Transition

We have been getting requests to help people "fix" and/or "paint" their pictures.  You tell one person you can touch up something and word seems to spread.  Actually, and it's a secret, we enjoy doing it because we really have to tap into our creativity and learn new ways to apply tools....But don't tell.

Wayne is getting really good at adding sky to pictures - and it's amazing how many nice shots lack good sky - and I'm good at covering up all kinds of things, and this week managed to remove a hand from around a beautiful dog's neck - very detailed and painstaking work.
So, I thought I'd share a sample of our work.   This is a rather ordinary photo of a peach orchard early in the season.  The day was grey and the light not good.  
These pictures progress through just a few of the steps:  original photo, enhanced color and light with a more interesting sky added, and the final painted version.
The total time involved in this is probably 3 or 4 hours on and off.  Love the finished product.

Wandering aimlessly all about.....

Saturday was another day to go exploring to see what we could see....in the end we wandered over to Saluda, NC, then Tryon and back into SC at Landrum.  It turned out to be the peak of color a couple of weeks earlier than normal so we had lots of scenery to enjoy and many pictures to take.
This is a view of the Saluda Grade - "the steepest rail line in America" but it is no longer running any trains :-(.   Wayne took this picture late in the day and then "painted" it with oils.

It would have been exciting to have ridden this line and been able to climb the grade during peak colors!!

Nice folk

I wrote the other day about all the great pictures we were able to take on our way home from Wake Forest. I haven't had a chance to do much, but Wayne has "painted" a few. He also borrowed a sky to add to the drama. Enjoy.

Oh, this is at an old farm along a road we took by mistake. When we got to the "entering NC" sign we turned around and got to stop here and shoot to our hearts content. More to follow.