Monochromatic Monday #2 : For Fire and Ardor

I always wanted to shoot something up close but always the picture turns up blurred, too light or with reflection of flash… Then my friend Mobsy gave some tips during one of those PPF weekends we had. I’ve been trying to work on my close-up shots since then… admittedly, I still need to learn some more and get acquainted with how my two cameras work… there are still of course, bad shots, but now there are already good enough shots LOL…

This Friday though, I needed to give something for the 86^th birthday party of my grand-aunt, the family or should I say, Clan Matriarch… I thought the center piece used on her buffet table goes well with this poem I had in mind as a post birthday gift for her and so I attempted several shots of it… and I’m going to use one for this week’s mono Monday.

The original shot using Nikon Coolpix 4500; Macro Close-up; internal manual-setting flash:

I wanted the picture to look vintage but bright…. Old but vibrant… so much like my grand-aunt, really. And so this is what I did:

· Since I still can’t muster Photoshop, I used my good old Picasa once again.

· I uploaded the photo, clicked Tuning Tab and tinkered with the shadows, color temp and Highlights until I reached my desired color

· Go to the Effects Tab and Sharpen and chose Sepia

· But since I don’t like the outcome that much I tried what a Mono Monday contributor suggested last week, I browsed Picnik.

· I uploaded the photo there and saw some more exposure and color controls via its advance button… I tinkered with it,

· Then I chose Effects and saw sepia with some more color choices and then there is a 1960’s style

· So here below is the photo with the poem:

For Caridad M. Tiongco: Our Wawa Caring!

Of Fire and Ardor

Always had been a strong flame

That as a child, I almost feared.

And yet, a welcoming warmth

Exudes and makes you feel reared.

Only lately did I realize

That the blazing fuel she had inside

Was to keep the furnace ever burning

For the family she was nurturing

Now the fire seemingly mellowed

But the passion burning ever bright.

Quietly watching her clan grow,

Her smiling eyes aglow with pride!

- Sharon 04122008