Week Twenty One
Something a bit different this week. I've lost my way a bit already. Creatively I mean. Been keeping up the walks but not much new to take photographs of. So I've tried to do something a little different. More about processing that photography.
Here I have used an idea from a magazine. It involves 3 images blended together to represent a girl looking out a rain soaked window at fireworks. An image of rain on a window was provided by the magazine, the fireworks and outside reflection were an old photo posted here from Firework night and the photo of the girl I took this week in keeping with the blog. It works OK. Could be better but OK.
Its just the hair that is a problem and that is mainly down to the fact its been about a year since I did any manipulating in Photoshop and its all a bit foreign now. Its a metaphor I suppose, the image. All the attractions are outside. The people are outside experiencing them. And I am at the other side of the glass watching, even though its not me in the photo- rather not use my mug. It might be something I do again with the only criteria being that I at least use a photo taken the week in it, preferably all photos from that week. Aside from the photo its been a shitty week. One of many. Nausea, anxiety and the usual.
Above the kids playing a game on their day off, a school holiday. A simple game with a blindfold. Forget the Wii. They had a great time and minimal crying which was good. The boy is just about to go looking for the girls and as you can see the youngest is cheating by hiding in the kitchen so he won't find her. Cheeky scamp.
Added a couple of textures to it. Mainly because indoors is lacking natural light and as such needs a higher ISO to compensate unless I am photographing something still. Higher ISO means more sensitivity producing more noise and grainier images. On my little camera ISO 100, 200 and to some extent 400 are pretty noise free. ISO 800 starts to get very visible grain, must worse at ISO 1600 which the camera's automatic function defaults to indoors like here. ISO 3200 is virtually unusable. This is to do with smaller cameras. On a DSLR with much bigger sensors the noise is managed much better and I would be able to get away with ISO 1600 no problem at all indoors. But also this is automatic. I'm a lazy sod. I have experimented in manual mode and managed to get a balance at a lower ISO but it depends how much movement there is. Here I could have done it. Catching the right moment there was not much movement.
Lastly just an image I wanted to do. I've seen this done lots of times. Again not as clear as I would like which is down to my camera but also because it was indoors- should have done it outdoors. Just an eye macro and then a colour change in Photoshop.
Aside from the photos some bad news this week. My wife got a text from my sister who had been trying to phone all day- tight bugger won't phone a mobile. My dad had been feeling unwell so went to the doctors who sent him in turn to the hospital for high blood pressure. He will be in until next week while they run tests. Worry and guilt. Worry for his health and guilt that I cannot go through to see him such is my agoraphobia.
Its been coming. He's one of many working his arse off and running himself into the ground in the process for fear of debt. He is 60 years old and I cannot remember a week where he did not work. And its harder now. Not just because of his age but because of the influx of foreign workers. He thinks he is lucky if he can find a week's work despite it being shitty work and for a fraction of what he used to earn before they opened the borders to all of Eastern Europe. Hard labour no 60 year old should be doing and the stress of finding work and the stress of my mum pressurising him to get work even though he couldn't try less harder. It all builds. He has been feeling ill for weeks but feels he cannot let that stop him working. This is the result. I just hope he is OK and slows down from the heavy lifting at least.
