1.19.2011

Beautiful Beads

Hey again friends!
I certainly didn't get a jump start on Wednesday's challenges BUT
I am proud to say that I don't think it'll take until 2 AM to finish it! YAY!
Baby steps folks, baby steps. ;)
Well today I spent a little time thinking outside the box. I was at my parent's and as my little sister (8 yrs old) was going through her old 'play' jewelery she come across this sort of 'mardi gra' necklace. (That's what we call the little plastic play necklaces layin around). My parents have this small glass top end table beside my Dad's favorite chair so I thought laying the beads on the glass would make for a neat shot with a cool perspective as I knew the beads would reflect onto the glass. Here was my first shot:
mo' beads!
I edited in CS5. Opened it up in ACR and adjusted the white balance, exposure, fill light, sharpness..etc. Opened in CS5 did a crop and ran the Strawberry Vintage action. I then flattened at ran a Nelly Nero action (sorry, I can't remember which!) and flattened again. Finally I added a lens flare and viola! (PS that big "spot" randomly placed there towards the bottom right was not put there by me..I'm not sure what created it but it's just one big bokeh spot I guess standing alone..I think it's kinda neat!) I am entering this into Hollie's Perceptive Perspective Challenge "Up On Top" since the beads were "Up on Top" of the table ... Will it work? Eh? Hope so. :) The theme at You Capture this week is Circles. Wow how lucky did I get! These beads are "circles" so..there you have it! :)
PhotobucketWordish WednesdayPhotobucket


Next I added another 'prop' into the mix with the beads as a 'backdrop' I guess you could say. This was a bottle of some of her baby pink nail polish:
polish & beads
I am totally in love with this one. I ran a matching action for the pink polish which was Nelly's "Pink Fade" action..I adjusted the contrast layers a tad and flattened! It comes off as really soft and feminine to me. What do you think?

Live and Love...Out Loud


Okay this one I ran a sepia-ish edit on..and I really liked how it looks:
Sepia Beads
It almost feels "antique" if that makes any sense. I am entering this into Black & White Wednesday over at The Long Road to China {And Back}. To see more click below:
the long road

Here is a collage of all three of them together! My 'bead' project if you will:
Beads Collage
This collage sure puts me "On Cloud Nine" :)


And one more for the road! I like this one because if you look REALLY HARD and VERRRY CLOSE you can see me in each and every little bead! YAY!:
Can you see me Now?

Hope your Wednesday is WONDERFUL!

30 Lovely Reader(s) Said:

Vrinda said...

Hi Natalie,

You have very nice blog here. Amazing pics, loved the reflection of nail polish on glass.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Keep visiting.

Amy Nielson said...

these pictures are so striking! love them. great edits.

Rosie@leavesnbloom said...

These are seriously good photos. I love how the beads are reflected on that glass table.

Satakieli said...

Very pretty photos, I really like the reflections :)

Tracy said...

Wonderful perspective, fabulous photos, it is incredible what one can do with something so simple with a little thought.

Michelle said...

love love love love love love love! I'm going to have to try this, they look stunning!

jillconyers said...

Wonderful photos. I love the reflection and the great detail captured.

Traci said...

Great idea using the reflection! Think I like the sepia the best.

Kathleen said...

I love the one you edited for B&W Wednesday! You're right...it looks antiquish. Very pretty!

MarieElizabeth said...

Wow, love these! I was going to say the first one was my favorite, but now I think the last one is awaesome too. I'll be a follower from now on, happy Wednesday.

Hollie said...

Love them! I love to see your depth of field each week.

Tara said...

I love them, love the black and white one the most!

carlotta cisternas said...

Gorgeous shots! Love the first one.

Ashley Sisk said...

I love the reflection of the beads in the first shot!

I am Harriet said...

Wonderful photos!

Have a great Wednesday!
http://harrietandfriends.com/2011/01/what-are-your-%e2%80%9cpet-hates%e2%80%9d/

Unknown said...

Natalie that is super creative and I love them!

Blessings,
Jill
http://fnaphotography.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Those are great Natalie, the reflection is superb.

And love your new header (Please don't tell me it's been there for three months and I'm just now noticing it! LOL)

Anonymous said...

These are great shots! Love the beads, so pretty! xx

Jamie said...

Wow - so lovely. The reflection and colors are gorgeous.

Kayce said...

Very cool captures! Love the reflection of the beads!

Michelle R said...

Natalie!! I love these!! You're my inspiration today! I'm going to need to find me some beads and try this out myself! They all are wonderful - I can't pic a fav!

~Michelle

HRANDICA said...

I like how you played with beads and camera. :)

Unknown said...

very pretty and great composition!

C.G. Koens said...

The first shot is certainly a "wow" capture!

Beth said...

Beautiful shots! I really love the reflections!

Dumb Mom said...

Great shots! I love seeing people try cool things with their photography!

Unknown said...

Beautiful photos - especially like that last one!!

Jen said...

I love the sepia toned one!

Brooke said...

VERY COOL shots!

Jennifer said...

These are awesome! I love the edits too. These shots are perfect for the circles challenge. Great job!

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