Blur

[Anita Bower]

I can hardly believe I'm posting a blur! I did this one for a summer project involving a camera club, otherwise, I would not try a blur.

I took this by our pond this morning.

I used my little Canon s100 point and shoot. I'm enjoying discovering this camera's many capabilities while my big camera is in the shop.

[Kerry Perkins]

That's the spirit Anita! This works really well IMO, the bright areas of sky making nice painterly strokes across the image. My only thought would be to maybe bring the white point down a bit. Great to see you getting farther out of the box like this!

[Anita Bower]

Thanks, Kerry. I wouldn't have done the blur had I not been required to do so.
You make a good point about the white point. Thanks.

[Kerry Perkins]

Thanks, Kerry. I wouldn't have done the blur had I not been required to do so.
You make a good point about the white point. Thanks.

But how do you feel about it now? Sometimes it takes a little nudge for us to try something new. Over the years I have learned so much here at BPN, including many thing I would not have tried before had it not been for a theme.

[Anita Bower]

But how do you feel about it now? Sometimes it takes a little nudge for us to try something new. Over the years I have learned so much here at BPN, including many thing I would not have tried before had it not been for a theme.

I'm undecided. But, like you, I have learned a lot on this forum and appreciate a place where I can explore.

[Kerry Perkins]

I'm going to post some blurs for you to think about. I know they are not everyone's "cup of tea" but I think you'll find a whole new area of photography that can challenge and stimulate you. At least I hope so! I had a very difficult time getting started on them because I felt like I had spent decades learning how to make critically sharp images and it felt "wrong" to make blurry pictures, but I have fun doing them and thinking about how to make them look good.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, Anita, I saw your title and my first thought was, "oh my gosh, Anita is doing blurs!!!" I think it's wonderful. One of the hardest things to do is to include the foreground which you have done nicely. I like the sense of motion and your composition. I hope you do more

[Anita Bower]

Hi, Anita, I saw your title and my first thought was, "oh my gosh, Anita is doing blurs!!!" I think it's wonderful. One of the hardest things to do is to include the foreground which you have done nicely. I like the sense of motion and your composition. I hope you do more

Thanks!
I assumed you would be surprised. My husband said this photo made him dizzy. No promises for more.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

I think you should do more Anita. I really like the squiggly lines, and you ended just at the base of the trees, to get more detail in. Well done!

[Judy Howle]

I like the overall effect but agree about the white point, it kind of hurts my eyes! I would mind seeing what it would look like if you tried a motion blur or Gaussian blur on the image to add a bit more blur to the sharp lines. I'm not into blurs either but I have used zoom blur in Photoshop on flowers a few times with decent results.

[Anita Bower]

I like the overall effect but agree about the white point, it kind of hurts my eyes! I would mind seeing what it would look like if you tried a motion blur or Gaussian blur on the image to add a bit more blur to the sharp lines. I'm not into blurs either but I have used zoom blur in Photoshop on flowers a few times with decent results.

Thanks for your comments. I toned down the white point, which definitely needed it. Your suggestion of a blur ( I actually like having less blur on the trunks) gave me the idea of making a gaussian blur copy and using it as a texture to further tone down the whites. I prefer this version.

[gary ellwein]

Well done Anita. I particularly like the second image. I hope this will not be your last blur.