FILTER FORGE

It's amazing what kind of crap you can find when you're surfing the internet.  In some cases, it is worthwhile crap or at least, interesting crap so I usually find myself exploring further and at least giving the crap a 30 day trial.

Today, I came across filterforge and to be very fair, this program is not garbage and I highly recommend it if you use photoshop.  As you may know, the filters in photoshop are very limited (and most of the time a complete waste of time) but with photoshop, the filter possibilities seem endless and most of the time, they are pretty freakin' cool.

I played around with a couple of them this afternoon and turned some photos into tricked out wonders.  I decided to make a collection of some countries that I have visited.

First up, we have Cambodia of course, my latest obsession.  I have always loved this photo.  It came together at the end of the day when two monks were wandering around the famous Ta Prohm temple.  The original photo isn't quite in focus so the photo is improved when it is "disguised" with a little filter magic.

Next up, we have Canada.  This is Lake Belwood situated about an hour outside of Toronto and on a warm August morning, it is one of the most beautiful places in the world--in my opinion, of course.  Summer doesn't last long here; by the middle of September, it's all over till the following June.  

The DR, as most people like to call it.  An island paradise where the people are friendly, the beers are cold and the music is hot. If you come here, you'll spend some lazy days unless you get diarrhea and then you're running a lot to the bathroom.  Bring some pepto and don't drink the tap water!  

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I really miss France.  I lived outside of Paris for a year just before I entered University and I fell in love with the whole country.  One of my favorite spots is Mont St. Michel which is the large Abby situated in the northwest corner of France in an area called Normandie. In the picture below, the large red splotches are actually poppies.  Not the best use of filterfoge (it looks like an impressionist painting that was left out in the rain) but it took me quite a while to do so I'm putting it here.     

You can check out filterforge at www.filterforge.com.  And yes, they do have a free trial.  

Apologies to Morro Bay

There is a big mistake with this picture which you might not immediately catch.

Oh Happy New Year and all that.  I hope 2012 in a good one and the Mayans are wrong and everyone gets what they deserve--good or bad.  Moving on ...

I took this picture in the fall and I guess it has been a while--or maybe my memory isn't very good--because I could have sworn this place was called Mono Bay.  So I photoshopped it with a big mono bay sign which is unfortunate because it is called Morro Bay.

But I have better things to do with my time than play on photoshop (cleaning, doing laundry, walking dog, shower, eat and plan world domination, not necessarily in that order ...) so I have decided to leave it as is.  It didn't take me long to do but still, I think I hear my dog peeing on the carpet ...

Morro Bay is a great spot to visit.  Not sure I would want to live there (it's a little too sleepy for me) but it is very picturesque and they had some pretty good chowder on the docks.  It's on the coast, north of Los Angeles on the way to San Francisco.

The Chinatown of Los Angeles

I've been to the Chinatowns in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles and my favourite so far has been the one in New York.

I was there about twenty years ago and I made the trek because I wanted to see the chicken who could play tic-tac-toe.  Apparently no one could beat this damn chicken so of course, I wanted to see just how smart this feathered beast was.  Just as I was about to enter the building where the chicken held court, I literally chickened out.  I can't remember why I turned away.  I think it was because I felt like the chicken was being abused in some way despite the fact that it was rewarded with food each time it won a game.  Apparently, I didn't want to be a part of some weird animal torture.

So I never met the chicken that played tic-tac-toe.

But the New York Chinatown was very impressive and I still have the silver Buddha I bought there.

The Chinatown in Los Angeles is situated in the downtown area.  It's a fairly small area and seems very practical--not overly welcoming to tourists unless you take some time to explore all the nooks and crannies of the neighborhood.  But it is worth a visit even if you're time is limited and you're tired of driving by big houses where the moviestars live.

Here are some photos of my recent visit ...

The rocks of Vasquez

If you drive about an hour north of Los Angeles, you'll come to a park which may seem a little familiar, even if you've never been there before.  

The reason?

Vasquez Rocks Park has been used as a filming backdrop in many movies and tv shows including the Lone Ranger, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Blazing Saddles and The Flintstones.  It has some very unique stone formations and it's no wonder why Hollywood has decided to film there to make a scene look like anything from a distant planet to prehistoric times.  

Once you get out there, it's hard to even believe that you're so close to a big city.  It's a great place to get away and hike and enjoy the smog-free air.  Bring some hiking shoes if you want to climb up the big rock formations--my beat-up running shoes just didn't cut it.  

Here are some of the photos I took.  But I'm giving you a heads-up.  I recently purchased Photoshop cs5 at GREAT EXPENSE.  It's an awesome program, of course, but damnit I want to get my money's worth so I'm gonna photoshop every damn picture that I take from now on.  For better or for worse.  

And I'm learning.  So most of these are "for worse".  

This is a photo of the main rock formation that has a poster effect applied to it. Kinda cool.  I like it.  

Another view.  I think I just played around with the sharpening tools in this one.  

Doesn't the lens flare look awesome?  Okay, I'll give photoshop the credit.  

This one is completely untouched.  I just waited a really long time for the sky to turn a groovy type of purple.  I truly suffer for my art.  

For this one, I wanted to give the illusion that a large head was invading Vasquez Rocks.  I think I succeeded beautifully.  

This photo has a texture filter applied to it.  The best thing about digital photos is that you can take some incredibly crappy pictures and they don't cost you a thing.    

I'm learning more about duotones and I really like the effect.  Not necessarily for this photo but  for the right photo, I'm sure they're great.  

And finally, I'm experimenting with frames.  Hmmm, I think I need a lot more experimenting ... 

Vasquez Rocks Park is a beautiful place to visit which you can hopefully appreciate despite the photoshopcraptacular presentation.  Check it out if you're ever in the area.