computer, I can't seem to find the posterized version published here. So this may be a duplication, but I am uploading it again tonight. After losing too much time searching my Flickr photostream for it, I just decided to upload it again and add it to the set of photos that are in the show. I am using Flickr's sets and collections to make an online version of the art show for far-flung friends and family.