Childhood Memories

My Private Garden in London
My Private Garden in London

I moved to London with my mother when I was 6 in 1954. The first flat we lived in was at Kensington Gardens. It came with access to a locked garden called Ladbroke Square Gardens, London W11.

Flying Across America
Flying Across America

During the early 1950’s I remember taking airplanes and sleeper trains from New York to Reno, Nevada, and other places.

Sailing to London and New York
Sailing to London and New York

Mother and I sailed from NYC to Southampton on the Queen Mary in 1954. On other ships we sailed through both canals from Australia and USA. A sailor nicknamed me “Port” instead of Sherry and he explained the meaning of port and starboard.

Tiny People created by a Young Witch in the Bronx
Tiny People created by a Young Witch in the Bronx

When I was four I lived at Fordham Hill Apartments. I met a girl who did a spell over a wooden barrel. She told me not to tell anyone and go look at the windowsill and tell her what I saw. I saw tiny people running around on it.

Flying Scotsman from London to Scotland
Flying Scotsman from London to Scotland

When I was six, in 1954, my mother and I went to Scotland. I had the measles there and was confined to the hotel in Broughty Ferry near Dundee for a month and, I learned to ride a bike. I remember the heather on the mountains, stone water bottles and oatmeal. I learned to ride a bicycle on the gravel path of the hotel.

Boat for One Photo Focus January

Laura Macky’s photo is lovely as is. For this challenge I wanted to enhance the mood created by the old boat and bring that into the background. Here’s Photoshop recipe:

  1. Original image with some slight adjustment in Lightroom
  2. Curve adjustment layer: negative RGB, opacity 30%
  3. Grunge layer applied in on1 to a copy of original, blend mode: difference
  4. My cloud image. Blende mode: Hard Light, opacity 70%
  5. B&W adjustment layer default, opacity 70%
  6. Copy of original layer masked to show the boat, opacity 80%
  7. Smoke brushed, blend mode: Soft Light, opacity 89%

My version has an old postcard look and is also somewhat ominous.

Link to One Photo Focus http://wp.me/p14eaH-24Q

Body Parts

I was inspired by memories of an old B&W film Hiroshima Mon Amour (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima_mon_amour) where there is a small section where the lovers embrace in what looks like sparkling fallout.

Screen shot of Hiroshima Mon Amour, director Alain Resnais
Screen shot of Hiroshima Mon Amour, director Alain Resnais

The ones below are  my vision, which is not so grim. I imagined skin being dusted with stardust. I created these images using a macro lens. The skin is dusted with flour, water and iridescent sparkles.

Skin 7, 5/31/2015
Skin 7, 5/31/2015
Skin 12, 5/31/2015
Skin 12, 5/31/2015
Skin 30, 5/31/2015
Skin 30, 5/31/2015

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Jamaica Bay 8/16/2014

This

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Jamaica Bay 8/16/2014
Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Jamaica Bay 8/16/2014

Hummers can look fierce. This female had just chased off its rivals. I added a wispy gray sky with clouds that show motion to enhance the mood.

Composite created in Photoshop. NIKON D600, f-stop 8, exposure time 1/1000 sec., ISO 1000, exposure bias 3 step, focal length 400mm, and max aperture 5.